Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce over Orzo with Basil

I used two recipes that I have made before to make this one recipe

for the Orzo with basil
Here is what you need,

3 tbsp. butter
1 ½ cups Orzo
3 cups chicken (I used water and then added better than bouillon chicken flavor)
1 tbsp dried basil
Salt, to tatse
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.

Add the orzo

and sauté

until golden brown. Takes a few minutes

Add the broth and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the water is all absorbed into the orzo

Remove from the heat, stir in the basil and salt & pepper to taste.

and for Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans of fire roasted tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
1 to 1 1/4 pounds medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined I left the tails on mine (I used precooked shrimp for my recipe because they were out of raw)
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 ounces feta cheese

heat your oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large, oven-proof pan or dutch oven to medium high heat. Add the onions

and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the tomatoes

bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, until the juices thicken a bit.

Then add in the red bell pepper

Stir in

Remove pot from heat and turn burner off. Stir in the herbs,

shrimp, feta cheese,

and salt and pepper to taste.

Place pot in oven and bake, uncovered, 10 minutes until the shrimp are nice and warm

Serve immediately over Orzo

I recommend getting shrimps with the tails off because when you eat this dish it was a little bit of pain to have to pull the tail off while eating this. Would have been more enjoyable to just eat the shrimps with no mess

Cauliflower “Mashed Potatoes”

Ever had cauliflower potatoes? Not potatoes….But instead of using potatoes you use cauliflower and it tastes like mashed potatoes, only better for you! Well if you haven’t, you should try it! So here we go, How I made cauliflower wanna be mashed potatoes.

side note – cauliflower is stinky!

So take one head of cauliflower

and wash it and take the leaves and bottom stem part off and cut it up and add to a pot of water, enough for the cauliflower to swim around in and get soft

then place the pot of water on a burner and turn the burner to high heat and boil the cauliflower

I boiled mine for about 15-20 minutes. I just kept poking the bigger pieces with a fork until they were nice and tender

Then drain the cauliflower in a strainer

then place the cauliflower in a food processor, I did this in two batches

I added a little butter

and I added in a little Cajun seasoning (of course) to taste

and then I purred the cauliflower, I also added a little milk too so that it helped to break up the bigger chucks of cauliflower and loosen everything up.

then purred it again
until it was nice and smooth
You may need to add more milk, but just keep purring it till its nice and smooth

I placed both batches in a medium saucepan and added a little bit more butter and turned burner to medium low heat

Then I added in a little greek yogurt and better than bullion (chicken flavor) for a little more flavoring and saltines

Then I added in salt and pepper and chives, to taste

stir all that together and let it warm up and taste it for seasoning and adjust if needed

Then serve the cauliflower “potatoes” up nice and hot

I sprinkled a little more chives over my cauliflower

They look just like mashed potatoes don’t they!? I think they taste like them too!

Here is that recipe again for you…

So take one cauliflower head

And wash it and take the leaves and bottom stem part off and cut it up and add to a pot of with water, enough for the cauliflower to swim around in and get soft

Then place the pot of water on a burner and turn the burner to high heat and boil the cauliflower

I boiled mine for about 15-20 minutes. I just kept poking the bigger pieces with a fork until they were nice and tender

Then drain the cauliflower in a strainer

Then place the cauliflower in a food processor, I did this in two batches

I added a little butter

And I added in a little Cajun seasoning (of course) to taste

And then I purred the cauliflower, and I added a little milk too so that it helped to break up the bigger chucks of cauliflower and loosen everything up.

Then purred it again
until it was nice and smooth
you may need to add more milk, but just keep purring it till it’s nice and smooth

I placed both batches in a medium saucepan and added a little bit more butter and turned burner to medium low heat

Then I added in a little Greek yogurt and better than bouillon (chicken flavor) for a little more flavoring and saltines

Then I added in salt and pepper and chives, to taste

Stir all that together and let it warm up and taste it for seasoning and adjust if needed

Then serve the cauliflower “potatoes” up nice and hot

I sprinkled a little more chives over my cauliflower

They look just like mashed potatoes don’t they!? I think they taste like them too!

Cauliflower “Mashed Potatoes”

Ever had cauliflower potatoes? Not potatoes….But instead of using potatoes you use cauliflower and it tastes like mashed potatoes, only better for you! Well if you haven’t, you should try it! So here we go, How I made cauliflower wanna be mashed potatoes.

side note – cauliflower is stinky!

So take one head of cauliflower

and wash it and take the leaves and bottom stem part off and cut it up and add to a pot of water, enough for the cauliflower to swim around in and get soft

then place the pot of water on a burner and turn the burner to high heat and boil the cauliflower

I boiled mine for about 15-20 minutes. I just kept poking the bigger pieces with a fork until they were nice and tender

Then drain the cauliflower in a strainer

then place the cauliflower in a food processor, I did this in two batches

I added a little butter

and I added in a little Cajun seasoning (of course) to taste

and then I purred the cauliflower, I also added a little milk too so that it helped to break up the bigger chucks of cauliflower and loosen everything up.

then purred it again
until it was nice and smooth
You may need to add more milk, but just keep purring it till its nice and smooth

I placed both batches in a medium saucepan and added a little bit more butter and turned burner to medium low heat

Then I added in a little greek yogurt and better than bullion (chicken flavor) for a little more flavoring and saltines

Then I added in salt and pepper and chives, to taste

stir all that together and let it warm up and taste it for seasoning and adjust if needed

Then serve the cauliflower “potatoes” up nice and hot

I sprinkled a little more chives over my cauliflower

They look just like mashed potatoes don’t they!? I think they taste like them too!

Here is that recipe again for you…

So take one cauliflower head

And wash it and take the leaves and bottom stem part off and cut it up and add to a pot of with water, enough for the cauliflower to swim around in and get soft

Then place the pot of water on a burner and turn the burner to high heat and boil the cauliflower

I boiled mine for about 15-20 minutes. I just kept poking the bigger pieces with a fork until they were nice and tender

Then drain the cauliflower in a strainer

Then place the cauliflower in a food processor, I did this in two batches

I added a little butter

And I added in a little Cajun seasoning (of course) to taste

And then I purred the cauliflower, and I added a little milk too so that it helped to break up the bigger chucks of cauliflower and loosen everything up.

Then purred it again
until it was nice and smooth
you may need to add more milk, but just keep purring it till it’s nice and smooth

I placed both batches in a medium saucepan and added a little bit more butter and turned burner to medium low heat

Then I added in a little Greek yogurt and better than bouillon (chicken flavor) for a little more flavoring and saltines

Then I added in salt and pepper and chives, to taste

Stir all that together and let it warm up and taste it for seasoning and adjust if needed

Then serve the cauliflower “potatoes” up nice and hot

I sprinkled a little more chives over my cauliflower

They look just like mashed potatoes don’t they!? I think they taste like them too!

Vegetable Medley

Sooooo I have had a lot of requests for a printable version of my recipes and I am in the process of trying to figure that out! So I apologize to all of you who have tried to print my recipes and used about 100 sheets of paper….What I do when I find a recipe and it doesn’t have a printable version is I copy and paste the recipe in a word document delete what I don’t need and then print what I do need. If that helps any…again I apologize for not having a printable version of my recipes but I am working on it!! So on that note….a recipe for you….

Had some veggies in my fridge and needed to use them before they went bad and so I made this dish up. I will call it vegetable medley…

You will need:
olive oil
butter
salt & Pepper, to taste
Lemon Pepper seasoning, to taste
Cajun/Creole seasoning, to taste
Mushrooms, I used white, but you could use any kind you like (I think the package I have is about a pound)
Better than bouillon – beef flavor (optional)
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
garlic
red onion

I just made this up as I went along so my recipe is all over the place (sorry)

Start by washing your mushrooms. I always use a wet paper towel to wipe the dirt off, and lay them on a dry paper towel until I chop them

Once all the mushrooms are clean, slice them nice and thin and place them in a bowl and set aside

Then wash your zucchini and squash and slice them, I did thicker slices

then cut the slices in half, (like half moons) or leave them whole. Whatever floats your boat.

then cut and peel the onion and cut in half and then cut the onion into thin slices and then cut those in half

Then mince the garlic

Then grab a Dutch oven, or large pan

and place on a burner and turn to medium heat

and coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil

and add in a couple of tbsp of butter

let the butter melt

then add the mushrooms

season with salt and pepper to taste

cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally

then I grabbed some better than bouillon – beef flavor because I LOVE this stuff and it adds SO much flavor!

I added in about a tbsp.

stir that in and cook for another 2-3 minutes

Then add the onions

stir the onions in and cook with the mushrooms

cook the onions with the mushrooms for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent

Then add in the garlic

stir the garlic in and cook for 2 minutes

then add in the zucchini and squash and sprinkle them with lemon pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste

and stir in with the mushrooms and onions and cook for about 8-10 minutes

I can’t stand zucchini and squash soggy so I don’t like to cook it too long

serve it up nice and hot!

 

Here is that recipe for you again:

You will need:
olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
salt & Pepper, to taste
Lemon Pepper seasoning, to taste
Cajun/Creole seasoning, to taste
Mushrooms, I used white, but you could use any kind you like (I think the package I used is about a pound)
Better than bouillon – beef flavor (optional)
2 yellow squash, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
garlic, minced
red onion, sliced

washing your mushrooms, then slice them nice and thin and place them in a bowl and set aside
Then wash your zucchini and squash and slice them thick slices, then cut the slices in half, (like half-moons) or leave them whole.

Cut and peel the onion and cut in half and then cut the onion into thin slices and then cut those in half

Mince the garlic

Heat a Dutch oven, or large pan to medium heat

Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil

Add in a couple of tbsp. of butter, let the butter melt, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper to taste

Cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally

Then add better than bouillon – beef flavor, about a tbsp. Stir that in and cook for another 2-3 minutes

Then add the onions, cook the onions with the mushrooms for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent, stir occasionally

Then add in the garlic, stir the garlic in and cook for 2 minutes

Then add in the zucchini and squash and sprinkle them with lemon pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste
and stir in with the mushrooms and onions and cook for about 8-10 minutes

Serve it up nice and hot!

Blackened Cajun Catfish

I wanted to try something different when I made this recipe…(seems I am always saying that). When Normy and I get fish we either get salmon or tilapia or shrimp, so I wanted something different this time so we went with catfish…

and what goes good with catfish? Cajun seasoning (of course)!

So I used 4 catfish filets just what they had at the seafood counter and my local King Soopers.

and Cajun Seasoning

I rinsed the catfish and then dabbed it dry with paper towels and then placed it on a plate

Then I got a baking pan big enough to fit all the catfish in to season it.

Season very generously with the Cajun Blackening seasoning, I pressed down with my hand to help the seasoning stick to the fish

again I didn’t measure how much I sprinkled on each piece I just loaded it on

Do this with both sides so the fish is covered in Cajun seasoning LOVE!

Oh hey, LOOK its my favorite Creole/Cajun Seasoning, gotta add some of that too

so I did all 4 pieces of fish with the Cajun Blackening seasoning and then I sprinkled the tops of the fish with the Creole/Cajun seasoning

then I sprinkled some lemon pepper seasoning on too.

Just go with it

So I added all 3 of these seasoning to my catfish

My fish is ready to coooook!

OK so now get you a big ol cast iron skillet or a big skillet to blacken your catfish in, heat it to high heat, add a little oil, enough to coat the pan. I also preheated my oven to 250 degrees because I could only cook 2 catfish at a time, so while 2 were cooking and 2 were done, they could stay warm in the oven…

get that pan nice and smoking hot. I let mine heat up till it was literally smoking and then I placed my fish in there and let it sizzle away

cook one side for about 5 minutes and then flip (side note, while my fish was cooking the pan got a little dry, as I didn’t add enough oil, so I added a little butter when I flipped the fish)

cook the other side for another 5 minutes

and then remove from pan, do the same thing with the other 2 pieces of fish too, and while you are cooking the other two, keep the two you just cooked warm by placing them in the oven on a baking sheet lined with foil. On the other 2 cooking in the pan add more butter if needed. Then pull the 2 in the oven that were staying warm and place the 2 pieces you just cooked on the pan as well and serve up nice and hot…

at this point you could squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the top of the fish mmmmm

serve with some veggies on the side as well

and get a thumbs up from your hubby

French Dip Jamie Style

you will need:

Roast beast (beef) from the deli or stuff that is pre-packaged – I used Oscar Mayer Slow Roasted Roast Beef  (depending on how much meat you want on your sandwich, and how many people you are feeding will depend on how much you will need, I like a LOT of meat so I bought two packages)

hoagie roll or sandwich bread

Butter

provolone cheese

mayonnaise (optional)

Au jus

So I started by heating a cast iron skillet to medium heat and added in about 2 tbsp of butter,

let the butter melt completely and make sure the whole bottom of the pan is coated in butter

While it melts cut two of the hoagie or sandwich bread in half and once the butter has melted toast the inside part of the bread

and get it nice and toasted! (this works best with cast iron skillet) should take about 3-5 minutes each slice of bread.

Then take the bread and place it on a plate

Buttery toasted, GOODNESS!

Then for the Au jus I just used Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.

(Source)

I used a small sauce pan and filled it with water and added a tbsp of the better than bouillon, you can add more or less. Be careful adding too much because it can be salty, then warm on the stove and stir occasionally.

To assemble your Jamie French dip:
Take the bread you toasted and smear some may-o on both slices (I love mayo)
then add one slice of provolone cheese, I cute it in half
then add the roast beast (beef)
Normy dipped his roast beef in the au jus and then put it on his sandwich
Then top with the other half of bread and cut sandwich in half and serve with a little bowl/cup of the au jus

 

Something about the toasted bread with the butter and the may-o and cheese, and meat and au jus, it just goes really well together!

Shrimp Etouffee

MMMM I was craving shrimp for a while! SO I was dying to make and try this dish!

Got the recipe from here

1/2 stick butter
2 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
2 (14.5-ounce) cans of rotel
(8-ounce) clam juice
2 to 3 dash Hot Sauce, I did more like 4 to 5
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup minced green onions

Cajun seasoning, to taste (because in my opinion, you can NEVER have too much)
black pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced celery
1 whole, chopped green bell pepper
1 whole yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oil
Rice
chopped green onions, for garnish

Paul Deen recommends for this recipe when making the roux to use oil instead of butter, because butter burns.

To make the roux, mix oil

and flour in a large dutch oven over medium low heat.

Whisk flour and oil together to form a paste.

Continue cooking over medium low heat and whisk continuously, until the mixture turns a caramel color and gives off a nutty aroma, took mine about 30 minutes and your arm gets tired!

To the roux, add the onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic

and cook over medium low heat about 5-7 minutes,

until onions are translucent

Add the black pepper,

cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning,

green onions,

parsley, and hot sauce to taste.

Add clam juice

and the tomatoes with their juice,

stir to blend.

at this point in the original recipe it says to add salt, But I skipped the salt and added Cajun seasoning because it just has so much more flavor than salt, So I added in Cajun seasoning and then tasted it and then added more and just kept doing this until I liked the flavor

Then bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add shrimps

and stir. My shrimps were already cooked, so I basically added them and warmed them up, about 2-3 minutes, I left the burner on low because the cold shrimp would bring the temperature down and I needed to melt the butter so I left the heat on low. Then add the butter and stir till it all melts.

serve the Etouffee over rice and garnish with the green onions.

I also sprinkled a little bit more Cajun seasoning over the top as well and a little hot sauce as well. Spicy GOODNESS!

Thinking next time adding crawfish to this dish! Would be so good with the two! YUM!

This dish was so spicy and flavorful and even more flavor the next day! I am telling you, it’s ALL about the Cajun seasoning!!!

I think I was a cajun in a past life!

 

Chicken With Olives

Adapted recipe from here

4 tbsp Butter
4 tbsp Olive Oil
6 pieces Chicken (I Used Thighs And Legs) With Skin on
2 small yellow Onions, Diced
5 garlic cloves, Minced
2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Seeded And Chopped Into Large Pieces
1 whole 28 Ounce Can Whole Tomatoes
1 cup of wine or chicken broth – I used better than bouillon and just add a cup of water and then added a tablespoon of the better than bouillon)
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/4 greek yogurt
1 heaping cup Whole Green Olives
12 ounces, whole wheat Linguine, Cooked Al Dente And Drained

So I was trying to make this as healthy as I could and the original recipe calls for heavy cream and I cut heavy cream from my diet and decided to use greek yogurt. I recommend using heavy cream or no cream at all, as the greek yogurt just clumps up and it offered this dish nothing at all but bits of yogurt in it that didn’t taste like anything. I also used whole wheat pasta and I thought it went well with the tomatoes, and olives.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large dutch oven, melt the butter with olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken pieces and brown on both sides.

Remove chicken to a plate.

Turn heat down to medium. Add the onions, garlic, and green bell pepper to the pan.

Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute or two. (in the original recipe she says to drain the tomatoes and drain all juice from the actual tomatoes and then chop the tomatoes up, I think this dish is better with the tomatoes whole and adding all the juice to the pot as it adds extra flavor for the yummy sauce)

Season with salt and pepper. Pour in chicken broth/wine or better than bouillon and add water like I did.

Add the chicken pieces back to pan,

cover with lid, and place into the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and remove the lid.

Add the green olives

and greek yogurt or cream.

I took a spoon and stirred the greek yogurt in as best I could, then return pot to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the sauce. Remove from oven and keep lid on until ready to serve. (when using heavy cream it will thicken the sauce after placing the pan back in the oven, but doesn’t with the greek yogurt)

Place desired amount of pasta on your plate and top with chicken and tomatoes and sauce and olives

Almost-Famous Cheddar Biscuits

I love these biscuits! I’ve had them at Red Lobster and always loved them. So I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine and I HAD to make them. They turned out just like the ones you get at Red Lobster, So cheesy, buttery, with a hint of garlic! You’ll love them!

recipe

For the biscuits:
Cooking spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 ounces grated yellow cheddar cheese (about 1 1/4 cups)
3/4 cup whole milk

For the garlic butter:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Lightly mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Make the biscuits: Pulse the flour,

baking powder, sugar

and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening

and pulse until combined. Add the butter;

pulse 4 or 5 times, or until the butter is in pea-size pieces.

Add the cheese

and pulse 2 or 3 times.

Pour in the milk

and pulse just until the mixture is moistened

and forms a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.

Drop the dough onto the baking sheet in scant 1/4-cup portions, 2 inches apart,

and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the garlic butter: Melt the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat;

cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.

Brush the biscuits with the garlic butter and serve warm.

Here is that recipe for you again:
For the biscuits:
Cooking spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 ounces grated yellow cheddar cheese (about 1 1/4 cups)
3/4 cup whole milk

For the garlic butter:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Lightly mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Make the biscuits: Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse until combined. Add the butter; pulse 4 or 5 times, or until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Add the cheese and pulse 2 or 3 times. Pour in the milk and pulse just until the mixture is moistened and forms a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.

Drop the dough onto the baking sheet in scant 1/4-cup portions, 2 inches apart, and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the garlic butter: Melt the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Brush the biscuits with the garlic butter and serve warm.

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

I think these should be called spiced muffins…to me they do not taste like a glazed doughnut…but more like a spice muffin…

Recipe

For the Batter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 to 1 ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste (I used ¾)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

For the Glaze
3 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter,

vegetable oil, and sugars

till smooth.

3) Add the eggs,

beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon,

salt, and vanilla.

5) Stir the flour

into the butter mixture alternately with the milk,

beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8.) In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter,

confectioners’ sugar,

vanilla

and water. Whisk until smooth.

9.) When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze

and allow the glaze to harden.

At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins twice.

10.) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

Here is that recipe for you again:
For the Batter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 to 1 ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste (I used ¾)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

For the Glaze
3 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.

3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8.) In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.

9.) When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins twice.

10.) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.