Grandma Jean's Date-Orange Muffins

I tried these at my Grandma's last week. They were so good I asked for the recipe. She said they came from an old community cookbook from her hometown. The muffins are really moist and have an intense orange flavour. I'll bet chocolate chips would be a good substitute if you don't like dates.

Date-Orange Muffins

1 whole orange

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup chopped dates

1 egg

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cupsugar

3/4 tsp salt

Cut orange and remove seeds put in blender with juice and blend until rind is fine. Add dates egg and butter whirl again.Sift flour soda salt baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Pour orange mix over and stir lightly until just mixed.Put in buttered muffin tins.
Bake at 400f for 15 minutes .about 18 or 20 muffins

EDITED TO ADD: I bumped up the protein in this recipe by replacing a half cup of the flour with vanilla protein powder. This did not affect the flavour or texture of the muffins.

Cheeseburger and Fries Pie

I was inspired by a recipe I found in a recent issue of Parent's magazine--I started to make their version and by the time it reached the oven it was totally different. If you try it, let me know how you like it!

Filling:
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
seasoning salt
1 can condensed cream of tomato soup
1 large handful sliced fresh mushrooms
1 carrot, grated (hey, sneak in the veggies where you can!!)
1 tomato, sliced thinly
3-4 dill pickles, sliced

Topping:
1 small package of oven-ready fries
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, or 1/2 package of processed cheese slices

Crust:
Pastry for a two-crust pie divided into two 9-inch pie dishes or one package of frozen pie crusts, thawed.

Cook enough fries to cover a cookie sheet in a single layer according to package directions. (That was around 3/4 of the package of fries I used) Turn oven down to 400 degrees F when fries are done.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook meat, onion, and mushrooms together until meat is browned. Drain off any extra fat and season to taste. Stir in soup and grated carrots and mix until combined.

Divide meat mixture between pie shells and garnish with pickle and tomato slices. Top with fries and cheese. Bake until pie crusts are golden brown and cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. You may have to cover the pies with foil part way through baking to prevent the cheese from getting too brown.

Slice and serve. Save one pie to freeze or give it to a neighbour and score some brownie points!!

Note: DO NOT do what I did and dump pies out onto oven door just before baking. It makes you burn your fingers during clean up and your pies won't look as pretty. You also run the risk of teaching any small children in the room words you may not want them to know!!

Iced Cappuccino

Richard's Iced Cappuccino

1 can evaporated milk
10 cups really strong brewed coffee (dark roast is best), cooled to room temperature.
2/3 cup sugar (brown or white, it makes no difference)
2 tsp vanilla
1-2 cups regular milk

Combine evaporated milk and sugar in a microwavable container and cook on HIGH 6 minutes, stirring at least twice. The goal is to scald the milk and caramelize the sugar a bit. Combine milk/sugar mixture with cooled coffee and add vanilla. Add more milk to taste, and chill well.

Now the fun begins: pour over ice cubes and sip on your deck in the sun. For a frothy frappuccino just put your cappuccino in your blender with ice then top the mixture with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Irish Creme, Khalua, Creme de Cacao, or your favourite shnapps added makes a yummy adult drink.

Use your imagination and let me know what you come up with!.

Homemade Oxygen Bleach

I got this recipe from an online community I belong to. It works surprisingly well. Safe for colourfast clothes as well as whites.

Step 1: Go through your closets and drawers to find the stained clothes you thought were ruined forever.

Step 2: Find a large container. A bin, a bucket, anything that you can put those clothes in without packing too tightly.

Step 3: Pour a small box of baking soda in the container and add hot water. Mix to dissolve.
Pour in a 400 ml bottle of hydrogen peroxide.
Add water to fill container half way and add clothes. Mix well and add more water to cover.

Step 4: Set the container in a safe place, away from kids and pets. Leave that container for at least a day, overnight or longer--check the clothes periodically and stir them.

Step 5: Launder clothes normally and be amazed that you saved clothes you thought were destined for the playclothes drawer or rag pile!