healthy lemon poppy seed muffins

I found this recipe on food.com and it was a hit!  I will be making these to pack in Sydney's lunch.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/8 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 lemons (juice and rind)
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:
Mix eggs and wet ingredients, beat until smooth and add dry ingredients.  I also added some ground flax seed.  Bake at 350 for 10 min, just golden on top. 

New Recipe Kale and potato quiche

We tried this new recipe over the weekend and oh was it yummy!  The kids were not crazy about the kale but Bill and I loved it!  I think the beauty of quiche is that you can use the basic recipe and substitute ingredients.  I know my kids would be happy if I added some ham and took out the kale or you could substitute spinach for the kale.  I actually added some Romano cheese to ours.  Appears to be a lot of work but it is actually super simple and quick to put together.  Leave a comment if you try it and tell me what you think. 

Baking fun

A new apron means....it's time to bake! (thanks sis I love it)

both the kids love to help, fighting over he gets to crack eggs, scoop floor and use the mixer

mixing our frosting

cutting out cookies

I had a girl party and wore my apron again!

new recipe, shortbread turtle cookies, yummy

Deluxe Sugar Cookies and Frosting

We love to make sugar cookies for various holiday and the kids (and adults) enjoy decorating.  I use Betty Crocker's deluxe sugar cookie recipe.

1 cup butter softened
1.5 cups confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Mix thoroughly butter, confectioners sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract.  Blend in flour, soda and cream of tartar,  Cover and chill 2-3 hours.  Heat over to 375, divide dough in half.  Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on a lightly floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes, place on lightly greased baking sheet (I use a pampered chef stone).  Bake 7-8 minutes or until lightly golden on edges.  Makes about 5 dozen 2-2.5 in cookies.


Cream cheese frosting

3 ounces cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
2.5 cups confectioner's sugar

Blend cream cheese, milk, vanilla and salt, add sugar and blend until smooth.  If necessary add 1 tsp of milk at a time to get the right consistency for spreading on cookies.

Recipe

This soup for butternut squash soup is amazing and so easy.  I left out the marjoram leaves and I used 4 ounces of the Neufchatel (1/3 less fat) and it was so yummy.  Sydney loved it and was upset the next night when she found out I had taken the leftovers to work for my lunch.  Butternut squash is very nutritious and full of vitamins, especially vitamin A!  I am making this while my mom is in town and I am doubling the batch.  It is delicious with a nice crusty bread. 

Halloween Party

I made these little witches hats for my office- a striped shortcake fudge cookie, a little frosting on a Hersey's kiss to make it stick and then decorate with frosting, yummy and adorable

Karla and I- class party moms

I was the cat and the hat -everyone at my office dressed up

Sydney with the owl she made

we used a brown paper bag, crepe paper, white cupcake liners, wiggly eyes and card stock- orange for the beak

We let the kids decorate sugar cookies with orange frosting and yummy toppings

Mrs Fearnside reading a Halloween book to the class

We had a fun party and we are already planning the Christmas party!

Recipe

Do you always cook with recipe or do your improvise?

I do use recipes but I am confident enough that I like to create my own dishes.

Bill and I enough quinoa and it is healthy so I am trying to come up with more recipes.

I chopped some veggies and sauteed them in olive oil. 

I cooked the quinoa as directed.   In a bowl I combined stone ground dijon mustard, and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, then I added the quinoa, sauteed veggies and some feta cheese, grape tomatoes and kalamata olives. 

Serve!  Yummy. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

I saw this recipe and just had to try it!  I did leave out teh coconut and I used fat free sweetened condensed milk.  Oh boy is it yummy, very rich but excellent with coffee.  Let me know if you try them and what you think.

Two new favorites

I have two new blogs that I am enjoying but I still have not had time to really navigate them or to try any recipes.  These bloggers are also photographers in my book.

http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/

http://smittenkitchen.com/

Check them out and please let me know if you try any new recipes. 

Summer treat

Ice cream sandwich cake- super easy

layer ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of casserole dish

cover with cool whip, drizzle Hersey's syrup and sprinkle a crumbled Reece's cup (or two)

you could also sprinkle m & m's or maybe heath bar

let cool whip set up in freezer for 30-45 minutes

So delicious.

doughnuts

My little cooking partner!

Doughnuts cooking in canola oil

We used biscuits and cut out the middle using a small cookie cutter

Heat up canola oil over medium high and cook until golden and then flip

I put them on paper towel to drain off some of the oil and then put them in a large zip lock bag with sugar and cinnamon

Everyone agreed they were delicious!

so yummy

 

this was another item on our summer list so we were excited to give it a try

English Muffin Bread recipe

We tried this recipe a few weeks ago and it was a hit!  Very yummy and so easy!  I did not have rapid rise yeast so I let mine rise twice as suggested- it turned out great.  Syd likes hers with PB and nutella, Bill with butter and myself with butter and raspberry jam.  I cannot remember Griffin's impression- this was about the time he was sick and was not eating well at all.

recipe- Sunshine Casserole

This is a recipe my mom made when I was growing up and it is so yummy.  A great way to use summer squash.  The recipe is from a friend of my mom. 

1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
4 yellow squash
10 oz package corn, cooked
1/2 tsp garlic salt, or 1 fresh clove
2 Cups grated cheddar cheese (I use sharp)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T butter
bread crumbs

Saute onion in butter, add cut up squash (I like small cubes 1/2 inch) cover and steam until tender.  Drain then add seasonings and corn and cook for few minutes (4).  Stir in cheese and put in 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, top with bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes uncovered.  So yummy.  If you do not like the taste of cumin just leave it out, it will be different but still delicious.

New Favorite -Baked Oatmeal

We have a new favorite for breakfast, Baked Oatmeal.  It is so yummy and easy. 
This is the recipe we have been enjoying- I add cinnamon.
Here is another one that looks yummy and has some flax seed, plus makes a larger amount but is individually portioned.  If you try one of these recipes or have one of your own- let me know.

Two new recipes

This past week we tried two new recipes and they were both keepers!
The first was Melissa d'Arabian's Ginger-Lemon Oatmeal cookies.  The kids loved them and at first Bill said they were just okay then he changed his mind and decided he loved them.  They were so easy to make and I do keep ginger root on hand (in the freezer) and I had lemons in the house- the zest was a very refreshing touch. 

The second recipe is called Glorious Morning Muffins and I love the thought of carrots and apple and raisin all together in a muffin.  I omitted the almonds but I did go ahead with the coconut.  The kids loved them and I figure they are getting some nutrition and yet it seems like a treat. 

Have you tried any new recipes lately?

Party

Saturday we had a party- Christmas Open House/Birthday for me

It was great fun, yummy food and we had wonderful guests.

I made a new appetizer spinach, feta and roasted red purses and

mushroom and Havarti cheese purses

I will admit the phyllo pastry is a bit of a chore-it is so thin you have to be gentle

aren't they cute though

I made up the mushroom recipe and it was a hit

we made them a week in advance and froze them, 15 minutes before the guests arrived I put them in the oven

of course I had to make labels so everyone new what was inside

Sydney helped me make all the skewers

we had two varieties

green olive, grape tomato, prosciutto and mozzarella balls

and

cucumber, feta, kalamata olive and grape tomato

then we had cookies and fudge

cranberry, orange walnut and

cherry and almond

our little man- excuse the boo boo on his cheek-boy meets train

silly with daddy

the whole spread-yummy

Me with Ashleigh- my right hand gal at work

a snapshot of the crowd before it even got crowded

dance party!

cheers- we had a great night

we feel so blessed to have such great friends and neighbors- who really are our family away from home

Mama's Ugly Apple Cake

I have a student shadowing me on Thursday mornings and she sent me the link for this recipe and I am so glad.  Since we were just at the orchard and have lots of apples I wanted to try a few new recipes.  Well this recipe for Mama's Ugly Apple Cake is a winner.  I actually made a few adjustments- I used 1 cup sugar in the cake and 1 cup of splenda.  I used 2 golden delicious apples and 2 galas.  I also only made 1/2 of the frosting and I used a little milk instead of the lemon juice so that we could drizzle it instead of frosting the whole cake.  Then I decide to just leave the frosting on the side and the cake is actually delicious without the frosting.  So yummy.  Griffin had a check up this am so we took some to the office to share with my coworkers so we may actually have to make another cake!

A fall treat for my husband

I made these adorable acorns for a little gathering and I left one for Bill to find when he got home late Thursday night.  I heard him laughing from upstairs when he read his note. 

Hersey kiss-mini vanilla wafer-piece of pretzel stick- use chocolate frosting as the glue- so easy!

Twist on an old favorite

Saturday afternoon while I was making meatloaf I realized we were a little low on ketchup so I substituted BBQ sauce (KC Masterpiece Southern Style) and it was yummy.  I also added 1/4 green pepper finely diced because I had some and peppers are high in vitamin C (Griffin is fighting a cold).  One medium green pepper has more vitamin C than a medium orange.  This is the recipe I usually use from Betty Crocker for Meatloaf:

1 lb lean ground beef (I use 93/7)
1 clove garlic or 1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 small onion finely diced
2 slices of bread with crust- cut up small
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sage ( I usually do not have)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground mustard (dry)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg
1/3 cup ketchup

Heat oven to 350- combine all ingredients and put in ungreased loaf pan.  Midway through I drain off any grease.  Bake uncovered 50-60 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes and cut.  Sometimes I put ketchup on the top but usually I mix at least half of it in and this time I mixed all the bbq sauce in the meat mixture.  Yummy.  Bill loves meatloaf and so do the kids.  Today has been rainy and he had been working all day so I wanted him to come home to a hot meal, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans.

Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

Friday night I made cinnamon swirl bread again, and it is so easy to make.  I do not have a bread machine so I just mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and then I knead the dough for 3-4 minutes by hand. 

I decided to use the bread to make french toast Saturday morning and it was so yummy!
I love seeing the swirls of cinnamon.

I sprinkled some toasted pecans on mine!

You can find the recipe here.  If you think it is too good to possibly be healthy I think you will be surprised.   I feel good about feeding my family something that I have made that has no artificial ingredients and is made with whole wheat flour.