LOW-FAT PUMPKIN SPICE RUM-RAISIN MUFFINS WITH RUM-SPICE GLAZE

These are incredibly light muffins with really good flavor.  Rum and raisins add something special to this muffin -- and the glaze is a perfect complement. Although I used freshly roasted butternut squash, you could easily use canned pumpkin and they will be just as good. Here's an added bonus: this recipe only uses 3 Tbsp. oil, so it's fairly low-fat. There's another 1 Tbsp. fat in the glaze, but comparatively speaking that's pretty good.  Gourmet Magazine's recipe uses 2/3 cup oil.

Pumpkin Spice Rum-Raisin Muffins with Rum-Spice Glaze
Inspired by Gourmet Magazine
Rating:  9.0 out of 10
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MUFFINS:
1 cup raisins

1/2 cup rum
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, whisked, then lightly spooned and leveled
2 cups white sugar, minus 2 Tbsp.
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. powdered cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups freshly roasted butternut squash (or canned pumpkin)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 large eggs

3 Tbsp. oil

2 Tbsp. molasses

1/4 cup flour for raisins

GLAZE: 1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. reserved rum

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup confectioner's (10X) sugar

DIRECTIONS: Bring 1/2 cup rum to a boil in a 1-quart pot. Add raisins. Cover. Remove from heat and let raisins plump for at least a half hour or longer. Drain raisins over a measuring cup or bowl, reserving drained juice.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare two 12-cup muffin tins by greasing and flouring, or use flour-added non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt.  In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin and applesauce together till combined.  Whisk in eggs, oil, molasses and 3 Tbsp. of the reserved rum/raisin juice.  (Reserve remaining 1 Tbsp.juice for the glaze.)

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquids all at once. Carefully mix with spoon or spatula till barely combined.  Toss the drained raisins in the 1/4 cup flour. (I put everything in a plastic bag and shook it till all raisins were coated.) Add the coated raisins and remaining flour and give it a quick stir. Fill each muffin well with about 1/4 cup batter.  Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350 degrees F.  Bake  for 16-19 minutes.  Muffins are done when a wooden pick inserted near center returns almost clean. Place pans on counter to cool for 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to wire rack to finish cooling.

While muffins are cooling, prepare glaze: Heat rum and butter on high in small bowl in microwave till butter is almost melted, about 35-40 seconds. Stir till butter is dissolved. Add pumpkin pie spice and 10X sugar and whisk together. Drizzle over muffins.  Yield:  24 standard-size muffins

CAPPUCCINO MUFFINS (adapted from recipezaar.com)

This is the second batch of muffins made today, and definitely my favorite. This is recipe #4156 on Recipe Zaar, where Marg (Cayman Designs) declares them "phenomenal." The recipe includes a spread, but I just went with the pure muffin. It can definitely stand alone. I just love the flavorings of this muffin: the coffee, the Kahlua I added and the cinnamon in just the right amounts. And it's light and moist. One of my neighbors came over while I was baking and asked if he could sample. I gave him a piece of one of the Bisquick cappuccino muffins and a piece of one of these. He bought a half-dozen on the spot, so I guess I will just have to bake more. Interestingly, he bought 2 of the Bisquick and 4 of these. He said he liked both, he just liked this one better. I hope that is a good omen for my sale on Saturday.

Cappuccino Muffins (adapted from recipezaar.com)

INGREDIENTS: 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks)

3 cups all-purpose flour (aerate by whisking before measuring)

1 cup sugar

3-3/4 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

6 oz. container fat-free vanilla yogurt + enough milk to make 1-1/2 cups

3 Tbsp. instant coffee (decaf is ok) or instant Espresso powder (I used Folger's Decaf)

2 Tbsp. coffee brandy (such as Kahlua) (I used Sambroso, a generic)

1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1-1/4 cups chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS: Have all ingredients ar room temperature before starting. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Microwave butter on high in medium-sized bowl till almost melted, about 1-1/2 minutes. Prepare muffin tins by greasing and flouring, or spray with flour-added non-stick cooking spray.

Measure all dry ingredients into large mixing bowl (Note: Spoon flour lightly into measuring cup after first aerating the flour by whisking it. Muffins need a light hand, not only in the mixing, but also in the measuring of the flour. You will be rewarded with light and delicious muffins.) To the now somewhat-cooled melted butter, add the egg and whisk till mixture is smooth, a few minutes. (The butter should not be blistering hot or it will cook the egg, but it's ok if it's warm.) Add the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and whisk until well combined, several minutes. (A good-quality whisk is definitely needed for this. A spatula or mixing spoon will not give you superior results.) Now make a well in the dry ingredients and all at once add the liquids. Barely whisk it together -- as few turns of the whisk as possible. Don't worry about lumps and don't worry if you see a little flour here and there. Now add the chocolate chips. Dump them in, and just give one quick light stir. Put 1/4 cup batter into each muffin tin well. Place muffins in oven and immediately reduce heat to 400 for shiny pans and 375 for dark or coated pans. Bake for 14-17 minutes, checking at 14 minutes. A toothpick inserted in center should come out almost clean. Remove muffins to counter and leave in pans to cool for 5 minutes. At the end of 5 minutes, muffins should release easily. Continue cooling on wire racks. Yield: 18 muffins. Freeze any muffins that will not be eaten the day you bake them.

BISQUICK CAPPUCCINO CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

We're getting ready for a garage sale next Saturday, and today I decided I would also incorporate a bake sale at the same time. This will give me a chance to experiment. So today I made two cappuccino muffin recipes. This is the first one. I just took the Bisquick muffin recipe off the box and doctored it with cappuccino flavors. It came out delicious! I used Stonyfield Farms fat-free yogurt in place of some of the milk, and molasses to make the muffins super moist. And I used Wal-Mart Biscuit Mix instead of Bisquick. Here's a tip for getting those big bakery-style crowns on the muffins: Preheat your oven to 500 degrees; fill your muffin tins almost to the top; reduce the oven heat to the regular baking temperature called for by the recipe as soon as you put the muffins in; and reduce the baking time accordingly. You do not need your electric mixer for this recipe. If you don't have a good-quality wire whisk, you might think about buying one. They are worth their weight in gold, and, really, a whisk is what you need to make good muffins. A spatula or mixing spoon just isn't going to give you superior results.

Bisquick Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins

INGREDIENTS: 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2-3/4 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 large egg
6 oz. container fat-free vanilla yogurt + enough milk to make 1-1/4 cups
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. instant coffee granules (decaf is ok) OR instant Espresso powder
2 Tbsp. coffee brandy (such as Kahlua)
3/4 cup mixed chocolate chips (I used Hershey's Special Dark + Hershey's milk chocolate,
but any mix of chocolate chips is fine, whatever you like

DIRECTIONS: Have all ingredients at room temperature before starting. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Prepare muffin tins by greasing, then coating with flour (or use the flour-added non-stick cooking spray). Set aside.

Microwave butter on high in medium-sized bowl till almost melted (about 45 seconds). Measure dry ingredients into large bowl. (Note: Spoon flour lightly into measuring cup after first whisking the flour to aerate it. Muffins need a light hand, not only in the mixing, but also in the measuring. You will be rewarded with light, delicious muffins.) Whisk the dry ingredients together till well combined. Set aside. To the now-somewhat-cooled butter (it should be warm, not blistering hot or it will cook the eggs), add the egg and whisk for a few minutes till mixture gets a little frothy. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients and the coffee granules and whisk again till everything is smooth, a couple of minutes. Be sure you get the lumps of yogurt smoothed out and mixed well. Now make a well in your dry ingredients and add the liquids all at once, but only whisk enough to barely combine. It can be lumpy and it's ok if you can see some flour. It should only take a couple of turns with the whisk. Add the chocolate chips and barely stir them in. Fill each well of the muffin tin with 1/4 cup batter. You should have enough for 12 muffins. Place in oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 400 for shiny pans, 375 for dark and coated pans. Bake for 14-17 minutes, testing at 14 minutes. A toothpick inserted in center should come out almost clean. Remove pan from oven and let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes. They should easily release after 5 minutes. Continue cooling them on a wire rack till completely cooled. They are wonderful warm and also good at room temperature. Any muffins you are not going to eat right away would best be frozen. Yield: 12 muffins

ROASTED PUMPKIN & BUTTERNUT SQUASH

October should be giving us warm days and cool nights, but here in Eastern North Carolina, we're warm enough to still go swimming. Even with the lingering summer weather, I am still thinking fall: pumpkin and apples and all the good things that can be made with them. I love pumpkin pie -- and of all the pumpkin pies I've ever tasted, I like mine the best. The recipe will be posted as soon as I make one. But to start off, I always like to roast my own pumpkin and mix it with butternut squash. I just like the idea of using fresh squash instead of canned. So I picked up one pie pumpkin and one butternut squash, washed them, cut them and laid them cut side down onto an 11 x 17 baking pan that had been lined with tinfoil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I covered them with more tinfoil and put them in a 350 degree F. oven for 2 hours. I tested them at 1 hour and they were still a little firm. For use in pies, cookies and cheesecakes, I wanted them soft. However, if I were using them for vegetable side dishes, I would have taken them out then. After two hours, they were slightly caramelized on the cut sides -- which will give good flavor to the "meat." I let them cool for about a half hour, then scooped out the roasted meat into a medium-sized bowl, where I kind of mixed them together. After I filled up the bowl, I scooped out the squash with a measuring cup (or half-cup) into a waiting plastic baggie. The yield was 3 one-cup baggies, two half-cup baggies and 1 3/4-cup baggie, for a total yield of 4-3/4 cups of mixed pumpkin and butternut squash. They are all frozen now, waiting for me to make them into something delicious. I almost forgot to take photos again, and only one pumpkin half was left to scoop out when I remembered. The pumpkin seeds are in the fridge waiting for me to decide if I want to roast them. They are supposed to be very good for you, but will I remember to eat them? Aye, that's the rub. I will be thinking on that in between selecting delectable pumpkin recipes.

BAKED BREADED PORK CHOPS

We don't have pork chops often, but today they looked good in the store, so I bought some. I felt adventuresome, so I experimented. I wanted to bread the pork chops and bake them in the oven, and I wanted some good flavor. In my pantry was a box of Lipton Garlic Mushroom Soup Mix, and I decided to use it. After baking the pork chops for 20 minutes, I added liquid, recovered and baked for another 20 minutes. The flavor of these chops was great, but the added liquid softened the breading. If I make them again, I will just bake them straight through for about 35 minutes and we can always pour a gravy over them if we want. I think they would taste better with a crispy crust and that's the only way to get it. I purposely used part panko in the breadcrumb mixture to get a crispy crust, and then lost it when I added the liquid. They were still delicious and we enjoyed them -- live and learn. If you have mushrooms on hand, they would really be nice added to the gravy or to the pork chops while they bake. I didn't have any except for a few dried ones in the mix. I meant to take a photo, but when the chops got done I was tired and hungry and just completely forgot. Halfway through the chop I remembered, but the plate didn't look as appetizing then, so I decided to let it go. Here's the recipe:

Baked Breaded Pork Chops

2 center-cut thick pork chops
4 tsp. Lipton Garlic Mushroom soup mix (try to keep big pieces of mushrooms out)
1/2 cup biscuit mix or all-purpose flour
1 medium or large egg mixed with 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
1/4 cup Seasoned Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
optional: sliced fresh mushrooms
optional gravy: 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 Tbsp. soup mix

Rinse chops. Pat dry with paper towel. Spread 1 tsp. soup mix on each side of chops. Press the mix onto the chops with your fingers. Dredge chops in biscuit mix or flour, shaking off excess. Dip chops into beaten egg & liquid, then into the breadcrumbs and cheese that have been mixed together. (If you don't have Panko, then just use all Italian bread crumbs mixed with the Parmesan Cheese. You can buy the crumbs with the cheese already in them, but I just like adding my own.) Put 4 Tbsp. oil in large fry pan and heat to medium-high. Add chops and brown about 5 minutes on each side. Check carefully for smoke -- do not burn chops. (If you are adding the mushrooms, put them in the pan with the chops so they can give off their liquid. Otherwise, if you add them to the baking pan, the liquid from the mushrooms will soften the breading.) Put chops in baking dish (for 2 chops, I used a 10-inch deep dish pie plate) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake in oven, covered with tinfoil, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers about 155 degrees. Let chops sit on counter in pan for 5-10 minutes to continue cooking while you get the rest of the dinner ready. When you put chops in oven, prepare optional gravy if desired: Mix water and soup mix in 1 quart pot and cook at a low boil for the time chops cook. If desired, add sliced mushrooms to gravy. Yield: 2 servings
For 4 servings, double everything except the egg/liquid mixture.

CHIPOTLE GINGER-PEACH BARBECUED CHICKEN WITH GRILLED PEACH-CUCUMBER SALSA

Here's another recipe that didn't win a prize but was rated 5 stars by betterrecipes.com.

Chipotle Ginger-Peach Barbecued Chicken with Grilled Peach-Cucumber Salsa
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INGREDIENTS:
½ cup peach or apricot preserves
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp. powdered ginger)
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic (or 2 tsp. minced dried garlic)
¼ cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. Chipotle Chile Powder
1-1/4 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
4 whole chicken breasts with skin

Salsa:
1-1/4 cups peeled, seeded and cubed cucumber
½ cup cubed sweet red pepper
½ cup coarsely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley (or Cilantro if you prefer)
¼ cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp. peach or apricot preserves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pinches Chipotle Chile Powder
3 ripe peaches, skin on, cut in half, pit removed
2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup

Combine first 9 ingredients in large plastic bag. Add Chicken breasts and place in fridge at least 15 minutes. (Best flavor will develop if chicken is marinated in the morning and cooked in the evening, making this a perfect prep-ahead meal.)

Heat grill to medium-high temperature (375-400 degrees F), and place chicken breasts skin side up. (For gas grills, turn one side off and place chicken on the off side with grill lid on. Grill then acts as an oven so that chicken will not burn. For charcoal grills without covers, place coals in a circle, leaving center open. Place chicken in center as much as possible. If some pieces are over coals, be sure to rotate often to reduce flare-ups.

While chicken cooks, prepare salsa by combining all ingredients except peaches. Place in refrigerator, covered, to blend flavors. (Salsa may also be prepared in the morning and allowed to sit in refrigerator to blend flavors.) Cook chicken, basting occasionally with the marinade, about 30-35 minutes, depending on intensity of heat. Turn chicken if necessary to brown evenly on both sides. Chicken will be done when juices run clear and no blood is seen when a knife cut is made in center of piece to the bone. Put chicken on serving platter and keep warm in oven. In the meantime, Brush cut side of peaches with honey or maple syrup and place on grill cut side down. Grill 5 minutes on each side. Remove peaches to cutting board and coarsely chop before adding to salsa. Serve chicken with salsa for a complete meal. Grilled garlic bread or pita makes a nice accompaniment. Yield: 4 servings Hands-on prep time, 30 min.
Total start to finish time, 1 hour 15 minutes

GUY'S CAESAR SALAD

Guy spent about 11 years in the Caribbean, working for Cable and Wireless. They contracted with him to lay cable on the Island of St. Lucia. Part of the contract stipulated that he had to work with and teach the locals. The job, if done in America, would have lasted about 1-1/2 years, tops. He has always said he would write a book about his experiences, but I think it's already been done. He wasn't the first to experience the myriad delays and snafus that come with working with islanders. His stories make for a lot of laughs over cocktails. One of his more serious but nice stories is about the 10th anniversary celebration of St. Lucia's independence. Prince Charles was invited, since St. Lucia declared independence from Great Britain. Only the top echelon of St. Lucia's society were invited to the more private ceremonies, including Guy. We framed the invitations, because he doesn't expect to be in the presence of royalty again in his lifetime. Guy ate a lot of dinners in St. Lucia, especially at the La Toc Hotel (It was sold and is now Sandals.) One of their specialties was Caesar salad, and they mixed it tableside. Caesar salad continues to be one of his favorite menu items, but making it at home can be a little too much work. That's how this recipe was born. It was actually a recipe from a friend, and Guy adjusted it to our liking. It's quite easy and will give the flavor of Caesar salad without all the fuss. And I believe it's maybe a tad lower-calorie as well.

Guy's Caesar Salad
INGREDIENTS: 1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. minced garlic (or more if you are a garlic lover)
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. Grey Poupon mustard
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3-4 Tbsp. Cardini's Original Caesar Dressing (look in the salad dressing aisle
of your favorite food store, not in the refrigerated section--I buy it in
Wal-Mart)
8-10 medium-sized Romaine lettuce leaves, cut into serving pieces (I buy the
Romaine hearts--medium-sized leaves would be the outer leaf size)
1/2 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese, or a mixture of hard cheeses
(We use Kraft Shredded Parmesan, Romano and Asiago Cheeses -- in
the refrigerated cheese section of the food store)
fresh ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: Guy recommends a wooden bowl for this (check in Wal-Mart or Target if you need to buy one. Also, Target has great wooden "forks" very cheap-- see above photo) Using a pestle -- you know, the part of the mortar and pestle that you crush the herbs with -- mix the salt and garlic till it is like a paste. Add the next 4 ingredients and continue to mix everything until well combined. Add lettuce and cheese and toss to coat well. Serve salad. Grind fresh black pepper over individual servings. Yield: 4 servings