Yummy-licious Blueberry Muffins

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For the past month I have been craving blueberry muffins.  I finally gave in to that craving this Memorial Day weekend and produced these scrumptious gems!

These definitely are not your typical, run of the mill muffins.  And they are definitely NOT the kind that you just add water to and bake.  

Only the freshest ingredients are used.....

.....to make these remarkable little miracles of sweetness....

Let me show y'all how it's done....

You're going to line your muffin/cupcake tin with liners.  If you don't want to use the liners, make sure you grease and spray the heck out of your muffin tin or else the muffins will stick.  And that would not be fun!

Combine and mix your dry ingredients together (except for blueberries) in a mixing bowl...

(yes, my Mickey Mouse measuring spoons are totally rocking that salt)....

Combine your egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract in a cup measuring 1 cup...then fill the cup with milk until the liquid reaches the top.......no stirring is necessary....

Mix your dry ingredients with your wet ingredients, then add and fold in your blueberries....

Mix everything until well combined (do not stir to much or else the muffins will not bake properly.  It's ok to leave it a little lumpy and to have some of the flour not mixed in).  Use an icecream scooper and place one scoop of batter inside each muffin liner.

In another bowl, mix the ingredients for the toppings together....

.....sprinkle topping mixture over the top of the batter...it's ok if it gets a little messy...I won't tell ;)

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.....

.....or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each one comes out clean.

These pair well with a glass of cold milk or a nice cup of coffee in the morning.  Another awesome tidbit...it only makes 6 muffins so you are not left with so many left overs afterwards. 

Go ahead and give them a try!  I dare ya ;)

Yummy-licious Blueberry Muffins

(makes 6 big muffins)

Ingredients:

For the batter

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or lemon extract

1 cup fresh blueberries (not frozen, fresh)

For the topping:

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. butter at room temperature

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Thoroughly grease or line muffin tin.

2.  Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.  Stir until well mixed.

3.  Place vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla (or lemon) extract in a one cup measuring device.  Add enough of the milk until it reaches the top.  No stirring is necessary.

4.  Combine the oil mixture with the flour mixture.  Stir until combined, making sure to not over mix.

5.  Fold in the blueberries.

6.  Mix the ingredients for the topping in medium sized bowl.

7.  Sprinkle over muffins before baking.

8.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

**Libby's Notes:  Use left over topping to make 6 more muffins if needed.  Strawberries or chocolate chips can be substituted for blueberries.**

Recipe Source:  Altered from Allrecipes.com

Pulled Barbecue Chicken {Slow Cooker Monday}

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(This photo Courtesy of Husband Man)

Memorial Day is this coming Monday so I decided to publish this post early just in case some of you may want to add a little extra something to your Holiday menu :)

Barbecue and living in the South go hand in hand.  If you could name it, it probably can be barbecued down here in these parts!  Especially chicken.  

For traditional Southern inspired barbecue chicken, you would typically use a grill.  However, I am not a grill master. I leave all of that to Husband Man.  I do, however, love the heck out of my slow cooker, hence this dish.

This recipe is the result of two recipes that I found.  I did some experimenting and turned them into one. And just like most slow cooker recipes, this one is very simple to make.

Mix all your ingredients into one bowl..........

Slather it onto the chicken in the slow cooker (or if you don't want to be dainty about it, pour it all on top)..........

And let it all cook on high for 5 hours.  

Then shred the chicken in the slow cooker and let it cook for one more hour on low.

Serve it in sandwich form......

Or place it over rice.......

Either way....it will leave you wanting more!  Try it and see for yourself ;)

Pulled Barbecue Chicken

(serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

5-6 chicken thinly sliced chicken breasts

2 cups ketchup

4 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup of your favorite already made barbecue sauce (we used Jack Daniel's Honey Smokehouse)

Directions:

1.  Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.

2.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Stir until well blended.

3.  Lather or pour the sauce over the chicken.

4.  Cook on high for 5 hours.

5.  Shred the chicken and cook on low for another hour.

6.  Serve on toasted buns as a sandwich or over rice.

**Libby's Notes: Top with coleslaw or pickles.  Use any left over chicken to make barbecue chicken pizza (just top with shredded cheddar cheese), barbecue chicken burritos, or use as a topping for baked potatoes.**

Pork Chop Casserole {Chow Hall Monday #5}

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Welcome to another edition of Chow Hall Mondays on the blog!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  For those who are not familiar with Chow Hall Monday, here's the scoop on it.  Every other Monday I will shine the spotlight on one special Military family and the recipe of their choice. Every recipe has a story and I'm hoping to bring those stories to life through this section of the blog. 

This week we are featuring a Military Spouse who resides and works right here where I live....in Shreveport, Louisiana. 

Please welcome Amber!

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I’m Amber; I’m an Army wife to Lucian. 

(Taken at our wedding on July of 2011)

He’s been in the Louisiana National Guard for about 13 years and is a Sergeant.  We’ve been together 2 years and we have been happily married for almost 10 months. Lucian, is currently Inactive Guard, he finished his time in March of 2012. Lucian has served 2 tours overseas. He has also participated in disaster clean ups here in Louisiana.

(Taken in August of 2010 at Shreveport Airport as Lucian was returning to his troop Over Seas)

I’ve submitted the recipe for Pork Chop Casserole. This was something my mom always made while I was growing up. This is also one of the first things I made for Lucian while we were dating and he loved it. I make it at least once a month per his request. It’s become a must-have dish in our house. I haven’t met a single person who doesn’t like this dish. It is quite delicious. Hope you all enjoy!

Pork Chop Casserole

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Butter

2 tbsp. Flour

Pack of Pork Chops (can be boneless or bone-in, I prefer boneless you can squeeze more in.)

4-5 Large Potatoes

1 Can of Chicken Broth

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350^o

2.  Peel Potatoes and cut them up into regular pieces not too small about medium size (I usually cut the potato in half long ways and then slice each size all the way down.)

3.  Put taters in large pot and fill with water till there is about ½ an inch above the top of taters and boil them. (DO NOT GET THEM TOO DONE, cook them until they are almost soft not quite mashable.)

4.  Drain and set aside

5.  Grill pork chops and set aside season as you’d like (I use garlic, dehydrated onion, salt & pepper)

***VERY IMPORTANT*** do not rinse the skillet that you grilled the pork chops in.

6.  Put butter & flour in skillet from pork chops and until mix it up well then add chicken broth. Stir until lumps are gone. Reduce heat slightly until it starts to bubble, once done set aside in skillet.

7.  Place taters in a 13x9 cake pan, drizzle about half the gravy mixture over taters. Place cooked chops on top and drizzle the rest of mixture.

8.  Cook in the oven 30-40 minutes, you’ll know when it’s done.

ENJOY!

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What a great, comforting dish to make for your family :) With potatoes and pork chops, you seriously cannot go wrong with this recipe.  I'm <3'ing it!  Thank you so much for sharing this family favorite with us Amber :)

For more information on Chow Hall Mondays and how you can be a part of them, click HERE.

OR

If you are a Military Spouse (past or present) or the parent of a Military Service member and you would like to submit your recipe and story, please send an e-mail to: 

olivias@cookingwithlibby.com.

To Much Time On My Hands?? {Rant #2}

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My rant today has to do with this article below:

Opinion: Faking It

If you read the post, all the way down towards the end, the author pretty much states that this new so-called trend of Stay at Home Moms having food blogs are "dumbing down" the culinary profession and food journalism. 

She also states that she has a problem with certain companies contacting amateur bloggers to help them advertise their products and states that (and I quote in her words):

" it makes my skin crawl a little to think that advertising dollars that could have helped sustain high quality food writing and recipe development, (not just Gourmet, but the great food writing and stunning photography newspapers and other magazines have lost to cutbacks), is going to people with a hobby and probably too much time on their hands."

Well let's see.....

I am a Stay at Home Mom.  This is a food blog.  And companies have contacted me to help with advertising their products.

Sounds to me she is a little jealous ;)

All things aside, she obviously does not have children.  Because if she did, she would not think that us Stay at Home Moms have 'free time' on our hands and that we are using our blog to fill up our free hours. 

My children are 4 and almost 6.  When I started this blog back in 2009, they were 1 and 3.  My free time was vastly limited back then and even though they are older now, my free time is still limited to a degree.  Anyone who has children, YOUNG children at that, will tell you that it takes a HUGE amount of work to raise them...whether you work outside the home or not.

Add on the fact that I am still struggling with my health issues and that we are a Military family who have absolutely NO family around to help us out when we need them , my free time is seriously few and far between these days.

If you take all that I have mentioned above....and combine it with doing what it takes to keep up with this blog....the cooking, the photography, the writing of the posts, etc... where is my free time??  Heck, to tell everyone the truth, I struggle to keep this blog up and running on some days.  Seriously...I do.  And there are days when I want to just throw in the towel and delete this whole entire thing.

But I don't.  

Granted, this is all strictly voluntary and no one is forcing me to do any of it.  However, I will not take it down or delete it because it is my safe-haven for when my life gets stressful.  When I have had to much of "mommy, mommy, mommy" and "honey where are my keys" (as Husband Man tends to ask alot) and "your child's school project is due on so and so date"....I turn to this blog to get me away from all of that.  Everyone has a vice...for some it's drinking, for others it's exercising and chocolate...for me, it's this.

As far as companies contacting me go, I do not seek them out.  Any company I have ever worked with in the past has approached me first.  And who am I to turn them down??  If I believe in their products and if I feel it's something my readers will enjoy, I am all for helping them get the word out.  I will not stop doing this.  

In my opinion, the companies are doing things right.  I am sure numerous amounts of research goes into who they will approach to help with advertisement.  And who better then to help get the word out about their products then mothers themselves (stay at home AND working)?

My recipes are taste tested by the most important critics in this household, my family :)  I would never put anything on this blog that would not pass inspection from the three blessings in my life.  I don't just post recipes just to post them and be done with it all.  Every single recipe that is posted on this blog are meals and treats that I have personally made.

If I receive the recipe from someone or obtain it from a cookbook or website, I always be sure to state it either in the title, in the post itself, or will put it under the "Recipe Source" sentence at the end.  I always give credit where it is due.

I have never claimed to be a 5 star gourmet chef.  I have never claimed to have worked in the finest restaurants where the elite of the elite go to dine every night.  I'm just a simple minded, down to earth, wife and mommy who enjoys cooking, baking, and writing....and sharing it on here.  If you want to read, awesome.  Welcome to the blog.  If you don't....there's a little "x" in the top right corner of your screen ;)  

Bottom Line:

Mommy food bloggers are here to stay (stay at home ones and working ones) so I think people need to start getting used to that ;)  We look up to all those who are in the culinary industry and look at them as the one's who have paved the road for us.  We all just need to get along and remember that it's not about who isn't a trained chef or who doesn't make the 4 course dinners.  It's about the food and about making cherished memories.  At least it is for me ;)

~End of Rant~

Italian Beef Sandwiches with Smoked Provolone Cheese {Slow Cooker Mondays}

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I'm starting something new here on the blog....Slow Cooker Mondays, where every other Monday I will share a favorite Slow Cooker/Crockpot Recipe with y'all.  

Let's get started with our first recipe, Italian Beef Sandwiches......

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am NOT a red meat gal.  The only red meat you will ever see me eat is hamburger meat.  I can't tell you the difference between a rump roast, a chuck roast, and a butt roast.  Since I'm not a red meat person, looking for the cut of meat for this recipe was an embarrassing situation. 

 I remember going up to the butcher at our local Commissary and asking him if he could show me what it was I needed to purchase.  The whole time I'm explaining the recipe to him, he's giving me a look like, 'is this lady serious?'  Looks aside though, he ended up pointing me in the right direction and I came home with a nice, juicy cut of chuck roast just for this recipe.  

Normally I do tutorials on the blog, however, this recipe literally does not need a tutorial.  Seriously.  It doesn't.  You just place the meat in the slow cooker, combine all the other ingredients in a medium bowl, stir the heck out of it all, pour it over the meat, turn the slow cooker on, and let it cook the whole day.  

That's it.  Yes.  It literally is that easy!  Try it and see for yourself.  You can thank me later ;)

Italian Beef Sandwiches

(makes 7 sandwiches)

Ingredients:

1 (2-3 lb.) chuck roast

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans beef broth

1 tbsp. of Italian Seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Half of a medium onion, chopped (optional)

1 loaf of french bread

1 package of sliced Smoked Provolone Cheese

Directions:

1.  Take roast out of the package and wash it down with water.  Pat dry and place in the slow cooker.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, beef broth, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper, and chopped onion.  Stir until well combined.

3.  Pour the contents over the meat in the slow cooker.

4.  Cook on slow for 7-8 hours.  When done, shred beef and return to slow cooker.

5.  Cut french bread into big enough slices to make a sandwich.  

6.  Place a slice of cheese on each side of the bread.

7.  Broil bread in oven for a few minutes until nice and toasty.

8.  Place slices of meat inside bread when done. 

**Libby's Notes:  Use the liquid from the crockpot as a dipping sauce for the sandwiches.  You can also use condiments such as mayo and horse radish to spread inside the sandwich.**

**Recipe Source:  www.crockingirls.com

Pancit {Recipe from Guam}

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(Photo Courtesy of Husband Man)

Being raised in a multicultural house growing up definitely had it's benefits.  Since my parent's are both from the Pacific island of Guam, our family dinners growing up consisted of a mixture between Chamorro food (foods from the island) and American.  Back then, I did not understand why my mother chose to make these dishes from time to time.  However, now that I am older, I completely get it.  

And to be honest, I consider myself very, very, very blessed that she taught us how to make the foods she grew up with.  Ava (my 5 year old daughter) LOVES Chamorro food and we have already begun teaching her how to fill the Lumpia wrappers and roll them up :)  Some time in the future I will write up a post on how to make homemade Lumpia.  For now, this post will focus on the popular noodle dish, Pancit. 

The way you make Pancit is very similar to how you make fried rice.   As a matter of fact, it basically is fried rice....you just replace the rice with the noodles instead.  There are plenty of variations on how to make this dish, however, I am sharing the way WE make it.  It's so easy that it doesn't even require a tutorial :) 

Pancit

(serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 or 2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

Half a box of Vermicelli noodles

1 to 2 cups of ONE of the following chopped meats (Spam, ham, steak)

Soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper....all to taste

Directions:

1.  Cook Vermicelli noodles according to packaged directions.  Set aside when finished.

2.  In a large skillet under medium heat, saute' the chopped carrots, celery, pepper, and onion in olive oil until soft.

3.  Add the cooked noodles and chopped meat.  

4.  Add in the seasonings to taste.  

5.  Stir until everything is well blended. Let it sit in skillet until ready to serve. 

**Libby's Notes:  There are no measurements for the seasonings and soy sauce.  You just have to keep adding a little here and there until it fits how you want it to taste. 

Serve the noodles with this lovely homemade recipe for sweet and sour sauce from the blog:  Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce.**

**Recipe Source:  My mama :)

Special K Bars {Chow Hall Monday #4}

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Welcome to another edition of Chow Hall Monday, where every other Monday I shine the spot light on one Military family and their recipe of choice.  I'm super excited today because this next Military spouse has a food blog of her own!  And I am completely in love with it!  

Please welcome Shayla from the blog, Made From Scratch.  She is sharing her family's recipe for Special K Bars :)

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First, I’d like to thank Libby for hosting Chow Hall Mondays. I’m so excited to take part in Chow Hall Mondays as a guest poster and I can’t wait read the stories of other military loved ones and to try your recipes.  My husband’s deployment to Afghanistan was a year of highs and lows on the home front. It was a time of constant worry regarding his safety while out on mission and a longing to have him home. 

However, during that year, I discovered the incredible strength it took to care for our infant son alone, finish graduate school, work a fulltime job and start a freelance writing business. After going through that journey and the constant changes it brought, I now know I can endure anything life chooses to throw my way.

We’re hoping my husband won’t deploy again since that was his second deployment, with his first being to Iraq before we met. However, as wives of soldiers understand, the military life is full of uncertainties. So, we’re trying to make the most of life and will deal with the deployment hurdle if it comes our way again.  Through our home front journey to make the most of life, I strive to provide made from scratch meals whenever possible. 


At one point, my husband mentioned his love for a cereal bar recipe his mother makes, so I decided to create my own version. My Special K bars recipe includes Nutella in the frosting and a hint of cinnamon for a delightfully sweet family treat. It has quickly become a favorite dessert of my husband and son and is also one of my favorites because it’s easy to make.

I’ve included the Special K bars recipe below in the hopes it will also become a favorite in your household. If you wish, browse my other food blog recipes at http://madefromscratchrecipes.com/.


Special K Bars

Ingredients For The Bars:

1 cup sugar

1 and 1/4 cup Karo Syrup

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

6 cups Special K Cereal (or similar cereal)

Ingredients For The Frosting:

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup Nutella

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions For The Bars:

1.  Place the Special K Cereal into a large bowl.  Set aside.

2.  In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and Karo syrup.  Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches a boil.  Quickly remove from heat. Mix in the 1 cup peanut butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until combined and creamy.

3.  Pour the mixture over the Special K Cereal and mix with a spatula until combined, ensuring no cereal chunks are left uncoated.

4.  Transfer the mixture to an ungreased 9x13 pan and spread evenly with a spatula.

Directions For The Frosting:

1.  Combine the peanut butter, Nutella, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium-low heat until warm and creamy.  Spread the frosting over the slightly-cooled bars.

2.  Allow the frosting to cool slightly before enjoying the Special K Bars.

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Yummmmm!  These bars look FANTABULOUS!!!  

Thank you Shayla for sharing your story and your wonderful recipe.  I can see why this is one of your hubby's favorite treats ;)  God Bless you and your family.  

For more recipes, check out her blog:  Made From Scratch

Find her HERE on Facebook too :)

Creamy Coconut Pineapple Cake

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This recipe has been on our menu for quite some time.  Since being ill in January, I haven't been baking as much as I used to which would explain why this recipe has been untouched for months.  I am feeling better though so I have started to come out of my 'baking' shell a little more, hence the picture above :)

We grilled out this past Sunday so I made this as a lovely compliment to our dinner.  After everyone ate their piece, I packed the rest in a cute little "To Go" box for Husband Man to take to his Airmen for work.  The kids didn't really care for the coconut, but loved the rest of it :)  The hubs and I enjoyed it, coconut and all.  

The original name for this recipe was called 'Christmas Coconut Cake', however, after making it, I decided to rename it.  In my opinion, this cake would be good anytime of the year!  Once y'all see how easy this is to make, you'll be hitting the stores to get the ingredients and make it yourself :)

Creamy Coconut Pineapple Cake

(Makes one 13x9 inch cake) 

Ingredients:

1 (18 oz.) package of boxed butter cake mix with pudding in the mix

1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

1 (8 and 1/2 oz.) can cream of coconut 

1 (15 and 1/4 oz.) can of crushed pineapple (I used half of this because I'm not a huge pineapple fan)

1 (12 oz.) carton of thawed Cool Whip

6 oz. package of shredded coconut

10 oz. jar of maraschino cherries (optional)

1 pkg. of crushed pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare and bake cake mix according to packaged directions.  Punch holes on top of the cake with a knife.

2.  Combine condensed milk with cream of coconut in a small bowl.  Drain the pineapple and mix the liquid in with the milk and coconut.  Stir until well mixed.  Pour over top of the cake, making sure to the liquid hits the holes.  Let the cake cool.

3.  Spread pineapple over the cooled cake.  Then spread the Cool Whip.

4.  Sprinkle the coconut on top of the Cool Whip.

5.  Decorate with pecans and cherries (optional).

6.  Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours.  Store in the refrigerator.

Libby's Notes:

If some of the liquid overflows on the edges of the cake, don't panic.  It will be ok.  The cake will act like a sponge and sop it up as it cools.  You can also toast the coconut for a few minutes or until it turns a light brown, before adding it onto the cake :)

Recipe Source:

Shreveport/Bossier City Yahoo Recipe Group