Pumpkin Waffles and Apple Cider Syrup

Pumpkin Waffles (makes enough for my whole family)
Beat together:
3 eggs
1 pound can of pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

Add:
2 1/2 cup flour (I did most w.w.)
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. each nutmeg & cinnamon

Beat all ingredients together. Spray waffle iron heavily with oil. Pour scoopfuls into waffle maker (1/2 cup batter for mine). Serve with whipping cream & cinnamon or apple cider syrup.



Apple Cider Syrup
Combine all in saucepan and boil 1 minute while stirring:
3/4 cup sugar
2 TB cornstarch
1 TB fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh apple cider (or juice would work)

Remove from heat and add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter

Store leftovers in the refrigerator; use within a week or two.

Egg, Ham & Quinoa Muffins

When my friend Natalie makes a new recipe for her family, she asks them to give her a thumbs up or thumbs down about it. And she chooses to not be offended if they give her the thumbs down. This recipe got two neutral thumbs and the rest thumbs up from my family, so I'll be making it again.

Preheat oven to 350. 2 muffin tins--use 16 cupcake liners and spray them. The muffin tins are not fun to clean if you don't use liners!

Mix together: 

12 eggs, whisked
1 cup cubed ham (you could add sausage, chopped bacon or leave out the meat completely if you wish)
1/2 cup green onions, sliced (you can also add more veggies if you want)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or less cheese next time)
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Then add:
1 cup cooked quinoa* (you can add more quinoa if desired--up to 2 cups)

Place 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into each of the 16 cupcake liners. Bake for 25 minutes or more (until the centers are cooked through and the tops are slightly golden brown). My family likes them on the crispy side, like 40 minutes. Apparently these freeze well too--warm in the microwave to reheat.

*How to cook quinoa fast: cook 1/2 cup of raw quinoa in 1 cup of water. Let cook on the stove to steam for 10-15 minutes or until they are tender. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let cool.

Cooking Chicken

I am an old dog that has a hard time learning new tricks--or else, I forget that when one method of doing something isn't working well, sometimes the trick is to simply research new ways and try new things. I wasn't happy with how I cooked chicken for various recipes, so I found this post that has helped me produce more tender "whatever recipe" chicken. So, in case it would help anyone else, this is my post admitting that I finally learned how to cook chicken breasts better.