Mad for Muffins

I love the ease of grabbing something quick for breakfast in the mornings. Something portable, something you can eat on the go and not have to thin too much about it.

That is where my love of muffins fits in to the equation. Since the Mr. and I are always looking for ways to eat healthier, I wanted to make up a batch using some brand new whole wheat flour my parents bought in the Amish country.

I found three different variations of Apple Spice muffins... a little from this one, a pinch from that one, and we have....

Spiced Applesauce Muffins:

Ingredients-

-3/4 c. Whole Wheat flour

-3/4 c. All Purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

-1 tsp. Cinnamon

-1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

-1/4 tsp. Allspice

-Pinch of salt

-3/4 c. Packed Brown sugar

-2 eggs

-4 Tbsp. butter, melted (I used Country Crock sticks)

-1/3 c. Vanilla yogurt

-1 c. Cinnamon applesauce (or whatever kind you have on hand)

Process-

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-Prepare muffin tin with cooking spray or cupcake liners.

-Mix together dry ingredients, except sugar, in medium bowl.

-Whisk eggs, brown sugar and yogurt in separate bowl.

-Slowly stir in melted butter (cooled) until mixture is creamy, then add applesauce.

-Slowly add dry ingredient mixture to wet. Fold until just moistened.

-pour batter into muffin tins, about 2/3 full.

Topping-

-3 Tbsp. Brown sugar

-1 tsp. Cinnamon

-Mix together and sprinkle topping over uncooked muffins.

-Bake for 20-22 minutes. Tops of muffins should be golden ans toothpick inserted to top should come out clean.

-Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Cheers!

MM

Catching Up... Fondue, Valentines and the Furbaby!

So, once again I broke my promise and did not upkeep this little blog... my bad. It's been a busy few weeks and the cold weather makes me want to hibernate whenever possible. Now that I have seen the sun and the temperatures cleared the 50 degree mark, it is time to catch you all up!

The most amazing fondue... ever.

The Mr. and I received a fab fondue set as a wedding present. Almost a year ago. And never used it. I know, I know... why did we even register for it. Well, now I know! This recipe. We wanted to do something different and special for our first married valentine's Day. I scoured the Internet for a decent broth fondue recipe and stumbled upon RecipeZaar. The Mr. picked up some scallops and shrimp from our favorite seafood shop and I grabbed a New York Strip, some portabella mushrooms and a beautiful yellow pepper.

The result? Fabulousness!

Ingredients:

-2 Bay Leaves

-2 Garlic Cloves, minced

-2 cans, Swansons Beef Broth

-1/2 bottle White Wine (I used a bit more... like 3/4 the bottle)

-2 c. Water

-1 packet French Onion Soup Mix

-1/2 bottle Cocktail Sauce

Process:

-Turn fondue pot on medium heat.

-Saute the garlic in 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil until fragrant (about 1 minute)

-Add remaining ingredients and turn fondue pot on high.

-Bring mixture to a rolling boil then reduce heat. Let broth simmer about 1 hour.

-When you are ready to eat, return heat to high and enjoy!

**Each fondue manufacturer provides their own cooking guidelines. Make sure you follow the correct temperature and cooking time as stated to avoid eating undercooked food.

I also made the Mr's favorite dessert: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting. I searched high and low for the BEST recipe and found Bridget's Red Velvet Cake Comparison. I followed her advice and chose this recipe, originally from Apple a Day. They were very tasty; moist, beautifully red, and full of flavor. Try them for your sweetheart!

Ingredients:

-2 1/2 c. Cake Flour (you must use cake flour, not all-purpose)

-1 1/2 c. sugar

-1 tsp. Baking Soda

-1 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder

-1 tsp. Salt

-2 Eggs
-1 1/2 c. Vegetable Oil

-1 c. Buttermilk (I used 1% because the Mr. prefers it)

-2 Tbsp. Red Food Coloring (If you are creeped out by the thought of so much red dye, feel free to scale back)

-1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

-1 tsp. White Distilled Vinegar

The Process:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Prepare muffin tins with cooking spray or use silicone baking cups.

-Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt into medium bowl.

-Beat together eggs, vegetable oil, milk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar with electric mixer.

-Add dry ingredients to wet and beat until smooth.

-Pour batter into cupcake tin or cups, 2/3 full.

-Bake about 15 minutes and then check if cupcakes are done by inserting a toothpick into the center of cake. If it comes out clean, the cakes are finished... if not, bake additional 2 minutes, then try toothpick again.

-Let cupcakes cool 5 minutes, then invert onto wire baking rack. Let cupcakes cool completely.

For the frosting, I used this recipe and her method of cutting a cone out of the top of the cupcakes and piping in the icing. They were so tasty I forgot to take a picture! So i will leave you with a pic of the Mr. and our furbaby, Sophie. Guess it was a good meal!

Cooking for the Week Ahead

As you can tell by the title of this blog, the Mr. and I see little of one another during the week with our opposite schedules. So, we love to spend the weekends not only spending time together, but also making things easier on ourselves for the week to come. We typically cook 2 or 3 meals to eat off from during the work week. The Crock Pot always comes in handy to cut down on the time we spend standing over the stove.

I saved this recipe from Cooking Light many months ago... but never got around to trying it out. This past weekend, while feeling the Asian Persuasion, I decided to pull it out and mix it up!

Not only does the Char Siu pork smell amazing while it's cooking, it comes out of the Crock Pot perfectly tender and easy to shred. We have used this meat in wraps, on top of brown rice and egg noodles. I think it would also be tasty in some Asian tacos!

Char Siu Pork (from Cooking Light magazine)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Instructions:

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.
Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.

Nutrition:

Calories: 227 (38% from fat)
Fat: 9.5g (sat 3.1g,mono 3.9g,poly 1.1g)
Protein: 21.6g
Carbohydrate: 12.7g
Fiber: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 73mg
Sodium: 561mg

Why Hello Ginger, Take Two!

So, you may remember that I first discovered the power of this little root last weekend when we made Ginger Scallops. Well the Mr. was such a fan, he wanted to make another recipe involving ginger and scallops, so off to my trusty recipe collection I went to search for an alternative.

I found this recipe, also from Sam the Cooking Guy, and I liked that it offered a little twist from the simple ginger, scallions and butter recipe of last week.

These bad boys turned a beautiful caramel color once seared and the extra marinade is added to the pan to create a tangy sauce to pour over the scallops. We paired this meal with some simple stir fry noodles and a salad with ginger vinaigrette.

Another fantastic night with my girl, Ginger!

Asiany Scallops (from Sam the Cooking guy)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 lb large sea scallops
peanut oil (I used more sesame oil since we didn't have peanut)

Directions:

-Place all ingredients except scallops in a glass or ceramic shallow bowl.
-Mix well and add scallops.
-Marinate 5 minutes each side at room temperature. If you marinate scallops too long, they'll get mushy. (I only marinated the scallops for about 5 minutes TOTAL, 2 minutes per side)
-Transfer scallops to a plate and reserve marinade.
-Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large saute pan over high heat until hot and almost smoking.
-Add scallops (cook in batches if necessary to keep from being too crowded) and saute quickly until seared brown and just cooked through - about 2 minutes a side.
-Remove from pan.
-Add marinade to pan and boil until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes.
-Drizzle scallops with sauce.

Snow= Soup!

The Mr. and I have been enjoying the cold weather for only one reason... homemade soups! I love making my own MMM goodness instead of eating the preservative and sodium filled alternatives from a can.

I found this recipe by accident on AOL foods. The Mr. and I LOVE black beans and roasted red peppers, so it sounded like a great fit for us.

I made a few adaptations from the original recipe, but I think it turned out wonderfully. Savory, full of nutrients and protein, perfect for the 6 inches of snow falling outside our window right now! When the soup has cooled, we like to separate it into individual containers so it is easy to grab on the go for work or dinner.

Bean, Pasta and Roasted Pepper Soup (from AOL foods)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 large carrots , diced
2 stalks celery , diced
1 large onion , chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic , minced
1 can (49 1/2 oz.) Swanson® Chicken Broth (I used 8 cups, or 2 boxes of low sodium Chicken stock)
1 can (about 15 oz.) black beans , rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta (I omitted this... didn't want the extra carbs)
1/2 cup roasted sweet red pepper strips
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

***I added 1/2 lb. of sweet Italian turkey sausage

Instructions:

HEAT oil in sauce pot. Add carrots, celery, onion, parsley and garlic and cook until tender. Add broth, beans, tomatoes and pasta. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook 15 min. or until pasta is done.
ADD peppers and vinegar. Heat through.

Banana Bread... Without the Guilt!

I looove baked goods. I mean, let's be honest... who doesn't enjoy something carbtastic right out of the oven and covered in butter? But as I enter my mid-to-late-twenties and my metabolism starts to scale back, I realize that I can no longer scarf up all the goodies I want without seeing my waistline change. Boo!

So, I have become a huge fan of Cooking Light recipes, from Cooking light Magazine. They take some of your favorite stand-bys and figure out ingredient swaps to cut down on excess fat, cholesterol, carbs, etc. It's a win-win for you and your body!

I made this Banana Bread recipe last weekend for the Mr. It was wonderful. Moist, dense, full of banana flavor and a hint of spice. Try it and compare with your full fate version... bet you can't tell the difference.

Classic Banana Bread (from cooking Light)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used applesauce and it turned out great)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Preparation:
-Preheat oven to 350°.
-Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

-Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
-Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute).

-Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended.

-Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.

-Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

-Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 187 (21% from fat)
Fat: 4.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.3g)
Protein: 3.3g
Carbohydrate: 34.4g
Fiber: 1.1g
Cholesterol: 40mg
Sodium: 198mg

A Crock Pot Catastrophe

Sigh. So early this fall I informed you of my shiny new tool, the hinged lid Rival Crock Pot... which I was so looking forward to using with regular frequency. I am here to tell you today that Crock Pot is no longer with us. Yep, after a short life span of maybe 6 dinners, the Crock Pot cracked under pressure. Literally!

I went to stir our fancy schmancy dinner of Salsa Chicken and CRACK! The awesome hinged lid broke into a hundred pieces... falling IN to my Salsa Chicken. WTH?!?!

Luckily for Macy's, I was able to return this sorry excuse for a slow cooker and received a full refund.

We now have a new member in the family. A slightly less glamorous, but undoubtedly more reliable 6 qt. stainless Crock pot... minus hinged lid.

Life as we know it in the M house is back on track.

Cheers!

MM