Muffins Galore!

Boy have I been on a muffin kick lately! These Mocha Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins were the perfect bite-size breakfast treats! I used mini chocolate chips cuz I felt like I could add more since they're smaller. :)

For a slightly healthier breakfast, I made these Oatmeal Muffins with Dates, Cranberries and Pecans. I also added some coconut flakes which made them taste a bit exotic.

Since I had some bananas that needed to be used up, I made these incredibly healthy Whole Wheat Banana Raisin Muffins. I figured these will balance out all the Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins I've been eating!

Nutty Baked Goodies!

I've been feeling nutty lately and decided to bake! First off, some Walnut Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies. I'm all for any drop cookies that don't require chilling the dough and these did NOT disappoint!

Next up, Toffee Pecan Oatmeal Bars. Toffee AND pecan? I'm in heaven! Super easy using the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Mix too, which I always keep on hand!

A LONG Fun Weekend!

I hope everyone enjoyed their long Memorial Day weekend as much as we did! I got out of work early on Friday and we had planned on going somewhere outdoors for happy hour but the weather was just NOT warm enough. Instead, I made us a beautiful cheese and crackers platter at home to enjoy with some drinks. Can't beat that even with happy hour prices!

For dinner I decided to get all fancy with Prosciutto-Wrapped Lobster Tails! Yes, they were as good as they sound! No real recipe here. I just cracked open the lobster tails, wrapped them in a piece of Prosciutto and then poached them in butter. It doesn't get better or easier than that!

For a sweet treat, I made Cookies with PB Oreo's in them inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction. I left out the chocolate chips and sprinkles and doubled up on the Oreo Cookies. The batter ended up being pretty stiff so I didn't even have to chill it. These cookies are amazing and so full of Oreo's!

We ended the weekend with one of my favorite go-to recipes, Campbell's Super Moist Pork Chops. I love how simple these are to make and I always have Cream of Mushroom Soup on hand. I added fresh mushrooms and onions for more flavor and it never fails!

Weekend Eats and a New Kitchen Toy!

I can't believe it's Monday already but we definitely had a fun weekend with some yummy eats! Friday night started off with Teriyaki Sliders which I made even easier by using canned pineapple and coleslaw mix. I swear you can't go wrong with these Hawaiian Sweet Rolls! They're good with everything!

For some Saturday afternoon snacking, I decided to make Rachael Ray's Pepperoni Pizza Puffs. Mine were extra healthy using Turkey Pepperoni and Fat Fat Mozzarella. I'm not sure why she recommends serving red pepper slices alongside these muffins cuz they were perfect on their own dipped in some warm Marinara!

I couldn't resist picking up some Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies at the store and decided to make Cookie-Stuffed Crescents. Talk about total decadence! Seriously, whoever thought up this recipe should win an award!

Saving the best for last, I finally tested out my Babycakes Heart Waffle Maker! I am totally in LOVE with it! These are just basic waffles but I'm thinking of all kinds of yummy recipes to make! Chocolate Waffles anyone?

Weekend Eats and Bakes!

It's been a fun weekend with lots of baking and eating! I ended Saturday night after our Mother's Day dinner with some Cookie Chip Bars. These are made healthier with whole wheat flour and high fiber cereal but taste just like regular cookie bars. I did bump up the chocolate factor by adding more chocolate chips because I felt that 1/4 cup was just not enough!

We were feeling snacky Sunday afternoon so I made some Meatball Tortilla Cups. How cute are they right? No recipe required. I just filled Tostito's Scoops with pre-made meatballs, salsa, sour cream and cheese. Perfect bite-size nibbles!

For dinner, I made mini burgers inspired by Giada's Lamb Sliders. I used beef instead and added sliced tomatoes, which were hiding under all the cheese!

We had to end the weekend on a sweet note, so I made some mini Orange Cranberry Muffins. Super easy to make and super easy to eat!

Ingredients: (24 mini muffins)

1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c milk
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c dried cranberries

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until well combined. 
3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda. Add to the stand mixer. 
4. In a measuring cup, stir together the milk and orange juice. Pour into the stand mixer. 
5. Add cranberries to the stand mixer and mix until everything is combined but don't over mix.
6. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin pan, filling all the way to the top.
7. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until the muffins are light golden brown.

Muffins for Mommy!

Mother's Day is just around the corner and I've been baking up a storm for some treats to give my mommy! She doesn't bake but she sure loves baked goods! I thought I'd start off with something healthy and made some Banana Cranberry Spice Muffins with Fiber One Cereal in them. I also added chopped walnuts for some nice crunch and healthy fat. They came out great and make perfect little breakfast treats!

My mom LOVES pecans so I knew I wanted to make some Mini Pecan Pie Muffins for her. This was actually a complete fail the first time around because I followed the recipe and added the chopped pecans to the muffin cups before filling them with the batter. DO NOT DO THAT! It makes these muffins impossible to get out of the pan no matter how much cooking spray or butter you use. I was really sad to waste an entire pan but was determined to remake them. The next time around I left out the extra pecans on the bottom and they came out perfectly! They taste JUST like pecan pies but in cute little muffin form!

When Life Gives You Lemons

Or in my case, when a coworker brings in a huge bag of Meyer lemons from her lemon tree, I just couldn't resist! I mean, who passes up on free food right? I grabbed a few to make a yummy dinner of Meyer Lemon Chicken. I loved the addition of the capers and frying up some lemon slices to go on top was just genius!

Then, since she kept bringing more lemons in and I was afraid they'd go to waste, I decided to make a special treat for the office, Meyer Lemon Cardamon Crinkle Cookies! They were a HIT! I mean who doesn't like cookies dipped in sugar right?

Not Ready for Fall to be Over Yet!

We've still got a couple of weeks of fall left and I'm definitely taking advantage! First up, Orange-Glazed Pork Chops. Any recipe that includes stuffing is all good in my book!

Next up, super simple Red Curry Meatballs using store-bought meatballs. You really don't need to make them from scratch when you add amazing flavor with Red Curry Paste and Coconut Milk!

More meatballs went into this yummy sliders! Just heat them up with some Marinara Sauce and add a slice of cheese. PERFECT football-watching dinner!

Finally a sweet treat, M&M Pretzel Cookies using Fall-colored M&Ms. Such a perfect combination of salty and sweet!

A Third Thanksgiving

Since my hubby and I spent Thanksgiving separately this year, we decided to do another celebration after he got back. This is our third Thanksgiving since we already had a Pre-Thanksgiving the weekend before! These are very simply baked chicken leg quarters with carrots, potatoes and onions. Not even a recipe required! It's just chicken seasoned with Italian seasoning and baked in the oven for about an hour. Served over stuffing, of course, cuz it's still Thanksgiving after all!

For dessert, I whipped up an easy boxed mix of Pumpkin Pie Bars with Gingerbread Crust. You can get anymore HOLIDAY than these!

Thanksgiving with my Mommy!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I'm so happy I got to spend it with my mommy this year! I don't get to spend much time with her and a couple of days of food and fun is just what we needed! Ina's Pecan Shortbread are her most favorite treats in the world so I make them for her every chance I get. I used to be so intimidated by rolling and cutting out cookie dough but practice makes perfect! I used fall-themed cookie cutters to make pumpkins, leaves and turkeys. How cute right? These are super buttery but not too sweet and the perfect combination with pecans.

I also made some Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins so she can enjoy some for breakfast during her stay and also take some home with her. I added some walnuts into the mix cuz my mom loves them and they added a nice lil crunch!

We went out to dinner on Wednesday night and came home to make these really cute Turkey Cookies from my new Smart Cookie cookbook. Aren't they adorable? My mom was happy and her cookies definitely came out better looking than mine! (Love you mommy!)

Thursday finally came and we began our big feast day with some Creamy Crab Dip. OMG it was SO good! Instead of the Old Bay Seasoning, I used some mango and orange herb blend because my mom's not a fan of spicy food. I served the dip with crackers and veggies but honestly I was eating it with a spoon!

Our Thanksgiving dinner started out with a warm green bean salad. I just dressed the beans with Balsamic Vinaigrette and tossed it with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and crumbled Feta. SO refreshing unlike the usual greasy Green Bean Casserole!

For the Grand Finale, I made Sandra Lee's Herb-Roasted Cornish Game Hens. We fell in love with the roasted veggies on the bottom. I ended up using a honey mustard vinaigrette, which worked so well in the dish! It was definitely so much easier than making a big turkey and having our own little hen was just perfect!

We finished our meal with the cutest Mini Pumpkin Pies! A perfect sweet ending to a perfect meal!

I think we can all agree that I had the most amazing Thanksgiving with my mommy! I sent her home with lots of yummy leftovers and treats so I'm sure she'll be enjoying them for days to come!

Early Thanksgiving with my Hubby!

We usually spend our Thanksgiving with my in-laws but I have to work on Friday this year. My hubby is still flying down to SoCal but I'm staying here and spending the holiday with my mom. That doesn't mean we can't have a little celebration of our own beforehand though! I decided to make it a Pre-Thanksgiving weekend because why not right? It started off with Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies. So soft and yummy!

Then following our tradition, I made Bobby Flay's Corn Muffins that we all love so much from Mesa Grill. (Mine were made with yellow corn cuz blue just never comes out very appetizing!) They're spicy and full of bell peppers and corn.

Friday night, I used some of the leftover pumpkin from the cookies to make a VERY yummy Pumpkin and Thai Curry Chicken. Probably not the most traditional recipe given that it's from Betty Crocker but you can't go wrong with Thai over rice noodles. No complaints here!

Just for kicks, I decided to make some super cute Acorn Cookies from my new cookbook, Smart Cookie. I'm totally in love with all the recipes in there using storebought cookies to make some really creative stuff! In case you can't tell, these were made with Nutter Butter, Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Sprinkles and Pretzel Sticks. SUPER CUTE right?

Saturday night was our real Pre-Thanksgiving meal with Herb-Roasted Game Hens over Stuffing. Not much of a recipe here. I just drizzles balsamic vinaigrette over the hens and sprinkled Italian seasoning on top. Baked for an hour and they're golden brown and SUPER tasty!

Finally a Sunday night favorite, braised Chicken Legs. Simply browned and slowly braised in my Dutch Oven with onions, garlic and more Balsamic. Served over (what else?)...STUFFING!

Lovin' Me Some Porkchops!

I've been on a porkchop kick lately probably because the weather is getting cooler and I'm craving comfort food and what's more comforting than some big O porkchops right? Braising is definitely the only way to make moist chops and it's the simplest using my Dutch oven. (Thanks mom!) First off it's Giada's Porkchops alla Pizzaiola. The way she describes them is that they taste just like pizza and it's so true! I mean, how can you go wrong combining 2 of our favorites right?

Next up is a meal made for fall, Porkchops with Pear Chutney. OMG SO delicious! The kitchen smelled amazing from the Madras Curry and the sweetness of the cranberries was just the perfect addition! Both of my porkchop dinners were served with stuffing because what's more appropriate for fall right?

Finally the perfect meal for football-watching, leftover shortribs served slider-style on Hawaiian sweet buns. PERFECTION!

And I can't end the week without cookies! These are Heath Toffee Bits Cookies, AMAZING is the only way to describe them!

More Fall Eats and Treats!

First off, some treats! Pumpkin Pie Pudding Cookies! Instead of the Cinnamon Chips, I actually found Pumpkin Pie Chips. (I just LOVE seasonal baking ingredients!) They came out soft and tasted just like Pumpkin Pie but in tiny cookie form.

A perfect weeknight meal of braised porkchops topped with dried fruit and pineapples served over Couscous.

More Crockpot goodness with Martha Stewart's Spiced Chicken Stew. We LOVED the raisins in this dish and perfect over stuffing.

A Sunday night feast of Apple and Sage Porkchops served over, what else, STUFFING! It feels like Thanksgiving already!

Since we had the day off for Veteran's Day, I decided to bake some 7-Layer Magic Bars. These had a combination of chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter chips along with coconut and walnuts. A definite hit at the office and super easy to make too!

Velveeta Eats and A Couple of Sweets!

Another week has flown by and it seemed to be centered around one very special item, Velveeta! First up, some Spicy Cheesy Mini Meatloaves for a quick weeknight meal. This was my first time using Velveeta and it was amazing!

Since I couldn't seen to get enough of the stuff, some Famous Queso Dip while watching football.

Next up, Ultimate Nachos (with chicken instead of beef) because we still had more Velveeta left. (Football makes us really hungry for cheese!)

Finally, Cheeseburger Pizza, which literally combined our favorite 2 items into 1!

Coming off of our Velveeta high, I made some simple hot dogs with grilled peppers and onions and spiced up with Jalapenos and Jalapeno cheese.

Now onto some sweets! I haven't posted many cookies recently because they haven't been that interesting. (Chocolate Chips have been a very reused theme!) On a recent grocery trip, I found Pillsbury's Maple Brown Sugar Cookie Mix and it just seemed perfect for the season. They were super easy to make and I added Butterscotch Chips for extra flavor. They turned out really yummy and no one knew they weren't made from scratch! Shhh....

For my manager's birthday, I made some Chocolate Cupcakes (using cake mix) topped with Pink Vanilla Frosting. SO pretty and sweet!