Sausage Pancake Muffins

 

Served with syrup, Sausage Pancake Muffins are reminiscent of McDonald's Sausage McGriddles™.  These can be easily reheated for a delicious quick breakfast, too!

Sausage Pancake Muffins

1 pound pork sausage

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp. honey

Syrup and/or butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 12 standard size muffin cups with a baking spray like Baker's Joy.  In a skillet, brown sausage on medium heat crumbling it into small pieces; drain and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl (I use a 4-qt. bowl), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  In a smaller bowl, combine the beaten egg, vegetable oil, and milk.  Add to flour mixture and stir until combined.  Add the honey and stir.  Fold in the sausage.

Fill each muffin cup almost to the top.  (You may not use all of the batter.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean. Allow muffins to cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the muffins, and then remove the muffins from pans to a wire rack for further cooling.  Serve warm with syrup and/or butter.  Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

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Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken

Skip the take-out with this lower-calorie version of Chinese Lemon Chicken.  Made in the pressure cooker, it can be on your table in 45 minutes.

Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken

Yield:  4 servings

Approximate Total Time:  45 minutes 

Electric Pressure Cooker Size:  6 quarts

One of my favorite pressure cooker recipe authors is Barbara Schieving.  Author of several cookbooks, she also has a blog called Pressure Cooking Today, which is where the recipe for Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken can be found:  https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-chinese-lemon-chicken/

Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken 101:

*Zest one lemon before starting the recipe.  Lemons are next to impossible to zest if they've already been cut and squeezed.

*2 lemons should provide enough juice.  If they don't, add enough bottled lemon juice or water to equal 1/2 cup.

*I have never had success cooking the rice with this recipe as the author suggests.  I prefer to cook rice using one of these simple methods that turn out perfectly every time!

Easy Long Grain Rice:  http://www.easyaspiecanbe.com/2019/09/easy-long-grain-rice.html

Pressure Cooker Long Grain White Rice:  http://www.easyaspiecanbe.com/2019/09/pressure-cooker-long-grain-white-rice.html 

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Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken calories per serving without rice:

Chocolate Mousse

 

This easy chocolate mousse recipe is a perfect special occasion dessert!  The presentation and taste is reminiscent of what an expensive restaurant would serve but at a fraction of the cost.

Chocolate Mousse

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp. brewed coffee

2 large egg yolks, beaten

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. vanilla

1 pint (16 oz.) heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp. sugar

Optional toppings:  whipped cream (recipe below), raspberries, chocolate shavings, mini chocolate chips, etc.

In a 2-qt. or smaller saucepan, combine chocolate chips and brewed coffee.  Melt over low heat stirring until smooth.  Meanwhile, stir together beaten egg yolks and salt.  Gradually whisk 1 tablespoon of the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.  Return all to saucepan, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla.  Stir occasionally until completely cooled.

Place a metal, glass, or ceramic 2- or 3-qt. mixing bowl and beaters into the freezer for 10 minutes.  Pour 1 cup of the whipping cream into the bowl and beat at medium-high speed until it begins to thicken and the beaters begin to leave trails.  Add sugar and beat at high speed until the cream loses its gloss and forms stiff peaks.  (See whipped cream 101 below.)  Gently fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the whipped cream with a spatula making sure that there are no streaks of whipped cream or chocolate. 

Distribute the mousse between 4, 4- to 6-oz. ramekins.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to 2 days.  Garnish with desired toppings before serving.
 

Easy Whipped Cream

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. sugar

Place a metal, glass, or ceramic 2- or 3-qt. mixing bowl and beaters into the freezer for 10 minutes.  Pour whipping cream into the bowl and beat at medium-high speed until it begins to thicken and the beaters begin to leave trails.  Add sugar and beat at high speed until the cream loses its gloss and forms stiff peaks.

Whipped Cream 101:  Once you have whipped the cream for a minute or two, you’ll notice that the beaters leave trails.  The longer you whip, the thicker and more noticeable these trails become.  Most recipes call for either soft or stiff peaks.  For soft peaks, if you lift up the beaters and look, the peak should curl down and melt back into the mound.  For stiff peaks, keep beating until the peaks stand straight up and appear firm when beaters are lifted. For a great visual guide, click here.

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