Unleash your inner artist

Years ago, I posted this recipe for cornmeal cookies. Click here to see my old post, which contains the recipe. We use clean, fine-tipped craft paintbrushes and dip them in straight food coloring to decorate the cookies. This time around, it was Halloween style! We had so much fun, I thought the recipe deserved another shout-out.

*Note: The recipe calls for finely shredded lemon peel. I didn't have any fresh lemons this time, so I replaced the peel and the vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon lemon extract. Worked perfectly.

Autumn muffins

Remember all that lovely applesauce I made? Well, I used some of it to make a big batch of these healthy applesauce muffins. My family enjoyed them for breakfast several days in a row. They taste healthy and hearty, but they are moist and have a lot of flavor. We were really happy with them. As my husband said, these muffins taste like fall. You can't really taste the applesauce, but it adds great moisture and health value.

THE RECIPE:

2 c. rolled oats
2 c. applesauce
1 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins, or line with paper liners. In large bowl, mix oats, applesauce, milk, eggs, vanilla, butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, soda and seasonings. Add dry ingredients to large bowl and stir just until combined. Don't overmix.

Distribute batter evenly among muffin cups (make each about 2/3 to 3/4 full). Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Set the timer a little early and check so you can remove muffins as soon as toothpick test allows. Overbaking will lead to dryness. Makes 24 muffins.

*Note: Refrigerate leftovers after 24 hours so they don't spoil. Reheat them in the microwave. Muffins can also be frozen.

Base recipe came from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Tender, sweet and savory

This dish requires a ridiculously small amount of work. Yet, it is so delicious. That is my kind of meal. We call it sweet rosemary chicken. I wrote the recipe for the oven, but the Crock-Pot would be a fantastic substitute. Serve the chicken on a bed of rice; we mix white and brown.

THE RECIPE:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs*
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried rosemary

Mix sauce ingredients, then pour over chicken thighs in 8x8 baking dish. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Spoon juices generously over rice.


*Make sure you use thighs. Dark meat cooks differently from white meat.

Note: With the purchase of gluten-free soy sauce, this would be a very easy gluten-free dish.