The CUTEST Corn Muffins You've EVER Seen!

Somehow I can never go into William Sonoma and not end up buying something. Today, I picked up this Mini Tea Cake Pan and could not WAIT to try it out! It came with a recipe for Mini Vanilla Tea Cakes, which I'm totally gonna try later, but I've been wanting to make some Corn Muffins so I made Mini Corn Cakes instead. I followed this recipe from Martha Stewart but ended up with a lot of left over batter. Maybe Martha's Mini Muffin Pan is bigger than mine? Anyway, being someone who hates wasting food, I added chopped ham, parmesan, mushrooms and green onions to the remaining batter and made muffin squares. Creative right? My coworkers LOVED the corn muffins and it's definitely a good variation for Cookie Fridays!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Yesterday was my bday and today is my mom's! I love the fact that our bdays are next to each other cuz we always get to celebrate them together! I made this card for her cuz she LOVES Disney (and also cuz I'm a super nerd!). Happy Birthday Mommy!

Another Creative Outlet

Working out and cooking are on the top of my list but I do have other hobbies too and one of them is making jewelry. I started about a year ago and love being able to show off my creations! I also like making them for my friends cuz handmade gifts are so much more sincere. Below are a few of my newest creations. I've fallen in love with Granite beads lately and just can't get enough!

I'm Asian Again!

I rarely make Asian dishes since I don't have much experience with them so I get really intimidated. My mom didn't pass down any recipes to me either, so that didn't help! I pretty much grew up eating non-Asian food and learned to cook mostly American, Italian and Mexican dishes. Once in a while though, I do like to be adventurous and cook something I've never made before (and Greg has been begging for). This time, it was Pineapple Fried Rice and it turned out amazing! I busted out all of the "Asian" ingredients I had and the kitchen smelled really authentic! (Well, at least I thought so!) AND I have a lot left over and left over fried rice is the best!

Ingredients:


2 c cooked rice
2 eggs
2 c cooked, peeled shrimp (I used cocktail shrimp)
2 c cooked Chinese BBQ pork, chopped into bite-size pieces
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Red Chili sauce
1 c pineapple chunks, undrained
2 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil


Prep:


1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Scramble eggs until set. Remove and set aside.


2. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in the same skillet; add garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in rice, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and Chili sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated.


3. Fold in pineapple, green onions, shrimp and pork, and cook until thoroughly heated. Take off heat and drizzle with Sesame Oil before serving.

Granny Smith is Perfect for Baking!

I've always known that Granny Smith Apples are perfect for baking cuz they're tart and tangy and don't turn mushy. I also really like their pretty green skin, which sets them apart from other apple varieties. I had a few at home so I decided to make these Chunky Apple Muffins from Martha Stewart. I substituted some Pumpkin Pie Spice for the Cinnamon to give it some holiday feel but used my Daisy-Shaped Pan cuz well...it's only spring!

Cheesy Tomato Bread (and the secret ingredient is...)

...Cottage Cheese! I've never baked with cottage cheese before but we had some in the fridge and I figured I'd give it a shot. I love the soft and creamy texture it added! The grape tomatoes burst as they're baked so it kept the bread really moist. I also added a ton of fresh parsley for flavor since the cottage cheese was so mild. I'm definitely glad I made this!

Ingredients: (9 squares)


1 c all purpose flour
1 c cornmeal
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c milk
3/4 c cottage cheese
1 beaten egg
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c grape tomatoes, chopped in half
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.


2. Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add milk, cottage cheese, beaten egg, and vegetable oil. Stir to incorporate ingredients. Fold tomatoes and parsley into mixture.


3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Finally Baking with Grapes!

They added some great new shows on The Food Network and 1 of the ones I started watching is Alex's Day Off. Alex Guarnaschelli is also a judge on Chopped and she's just so passionate about her food! The way she talks about the flavors of her cooking makes you wanna go and make her dishes right away! Some of her recipes are a bit complicated (since she's a Michelin-starred chef and all!) but a lot of them are very comforting and simple. This Warm Grape Cake caught my attention since I've always wanted to bake something with grapes in it. I mean, we put berries in everything, so why not grapes right? I skipped the topping since I needed the cake to last a few days in the fridge and it tasted wonderful without it. I did obey her 1 rule about baking this cake, which is to have all the ingredients come to room temperature first. I'm glad I did cuz it came out perfectly moist and great with a nice glass of wine!