Freezer Friendly: Walnut Zucchini Muffins

So.
Despite the fact that as I write this we haven't been on vacation yet (Friday's coming!), I've started planning for my Back to School cooking extravaganza.
Three years ago, I discovered the genius of freezer meals.  After buying a Taste of Home freezer magazine, I tried cooking and freezing meals that would make my life easier upon my return to work.  It totally does make my life easier.  We eat at home during a stressful time with the startup of school and being away weekends for football.  I've started my lists and my inventory of the deep freeze so that we have some more healthy choices than the nearest restaurant.
To that end, I'm stocking not only dinners but breakfasts as well.  I need something that can be quick, or on the go; but not just peanut butter toast when I can't think of anything else.  My Christmas present from last year has been a help:  a Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich maker that we pull out maybe once a week.  I also try and stock bagels, and often have cooked breakfast sausage links so I can make quick scrambled egg wraps.  I also enjoy muffins from time to time.
My mother makes lots of different muffins that are delicious, and if you look at my index I make lots of different flavours too,  Muffins freeze well, are portable, and can use up things that are lurking in your produce drawer.
Speaking of produce, if you and I are friends on Facebook, I've been posting pictures of my Good Food Boxes this summer from The Stand in Burford.  J and I have eaten more fresh fruits and vegetables for an incredible price because of these boxes!  We've had things like this:

 Every week, there is a head of romaine lettuce, and a field tomato.  The rest is seasonal, so we've had carrots, new dug potatoes, garlic, corn, green onions, peppers of all colours, field and hot house cucumbers, green and yellow beans, cherry tomatoes, garlic scapes, red onions, and zucchini.  We've been picking up the box and then meal planning to use as much as possible from the box.

 Fruit-wise, we've had tons of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, and yellow plums.  J eats the blueberries.  The rest are left up to me.
I've been freezing what we can't eat (mainly strawberries and beans), and knowing that in winter we will have lots of things to choose from out of the excess of our bounty from the summer.

But there are many things that we get that can't be frozen.  And vegetables like zucchini need to be made into another form to be frozen.
When I saw this recipe in my Taste of Home freezer magazine, it was like it was meant to be.
I present to you now Harriet Stichter from Milford, Illinois' Walnut Zucchini Muffins:

Got Milk?: Cream Cheese Chocolate Cupcakes

So.
This is a recipe that feels like I've made it many times.  I'm not sure that I actually have, but I feel like I have.  The combination of cream cheese and chocolate is classic, and when combined in cupcake form it's sublime.  Especially when the centres are still a little warm and gooey when you take these to a potluck.
J and I were invited to a BBQ/potluck this summer, and I decided to make a dessert to take without really knowing what I'd have in the house and what I'd ultimately make.  I pulled out my cakes magazine to find something that would appeal to large age group for which I actually had the ingredients in the house to make.
I found these.  And while I didn't have the peanut butter chips called for the in the original, I did have enough chocolate chips in the cupboard between the ends of a few different bags (mini, regular and chunks) to make up the 2 cups of chips called for in the filling.  That's right; 2 cups.  Don't skimp.  The filling makes a chocolate cupcake that keeps them coming back for more.
I present to you now from Shirley Dunbar of Mojave, CA, Cream Cheese Chocolate Cupcakes:

Got Milk? 6: Lemon BonBon Cookies

So.
J and I have been away.  On vacation.  And not together.
Yes, after 8 years of marriage, my husband and I took separate vacations.  He went to visit friends in South Carolina and do some audio geek stuff, and I went away with my mom on a bus trip.  We both had a great time, and it was all good, but it also meant that I got to do something that I never get to do - spend time in the house by myself.
I miss time alone.  With a husband who doesn't drive and who is home during the day, he usually goes out in the evenings or on the weekends with me.  I spend little to no time by myself in the house with just the cats as company.  This was a chance to do just that, and it was blissful.  I had one night to myself, and as I announced on Facebook, I managed to meal plan for J and I, and for mom and I but not for just me.  Maybe it's just as well that I don't spend much time alone.  But one thing that I did make was a batch of cookies so Mom and I would have dessert.
I turned to my Taste of Home cookie magazine for something different that we might enjoy.  I happened upon these lemony cookies a while ago, and finally decided it was time.  They're totally worth it.  Trust me.  They freeze well, too.  And it's not a huge batch, either.  2 dozen cookies aren't a lot, because these melt on your tongue.  Mmmmm...perhaps I need to go and find myself one or two now.
I present to you now from Linda Nicholson from Palatka, Florida's Lemony Bonbon Cookies:

Souper Sunday: Southwestern Bean and Bacon Soup

So.
Cinco de Mayo was yesterday, and I didn't post anything.  Frankly, I'm not sure that this is "Mexican".  It's just really tasty.  Like, J and I loved it and were a little sorry it only made 4 servings.
J's favourite soup out of a can is Bean and Bacon.  I don't really know why...but it is.  I will sometimes buy him a can so he can make it for lunch, but not often.  Frankly, when I started looking at this soup, I wasn't thinking Bean and Bacon.  I was thinking Southwestern flavours, and didn't this sound interesting.
But upon eating, J was thrilled that I'd made one of his favourite soups with a little Southwestern twist.  All I know is that this soup didn't come from a can, and it's so yummy.
I present to you now Grace Nordang from Methow, Washington's Southwestern Bean and Bacon Soup:

Got Milk? 7: Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies

So.

J's favourite kind of cookies are chocolate chip.  The ones on the back of the Nestle bag; not a recipe I have ever made.  I KNOW.  When I announce that I'm going to make a batch of cookies, he hopefully looks at me and asks if they're going to be chocolate chip.  Usually, I say no.  There are so many interesting cookies to make!  

Speaking of interesting cookies, I have this magazine from 2009:

While it has bounced through 2 moves with me, I have never made any cookies from it.  Not so anymore!!  I have been flipping through it this week and finally found something that might satisfy both J and his chocolate chip penchant and me and my desire to make new things.

These cookies are reminiscent of shortbread, and are full of chocolate chips.  How could that be bad?

I present to you now Janis Gruca of Mokena, Illinois' Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies:

Souper Sunday: Southwestern Bean Chowder

So.

The good thing about February being hellacold is that that there was lots of opportunity to eat great soups.  Just as well that I got a new soup cookbook for Christmas!  I went looking for something interesting one Sunday afternoon as I discovered how many things I didn't have in my pantry.
Perhaps the good thing about a lack of things that I think I have/can get easily is that I'll try things outside of my comfort zone.  This soup is a case in point.  Normally, I wouldn't think of making a meatless soup, nor one with quite as many beans.  But the picture was pretty, and I had everything to make it.
So on a cold afternoon, I set out to make a soup that would warm us and keep us going in a never-ending winter.
I present to you now Juli Meyers of Hinesville, Georgia's Southwestern Bean Chowder:

So Delicious: Spinach Po' Boys

So.
Has it been cold where you are for the last few days?  It has been bone-chilling, so seeing as it's the weekend (and a long one at that), I have been running around the house wearing pajamas, not going out.  It's incredibly therapeutic, and I highly recommend it - especially if pajamas apparently make your kitten cuddle with you more.
J and I were looking for a soup to ward off the insane cold of the past little bit.  I pulled out the new soup cookbook that I got for Christmas, and didn't find a soup but did find a sandwich that caught my eye.  J even thought it sounded promising.  I decided that the sandwiches sounded delicious, and they needed a lighter, broth-based soup; so I made a quick chicken and vegetable noodle soup and these sandwiches.  Make these.  They're amazing.
From Taste of Home, I present to you now Spinach Po' Boys:

Souper Sunday: Creamy Tomato Tortellini

So.
Last week, I blogged a soup that contained 9 oz of cheese tortellini.  When I took my package out of the freezer, I discovered that 1/3 of the Costco tripack I was using was about 18 oz.  That meant I needed to make not one, but two tortellini soups to use up the package.  No matter.  We love soup around these parts.
Soup is an incredibly versatile meal.  When you make your own, it can be hearty enough to stand on its own as the entree, and can include all of your favourite food groups (and maybe a few of your not-so-favourite ones).  If you're me, you can also use it to sneak a meatless meal past your husband.
This soup isn't quite as hearty as last week's, but it's still tasty, and surprisingly quick to throw together.  Despite not having been to the grocery store, I managed to pull everything I needed out of my pantry, fridge and freezer.  Don't skimp on the higher fat dairy...this would be thin without it.  Or try replacing some with evaporated milk.  Mouth-feel is important.
I present to you now Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup:

Souper Sunday: Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Soup

So.
My mom gave me a new soup recipe book for Christmas.  It's a great thing, seeing as we have soup here a lot on Sundays.  Soup is easy, makes a lot, and often tastes even better as leftovers.  With this one, it also used up a bunch of vegetables that I'd bought for other things that were lurking in the crisper.  Win-win, as far as I'm concerned.
This past week has been cold.  Bone-chilling, truth be known.  My new position has me standing outside the school meeting the 9 buses that come in each morning and supervising the students that are headed for the middle school campus (there are too many students for the building, and they're in the process of renovating/constructing a new school).  This week was not the week to start bus duty, IMHO.  But dressing for the weather (I have worn all of my wool socks at some point this week), and knowing that there was a hot lunch waiting for me later helps.
While reading about different soups I was interested in trying, I found one that intrigued J using spinach, potatoes, and cheese tortellini.  When I went back and looked through the book for that particular recipe, I came up with 2 that were somewhat similar and yet both contained things that I didn't like or didn't want to buy.  This soup was born out of the mashup of those 2 recipes.
I present to you now, inspired by my new Taste of Home Soups Cookbook, Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Soup:

Freezer Friendly: Cheddar-Beef Pastry Pockets

So.
I have been loving the Taste of Home magazine I bought.  I'm starting to think that I should batch cook once a month and then eat the fruits of my labour over the following month.  Or, batch cook over a week, doing what I've done this month making half and eating half.  I'm going to need to look through the magazine for what else I need to try.
I have a habit of making a roast and usually end up freezing the heel, figuring that I'll come up with something to do with it eventually.  I finally emptied all the ziploc bags out of the top of my freezer to figure out what exactly I'd been saving for "eventually".  Leftover grilled pork tenderloin becomes pork fried rice.  Leftover ham goes into frittatas.  But leftover roast beef?  I've never been sure what to do with it.
Enter this recipe.  Leftover roast makes so much more sense than buying a refrigerated roast au jus, discarding/finding another use for the jus, and chopping up the roast.  I also switched out the cheese for one I buy more often, and changed the vegetables for ones I eat.  Let's say that the inspiration came from Taste of Home.
Either way, we enjoyed these.  I present to you now Cheddar-Beef Pastry Pockets:

Freezer Friendly: Baked Spaghetti

So.
It's been nice to have some unseasonable weather the past couple of weeks.  It's not good pool weather, but we've been out in the hot tub in the evening, and I seem to be making a variety of heavier foods that I can freeze.  Heavier food and hot weather don't really mix.
On the nights in between my freezer forays, I've been grilling and making things that are a little lighter.  But this week, the push is on before I return to work full time.  Bring on the unseasonably cold!  Then warm up on Friday for the BBQ Saturday!  One day, I will be able to control the weather, even if it's not today.
J and I both like spaghetti, and I've talked about making a batch of sauce for the freezer.  It's one of my go-to desperation meals around here...I always have pasta and a bottle or 2 of sauce in the house.  We also buy garlic bread at Costco so it's hiding in the freezer when we want some too.  When I got the Taste of Home freezer magazine, this recipe caught my eye because it looked like it made a ton and was so easy looking.  I also figured I could make it in 8" pans instead of a 9x13".  One to eat now, one to save in the freezer for a busy night.
I present to you now from Betty Rabe of Mahtomedi, MN via Taste of Home Baked Spaghetti:

Freezer Friendly: Chicken Spinach Dip Bread Bowls

So.
I'm still working on stocking the freezer.  We went to Costco last week in preparation for a couple of pool parties that we're hosting over the month, and so I have some big bags of hamburger and bot dog buns in the freezer, along with boxes of burgers.  They're taking up space I would like to be filling with food for the fall.  Things are looking fairly full at the moment.  But that hasn't deterred me from making something new to freeze.
I went back to Walmart and bought the Taste of Home Ultimate Meals from the Freezer.  They have a section on how/what to freeze, and lots of recipes that are not all baked pasta dishes to try.  I've marked a few things for the next little bit that look yummy, and are all freezer friendly.  I've also taken their suggestion to heart and started an inventory of my freezer.  Perhaps then I won't end up with 3 pork tenderloins on the bottom as I have right now.
J and I both enjoy appetizers.  When we're here for a Saturday during football season, we often will have a few weeks where I put out veggies and dip, crackers and cheese, some sort of snack mix and we graze as we watch TV.  The focal point usually is a hot baked dip and tortilla chips.  While I have never made a baked spinach and artichoke dip, we have enjoyed it elsewhere.
I looked at this recipe, and it looked delicious.  With the vegetables that are included, it's almost a complete meal in one dish.  We agreed that if serving for company, we would probably add a green salad, but this will stand up on its own.  As a bonus, it makes 2 bowls that will make 8-10 servings.  1 for now, 1 for the freezer.  Because it smells amazing.  There's no way you'd want to freeze both of these at once and just enjoy the aromas in the present.
I present to you now from Taste of Home, Merry Graham's Chicken Spinach Dip Bread Bowls:

Happy Birthday: Butterscotch Torte

So.
If we're going to talk about the new things I made for my mom's birthday celebration, we must talk about cake!
I went back to my tried and true Cakes for All Occasions magazine that was produced by Taste of Home in 2006.  I love this magazine.  It's the one that the Peanut Butter Crunch Cake is from, along with a number of other tasty recipes.  I obviously went looking for something showy and delicious.  I was guaranteed delicious seeing as the recipe is from Taste of Home.  Based on the picture, I was sure it would be beautiful.
I would not say that butterscotch is one of my favourite flavours.  I mean, I won't turn down a hard candy; but I wouldn't go out of my way for one either.  Likewise, unless it's a turtle sundae I probably wouldn't think first of butterscotch sauce for my ice cream.
The butterscotch in this cake is different.  I was intrigued by the idea of using graham crackers, and that there was orange juice in the sauce.  I was also interested in the picture:  the cake had filling and topping, but the sides of the cake were visible.  I made mine just like the picture.  Well, almost.
I present to you now Lavonne Hartel from Williston, North Dakota's Butterscotch Torte:

Breakfast Treat: Bonnie's Blueberry Muffins

So.
The last time I was home for a holiday, we decided to have brunch.  I made the Southwest Scramble that I used for the Pintertest Kitchen last week.  J decided it wasn't enough.  He felt that just the scramble wouldn't be enough to be a meal.  He decided this about an hour before I was going to make the scramble.  On a holiday.  So we were stuck with what I could find in the house.
When you're looking for something that you probably have all the ingredients to make, Taste of Home is a pretty safe place to look.  The recipes are easy, accessible, and yummy.  I went there to search for blueberry muffins when I decided that they would be the easiest thing to make fast on a holiday morning.
I like blueberry muffins, other than they always seem to turn grey because I use frozen fruit.  These are no exception.  But they baked up golden brown and delicious.  They were wonderful warm.
I present to you now from Taste of Home, Bonnie's Blueberry Muffins:

Souper Sunday: Black Bean Soup

So.
I ruined the magic of my blog for my mother this evening.  I told her that as I watch the potential storm brew out my patio doors and collect on the the top of the hot tub I was going to write 2 blog posts.  I blog in fits, really, based on when I make things.  I have a habit of new food weeks or weekends.  Fodder for days!  As a result, if I'm cooking a lot, we may have eaten what's showing up well before it's here.
Now I've ruined the magic for you too.  Ironically, this will post tomorrow.
But this past Sunday, I went looking for a new soup recipe to take for lunch this week.  I hauled out the same Taste of Home Soup magazine that I've used in the past with predictable results.
J and I are fans of Mexican flavours.  When I saw this recipe for Black Bean Soup, it was different from anything I'd ever made in the past that would need an immersion blender.  But that doesn't make it bad.  In fact, it's a really nice soup.
I present to you now Taste of Home's Black Bean Soup recipe from Mary Buhl of Duluth, Georgia:

Souper Sunday: Pasta Fagioli

So.
I actually made soup on Sunday.  It's been a bit of a challenge to actually make this happen recently, and while I enjoy soup I don't always get to things as I'd like to.  Perhaps it's the procrastinator in me, or maybe I'll just blame it on the boogie.
I did need a smaller recipe for soup that J and I could possibly eat in a couple of meals just before Christmas.  I wanted a Sunday night/Christmas Eve lunch that would go together quickly and make a hearty meal.  I turned to Taste of Home.
I have a Taste of Home magazine of heartwarming soups that was to be displayed until April 28, 2008.  I've admired many of the pictures, but don't really make all that much out of it.  I bought it back in my "buy the magazine and admire the pictures" phase of cooking before I realized that I was being threatened by piles of magazines that I was saving for the day when I would make things from them.  This magazine survived that purge, but I still don't make much.
Enter a need for a new soup that didn't serve 10.  While flipping, I found this recipe for pasta fagioli soup that sounded good and said it served 5.  I'm thinking we'll get at least 6 bowls out of it.  But it's yummy.
I present to you now TOH's Heartwarming Soup, Pasta Fagioli:

Pinteractive: Monkey Muffins

This is my Pinteractive post for the week.  Click on the badge over there ------> to go to Nanette's blog and see all the Pinteractive posts!
So, today's a holiday here in Ontario, which means I'm spending time doing a few of the things I love best:  sleeping in, snuggling with my husband, and cooking.  He's requested meatloaf for dinner, which I don't make very often because it's labour intensive and not my favourite.  But it is his, and I do have the time.
We also had 2 bananas on the counter, which are neither of our favourites.  Despite the fact that J merely tolerates bananas, he has me buy him 4 each week, and dutifully consumes them because they're, "good for [him]".  This past week, I bought 5, and told him if there were enough left, I would make muffins next week.  He left me 2.
Knowing me, I need to get my pinteractive post done this week so that I don't spend my time thinking about what I could be making and not ever getting around to doing it.  So I spent time yesterday looking for a great recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins.  While I could start with allrecipes.com, or foodgawker, I went for a tried and true source:  Taste of Home.
TOH had 9 recipes when I searched banana chocolate chip muffins.  Some had yogurt in them, which I didn't have, one recipe made 6 and wouldn't use up all my bananas.  Then I found one that hit all the right notes:  bananas, chocolate chips, and the way into my heart:  peanut butter.  I present to you the recipe for Monkey Muffins:

Souper Sunday: Italian Tortellini

I love Taste of Home magazine.  Their recipes, full of fat and flavour, always work, and are always easy.  I mean, who else but TOH will have a super simple brunch for 8 as a 2 page layout, followed on the next page with a request for recipes for squirrel? (Don't laugh, I've seen such a request in TOH)
I have a bunch of TOH compilations...Holiday, Cookies, and Soup to name a few.  Seeing as make soup most Sundays, this one makes sense.  The odd thing?  I've only made 2 recipes out of it, and it was to be removed from the shelves by April 28, 2008.  That means that I've probably owned this magazine almost as long as I've been married.  And I've only made 2 recipes.  This needs to change!
So I sat down and browsed until I found something interesting.  When I make soup, I want something easy, hearty and filling.  I was pretty sure this one would fit the bill.

Let Them Eat Cake: School Death Edition

Chocolate and Peanut Butter has to be one of my favourite flavour combinations.  From cups to milkshakes to brownies, I will try them all.  I know it's also a favourite of one of my favourite reads, Ms. Sizzle at Sizzle Says.  Seeing as she also likes to bake, I'm pretty sure she'd love this one if she's currently eating sugar.  Or refined carbs.  Heh...I looked at the nutritional notes for this cake and decided not to post them.  Don't think.  Just have a small piece and take the rest somewhere for others to help you eat the rest.  That's the beauty of cakes:  they're made to be shared.
I love making cakes.  I have made a lot of layer cakes in the past for work potlucks and the like.  Hence my rather large collection of cake recipes and magazines.  I found this in my Taste of Home Luscious Cakes magazine that was to be taken off the stands May 13, 2006.  Seeing as it's TOH, it was ridiculously simple.  Seeing as there's a cup of peanut butter in it, as well as peanut butter chips, I will never be able to take this to work with me.  Here's the recipe for Peanut Butter Crunch Cake: