Amy Houts Blog

Goodreads Cookbook Giveaway!

10/26/2015

Mealtime Magic: Delicious Dinners in Half the Time
• Save $500/year • Reduce Food Waste • Spend Fewer Hours in the Kitchen
• Please Picky Eaters • A Tried-and-True Method
Use the recipes and strategies in this unique cookbook to help you save time and money. Over 200 pages of recipes with clear, detailed directions will help your cooking earn rave reviews even from picky eaters. Award-winning cookbook author Amy Houts shares her time-tested, proven method of intentional planning to provide delicious, home-cooked meals and spend fewer hours in the kitchen. Amy's method, where one dinner becomes the basis of two additional meals, works. Each meal is completely different, so different that no one will guess they are eating leftovers. And with little food waste, you save money, too. Multicultural recipes in "Mealtime Magic" represent the melting pot of the USA. You will find typical American fare such as, Chicken 'n Dumplings, Beef Pot Pie, and Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. Italian dishes include Easy Lasagna, Betty's Spaghetti, and Meatball Heroes. Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas, Nine-Mile High Tostadas, and Stacked Enchiladas con Huevos will please Mexican food fans. "Mealtime Magic" wouldn't be complete without the delicious flavors of Asian Pepper Steak, Pork Fried Rice, and Hot & Sour Soup, plus much, much more. Recipes use ingredients from in your pantry or local grocery store. A semi-concealed spiral binding allows for easy recognition on the bookshelf and easy reading while cooking.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Mealtime Magic

by Amy Houts

Giveaway ends November 24, 2015.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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My Favorite Coffee Cake

10/17/2015

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Why is this my favorite coffee cake? What have I been baking this same cake for years? Cinnamon adds flavor and pleasant aroma. I love the crumb topping. Using oil instead of shortening (so no creaming the shortening and sugar) eliminates a step, one that I find tedious, and makes this cake quick and easy. Also, it works well with almond milk (which I substitute because of my milk allergy). In a word, it’s delicious! Don’t believe me? Here’s a quote from my husband, Steve, after our morning coffee break: “Good cake.” He's a man of few words, but what he does say is important.

My Favorite Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x9-inch square pan. First, make topping.
Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons firm butter or margarine

Combine brown sugar, ¼ cup flour, cinnamon, and butter or margarine using a pastry blender until crumbs. Set aside.

Cake:
1½ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup oil
½ cup milk
1 egg

For cake, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Make a well in the center and add oil, milk, and egg. Whisk until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Top with crumbs. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Yield: 9 servings

Cut into nine pieces.

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NON GMO Corn Meal Muffins

10/15/2015

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Moist, flavorful, tender. Delicious! Corn meal muffins made using the recipe on the bag of Hodgson Mill 100% Stone Ground Yellow Corn Meal. Because of my milk allergy, I had to substitute almond milk and lemon juice for buttermilk, so the result would be even better. The muffins probably would have browned more, too. Served with the Chicken Barley Chili I made last night for supper from my cookbook Mealtime Magic: Delicious Dinners in Half the Time, I earned rave reviews.

Hodgson Mill 100% Stone Ground Yellow Corn Meal is NON GMO verified. According to the website nongmoproject.org, "GMOs (or 'genetically modified organisms') are organisms that have been created through the gene-splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE)." The FDA approved using GMOs, but many people are concerned about their safety.

Hodgson Mill Corn Meal Muffins

1 ½ cups yellow corn meal
1 cup white four (I like unbleached)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Mix corn meal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, and oil. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients, and mix just until blended. Let set for 5 minutes.

Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling ¾ full. Bake for 15 minutes or until tops of muffins are golden brown. Remove from pan and serve immediately or cool on racks. Yield: 12 muffins.

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Goodreads Cookbook Giveaway!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Mealtime Magic

by Amy Houts

My Favorite Coffee Cake

NON GMO Corn Meal Muffins

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