Sausage & Cheese Muffins

I am not much of a sweet breakfast person ... or a breakfast person in general. A typical breakfast for me is a cup of coffee, followed by a green smoothie a few hours later. But when I do eat, I much prefer something savory, like grits and eggs and/or bacon. One thing I like to do is make a batch of savory muffins to keep in the freezer/fridge. I can pop one in the microwave and in no time at all have a warm breakfast! I really enjoy these Ham and Cheese Corn Muffins, though I modify the recipe a bit, and I recently changed it up by using sausage instead. (Respectable Southern women do NOT put sugar in their cornbread! Bacon fat, yes, sugar, no.)

Sausage & Cheese Muffins

1¼ cups flour
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
⅓ cup canola oil
1 cup cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs and oil. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined (still lots of lumps); fold in sausage, cheese and green onions. Spoon the mixture into greased muffin cups, three-quarters full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Yield: 18 muffins (Store in the refrigerator.)

I reheat these in the microwave for about one minute on 50% power. Your microwave may vary.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

It's never easy coming up with a meal that pleases everyone. Sadly, this is not one of those meals for my own family! But it is pretty delicious and the ones who liked it had more than one serving, then fought over the leftovers.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup diced onion
8 ounces elbow macaroni
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard

In a large saucepan, cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the beef and onion until the beef is browned and onion is translucent. Season with your favorite all-purpose seasoning, or just salt and pepper. (I love Mt. Elbert from the Savory Spice Shop!) Add the butter to the skillet & stir until melted. Sprinkle in the flour and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly incorporate the milk, then let it come to a low boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low; stir in the ketchup and mustard, then add the cheese in, a little at a time. Stir in the macaroni and let it heat through for 5 minutes or so. Serve this with a nice side salad of lettuce, tomato, diced pickle and a little crispy bacon and you've got a quick and easy cheeseburger!

Apple-Cinnamon Muffins

I'm usually very careful when I make a recipe to be certain that I have all the ingredients I need before I begin. In fact, my grocery list is based on the recipes I'll be using over the following two week period. But once in a while, circumstances conspire against me, and I have to make adjustments. Today was one of those days.

I planned to make my Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins, but after I'd already mixed the wet ingredients together I realized that the zucchini I had was spoiled! A quick perusal of the pantry and fridge yielded a couple of apples and a solution. Thankfully, since none of the dry ingredients had been mixed, I just switched gears and made these instead.

Apple-Cinnamon Muffins

3 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
2 cups shredded apple (no need to peel them)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup quick oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and extracts. Stir in apples. Combine dry ingredients; add to apple mixture along with pecans and mix well. Spoon into greased muffin cups, 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Yield: 2 dozen muffins