Beef Stroganoff

When I walked in the door after work tonight, I was so relieved! Dinner had cooked itself! It's that crock pot magic again.

This recipe's method and ingredients are very similar to pot roast. I've used stew meat and also chuck roast with equally good results. Stew meat is slightly more convenient, but use whatever is on sale at your store, or whatever you have in the freezer!

Combine the soup, broth and wine in a large measuring cup and whisk well until combined. Pour a little in the bottom of the crock pot to coat the bottom. Then add the meat and the mushrooms. (When I use stew meat, I usually cut the pieces in half or thirds, since they're quite large already.)

Cook on low for 7-9 hours. You want the meat to be fork tender, just like in the pot roast. You'll want to be able to pick up a piece of meat and have it almost break in half!



When the meat is tender, turn off the crock pot and add the sour cream.



Stir well until the sour cream is incorporated. How sour-creamy you want it is a matter of personal preference, so feel free to add more than the recipe calls for!



I like this best served over egg noodles but it's also delicious over mashed potatoes. (Or straight from the crock pot on a fork.) What I like best, is that it is SO little work!

Using leftovers tip: Another way I make stroganoff is with leftover pot roast. I cut the leftover roast into bite sized pieces, add a can of mushrooms and use the gravy and sour cream to make the sauce.

Get out of your "what's for dinner" rut by visiting What's Cooking Wednesdays and find more crock pot inspiration at Slow Cooking Thursdays!

Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 pounds stew meat or beef chuck roast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup beef broth
2 Tbsp. red wine
1/2 - 3/4 cup sour cream
egg noodles or mashed potatoes

Combine the soup, broth and wine in a large measuring cup and whisk well until combined. Coat the bottom of the crock pot with the soup mixture, then add the meat and the mushrooms. Cover with the remaining soup mixture.

Cook on low for 7-9 hours. When the meat is tender, turn off the crock pot and add the sour cream, stirring well to combine. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Serves 6.

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays

My chest freezer and most of my pantry space is in my basement. I needed a way to easily keep track of what was in the freezer and pantry, so I developed an inventory on an excel spreadsheet that I print and keep in the kitchen. When I take a package of hamburger out of the freezer, or two cans of tuna off the shelf, I just change the number by hand on my inventory sheet.



When I'm planning meals for the week, I can consult the inventory and see how much chicken is in the freezer, how many cans of tomatoes I have, etc. and I then know what I have to buy that week. It also enables me to shop wisely - I won't buy more cans of mushrooms when I know I have 6 on the shelf.

I keep the spreadsheet saved on the computer and about once a quarter I inventory the freezer and shelves and update the sheet, keeping it current, and easier to read! Because it's saved on the computer, I don't have to retype much. I can just change "4" green beans to "2" or delete the chocolate cake mix if I've run out.



I use categories like vegetables, fruits, baking, ethnic and condiments, but you can adapt this easily to your needs.

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy at Tammy's Recipes.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Mediterranean Casserole, garlic green beans with mushrooms (and feta)
Tuesday - Beef stroganoff, egg noodles, peas
Wednesday - Stromboli, Caesar salad
Thursday - leftovers!
Friday - Potato soup
Saturday - Chicken and vegetable kebabs (on the grill!), rice pilaf
Sunday - Lasagna, garlic bread

Breakfasts this week:
fresh fruit
yogurt with granola
breakfast couscous

Desserts this week:
frozen strawberry pie
blueberry pound cake

For more menu planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Garlicky Green Beans with Mushrooms

I made up this recipe, trying to copy Boston Market's green beans. This is almost as good (!) and I now make this vegetable dish often. I don't always use mushrooms, and I sometimes add feta cheese if I'm serving it with a mideastern dish, or blue cheese if I'm serving it with a hearty meat. A lot of times I just make the green bean and garlic part!

First, melt the butter over medium high heat in a skillet.



Add the mushrooms and saute them for about a minute. They'll have more time in the pan, so you don't need to cook them too long.



Then add the frozen or fresh green beans and the garlic. I like both Archer Farms and Hanover green beans. I use fresh when they're in season, but frozen works just fine. If you're using fresh, you'll want to steam them for a few minutes first; it will take a LONG time to get them to the proper tenderness in this method.

Stir the green beans around so they get coated with the melted butter. The butter will start to stick to the frozen-ness of the green beans; stir around til they're all good and coated.


See the speckles on the beans? That's the butter coating the frozen bean. Yum.

Then cover the pan and let the beans simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place the beans in a serving bowl or on individual plates and top with feta or blue cheese, if you like.

For more great green bean ideas, visit the In Season Recipe Swap, Ingredient Spotlight.

Garlicky Green Beans with Mushrooms

2 Tbsp. butter
4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms (1/2 of an 8 oz box)
1 16 oz package frozen green beans
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
feta or blue cheese crumbles

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 1 minute. Add the green beans and garlic and stir well to coat the beans with the melted butter. Cover the pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until tender and hot. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with cheese crumbles to taste.

Granola

I've been wanting to make granola for a long time, and I finally did! (For more "firsts," visit Make it from Scratch.) It's very easy to make, and about a hundred times cheaper than buying it in a box. This recipe goes great with fruity yogurt, as the granola is not overly sweet.

First combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Then, combine the honey, orange juice and oil. Remember to spray your measuring cup with non stick spray before you pour the honey in!



Pour the liquid into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.

Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.



Spray a 15x10 baking pan with non stick spray, and then pour the granola onto the pan, spreading it out evenly over the whole pan.



Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring after every 10 minutes.

While it bakes, you can decide what kind of dried fruit you want to put in the granola! I used dried cherries and cranberries. I cut the cherries in half so they could be distributed more throughout the granola. In order to plump up the dried cranberries a bit, I put them in a measuring cup and filled it with hot water. Just drain off the water after letting them sit for at least 10 minutes, and they'll be nice and plump!



Let the granola cool completely by putting the pan on a wire rack. Once it is cool, stir in the dried fruits. Store in an airtight container.

This recipe is open for lots of variation: you can alter the kinds of nuts you use, and the kind of dried fruits. I'm also thinking that it might be good to add almond extract instead of vanilla. So many things to try!

Between this and the breakfast couscous, I'm having a hard time deciding what to eat for breakfast!

Granola

4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1- 1 1/2 cups dried fruit

Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the orange juice, honey and oil in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.

Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Spray a 15x10 baking pan with non stick spray, and pour the granola onto the pan, spreading it out evenly over the whole pan.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring after every 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Stir in the dried fruits. Store in an airtight container.

Mediterranean Casserole

This is a fun twist on the regular chicken casserole featuring artichokes, roasted red peppers, and greek olives (and no cream soups!).



Look at those colorful vegetables. Can't you just feel a cool breeze coming off the Aegean Sea?

Okay, back to reality. Put a pot of water on to boil and add the egg noodles once the water is boiling. (This recipe calls for a 12 oz. package of noodles. I usually only use about 3/4 of the package, or 9 oz. If you need to "stretch" this casserole and use all the noodles, I would make 1 1/2 recipes of the sauce.)

While the noodles cook, combine the chicken broth, milk, cornstarch and salt in a large pot or Dutch oven and stir constantly over medium heat until the cornstarch is dissolved. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture is thickened and bubbly.



Today's tip: I find it easiest to get cornstarch to dissolve if it is mixed first with some of the liquid. So I would pour the milk into a jar, add the cornstarch and shake it up, baby. Then I would add that to the chicken broth and whisk away. The jar-shaking method should prevent any lumps from forming.



Now to the sauce, add the chicken, artichokes, red pepper, olives, mozzarella, wine, lemon juice and pepper. Drain the noodles and add those to the pot. Stir well.



Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non stick spray, and spoon casserole into the dish. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for about 35 minutes, and let stand 5 minutes before serving.



Mediterranean Casserole

12 oz medium egg noodles
1 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken or turkey
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 7 1/2 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
9 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (I just use regular black olives)
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain.

Stir the chicken broth, milk, cornstarch and salt in a large pot or Dutch oven and over medium heat until the cornstarch is dissolved. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Stir in noodles, chicken, artichokes, red pepper, olives, mozzarella, wine, lemon juice and pepper.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non stick spray, and spoon casserole into the dish. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes until bubbly around the edges. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Get lots more recipe ideas at Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty with Bedlam and Favorite Ingredient Friday at Overwhelmed with Joy!

Frozen Strawberry Pie

Mmmm...strawberries, cream cheese and cool whip in an Oreo crust. This delicious, refreshing no-bake dessert is sure to make repeat appearances this summer.

This recipe makes enough for two pies. Share one with a friend or neighbor, or keep both for yourself! It's also very easy just to halve this recipe and make one pie. (that's what I did...)

This calls for a chocolate crust. You can buy a pre-made one, or you can make one yourself. I had Oreos on hand, and decided it would be better to turn them into a pie than to have them calling my name from within the cupboard. For each Oreo crust, you need two cups of Oreo crumbs and two Tbsp. of melted butter. Two cups of crumbs is about 18 cookies, or exactly ONE ROW from the package. (Guess they'll still be calling my name after all, the remaining 36...)

You can crush the Oreos by placing them in a large ziploc and pounding with a rolling pin, or you can use your food processor or chopper. Then add the melted butter, and mix so that all the crumbs become moistened. Pat into a 9" pie pan. Make sure you get the crumbs up the sides too!



Then, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar together til creamy. Add the chopped strawberries.



You don't need to chop them very carefully, you want them to be "beat up" a bit by the mixer. If the strawberries are in large chunks, they'll be difficult to eat when frozen! Beat the strawberries into the cream cheese until the berries are chopped up a bit and the mixture starts to turn a little pink.

Next, fold in the whipped topping.



Then, pour into the prepared shell.



Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 3-4 hours or until firm. You'll want to remove the pie from the freezer about 20 minutes before you want to serve it so it thaws just enough so that you can cut it easily.

For more great ideas, visit Tempt my Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace and Blissfully Domestic.


Frozen Strawberry Pie

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened (low fat is fine)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1 12 oz carton whipped topping, thawed (lite is fine)
2 chocolate crumb crusts (9 inches) OR
4 cups OREO crumbs and 4 Tbsp. butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the strawberries. Fold in the whipped topping. Pour into crusts. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm. Remove from the freezer 20 minutes before serving. Makes 2 pies, 6-8 servings each.

Chicken and Pasta with Peppery Cheese Sauce

I'm trying a few new recipes this week. One of my New Year's resolutions was to try at least one new recipe a week. Lately, I've been trying a few too many desserts (!) so I thought I should move back to main courses.

This is a nice change of pace for pasta. There are very few recipes that I try that I don't tweak something in the future, and this is no exception. This is a good recipe, and it calls for ingredients that I almost always have on hand. The biggest change I would make is in the type of cheese used - it calls for Monterey Jack but next time I think I would use sharp cheddar - it just needs a bit more zip. I also held back a bit on the jalapenos, not wanting to become dragon lady, but next time I would use all that it calls for (the WHOLE 1 Tbsp!).

Put on a pot of water to boil, and when it is boiling, add the pasta. Meanwhile, place chicken in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the flour and peppers (white, black and cayenne!) over it and stir well to combine. Next, chop up the vegetables. Please, please, please wear gloves while you chop the jalapenos!



After the jalapeno is chopped, take off the gloves and wash your hands with soap before touching your face! There's a reason they're called "hot" peppers - and you don't want to experience stinging eyes or nose. Today's tip: where I buy jalapenos, you have to buy several at a time. This recipe only uses part of 1 pepper. You can freeze the rest, whole or chopped, and then take them out of the freezer as needed for other recipes.

I love how pretty different colored vegetables are all together!



Saute the vegetables for a few minutes til they are soft. Remove them from the pan, add some olive oil, and saute the chicken until it's done. You want to make sure you have lots of yummy, crusty brown bits in your skillet:



Remove the chicken and add flour to the pan, scraping up the brown bits. Add the chicken broth and keep scraping. You want to get all that yummy stuff off the pan and into the sauce!



Add the milk and worcestershire sauce and stir until it is thickened and bubbly. (This is just a variation of the white sauce we made for the ham and broccoli casserole...) Turn the heat to low and add the shredded cheese, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted.



Now take about a cup of the sauce and stir it into the sour cream. Then return it to the pan and stir to combine. Add the chicken and the vegetables back into the pan and cook on low until heated through. You don't want this to boil or it will split, and that just looks gross.



Drain the pasta, and arrange it on the serving platter or individual dishes (I always think it's easier to deal with pasta on individual dishes.) Ladle the sauce over the pasta. If you'd like you can garnish with some sliced jalapenos for extra zing and nice presentation!

Chicken and Pasta with Peppery Cheese Sauce

8 oz dried spaghetti or fettucine
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
3 small chicken breasts (8 oz. total) cut in 1 inch pieces
olive oil
1 medium red or green pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp. chopped, seeded jalapeno peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or Monterey jack)
1/4 cup sour cream

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add pasta, stirring once. (Pasta will cook for 15-20 minutes, til al dente.)

Meanwhile, place chicken in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the flour and dried peppers over it and stir well to combine.

In a large skillet, heat about 1 T. olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped peppers, onion and garlic and cook and stir til vegetables are tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add chicken to the skillet, adding more oil if necessary beforehand. Cook and stir for 4 or 5 minutes til chicken is nicely browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Add flour to the pan, stirring into the drippings in the skillet. Add the chicken broth, milk and worcestershire sauce and stir until it is thickened and bubbly, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits.

Turn the heat to low and add the shredded cheese, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted. Stir 1 cup of the sauce into the sour cream; return it all to the pan and stir to combine. Add the chicken and the vegetables and cook on low until heated through; do not boil.

Drain the pasta, and arrange it on the serving platter or individual dishes. Ladle the sauce over the pasta, and garnish with some sliced jalapenos. Makes 4 servings.

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays

I cut out a lot of recipes from magazines. I tape them onto recycled paper (one side has been printed on) and then slip them into page protectors and keep them in a three ring binder. When I am going to use a recipe, I take that page out of the binder and up to the kitchen.

I keep it in the page protector, which protects it from all the mess in the kitchen (like these carrots from making carrot cake!).



After I've made a recipe for the first time, I write a comment on it like "great" or "only ok" so I remember for the next time. Periodically, I go through and remove the recipes I haven't liked, or the ones I realize I will probably never make...

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Sausage and Bean Soup, sweet potato muffins
Tuesday - Tuna melts, chips, fresh fruit
Wednesday - Pasta and chicken with peppery cheese sauce, garlic bread
Thursday - Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Ham Casserole, baked potatoes
Friday - Tacos
Saturday - Stuffed manicotti, caesar salad, orlando rolls
Sunday - Mediterranean Casserole, green beans with feta

For more menu planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Carrot Cake

This is the first time I've made carrot cake. It won't be the last. I can hardly think of a better way to eat carrots!

This recipe calls for 3 cups of finely shredded carrots. That doesn't really help you determine how many carrots you need to start with in order to get three cups of fine shreds. That's why I'm here - I've already figured it out for you! It's about 1 pound of baby carrots. I used my mini chopper for this task - it made it very easy. If you don't have this, or a larger food processor, you may want to start with the already grated carrots you can buy in the produce section.



(You can see that this is messy - at least the way I do it!)

So, now that you have the carrots finely shredded, you can move on to preparing the cake.

First, beat together the sugars, oil, eggs, applesauce and vanilla until well blended. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and gradually add them to the sugar mixture until blended.



(Hey, look, you can see me in the mixer!)

Add the carrots and raisins or walnuts and stir until blended.



Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. You can also tell when a cake is done because it begins to spring back from the edge of the pan like this:



While the cake cools, you can prepare the frosting. Beat the cream cheese, vanilla and milk until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake.

Store this cake in the refrigerator.

For more carroty goodness, visit the In Season Recipe Swap. For lots more tasty ideas, visit Balancing Beauty and Bedlam...

Carrot Cake
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup walnuts or raisins, or both

Frosting:
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat together the sugars, oil, eggs, applesauce and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and spices in a bowl, and gradually add them to the sugar mixture until blended.

Stir in the carrots and raisins or walnuts.

Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and milk until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake.

Store in refrigerator. Serves 16-20, depending on how large you cut the pieces!

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Ham Casserole

This is a great casserole. It's a wonderful dish to make if you have leftover ham from Easter, or any time of the year! The combination of vegetables, salty ham and velvety cheese sauce is really delicious. It also makes a great topping for baked potatoes.

The cheese sauce is made by first making a simple white sauce. White sauces can form the base of many dishes. Most cream soups in a can are basically "souped up" white sauces. I still use "cream of" soups from a can, but you can make them yourself, and it starts with a white sauce!

For the sauce, start by melting butter, then adding flour and stirring, then adding milk, and cooking and whisking til the mixture boils and thickens.



Here comes the best part: cheese glorious cheese. This dish uses both cheddar and parmesan. Mmmm.



Once the sauce has boiled, remove from the heat and add the cheese. Keep whisking until the cheese melts and is well combined.



Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non stick spray. Then add the broccoli, cauliflower and ham. Pour the cheese sauce over the top, distributing it across the whole dish.



Next, combine the bread crumbs and seasoning in a bowl and stir to combine. This recipe calls for soft bread crumbs. That just means that they are fresh - take slices of bread and grind them into largish crumbs. If you have bread crumbs in a container from the store, those aren't soft, but they wil still work just fine - just use less.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole and bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbly.



There are tons of great ham recipes at the Iron Chef Challenge!

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Ham Casserole

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 16 oz package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 16 oz package frozen cauliflowerets, thawed
2 cups cubed ham
2/3 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. While whisking constantly, bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
Remove from the heat; add cheeses and stir until melted.

Place vegetables in a greased 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle with ham. Pour cheese sauce over ham. Combine breadcrumbs and seasoning in a bowl, mix to combine. Sprinkle over the casserole.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until heated through and bubbly. Serves 6-8.

Tuna Melts

These are quick and easy to make for a light supper or a weekend lunch.

First toast the hamburger buns. You can do this in a toaster, toaster oven or under the broiler for a minute. If you prefer, you can use english muffins. You want the bread toasted so that it doesn't get soggy when you put the tuna mixture on it.



Combine the tuna, mayo or miracle whip, pickle relish, onions and cheese. Mix well.

Slice tomatoes and put them on the buns, then top with the tuna mixture.



Toast in the toaster oven or under the broiler until the sandwiches are hot and the cheese is melted. (This will vary according to what method and appliance you use.)

Tuna Melts

2 5 oz cans tuna packed in water, drained
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. pickle relish
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 Tbsp. mayo or miracle whip (use as much dressing as you prefer)
sliced tomatoes
2-3 hamburger buns or english muffins

Toast bread. Meanwhile, combine tuna, onions, pickles, cheese and mayo in medium bowl and mix well. Slice tomatoes and place a top bread. Spread tuna mixture over tomatoes. Broil or toast until tuna is warm and cheese is melted. Makes 2-3 servings. (Two halves per serving.)

Sweet Potato Muffins

I love making muffins, and I love having them on hand for quick breakfasts on the go. Most muffins freeze really well, so that you can grab a few out the night before to thaw, or grab them the morning of, and warm them in the microwave for a few seconds.

These are called Sweet Potato muffins but are made with yams. Sweet potatoes and yams are two different tubers, although most people think they are the same.

Yams are packed full of good stuff like Vitamin C, dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese. For this recipe, you could probably use canned yams and mash them up. I had regular ones, so I peeled, chopped, and boiled them and then mashed them.



Once you've got the potatoes going, this recipe comes together quickly. First, combine the dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Then, add the yogurt, eggs, and oil. Mix on medium speed just until combined. Add the mashed potatoes and stir until combined.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with papers. Whoever thought of inventing muffin papers is a genius in my book. There are few kitchen tasks I detest more than trying to clean out muffin tins after muffins have been baked directly in them...

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.



Bake, then cool on wire racks.

I like to make muffins that are lower in fat using ingredients like applesauce and yogurt. Sometimes, these stick to the muffin papers a little because of the low fat content. Today's tip: if this happens, put muffins in a tupperware type container overnight, covered tightly. The moisture that gets trapped inside the container will be enough to loosen up the muffins from the papers.



Sweet Potato Muffins

3 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 6 oz. carton plain yogurt
2 cups mashed yams

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, oil and yogurt and mix until just combined. Stir in the mashed yams. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with papers. Fill cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 2 dozen.