Jim and Nick's Cheddar Muffins

It’s been cold and wet here for the last few days here in Georgia, so I figured Vegetable Beef Soup was in order for tonight’s dinner.

Dear Daughter suggested I prepared some cheese muffins to go along with the soup like they serve at Jim and Nick’s BBQ restaurant, so I agreed.

This recipe is as close as you can get to those little sweet cheesy gems they serve while you are looking over the menu.

While the recipe calls for using mini-muffin tins I used a 12 muffin regular sized pan. They are now all gone but 2……:)

4 T. butter, melted

1½ cups all purpose flour

2 ½ t. baking powder

1 cup sugar

¾ cup milk

1 egg

¼ t. vanilla

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased mini-muffin tins.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Simple, huh?

Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup crunchy peanut butter
3 T. Honey
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
2-3 ripe bananas
8 slices white bread
Topping:
¼ cup sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon

In a frying pan, melt 3 T. of the butter. Make sure butter does not burn.

In a small bowl mix together the peanut butter, honey and cinnamon.

Slice the bananas into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Spread the peanut butter mixture on 4 slices of the bread and cover with banana slices. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread.

Spread the remaining butter on both sides of the sandwiches. Grill the sandwiches in the frying pan until each side is golden brown.

For topping, combine the sugar and cinnamon in shallow plate. Coat the grilled sandwiches with the mixture. Cut diagonally and serve hot.

Giving the Pepperwood Label a Swirl

Dinner for last Friday night was a simple affair. Grilled steak and leftover pasta drizzled with butter and garlic sauce with a little parmesan cheese on top. We rounded it off with a torn piece from a 5-grain baguette.

We also tried out a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon carrying the Pepperwood Grove label from Don Sebastiani & Sons.

Their website states we should get a whiff of raspberries, cedar, and subtle savory herbs. I’ll concur with the raspberries…..

Once you take a sip you should experience flavors such as rich blackberry cobbler, fresh raspberry jam, and caramel oak tones with integrated hints of basil and fresh figs. Oak tones yes…..the other items…..no. Perhaps my palette isn’t sophisticated enough.

I’ll keep trying though…….

Have a Frittata!

A frittata is egg-based and can be very versatile as many different ingredients can be mixed and matched for a different outcome every time. It’s like a quiche without a crust. Make sure you use a skillet that can be used on top of the stove as well as under the broiler.

6 eggs, beaten

1 oz. Parmesan

Pinch Salt

1 tsp. butter

½ cup roasted asparagus

½ cup ham, chopped

1 T. Parsley, chopped

I roasted the asparagus and onion with a little olive oil for about 30 minutes.


Preheat oven to broil.

In a medium bowl blend eggs, cheese, pepper and salt.


Heat a 12 inch, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add butter and allow it to melt.

Add asparagus and ham to skillet. Saute 2-3 minutes.


Pour egg mixture into skillet and cook 4-5 minutes or till set on the bottom.

Sprinkle with Parsley.

Place under the broiler 3-4 minutes until the top is done and slightly brown.

Cut the frittata into wedges and serve. Pair it with a nice salad and your favorite white wine.