the muffin doctor

muffins, muffins, muffins!

it's saturday morning, and what always sounds good for breakfast? muffins! but not your average boring muffins that you get from a box. we are getting inventive here! we deserve better. these are recipes that start with a box, but have creative add-ins to make the 100x tastier :-)

and just a hint: muffins will keep longer if you refrigerate them (just like any bread), so they are an easy breakfast to make on mornings when you have about 20 seconds to grab something before class. just grab one out of the fridge, pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds, and enjoy on the way to class! if you make them over the weekend, they will keep for the week.


bagged muffin mix is cheap. And if it's the store's own brand, they're even cheaper! (they're like 60 cents a piece, seriously!) so grab a bunch of those and away we go!**


Apple Bran Muffins

1 bag of bran muffin mix

milk or water (whatever the bag calls for)

cinnamon applesauce

Steps:
1) Make the muffins according to the package, except you're going to cut the amount of liquid in half, and fill in the missing half with applesauce. So, if the package calls for 1 cup of milk or water, only pour in 1/2 a cup of liquid, and add 1/2 a cup of applesauce. Whatever amount of liquid it calls for, just make sure your ratio is half-and-half.
2) Bake the muffins according to the instructions.
3) These are also really good with granola crumbled on top!


Lemon Blueberry Muffins

1 bag of blueberry muffin mix

water (even if the bag calls for milk, substitute water)

lemonade (i know you have this left over from the party the other night. vodka and lemonade is a staple. always have lemonade)

Steps:
1) make the muffins according to the package, except you're going to cut the amount of water in half, and fill in the missing half with lemonade. So, if the package calls for 1 cup of water (remember you are substituting the water even if it asks for milk), then you want to use 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of lemonade.
2) bake according to the instructions on the package
3) Note: do NOT use lemon juice for this recipe. because you are not adding sugar, the lemon juice alone is too sour. use lemonade!


Banana Chocolate Chip muffins

1 bag of chocolate chip muffins

chocolate milk (to substitute for the liquid called for)

1 or 2 bananas, peeled and mashed (depending on your preference of how banana-y you want the muffins to taste; more bananas = more banana flavor

Steps:
1) make muffins according to the package, except substitute the milk or water with chocolate milk (use the entire amount of liquid called for)
2) break up banana(s) and put them in a bowl. mash with a back of a spoon until the lumps are gone/almost gone
**Note: you could be there all day trying to mash the bananas perfectly. Don't waste your time. If there are a few little chunks, its ok! they will soften in the oven.
3) fold mashed bananas into the muffin mixture
3) bake according to the instructions on the package



**Note- these recipes do not include muffin mix that comes in the boxes; the difference is sometimes those ask for oil and eggs. these recipes should still work if you leave the oil and eggs the same and just alter the liquids the same way as we did for the bags!

shephard's pie

ok, here it is.. be prepared for heaven in a one-dish meal!!

you'll need:

1lb of ground beef or sausage (or, if you want to be healthy, ground turkey works here too!)

1 package of frozen veggies (any variety works, just use whatever you have or whatever combination sounds good. i like the corn, green beans, and carrots mix)

4 oz of garlic and herb cream cheese (also yummy on a bagel but that will come later)

1 pkg of instant mashed potatoes

1 pkg brown gravy** (if you are using turkey, you might want to grab a lighter gravy mix but brown gravy still works)

8-10 oz sharp cheddar cheese --> optional

**You can also get the ready-made au jous as a substitute to gravy to eliminate the gravy making phase. You can find it on the same isle


to do:

For the filling:
1) preheat the oven to 375 and spray a saute pan with your cooking spray
2) brown the ground meat on medium high (dont forget your salt, pepper, garlic salt and onion powder!)
3) drain the meat when cooked in a strainer, or by tilting the pan and absorbing the excess juice with a paper towel
4) make up the gravy according to the package (you just add water), and pour it into the meat (or just pour in the au jous)
5) pour in package of frozen veggies and stir-- let this simmer on lower heat while you make the topping

For the topping:
1) make up your instant mashed potatoes according to the package instructions (usually you just add water and microwave)
2) stir in 4 oz of garlic herb cream cheese
3) stir in a handful of cheddar cheese, if desired

Putting it all together:
1) spray your 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray (or smaller pan if you half this recipe)
2) pour in the meat/veggie mixture
3) top with potato mixture and spread over the top to cover the meat and veggies
4) top with cheddar cheese (if desired)
5) bake for 25 mins until cheese is melted (see? you have time for your reading or homework while this cooks!)


Time breakdown (i think this will be helpful in the future for when you are trying to pick a meal that fits your schedule)
-meat browning: 5-7 minutes
-gravy making/veggie adding: 2 minutes
-potato mixture making (while veggies simmer): 5 minutes
-assembly: 1-2 minutes
-baking time (and study time for you!): 25 minutes



-- My roomate shared a similar recipe with me and i added a few tweaks for time efficiency, so thanks to her for my building block!

for a rainy day....

on a rainy day/night like tonight, i am craving shepherd's pie. bet you didn't know this could be an easy recipe did you??


the best part is: my recipe makes a huge amount (although you can cut it in half for less), so you can have this left over for lunch and dinner for days!! it nukes really well :-)


or, you could share with your roomates if you're feeling generous....


so, grab that pack of frozen veggies and some ground beef; recipe coming to you tomorrow!

mexican anyone?

made this for dinner last night, and it is my boyfriend's favorite so i figure i will share this one first!

grocery list:
1 lb of ground beef
1 can of enchilada sauce (small can-- i use mild)
1 can of rotel
1 small pkg of mexican/fiesta blend cheese
1 package of soft taco shells
13 x 9 inch baking pan (these are like 5 dollars at wal mart)


**note: this will require a grocery run. however, you will not use all of the cheese nor all of the shells, so with the leftover ingredients from this recipe you will also have the means to make a quick quesadilla for lunch for a few days!**


1) heat oven to 375
2) spray a saute/frying pan with cooking spray. heat it up on the stove to about medium/high
3) put ground beef in the saute pan. sprinkle on salt, pepper, and onion powder (eyeball this-- just a good 4 or 5 dashes)
4) brown the ground beef (about 7 minutes or so)
5) drain the beef in a strainer (or just tilt the pan and absorb the juices with a paper towel)
6) pour about 1/3 of the can of enchilada sauce and about a handful of cheese into the meat
7) simmer for a few minutes while you spray your 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray
8) fill your soft taco shells with a heaping spoonful or two of the meat mixture and roll them up like a soft taco
9) line the enchiladas in the pan close together so they wont unroll in the oven
10) spoon rotel into the enchilada sauce can until the can is full pour the sauce over the enchiladas
11) top with cheese (as much or as little as you like)
12) bake for 12-15 minutes (grab your reading for english class or calculus homework and knock that out of the way while it bakes! then you can watch the bachelor while you eat instead of doing homework. ha!)


If you are making a lot for a mexican fiesta, chop up some cilantro and put that on top! You can also make a great mexican dip, and conveniently i have a whole archive of dips for you to choose from!

these things should be in your pantry.

so, i was thinking that before i started putting up recipes, i would post some ingredients that should always be in the pantry to make your life easier. i suggest perhaps purchasing these things when you go on that grocery trip with mom and dad before you go back to school for the semester. or when mom and dad visit during parent's weekend and you conveniently all go to wal mart and load up on necessities.

These are mostly things that keep for a long time (ie- spices and sauces) and they add seemingly complex flavors to really simple dishes. there, that's secret number one :-)


-lemon juice (brings out fresh flavors and is great to marinate chicken to throw on the George Foreman. Also, it's great in rum and coke).

-garlic salt (keeps forever and comes in huge canisters so you only have to buy once)

- onion powder (i just solved the problem of adding perfect flavor to everything without buying/chopping/storing/or crying over onions)

-lime juice (for SoCo, sprite, and lime cocktails if not for tequila lime shrimp)

-Wine (red and white. for de-stress and for instant awesome pasta)

-butter (if you have baking to do on the fly, keep it so you don't have to go out and buy it)

-nonstick cooking spray (trust me)

-vegetable or canola oil (to put in pans if you're browning ground beef or to put on the George Foreman if you're grilling!)

-rice krispies (you never know when you want to make an easy variation of rice krispie treats... you may not believe me on this one but when you get tired of going to the grocery store at 11 o'clock at night over and over because you have to take them to an event the next day, you'll listen to me!)

-boxes of pasta noodles (even if you are down to the bare minimum of groceries, you can ALWAYS make a great pasta dish out of something)

-chicken broth (you use it more than you think!)

-package of frozen veggies


ome of these seem like you are already planning recipes, but trust me there is nothing better than thinking you have nothing that goes together to make anything edible, and then realizing you have frozen veggies and a pack of rice for a great vegetarian stir fry.

oh yeah, and if it's allowed and if it's in the budget, spring for a George Foreman little grill! They're not very expensive and you can say hello to healthy eating just like that! and let's face it, we don't want to get the freshman 15, do we? as least not due to food intake....

so go! buy! and get ready to cook! who knows, you might even enjoy this :-)

the cafeteria = ew.

let's be honest, the university caf sucks.

but when you come home from night class and see a can of chicken n stars condensed soup in the pantry and a pack of frozen peas in the freezer, a greasy fried (fake) fish patty melt, courtesy of the school cafeteria (caf), doesn't sound so bad, does it? please. we're beyond that.

i've read "college cookbooks" that claim to have recipes that are easy and fast for college kids. um, they lie. the authors must have forgotten all about what it is like to want good food but have no time to make it! who has hours to spend on dinner? not me, and i'm betting not you either.

here is where i come in. over the years i've come up with plenty of shortcuts and easy recipes that you can have made in the time it would take to walk to the caf (gross) anyways. and better yet-- the ingredients are more than likely things that you already have! yes, yes, you can thank me later. :-)

i can give you all kinds of recipes for various ingredients and even for various occasions. and if you have an occasion (ex- a sorority sister's engagement party) before i get the appropriate recipes up, just ask me and i will provide. you're welcome.

so consider me your cookbook. because i am guessing you already have enough oversized textbooks laying around anyways...

oh, and i'll bet you're wondering if i could make a recipe out of the chicken n stars and peas? yes, yes i can. stay tuned....