Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells


See this pretty little girl with the crazy hair? That's my peanut. And guess what? She is not even 23 months old and after a long week...she's potty trained! Today is day 6 since we started training and we got through the entire day with NO ACCIDENTS!

That little Peanut amazes me every day...she is so smart. I can't believe what these little people are capable of sometimes. It seems like it was just yesterday she was my little baby suckling from my breast and now she has grown into a very "spirited" little girl. I just can't wait to see what transformations this little girl is going to go through in the years to come. Where my Walnut has always been so easy going and quiet, my Peanut is always the head of the pack. If someone is doing something she is right there with her nose in the way, imitating whatever action is happening.

Oh, little girl, I love you so much and I just know you are going to take the bull by its horns and conquer the world!


Down to business now...I like to fit in a few vegetarian meals every week. I've always been boarder line vegetarian. I guess I've just never committed to it. Sometimes a big burger after a long week sounds really good, then other times I could go a full week easy with no meat. I've been watching my cholesterol and blood pressure pretty closely the last few years due to some family history so I've cut back even more on meals containing meat. This recipe is one of my favorites to serve on a weeknight when you are looking for something hearty and satisfying without the meat. Hope you enjoy!
Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 spaghetti sauce recipe (click here for recipe)
15 jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Saute onions, broccoli and garlic in oil until tender. Add in ricotta, mozzarella, egg whites, basil, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Remove from heat.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Stuff cooked pasta shells with cheese mixture and arrange in prepared dish. Top with spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until cheese is melted and dish is nice and hot!

Enjoy!!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Pumpkin Bread


Sorry about the plethora of quick breads lately, but as I said earlier, I'm baking for an upcoming graduation party. And, during the summer months when I have a lot of overnight visitors it is really nice to pull a fruit loaf out of the freezer to serve for breakfast. I like freezing the loafs before eating them too because they seem so moist after they've thawed.

Pumpkin Bread

2/3 cup shortening
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5x3" loaf pans with a baking spray (I use Baker's Joy).

In mixer bowl, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Then add eggs, pumpkin and water and mix until incorporated. Then, blend in flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves.

Pour into pans and bake about 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Lemon Blueberry Muffin Bread


My Peanut's favorite snack in the whole world is a bowl full of frozen blueberries. And it is so cute watching her eat them. After each blueberry, she has to stop and examine her hands as they begin to turn bright blue. When she is done eating her bowl, she looks like a smurf. She usually has blueberry juice smeared across her entire body, along with the counter top and whatever happens to be surrounding her! The day I made this great muffin bread I think she probably ate half the bag...leaving me a little short for my recipe. But, all is well when my kids decide to dive head first into fruits or veggies instead of chips or candy!



Lemon Blueberry Muffin Bread

3 cups less 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 heaping cup plain low fat yogurt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
raw sugar

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla, egg and yogurt until well blended. Add dry ingredients and stir just enough to incorporate the dry into the wet ingredients...about 10-15 stirs. Add 1 1/2 cups blueberries and stir as little as possible.

Spray two 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" bread pans with baking spray (I use Pam Baking Spray). Divide batter between the two tins and sprinkle tops with remaining blueberries and raw sugar.

Bake 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean.

Enjoy!

*If you pay close attention to the first pic you'll see that clearly I used two 9"x5" pans...however, my bread was not as tall as I usually like them so the smaller pans would definately be a plus.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Healthier Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies


I would file these cookies away under "Breakfast Cookie" if there is such a thing. They use only 1/2 the butter that a typical cookie recipe would call for and the other half is actually plain yogurt. With the addition of whole wheat flour and egg whites, they are even more healthy! I did a quick nutrition analysis on these babies and per cookie (I ended up with 34 cookies) they provide 98 calories, 4 grams of fat, 16 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Does that mean I can eat 4 of them and not feel any guilt? No? hmmm....I best hit the track then!

Healthier Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup fat free plain yogurt
1/4 cup egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened dark chocolate baking cocoa
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup dark chocolate, chopped to small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix sugar, butter, yogurt, egg and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet with a 1 tablespoon cookie dropper about 2 inches apart. Don't worry if they get too close, they don't spread when baking!

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until firm. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

I'd say these have more of a cake quality to them then cookie though...

Friday, May 14, 2010

Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Oven Fries


My kids don't always eat everything that I make for dinner. For instance, you'd never see them putting down a big plate of Steak with Melon Relish or Chicken Marsala. And you'd never ever see them wolfing down a Pesto Chicken Foccacia Sandwich! So, sometimes I make two dinners. Like for instance today I had Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps (recipe coming soon!) and the kids had this...Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Oven Fries! Oh, they smelled excellent, too. I really wish I wasn't banning carbohydrates today. The kiddos gobbled them all up anyway, so there wasn't any left for me.


Homemade Chicken Nuggets

3 large chicken breasts
1 cup mozzerella cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Parsley Flakes
1 cup panko bread crumbs (or crushed Rice Chex for gluten free)

Boil chicken breasts for about 30 minutes until they are completely cooked through. When they are done, cut the breasts into large chuncks and place in a food processer. Pulse 3-4 times until chicken is broken up and slightly chunky. Then add cheese, egg, and seasonings. Pulse until all ingredients are throughly mixed and it forms a paste almost.

Place panko crumbs or cereal into a bowl with any desired seasonings.

Scoop out a heaping tablespoon and roll into a ball, then flatten ball to about 3/4" thick to form a nugget. Press both sides of nugget into the Panko/cereal and place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken is gone.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, turning nuggets after 15 minutes. Both sides of nuggets should be golden brown.

Oven Fries

4 potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Cracked Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Dill

Skin potatoes and cut into fries about 3/4" x 3/4". I usually get about 12 fries from each potato when I cut them. Place potatoes in a large bowl that has a lid and add oil, salt, pepper and dill. Put on lid and shake until all potatoes are coated. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray (I've found even through potatoes are covered in oil they still stick so the cooking spray helps a lot when flipping them!) Place potatoes in a single layer on sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, flipping potatoes over after 15 minutes for even browning. Fries are done when they are tender.

*Note that the fries and the nuggets have the exact baking temps and times so you can get it all done on one pan at the same time!

Enjoy!!


Thursday, May 13, 2010

Stuffed French Toast




Wow...what could be better then Stuffed French Toast? Image your possibilities! Depending on what you happen to be craving at the moment...Nutella and bananas, cream cheese and blueberries, cream cheese and your favorite jam, or like I did this morning honey nut cream cheese. I don't like to use a large french loaf for my french toast because it seems to never soak up the egg as good as plain ol' sandwich bread. I always use a good nutty whole wheat bread though.


Stuffed French Toast


8 slices of 12 grain whole wheat sandwich bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Your favorite cream cheese (2-3 tablespoons per 2 slices of bread)
Your favorite fruit or jam
Butter for skillet


Heat a skillet over medium high heat and grease pan with butter.
Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
On one piece of bread, spead 2-3 tablespoons of cream cheese all the way to the edges of bread so you get a good seal when you dunk in the egg mixture. Add desired fruit or jam. Sandwich in cream cheese and fruit with another peice of bread.
Dip bread into egg mixture to throughly coat both sides of bread. Repeat for all for sandwiches.
When the butter on your skillet has slightly browned, add French Toast sandwiches to skillet and fry on each side about 2-3 minutes until each side is a nice deep golden brown.
Serve with your favorite syrup!
Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Banana Bread

Homemade Mother's Day cards...I don't think that any part of being a mother is as satisfying as receiving one of these. A card you know your little four year old must have spent hours drawing. Look at his printing! "Mom, I love you." Oh, it melts my heart just looking at the pictures of it let alone holding the actual card in my hands. How he so carefully drew on the clothes and hair and eyes of each of us is just out of this world.
And look at these little hands. I love to hold these little hands as they fall asleep at night. They snuggle with me in the rocking chair and I always hold each of their hands until they drift off to sleep. They are still so little and precious but so big at the same time. I can't believe how the years are already slipping away from me it feels like sometimes. Walnut is on the verge of School Readiness and riding the school bus and Peanut is on the brink of potty training.
I'd like to say thank you to my mom...for raising me the way you did. For helping me become a strong, independent woman. And for always standing by me and supporting every silly thing that has ever popped into my head. I love you. And...thank you for watching my children everyday while I go to work and helping instill the same values in them as you did into me.


What feels more motherly then baking a big loaf of banana bread at 6:00 am before the troops wake up? I had been using a different recipe for my bread that uses shortening for the fat, but I lost the book somehow and had to resort to my good old Betty Crocker's Cookbook via 1972. It used to be my mom's book. She let me borrow it for an extended period of time...(mom...you didn't want this back, right?) This bread is so much more moist than my old recipe! Betty Crocker has definitely moved into the lead for now on when it comes to banana bread.

Banana Bread

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (2 to 3 medium)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (I use Baker's Joy) a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan or two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pans. Measure all ingredients into a large mixer bowl; beat on medium 30 seconds until ingredients are just combined, scraping sides of the bowl half way through.

Pour into pans. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly before slicing, unless your like me and insist on eating all baked good straight from the oven!

*I used a 9x5x3 inch pan and it made one heck of a large loaf! I will definitely split the batter into two pans next time.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Steak with Melon Relish


I've never really been sure about relishes that combine fruit and vegetables, so when this recipe hit my inbox today from Self I have to say, my interest was piqued. I happened to have a huge ripe cantaloupe on my counter I brought at Trader Joe's over the weekend. So I figured why the heck not? With this new attempt at cutting down on carbohydrates I'm feverishly trying to find new recipes.



And it wasn't too bad! I would probably pair it with chicken or pork next time I make it, though. But the balsamic vinegar went great when paired with the cantaloupe. My little peanut sure enjoyed the cantaloupe as a snack (ok, it was her dinner...and that's all she ate. But I'm okay with that.)


Steak with Melon Relish
from Self Fitness Magazine
1 large cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons white balsamic (or cider) vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds of your favorite steaks
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Toss cantaloupe, onion, parsley, mint, vinegar and oil in a bowl. Set aside. Heat a grill, grill pan or large skillet over high heat. Season steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 8 minutes on each side for medium rare, 8 to 10 minutes per side for medium and 10 to 12 minutes per side for well done. Remove from heat and allow to rest on a clean cutting board for 5 to 7 minutes. Cut steak diagonally into 1/8-inch-thick slices and transfer to a platter. Spoon half the relish on top. Serve remaining relish on the side.

Monday, May 10, 2010

The Easiest Salad Dressing Ever


I'm not kidding when I say it is the easist ever...

My favorite salad at the moment is spinach with steak, red onion and tomatoes with this dressing. A little bit goes a long way here with this dressing, just to warn you. It is sweet and the vinegar cuts through to give it a nice tang to it.

Teri's Favorite Dressing

1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

Combine all three ingredients in a canning jar, close lid and shake for about 3 minutes until all sugar has dissolved.

Store in the refrigerator. Give it a good shake each time you use it. The oil and vinegar doesn't live a harmonious life together so they will separate in the jar as it sets.

Enjoy!!

Menu for May 10th - May 14th

With a busy schedule yet again, I've planned out my dinner menu for this week! Can I share it with you?

Monday: Chicken Marsala with brocolli
Tuesday: Steak with Melon Relish and Peas on the side
Wednesday: Hamburger Soup
Thursday: Homemade Chicken Nuggets, oven fries and green beans
Friday: Panko and Parmesan coated Tilapia with Risotto and brocolli

Oh, my mouth is already watering. I'll try to post the new recipes after I make them this week. Since I started this blog a month ago I sort of put on a few pounds with all the baking...so I'm trying to refocus on healthy meals! But don't worry, the sweets will make a return soon! I have a graduation party coming up that I'm hosting so that will guarentee some good treats coming your way.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Rhubarb Crisp Bars



Did you know it is supposed to SNOW tonight in Minnesota? What? We had full weeks in April of 70 degree weather and now in May its going to snow? How is a person supposed to cope with this? Can I tell you a secret and do you promise not to tell my husband? I coped very well by treating myself to $120 cowgirl boots and by baking this Delicious rhubarb pie/crumble/bar type thing. They were divine. Rhubarb isn't quite ready yet this season...but I still had some frozen and stashed in my freezer from last year. I couldn't decide if I wanted to make a pie or a crisp so I did both! The base layer is a press-in pie crust with rhubarb in the middle and an oat based crisp on top. Wow...were they awesome...so awesome I ate half the pan and vowed never to make them again. We'll see.





Rhubarb Crisp Bars


For Pie Crust:
1 cup flour
2 tbls sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter


For Rhubarb Filling:
3 cups chopped rhubarb
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tbls corn starch


For Crisp Topping:
3/4 c sugar
3/4 quick cooking oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
7 tbls butter


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter, work ingredients until it is well combined. The dough will be crumbly. Press crust into an 8x8 glass pan with your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup.


Next for the rhubarb filling, combine rhubarb, 3/4 c sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and dump over crust, speading until even.


Last for the crumb topping, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut butter into pats and with your hands work the butter into the dry ingredients until it is combined and crumbly. Then break mixture into little crumbs over the top of rhubarb, speading evenly over the top.
Bake for 40 minutes if you have fresh rhubarb...mine was frozen so I ended up baking it for 60 minutes. When entire top is nice and golden brown pull it out of the oven and dig in immediately! Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream if your into that.
Enjoy!


Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Lemon and Blueberry Cake

So, after a full 9 hour day at work followed by a 4 mile run and grocery shopping I finally arrived home last night at 7:30 pm. And I still had to make dinner. We had sausage, rice and brocolli. Not much effort put in there.


Back to the point...I pulled into the garage last night and swung open the door where I had tossed the groceries in a hurry to get out of the rain and guess what happened...the eggs came crashing down onto the hard concrete floor of my garage. OF COURSE that had to be the one bag to hit the floor. Not that eggs are all that expensive, it just the principle that out of my own ignorance and stupidity that the eggs hit the floor. Its just kind of how my week is going.


So I managed to salvage 4 eggs out of a dozen, but they were broken so they had to be used. Luckily I also had a lemon on my counter and sour cream in my fridge that need to be used also. I've had the intentions of making this recipe for about 2 weeks now after I found it on My Baking Addition, but everyone I know seems to be on some sort of carbohydrate free diet so I haven't had anyone to share my sweets with.

Before I give you the recipe let me tell you a few things about my picture above here. Remember it was 7:30 pm when I broke the eggs? And I still had to cook dinner? Well, it was 9:45 before I pulled it out of the oven...and it didn't quite bake completely. It probably could have used an additional 10 minutes, but I still had to put the kids to bed and take a shower so I pulled it out and said poo on it. Also, when I was young and just starting my kitchen collection, the silicone bakeware was the in thing. So, I bought a silicone bundt pan and have never replaced it with a real pan. Well, the batter for this cake is rather heavy, and resulted in a very flat top on my bundt cake. Please use a metal bundt pan...and if you could buy me one too! And last of all, there is an icing that goes with this cake but it was way to late to pull that together. And once I tasted the cake with powdered sugar sprinkled on the top I decided it was sweet enough to forgo the icing. But the recipe is listed below just in case you'd like to use it!

Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake
Adapted by My Baking Addiction from Everyday Foods

For the Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 teaspoon for blueberries and zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
juice of one lemon
Nonstick cooking spray, for pan (I used Baker's Joy and it worked great)

For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk

Directions for the Cake:
*For best results, coat the inside of the Bundt pan with cooking spray just before filling it with the batter to prevent it from pooling in the bottom.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk 2 1/2 cups flour with baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in vanilla and lemon juice. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of sour cream.
3. In a bowl, toss blueberries and zest with remaining teaspoon flour; gently fold into batter. Coat a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray. Spread batter in prepared pan.
4. Bake cake on bottom rack of oven until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Invert onto a rack; cool completely, top side up. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving or drizzle with the cream cheese glaze.

Directions for the Cream Cheese Glaze:
Mix the cream cheese with the butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a bowl. Heat in a microwave oven for 10-15 seconds. Drizzle spoonfuls over the cooled cake.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Cheesy Potato Soup


It is really amazing how quickly this Potato Soup comes together. It really is perfect for a weeknight meal when you need some wholesome comfort food. Usually when its been a particularly hectic week where I haven't been able to get into the kitchen long enough to make what I would qualify as a "real" meal, I always make a big batch of soup.

You can make it super creamy by using heavy cream or half and half in the recipe, or depending on your current diet, use skim milk like me. This recipe is very forgiving when it comes to the type of dairy you decide to use. I've had no problems at all with it thickening adequately with skim milk.

Cheesy Potato Soup

4-5 medium potatoes
1 stick butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1/2 c flour
2 quarts milk
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheddar/monteray jack cheese
bacon, crumbled for topping
cheese for topping

Peel and cube potatoes. Cover with water and boil until tender. Make a rue by melting the stick of butter in a large soup pot. Add minced onion and garlic and saute until tender and translucent. Add flour and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes. Using a whisk, stir in the milk. Continue to stir every few minutes until mix begins to thicken. When potatoes are tender, drain and add to soup base. Stir in seasonings and cheese. Heat until soup is bubbly and thick.

Serve with crumbled bacon and cheese on top.

English Muffins


First off, thanks to my first (and only follower at this point) Megan, from Food and Whine. Thank you for your lovely comments and also for posting this Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin recipe. I made them the with the cinnamon and raisin on Wednesday night and they were so good I made a regular batch on Thursday night so I could make my own egg muffins with them. I absolutely love how light and chewy they are (at least mine were).


Had I ever known how easy english muffins were to make I wouldn't have ever paid over $3.00 for six of them at the grocery store! And...I didn't knew they cooked on an electric fry pan either. Boy, I really must be living a sheltered life.


Semi Whole-Wheat English Muffins

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons of honey
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
.25 ounce package of active yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
4-5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
cornmeal
Heat milk in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes so it is hot enough to melt the butter. Add honey, butter, and salt to milk and set aside until milk is lukewarm.
In a warmed mixer bowl (do this by running bowl under hot tap water) add water and yeast until yeast forms a foam over top of water (about 5 minutes should do it). In a separate bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, 2 cups all-purpose flour and sugar. Add to your yeast/water in the mixing bowl and turn mixer on low (speed 2 for a KitchenAid) using the dough hook. Let mix in for 2 minutes. Add remaining flour slowly, 1 cup at a time. Once all flour is incorporated, mix for an additional 2 minutes.
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning dough over so top is greased. Cover and put in a warm place to double in size for about 1 hour (I always turn my oven on 400 degrees for 2 minutes, then turn off oven and place dough inside oven). Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll dough out on a very lightly floured surface to about 1/2" thick. Cut out circles depending on how large you want your muffins. First I used a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter and those turned out too small so on my second batch I used a cup that had about a 3 1/2" diameter and these were prefect for my eggs and turkey the next morning.
Place about 1/2 cup cornmeal in a soup bowl. Lightly press both side of english muffin in cornmeal and place on baking sheet. Let muffins rise until doubled again, about 45 minutes.
Cook muffin on a very lightly greased (I gave it a very quick spray with Pam) electric fry pan at 275-300 degrees for 7-10 minutes on each side. They cook quickly so make sure to keep an eye on them so they don't burn. While the muffins are still warm...poke holes all the way around the middle of the muffin so they easily pull apart.
Enjoy!