Apricot Glazed Carrots/Spiced Pear Muffins
Chicken recipe in comments. Scroll down to view it.
D's second set of test results came back, showing elevated cholesterol and BP. The doctor cautioned him that should the follow up test (in six months) show the same results, it will be necessary to put him on medication. We're both opposed to prescriptions unless it is a necessity, so we are taking even more measures to eat better and exercise. We're trying to add more fruits and veggies into our diets and have begun walking every day. Our dishes still may not qualify as incredibly healthy but they are a big departure from the mountains of cookies and cakes that called our kitchen home. Last night we had Southern comfort food, made marginally healthier--buttermilk baked chicken (instead of fried, recipe also available), whipped potatoes, a beautiful salad and apricot glazed carrots. Here is the recipe for the carrots. It serves four, but could easily be halved or doubled, depending on your family:
1 pound baby carrots
Pinch of salt
6 TBSP butter
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 TBSP fresh orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
Cook carrots in boiling salted water, 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender; drain. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir. Add carrots to bowl and toss to coat.
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For those of you my age or older, you may remember that your Grandmother's recipe box had one or two cards with a 'secret' ingredient. When condensed soups became readily available in markets, there was a proliferation of dishes that cropped up, made with them, created by resourceful home cooks. Remember the spice cake with Campbell's Tomato? Well, if you'll recall, there were also a number of dishes made with jars of baby food too. (For the younger ones on my f-list, stick with me here for a minute). Not such a bad idea considering Stage 1 baby food, as it is now often labeled, is no more than a puree of a single fruit or vegetable. So, with that in mind, I decided to whip up some muffins for this morning. They had a very delicate flavor and D gave a definite stamp of approval. I'll tell him about the baby food later.
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch ground ginger
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 (3.5 oz) container pear baby food (these often come two to a pack)
Preheat oven to 400. Combine first four ingredients in a bowl, stir. Stir in oil, eggs and baby food. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling three-quarters of the way full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Makes 9.
D's second set of test results came back, showing elevated cholesterol and BP. The doctor cautioned him that should the follow up test (in six months) show the same results, it will be necessary to put him on medication. We're both opposed to prescriptions unless it is a necessity, so we are taking even more measures to eat better and exercise. We're trying to add more fruits and veggies into our diets and have begun walking every day. Our dishes still may not qualify as incredibly healthy but they are a big departure from the mountains of cookies and cakes that called our kitchen home. Last night we had Southern comfort food, made marginally healthier--buttermilk baked chicken (instead of fried, recipe also available), whipped potatoes, a beautiful salad and apricot glazed carrots. Here is the recipe for the carrots. It serves four, but could easily be halved or doubled, depending on your family:
1 pound baby carrots
Pinch of salt
6 TBSP butter
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 TBSP fresh orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
Cook carrots in boiling salted water, 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender; drain. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir. Add carrots to bowl and toss to coat.
********************
For those of you my age or older, you may remember that your Grandmother's recipe box had one or two cards with a 'secret' ingredient. When condensed soups became readily available in markets, there was a proliferation of dishes that cropped up, made with them, created by resourceful home cooks. Remember the spice cake with Campbell's Tomato? Well, if you'll recall, there were also a number of dishes made with jars of baby food too. (For the younger ones on my f-list, stick with me here for a minute). Not such a bad idea considering Stage 1 baby food, as it is now often labeled, is no more than a puree of a single fruit or vegetable. So, with that in mind, I decided to whip up some muffins for this morning. They had a very delicate flavor and D gave a definite stamp of approval. I'll tell him about the baby food later.
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch ground ginger
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 (3.5 oz) container pear baby food (these often come two to a pack)
Preheat oven to 400. Combine first four ingredients in a bowl, stir. Stir in oil, eggs and baby food. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling three-quarters of the way full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Makes 9.