Pizza Bites

Sometimes I hate to admit that the hubs is right. Maybe someday I will learn to take more consideration into his advice because if I had, I would have been enjoying these little one-bite-wonders months ago! This is another one of those recipes I dreamt of but was too intimidated to try it because it looked difficult. I think it was the pizza dough on this one that turned me away. But since I discovered that I can take the left handed approach (aka. shortcut) and use frozen bread dough, I have been a happy camper and much more willing to try new recipes.

These are SO good! Honestly, I have made them twice since we first tried them. The hubs loves them and therefore, I'm love them as well...and I'm not even a peperoni fan! Best part!?!? They are so simple, I end up making them when I am crunched for time or lack the energy to make anything else. This time, I just heated up a little extra spaghetti sauce from the other night to dunk mine in and they were delish!

Pizza Bites
Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients

1 loaf frozen bread dough (thawed)

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)

Sliced pepperoni

For the topping:

Olive oil

Garlic Salt

Italian Seasoning

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9 inch pie plate or cake pan with cooking spray. Divide pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, flatten with fingers, and place a cube of cheese sandwiched between 3 or 4 slices of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough together and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt, Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

Scrambled Egg Breakfast Pizza

Remember how I said the hubs was upset that the breakfast pizza I made didn't 'look' like pizza? Well, I decided to try again and I'm so glad I did. I think we hit the jackpot on this one! It has all of his favorite things, white based sauce, scrambled eggs and BACON! He raved about this pizza and was actually telling other people about how good this pizza was! I felt so honored but I did have quite the struggle to get a decent picture of the pizza. Sorry, it tasted MUCH better than it looks, I promise.

Scrambled Egg Breakfast Pizza

Source: Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

Favorite pizza crust (I used a loaf of frozen bread dough)

1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese

6 eggs

1/4 c milk

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 c shredded monterrey jack cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella)

1-4 c bacon crumbles (I used 3 strips of bacon and it was not quite enough...I'm thinking 5 slices next time)

Directions

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, add eggs, milk, salt & pepper to taste. Whisk together to break up eggs. Pour egg mixture in skillet and scramble eggs. Once scrambled, allow to cool about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a round baking sheet with cooking spray and spread your pizza dough out into a circle about 12 inches or so. Spray dough with cooking spray (or brush with olive oil) and spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese, leaving about an inch of dough on the outer edge.

Top with scrambled eggs, bacon crumbles, & shredded cheese.

Bake for approximately 13 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

I will make these again and again and again. I am completely hooked. At first glance I figured they looked good. So the other day I made them for brunch and had one fresh out of the oven. It was goooood! I promptly packaged up all but 4 of the remaining muffins to be given away (I did NOT need these sitting in my house). One of the friends whom I gave them to commented on how moist they were. Temptation then got the best of me because sure they were good out of the oven but uber moist? Umm, kinda maybe? But oh my goodness was she ever right. They moisted up significantly after being packaged. I didn't know that was possible. They went from good to amazing!! I love these things!

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Source: Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor

Ingredients

1 pkg chocolate cake mix

1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix

1 container (6oz) low-fat vanilla yogurt

3/4 c water

1/2 c vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2c semisweet chocolate chips (1 bag)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 28 muffin wells with liners.

Place cake mix and pudding mix in a large bowl. Mix together and make a well in the center. Place the yogurt, water, oil and eggs in a small mixing bowl and stir with a fork to break up the egg yolks. Pour the yogurt mixture into the well of the muffin mix. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and gently stir just until mixed.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese

I feel that all my brain power has been used up these past two weeks between sitting in a review course all weekend, putting the finishing touches on our Scholarly Project, submitting our Program Plan, Functional Job Analysis, Case Study and my Assistive Technology topic paper....and I still have that dang weighted blanket to finish. I cannot wait for school to be done!

So that's my excuse for not giving these little one bite wonders the proper introduction they deserve. These were very tasty and a huge hit with the hubs! Plus, they took less than 5 minutes to mix up and get into the oven! You really can't beat that. A great appetizer or brunch item!

Mini Frattatas

Source Elizabeths Edible Experience

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1/2 c finely chopped onion (I used dried minced onion)

2/3 c chopped reduced-fat ham

1/3 c shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left it out)

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

4 large egg whites

1 large egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Add onion and ham to saute. Remove from heat and let cool while combining other ingredients. Combine eggs, pepper, thyme, cayenne, and cheese in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk until combined. Add ham and onion mixture. Spoon mixture into 24 miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Each cavity will hold about 2 teaspoons. (Don't worry, they will puff up). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until set.

Toasted Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches

Some of the most simple things taste the greatest. This sandwich is one I threw together one night when I wanted a grilled cheese but needed something with a bit more substance. I would recommend an electric skillet for these because it will warm the entire sandwich from within and melt the cheese to perfection, all without burning the outside! Feel free to add a slice of tomato or onion to the sandwich for a little more flavor and crunch.

Toasted Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches

Source: Mrs. O

Ingredients

2 slices bread (Sourdough would be great!)

2 slices mozzarella cheese

2 slices American Cheese

2 Slices thick Turkey breast lunch meat (or whichever thick sliced meat you like)

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Heat electric skillet and spray with cooking spray. Apply 1 tablespoon of butter to one side of each slice of bread. Layer 1 slice of mozzarella cheese, 1 slice of American cheese and 1 slice of Turkey breast on each slice of bread. Combine layers to create a sandwich. Place on electric skillet and cook until golden brown on each side. Enjoy!

Makes 1 hearty sandwich

Smothered Burritos

It had been far too long since I had eaten these burritos and now that I have, I'm not sure I can stop. Honestly, with my head held in shame I will admit that I made these on a Sunday night because I knew the hubs was heading out of town and I would get the left overs...I ate them for supper on Sunday...lunch on Monday....AND supper on Monday. I only quit eating them because...well they were gone! Yep, their amazing and the cheese melts sooooo good and runny and stringy....yum!

Smothered Burritos

Source: Mrs. O's mom

1 (16oz) can refried beans

1 lb hamburger

1 pkg taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

6-8 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup taco sauce

Brown hamburger. Add beans, taco seasoning and water. Cook until bubbly. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread on tortillas and roll up. Put in a greased 9x13 in pan. Mix tomato sauce and taco sauce in a separate bowl. Pour over top of rolled tortillas and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts. Serve with lettuce, onions, black olives and sour cream.

Turtle Brownie Cups

These are my version of crack. I know, it's not funny to joke about drugs but honestly...they gave me a high. It included a happiness on my lips and satisfaction in my tummy. These are a, "YOU MUST MAKE THESE NOW," kind of ecstasy. Honestly, I ate 3 in one day....and out of pure shame I stopped myself at that.

I came across these cupcakes when I was searching out ideas for my graduation party. One of my favorite girlies (Mrs. K) and I are planning to make a variety of cupcakes for our graduation parties and the testing began with these.

Myself and Mrs. Korynta

Just a tip: you can either make your own Dulce De Leche or you can find pre-made dulce de leche in the Mexican food section of some grocery stores (I've only had luck at Walmart in my area). I used pre-made for these.

Turtle Brownie Cupcakes

Source: Recipe Rhapsody

Ingredients

1 fudge brownie mix

1 stick melted butter

2 eggs

1/4 c water

1 cup dulce de leche

24 pecan halves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place paper liners into a 12-cup muffin pan. Spray liners lightly with oil (I used cooking spray) as the brownies like to stick to the liners.

Combine brownie mix with melted butter, water and eggs until well mixed. Scoop batter into muffin cups, filling them about 1/2 full. Put a teaspoon or two of cold or room temp dulce de leche on top of each brownie cup.

Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. Use dulce de leche to glue on 2 pecan halves on each top. Drizzle remaining dulce de leche on tops of brownies.

Enjoy and try to limit yourself....it will be hard I promise!

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

Before I discovered the slimming effects of black, I was a pink to the heart kinda girl. My mom would joke that my entire closet, bedroom, locker and car were as pink as one could get. I even remember piling all the stuff I was hauling up to college for my dorm in our living room and only 3 items weren't pink; the totes (they were my mom's and coming home), my textbooks and my toothpaste! You can imagine how excited my husband was when we merged our belongings for our first apartment!

Anyways, with Spring in full force, I have seen all kinds of adorable pink desserts that just scream, "Make me!" Far be it from me to deny them this honor. I made these cupcakes for class treats and was a little worried about bring Champagne to class. Yes I know, we are all of legal drinking age, but I didn't want to be that crazy girl bringing alcohol to class! Luckily everything turned out good and they were well received! These make great little Easter treats as well with the pastel pink!

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

Source: Betty Crockers, "Cupcakes, cakes, and more" pg. 36

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 box Betty Crocker super moist white cake mix

1 1/4 c champagne (cheap will do, I think my bottle was $5 or so)

1/3 c vegetable oil

3 egg whites

4 or 5 drops red food coloring (I used a little pink Wilton color gel)

Champagne Frosting

1/2 c softened butter or margarine

4 c powdered sugar

1/4 c champagne

1 teaspoon vanilla

4-5 drops red food coloring (or pink color gel)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking liners into 24 regular sized muffin cups.

In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix and champagne. Add oil, eggs and food color. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

In a medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium spread until smooth. Frost cupcakes.

Breakfast Pizza

This is ANOTHER recipe that my mom would make occasionally when I was younger. So when I started cooking for my then boyfriend/now husband, I was so excited to serve him this. He was all jazzed too because he had been raving about a breakfast pizza that he had tried at a gas station (ick, only boys eat that food don't they?) However, when he came to dish up his 'pizza' he was upset because it, "doesn't look like pizza." I cook my breakfast pizza in a 9x13 inch pan because that's how the recipe told me to do it and I usually screw up when I don't follow the recipe.

Besides they make rectangle pizza don't they?

Anyways, if you think that you simply cannot eat breakfast pizza without it being in a pizza pan, then make it in a pizza pan. Really, it will taste the same and that taste is amazing!

I have made this for potlucks and it goes SO fast. Best part is, it's so easy!

....still can't believe my pizza lost to gas station food....

Breakfast pizza

Source: Mrs. O's mom

Ingredients

1 tube crescent rolls

1 lb pork sausage

1 cup frozen shredded hash browns-thawed

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

5 eggs

1/4 c milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown sausage. Pat crescent rolls into lightly greased 9x13 in pan (or pizza pan). Crumble on sausage. Add hash browns. Sprinkle on cheese. Beat together milk and eggs. Pour over top. Bake for 30 minutes

Mini Cheddar Garlic Popovers

These were good. Like pretty dang good. And pretty dang simple. I made these for brunch one weekend and think they would be amazing paired with a great soup so you could dunk them. But then again, I love to dunk things.

Mini Cheddar Garlic Popovers

Source:Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way

Ingredients

3 tsp oil

3/4 c milk

1 egg

1 egg white

3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp- garlic salt (or any garlic seasoning)

1/3 c cheddar cheese (shredded)

Direction

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Add 1/8 of tsp oil to bottom of each cup. In a small bowl combine the milk, egg and egg white, mix well using a whisk. Add the flour and garlic seasoning then mix well, once fully combined stir in the cheese. Warm the muffin pan in oven for 5 minutes. Once heated, divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove popovers from the pan and serve warm.

Cheesecake Cookie Bars

These are my absolute MOST favorite bars of all time. They are easy to make and incorporate my two favorite things; cheesecake and cookies! I have brought these numerous times to potlucks or for class treats and I have left empty handed every time. Yes, they are that good. Rich and good.

Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Source: Pillsbury

Ingredients

2 (18 oz) packages of chocolate chip cookie dough, divided

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let dough stand at room temperature for 15 mins to soften. Press 1 1/4 packages of cookie dough into bottom of a 9x13 in pan. Combine other ingredients in a medium bowls and pour over cookie mixture. Break up remaining cookie dough into small, flat pieces and place over top of cheesecake mixture.

Cook for 35 minutes.

Coca-Cola Roast

School has been so busy lately that I am searching for the easiest recipes possible without sacrificing the taste. Enter crock pot, the most efficient method to cooking the juiciest meat. Also, with the crock pot bags, there is no simpler clean up. Exit, happy college housewife. This recipe has been made so many times in my family and they don't come much easier. This roast is also the reason we registered for an immersion blender for our wedding and is still the only meal I have ever used it for! That needs to change....but anyways, this roast is great and the gravy that comes after it...ohhhh even better!

Coca-Cola Roast

Source: Mrs. O's mom and there are also several varieties floating around the Internet

Ingredients

1 roast- any size

1 12 ounce can of coca-cola

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 medium onion

Directions

Place roast in crock pot.

In a medium bowl, combine soda and soup. Place immersion blender in the bottom of the bowl and press on. Mixture will foam up (hence the need for a medium bowl). Pour over roast.

Slice onion and place on top of roast.

Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat.

Chicken Yum Sticks

The hubs loves salt. I mean LOVES salt, as in, he adds salt to his McDonald's fries which are already overloaded and thirst inducing. It's a wonder the man doesn't need to be hooked up to a water IV to keep his body hydrated. So when I was meal planning for a weekend visit from our favorite couple, my best friend Kari and her amazing boyfriend Mitch, I remembered these salty wings that my mom use to make. I have past visions of these being served on New Year's eve with my dad and I sitting down to devour a bowl of them. The flavor is mind boggling salty heaven, which was a perfect combination for the night. They are also very easy to make with the prep working being completed the day before. Just bake, serve and enjoy!

Chicken Yum Sticks

Source: Mrs. O's mom

Ingredients

20-25 chicken fryer wings

1 cup water

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 c pineapple juice

1/4 c vegetable oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Ginger

Directions

Break apart chicken wings at first and second joints (unless already disjointed). Mix all ingredients above and pour over chicken in a large shallow dish and cover. Refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with tin foil (to make clean up easier). Bake uncovered on a flat cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender and brown.

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

Since the moment I laid eyes on these, I just knew I had to make them! We love breakfast foods but hate the mess and time required to use the electric skillet to make bacon, eggs and then toast. These little devils only dirty 1 fry pan (or I used my large soup pot to decrease the splatter) and a muffin tin. It was some of the easiest clean up I have ever done. When I saw this recipe I thought, "Yeah, I can probably screw it up," because I have been having quite a time with recipes lately. But guess what? I didn't and am so excited to make them again. I really can't explain how easy these were and how great they tasted! Plus, I think they are cute as sin!

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

Source:Annie's Eats

Ingredients

6 slices of bacon

6 slices of bread

shredded cheese

6 eggs

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 6 wells of a muffin pay with nonstick spray.

Cook bacon via your preferable method. Leave the bacon slightly undercooked as it needs to be bendable and will finish in the oven. Dab dry the grease after bacon is cooked on a plate of paper towels.

Cut out 6 circular rounds using either a 3 inch cookie cutter or the top of a glass. Place bread in muffin wells.

Wrap bacon around outside of muffin wells.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

One at a time, crack eggs over another bowl discarding half of the egg whites. Place yolk and other half of whites on top of shredded cheese. Be careful not to break the yolks!

Bake until eggs are cooked thoroughly or to your liking (6-10 minutes for runny and a little longer for hardened yolks) and bacon is crispy.

Run knife around edges and use another knife or fork to ease cups out of the muffin wells.

Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Pesto Penne

Since the hubs has been working out of town lately, I have been left with just little ole me to feed. It barely seems worth cooking for. However, the other night while I was rummaging through the cupboards, I came across my penne noodles and they just screamed, "EAT ME." So, I did and I loved it. This is my own little creation of ingredients I had in my kitchen. I think this would be great with some garden tomatoes or black olives as well. This makes two servings.

Pesto Penne

Source: Mrs. O

Ingredients

6 ounces penne noodles

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp pesto

1 tsp minced garlic

a sprinkle of shredded Italian blend cheese to garnish

Directions

Prepare penne as directed on the box. Drain. Place noodles in a medium bowl, stir in pesto, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Stir until evenly distributed. Lay shredded cheese over warm noodles. Allow to slightly melt or place in microwave for 10-15 seconds. Enjoy!

S'more Bars with Peanut Butter Cups

I had a bag of peanut butter cups left over after making the hubs peanut butter cake and despite vowing not to attempt anymore S'more recipes, I did and am quite happy I went back on my word! These tasted really good and were incredibly easy to make! My only complaint is that the crust was really crumbly. Next time, I plan to make it with more of a cheesecake crust base and maybe that will help soften it up a bit, then again, don't the bases of S'mores always break when you eat them? These may have renewed my love for S'mores!

S'more Bars with Peanut Butter Cups
Source:
My Adventures in Food
Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c flour
Pinch of salt

Toppings
15 mini-peanut butter cups
2 c mini marshmallows
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 13x9 inch pan with non stick spray.
Cream together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl. Mixture will look slightly curdled. Stir in graham cracker crumbs, flour and pinch of salt. Set aside 1/4 c of the mixture.
Press remaining mixture into the pan, this layer will be quite thin.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and set oven on Broil setting.
Top the base with peanut butter cups, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Press toppings into crust slightly, but do quickly because chocolate will melt. Sprinkle the graham cracker mixture over the top. Broil just until the marshmallows toast. Only a minute or two.
Cool bars for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Coat a knife with non stick spray to avoid sticking when cutting the bars.

Fudge Ribbon Cake

It is finally spring break and I am so excited to have a few days off! My plans for spring break are pretty uneventful because my partner and I hope to mostly wrap up our thesis! That will be such a good feeling. I do plan to throw some fun into the week though as we have a girls shopping trip planned to the outlet mall (hello, Coach store!) and I have quite a few new recipes I want to try! I haven't been spending much time in the kitchen lately due to school and the hubs has been working out of town during the week, so suppers have consisted of cereal or Jimmy John's.

I began my return to the kitchen in pursuit of filling my craving for cheesecake. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. It was very easy and tasted pretty good!

Warning: Use spray on the bunt pan. I was in a hurry and left out this step...it did not end well and resulted in me remaking the cake. When I was teenager I remember having multiple fights with my mom because I REFUSED to use cooking spray on the pans, insisting that it made no difference. I think it was my attempt to rebel and ever since then, when I cook, I typically do not use cooking spray. Well mom, are you happy?!? I don't think I will forget again.

Fudge Ribbon Cake

Source: Bake Me More

Ingredients for the cake:

1 box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients called for on the box

1 8oz package cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat)

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for the ganache:

3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli chips)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon corn syrup

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. SPRAY 10 inch bunt pan with no-stick cooking spray

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese, butter and cornstarch in a medium bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over cake batter. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and remove from pan. Allow to cool and apply chocolate ganache.

Ganache directions:

In small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. In separate bowl, combine 3 oz of chocolate and 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour hot cream over chocolate. and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Stir, if not all lumps are dissolved, place in microwave for 10 second intervals. Let ganach sit until think but still pourable. Pour ganache over cooled cake. Let set for 30 minutes or until glaze is set before serving.

Cream Cheese Corn

Once upon a time, a 18 year old Mrs. O (back when she was Miss M) flew the chicken coop and ventured into the world as a college student. Home sick as could be, she decided to make one of mother hen's best recipes, cream cheese corn.

"What a simple recipe," she thought. After several conversations via the tin can and string, she had gathered her ingredients (shucked the corn, churned the cream and I don't even know where the sweetened milk comes from?!?!) and was ready to go. But poor naive Mrs. O (or Miss M, whichever you prefer), did not plan anything to accompany her yummy corn and proceeded to inhale the whole pot as her meal.

"Ohhhhh never again," she said as she laid sprawled across the kitchen floor rubbing her belly.

And from that day on, Mrs. O learned the value of moderation and sharing food with others, or a BAD tummy ache will be the punishment!

Cream Cheese Corn

Source: Mother Hen aka Mrs. M

Serves 4-6 hefty side servings (DO NOT EAT ALL BY YOURSELF!)

Ingredients

1 regular size bag of frozen yellow corn

1 4 oz bar of cream cheese (used fat free)

1 14 oz jar sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)

Directions

Prepare corn according to package. Do not drain. Leave over the heat and melt in the cream cheese. Then add jar of sweetened condensed milk. (My mom uses the whole can, I use about half. Depends on how sweet you like it.)

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

One of my favorite memories growing up was when my mom would have the day off (usually the first or last day of school) and she would make us breakfast! Until she became her amazing Carmel rolls, 'blueberry muffins with the crunch on top,' was always the most popular request. Funny thing was, they were from a box! Those muffins never disappointed but for the past couple years I have been unable to find them in the store! Tragic, I know. Lately, I have been searching for some tasty breakfast foods that I can take to class with me and I can't stop thinking about those muffins! I did a quick search and of course I found a recipe on Annie's Eats that looked like it could do the trick! These were very easy and made amazing, moist cupcakes! I made a double batch and even had them for supper one night when the hubs was gone. Best part is, you don't even need to spread butter on to make them delicious! Great huh, I consider that calorie counting ;)

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Source: Annie's Eats
yields 16 muffins

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2 cups blueberries

streusel topping
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons and 4 teaspoons flour
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 16 muffin wells with liners.
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a 2 cup measuring bowl combine vegetable oil, eggs and milk, enough to fill the bowl. Combine with flour mixture and proceed to fold in blueberries.
3. Fill muffin tins to top.
4. Make the steusel topping by combining the listed ingredients and mix well with a fork until mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle generously over muffins.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Donut Muffins

I started out the Valentine's Day menu with these delights to tide us over and prepare for a large supper. These were easy and quick but lacked the donut taste I was looking for. They were very good, so don't get me wrong, but I think that because they are baked they lacked that extra goodness.

Donut Muffins

Source Mac&Cheese

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Coating

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup super fine sugar or powdered sugar

Directions

Lightly grease a muffin tin with vegetable spray

Combine sugar and egg until light in color. Add vegetable oil, milk and vanilla to sugar mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into liquid mixture and stir.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in muffin pan for 10 minutes or so and remove from pan. Dab tops of muffins with butter and roll in sugar.