White Chocolate Oatmeal Craisin Muffies

Muffie: a cross breed between a mini-muffin and a cookie



I created muffies one day while making oatmeal raisin cookies. The recipe I used yielded 2 and a half dozen. I had only 2 cookie sheets at the time which was enough for 2 dozen to go in at the same time. Off they go into the oven and I'm left to stare at the batter that makes the alleged half dozen cookies.

To be honest, I just didn't feel like waiting for the batch in the oven to come out and free up a cookie sheet so I scrambled through my baking shelves and grabbed my mini-muffin tin. I wasn't sure if it would work out or not, but much to my delight they came out really well. I've only used the muffie approach with oatmeal based cookies since the batter seems to hold up well. I might branch out in the future, but until then I'll make some variations on the classic.



This one is a twist on the good ol' Oatmeal Raisin/Chocolate Chip. I saw the recipe on the back of a bag of Craisins and thought it sounded truly scrumptious. You can view the original recipe here or you can scroll down where I have it typed out with my muffie adaptation.
My thoughts were correct. They are indeed delectable and if you are a fan of dried cranberries and or white chocolate chips you MUST try this pronto!

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips



DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Muffie Approach: Drop by rounded heaping teaspoonfuls into an ungreased mini muffin tin. You should have enough dough to reach the top. Press down lightly with your fingers to flatten it out. Baked for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.

Cookie Approach: Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Orange Kissed Chocolate Brownies

'Tis the season for holiday baking . . . and holiday baking I will do.

There were some tangerines in my fridge that I needed to use so I whipped out my cookie magazines to get some ideas. Yes, I save some of my magazines. I originally thought about doing a biscotti or some type of shortbread cookie and then I flipped open the pages of my Better Homes and Gardens magazine to this recipe.



I followed the recipe almost exactly except that I substituted shortening for the butter when it was time to make the orange icing and that was only because my refrigerator was lacking in the butter department.



Other than taking a few 30 minute breaks to let the brownies cool and the chocolate set these were relatively easy to make. I put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes after putting the chocolate coat on and they sliced wonderfully. There's a nice contrast with the creamy frosting and the cake-like brownie and they aren't too sweet.



These would be great to serve at a party or a holiday lunch or dinner. I'll be taking them to work for a holiday luncheon and I'll let you know the verdict. But don't wait for me to tell you how they were devoured and loved by all. Strap your apron on and get to baking so you can enjoy them yourself!!

"P" is for Pumpkin

I have a secret love affair with pumpkin.

Okay, so maybe it's not really a secret . . . more like an obsession with anything and everything pumpkin. I get giddy when I see the cans magically appear on the shelves this time of year. It's like the green light for fall flavors.

Believe it or not, I haven't always been a fan of pumpkin. I used to be hopelessly devoted to pecan pie. Growing up in South Carolina we had a plethora of pecans, especially in my hometown where Young Pecan Company is located. My grandma would make sure there was at least one pecan pie at every Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration, and that used to be the only dessert I went for. . .until my Aunt persuaded me to try her pumpkin bread.

It was love at first bite.

This recipe has all the stuff I love about a good pumpkin bread. It makes 2 loves (quantity people...it's vital), super moist, and the aroma fills the entire house when it's baking.

Talk is cheap. Recipes are money. So here you go . . .


3 cups sugar
1 cup applesauce*
4 eggs
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice**
3/4 cups water
1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin
*I used applesauce instead of oil
**Apple pie spice works as well


In a large bowl, beat sugar and applesauce on medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, beat well, and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the water to the egg mixture, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin.

Grease and flour two 9x2 loaf pans and divide batter evenly between the pans. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

One thing I love about living in Tennessee is that I actually get to experience seasons. After being born and raised in South Carolina where there are only 2 seasons, Summer & Winter, it's refreshing to actually experience Fall.

We had some really good Fall-like weather on Sunday. Temps were in the 60s and the rain was drizzling with a cool breeze. Perfect weather for comfort food. The kind of weather where you get home from church, change into your comfy clothes, ladle up a big bowl of Beef Stew and savor the afternoon.

Man I love those kinds of days.


Ingredients
1.5 lbs. beef stew meat
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
1 (8oz) pkg button mushrooms, quartered with stems removed
1 onion, roughly chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
2 cans tomato sauce
salt & pepper

This is SO easy to make and SO yummy and delicious! All you do is combine everything in the crock-pot and cook on low overnight. *Feel free to add water if it needs a little more liquid.

It's so fragrant you'll smell it in your dreams. And you'll thank me for it.

Backstage at Betty Crocker Kitchens

Ever wonder how they create those recipes for your favorite products you buy every day end at your grocery store? Well here's a short video to tell you how:

Click Here

Chicken & Spinach with Balsamic Tomatoes over Brown Rice

LONG title I know, but I couldn't think of anything clever.

It feels like forever since I've blogged on here. I started a new blog about my family (me, the hubs, and the dog) so our friends from SC could keep up with us. If you're interested you can read about our shinanagins here

Back to the recipe...this is been a go-to recipe of sorts for me. My husband absolutely loves it and devours it every time I make it. I love it because it tastes great AND it's healthy! I used Ellie Krieger's recipe the first time I made this and she uses whole wheat couscous which I swap out for brown rice occasionally. I also love it because I use the same skillet for the chicken, spinach, and tomatoes so it saves time on clean up.


This serves about 4 people. So here we go:
Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes in juice
3 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 (10oz bag) fresh spinach, chopped
1 tsp EVOO
2 cloves chopped garlic
salt & pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Season each side of the chicken breasts with salt & pepper and cook in the skillet until done. (About 4 minutes each side, depending on thickness) Set aside.
*I used a tablespoon of butter to "grease" the pan but you could use cooking spray as well

In the same skillet, sauté the chopped garlic in the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Combine with the brown rice and set aside.

Finally the can of tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and Italian seasoning are combined in the skillet. Bring to a slight boil and simmer for about 4 minutes.


To serve this, I usually plate the spinach and rice on the bottom, chicken in the middle, and spoon the tomatoes on top.

Taking a Time-Out

Yeah...the move the Knoxville...has me a little occupied.

I'll be taking some time off until things get settled...probably at least a few weeks. I'll be cooking and snapping pictures in the meantime so that you will have your fill of my recipe ramblings. lol

...Until we meet again

Wedding Cake and an Update

Soooo...I finished the wedding cake I mentioned in the previous post. It was for a very lovely couple, the Smith's. They actually tied the knot during an intimate ceremony in May and were having a huge party at their home tonight to celebrate. I wasn't able to make it to the party but I know they'll have a blast. Below is a picture of the cake:


As for the Update:
This has been the craziest, most busy week in my entire life. My husband went to two job interviews last week; Ohio on Tuesday, Knoxville on Wednesday. On Thursday morning he got a call from the interview in Knoxville offering him a Health Physicist position with the State of Tennessee and he obviously accepted.

So, we're moving to Tennessee. I find out on Thursday morning and my husband, Daniel, leaves Saturday morning for a week-long mission trip in the upstate. Thanks honey, drop the bomb and leave me to do the dirty work of breaking the news and figure out how to get you to Tennessee before July 16th. On top of all that was the wedding cake you see above.

CRAZZZZYYY BUSSSYYY!!!

So how do I feel about packing up and moving? About leave my roots, the town where I was born and raised? The place where my entire family lives, except my Dad? I'm actually okay with it. I've put this in God's hands since Day One and my prayer has been that wherever He wants us to go then that's where He'll open the door and we will follow.

I have a total peace about this whole thing. It's hard to explain. Of course I'll be emotional when I do the actual leaving, but I am truly excited about the opportunities that await us. I think this will be a good thing for us and our marriage. I will miss my family and friends here greatly but it's only about a 5 hour drive, give or take a little. I already have family planning their trips to the mountains to come see us.

Having said all of that, my blogging has been sparse lately and will probably continue to be sporadic until we complete our move. Once we get all settled in I'm sure I'll have lots of free time to cook, bake, and blog.

In the words of Porky the Pig, "That's all folks!"

Baby Shower Cakes

This will be a super short post since I have less than 20 minutes to meet a friend for our Saturday morning run. I'm working on a wedding cake that is due this afternoon (post and pictures to follow soon) and decided I'd share some pictures of some baby shower cakes I have done. (hey, there's a correlation there) Thus, you have reached the ending of my verbal post. Enjoy the rest:

Lemon Poppy Pasta Salad

What’s the one thing you’re guaranteed to find at most potlucks in the South?

If you guessed macaroni and cheese . . . you’re actually correct . . . but that’s not what this post is about. This is about the runner-up to mac-n-cheese: your friend and mine . . . pasta salad.


Most pasta salads below the Mason Dixon Line usually include 3 staples: pasta (duh), ham, and Duke’s mayonnaise. (Yes Duke’s and Duke’s only. Not the pansy Miracle Whip.) My pasta salad includes only ONE of those 3 and that is the most obvious ingredient; pasta.

In MOST circumstances, the typical pasta salad is very deceptive when it comes to nutrition. One may hear the word “salad” and see a few vegetables mixed with mayo-laden, salt shaken, diet breakin’ pasta and think it’s a “healthy” choice. And in MOST circumstances one would pile it high (right beside the mac-n-cheese) on the plate and go about their merry way. Well friends, you don’t have to worry about my recipe. This recipe is mayo-free (GASP), meat-free (DOUBLE GASP), and for the most part, guilt-free. *


*Disclaimer: The reason I say “for the most part” is because it still includes pasta and while, yes, the pasta is whole wheat, it’s still a carb and still has calories so don’t eat a whole plate of in one sitting and then go back for more…although you might be tempted. However if you want to run a few miles in between consumption then an exception could be made.

Back to the recipe. The flavor in this pasta salad is light with a hint of lemon and extremely satisfying in warm weather. A perfect recipe for spring or summer.

Ingredients
I box whole wheat rigatoni pasta
1 medium cucumber, peeled, quartered and diced
3 bell peppers, diced ( I used green, yellow and orange)
1 ½ cups grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
¾ cup low fat poppy seed dressing
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste


Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Prepare the vegetables while the pasta is cooking and add them to a large bowl. (This recipe makes a LOT of pasta salad.)

Once the pasta has been drained, add to the vegetables, sprinkle with salt and pepper and combine well.

In a small bowl, whisk together poppy seed dressing, sour cream, and lemon juice. Add to pasta salad and mix until well coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. I let mine sit overnight so the flavors can really marry.



I took this to a church supper social and it was devoured. If you like pasta salad you’ll love this recipe.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

I have had the WORST time with my sinuses lately. Sleep is something I vaguely remember. I go to bed with headaches and wake up every hour, on the hour. This morning was no different. At 4:30 I finally decided to go ahead and get out of the bed. I figured, it's Sunday so I'll go prep some things to have for lunch after church and clean the kitchen.

After surveying the pantry, cupboards, and refrigerator I decided to use some potatoes before they went bad...I'll post that recipe late. I saw the box of frozen spinach and remembered promising my husband I would make him spinach stuffed chicken breasts . . . 3 weeks ago. Stuffed chicken breasts it is.



The recipe is really easy and uses thing you probably already have on hand. I would have added some ricotta cheese to the spinach mix but I didn't have any on hand and it was just as delicious without it.

Here's what you'll need for the chicken:
4-5 Boneless skinless chicken breasts*
1 (10-oz.) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
4-5 TBSP your favorite Marinara sauce, optional
*make sure they're about the same size

Carefully slice the chicken along the side...kind of like a hot dog bun. I think the term is "butterfly" but I'm not sure so to say it should resemble a hot dog bun is pretty accurate.

In a small bowl combine spinach, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. If you wanted to add some cheese, ricotta would be a nice choice here...just make sure you squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible before mixing everything together. Fill each chicken breast with some of the "spinach stuffing." I used toothpicks to "sew" the sides up so that the spinach wouldn't come out.

Spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken breasts in the dish. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.



During the last 5 minutes, I put a tablespoon of the marinara sauce on each of the chicken breasts and let them finish cooking. The end result was delicious and made a pretty presentation.

Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Banana Bread

I LOVE cinnamon-raisin anything and I LOVE LOVE LOVE banana bread. I picked up some bananas the other day that were on sale and after a few days of sitting on my counter they were starting to get ripe.

Now, if you're like me, you'll eat that naner...the riper the better. However, most would probalby be looking for ways to use up those beauties before the cross the threshhold from ripe to rotten. I found a recipe for Oatmeal-Banana Bread on Cooking Light's website and I changed a lot of things and added a few more ingredients.

My Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Banana Bread interpretation is BIG on flavor and I tried to cut as many calories as possible to make it healthy for you as well. I went to livestrong.com and plugged my recipe in to calculate the nutrition facts and this bread only has 125 calories per serving. YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Makes 1 loaf, 16 slices
Ingredients
• 1 cup Splenda
• 7 tbsp Non-Fat Yogurt (plain or vanilla)*
• 4 large Egg Whites
• 2 medium Bananas
• 1 cup Regular Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Almond Milk
• 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup Unbleached Self-rising Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 cup Raisins
*you can use oil or applesauce to substitute as well

In a small medium/large bowl, combine the Splenda, yogurt, and egg whites and stir with a whisk until combined. In a seperate bowl, peel and mash the bananas, add almond milk and oats and mix well. Add to egg mixture and combine again.

In another bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and stir with a whisk to make sure it all mixes well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until moistened. Lastly, stir in the raisins until well combined. (Batter will be thick)

Spoon batter into a 9 inch loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes to an hour or until it passes the toothpick test.

Allow it to cool 10 minutes in pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool compeltely before slicing.


The top crust has a nice crunch to it and the inside is really moist and perfect for the lovers of cinnamon, raisins, and banana flavors as I am!

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie

I love pizza. It's my one weakness on the savory side of life. I could eat an entire medium pizza all. by. my. self. I kid you not. It's as if my stomach opens up and becomes a black hole that sucks down each piece that goes into my mouth and shoots it into oblivion. I NEVER get full. I simply just have to stop eating.

And this is why I can only indulge every so often. Or else I would be as big as a house.

So I wanted an alternative to pizza that used the same flavors but wouldn't bust my calorie budget. I adapted a recipe from Hungry Girl for a spaghetti-like "pie." Her recipe called for Tofu Shirataki Noodles which, to me, taste like rubbery cellophane. I didn't want to use those or the carb-laden spaghetti noodles either. See...I like quantity...and while whole wheat noodles are better than pizza, you still have to watch the portion sizes. What better substitute than spaghetti squash?



Here it is folks. Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie (a loose adaptation of the original recipe from Hungry Girl)

Ingredients
1 small/med spaghetti squash
2 cups marinara or pasta sauce, divided (whatever is your favorite)
8 oz. fresh, sliced button mushrooms
1/2 cup fat free egg substitute
20 slices turkey pepperoni
1 oz. shredded, part skim mozzarella
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 and spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.

Cook and shred spaghetti squash in whatever method you prefer (boil it, bake it, nuke it...whatever floats your boat). In a large bowl, combine squash, 1/2 cup marinara sauce, mushrooms, egg substitute, oregano, salt and toss well.

Place half of the squash mix in the pie plate evenly. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce on top and layer 10 slices of pepperoni on top. Then toss the rest of the mix into the pie plate and smooth it out.

Bake for 20 minutes to let the mixture set up then spread the remaining sauce on top. Layer the rest of the pepperoni and top with the shredded mozzarella and put it back into the oven until the cheese is nice and bubbly.



Let it cool so it will set...if you can resist...and cut it into 4 servings. (I told you I like quantity) This goes great with a salad and possibly some bread sticks if you're feeling a little crazy!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Wow it's been a long time since my last post. Things have been crazy busy and I've been cooking and baking a lot...just haven't had the time to upload my pictures and post them. I've been baking since Monday for a wedding cake order for Saturday and so I haven't had much time for home-cooked dinners. I even gave into my husband's requests for catfish nuggets. Yes, fried catfish nuggets in the mini-deep fryer. Needless to say I didn't eat much of that meal.

Back to my story. I had one more tier to bake tonight and so I was trying to think about what I could cook for dinner that would be tasty and healthy. After doing about twenty different mental scans of my pantry, fridge, and freezer while at work I decided I would use some frozen boneless skinless chicken tenders and brown rice with broccoli.

I know what you're thinking. That's it? Plain chicken, rice, and broccoli? Um, that would be a big fat NO!! I most definitely would not blog about that. After taking inventory I ended up making the following dinner:


Citrus BBQ Chicken Tenders, Spanish Style Brown Rice and Broccoli. Yummmmm.

I'll post a recipe for the rice a little later but for now, I leave you with my Citrus BBQ Chiken Tenders. I must make a disclaimer...I did not measure exactly so these are what I like to call "guesstimates."

Ingredients
2 oranges
3-4 TBSP BBQ sauce (I used original flavor)
2 tsp lite soy sauce
2 TBSP chili sauce
3 TBSP Dijon mustard
10 chicken tenders (boneless, skinless...fresh or frozen)

Directions
Zest and juice the two oranges in a large bowl. Add the BBQ sauce, lite soy sauce, chili sauce, dijon mustard and whisk together. Add the chicken tenders and make sure they are coated well. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 20-30 minutes.

I used my George Foreman to "grill" the chiken tenders (again...limited on time and resources here). Meanwhile I pour the leftover marinade into a small sauce pan, add a little more BBQ sauce and chili sauce (maybe about 1-2 TBSP each), brought it to a boil, turned it on low and let it simmer 2-3 minutes so it would thicken. You can use this as a dipping sauce or do what I did and pour that citrus goodness all over those tasty chicken tenders!

Latest Happenings

It's been a while since my last post. Life has been BUSY. Here's a re-cap of the latest happenings via pictures and brief explanations.

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting & Filling

I did this cake for a choir fellowship dinner at church. They wanted two different flavors and needed enough cake to feed 75 so I did two sheet cakes. This one was DEVOURED. The cake itself was a moist devil's food flavor and I did a peanut butter-buttercream filling and frosting with cake crumb coating on the side.

Vanilla with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting and Filling

This was the other sheet cake I did. A good chunk was gone by the end of the night. I think it was in the shadows of the chocolate cake's spotlight. There's just something about chocolate and peanut butter that makes people's ears perk and their mouths water. The vanilla/strawberry combo was delicious nonetheless.

Hannah Montana Birthday Cake

I got an e-mail from one of my old co-workers and she wanted a Hannah Montana inspired cake for her daughter's birthday but nothing too fancy. So...I came up with this design. I thought it was cute and a pretty good price. The cake was vanilla funfetti with buttercream icing.

Lightning McQueen

This was a fun cake to do. One of our choir members at church ordered this for her grandson's birthday. He loves the movie "Cars" and so I thought this would be perfect. It showed my nephew a picture and he starting trying to grab it out of my digital camera speaking his gibberish so needless to say I'll be making one like this for his birthday in July.

Italian Inspired Meatballs and Rice

The other night I needed to make dinner for the hubby and myself but I was pretty tired and didn't feel like prepping, chopping, seasoning, sauteing, baking, etc. I think we've all had those days. You want to cook something nutritious and delicious but that frozen dinner seems so much easier and a lot less trouble.

Not wanting to give in to the pre-made, lack-luster,"healthy" TV dinners I looked in the pantry and through my fridge to see what I could come up with and here is the result:

There isn't an exact recipe for what I made...hence the phrase "inspired" in the blog title. So instead of formatting this into an ingredient list with accompanying instructions I'll just let you know what I used:
Frozen (fully cooked) Turkey Meatballs (about 15 all together)
1 pkg Uncle Ben's Wild Rice
1 onion, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 cup marinara sauce
Oregano
Balsamic Vinegar

Basically I sauteed the onion and zucchini with oregano and balsamic vinegar until soft. Then the marinara sauce went into the pan with the turkey soldiers . . . I mean meatballs and they simmered while I heated up the rice via the directions on the package. After you hear the quick and pleasant "beep beep beep" of the microwave you add the rice to the marinara madness in the pan combine all those flavors together. The starch from the rice gives it this creamy-like texture and it's absolutely delicious AND nutritious!!

Seriously folks, this dinner was ridiculously easy to make and ssoooo tasty. I'm definitely gonna make this one again and you definitely should try it.

Raspberry Vinaigrette, Oh how I love thee

One of the good things that came out of this "mini-purification" is this really good raspberry vinaigrette. I had never made any type of salad dressing from scratch and I LOVE vinaigrettes and raspberries so I figured I'd try it.

It's really simple to make. Take 1 cup of raspberries, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard and puree in a blender. Blend in around 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil or until it reaches desired consistency. (I don't like to use too much oil so whatever you like then go for it!)

I used that stuff on everything!!! The salad was just a combo of lettuce, green peppers, shredded carrots, grapes, and chopped zucchini.


That is what my lunch usually consisted of. I'd add some diced mangoes for an after-dinner snack salad and that was super delicious too!! The dressing is a little tangy and more on the vinegar-y side so if you aren't a fan of the tang factor then start with half the vinegar measurements and adjust it to your own taste.

Butternut Squash Muffins with a Hint of Maple

I bought some butternut squash the other day in the grocery store in an effort to expand my culinary taste buds. I've never cooked or tasted butternut squash so I was browsing several different recipes. There were a lot that sounded good but I'm a sucker for muffins. So I baked the squash in the oven to cook it and the aroma was to die for. I scooped out a spoonful before I put it in the food processor to puree it and it was DELICIOUS!! I could eat it just like that with nothing on it. Seriously people, if you haven't ever tried butternut squash you must make it a priority.

Back to the recipe...I found the one on allrecipes.com and adapted it a little to lower the calories. Here is the result

Ingredients
1 ½ cups pureed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup Splenda for Baking
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites, beaten
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Sugar Free Maple Flavored Syrup

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, Splenda, salt and cinnamon.
3.In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg and butter. Whisk in squash until well blended. Fold the squash mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
4.Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling cups about 1/2 full. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from muffin pan and cool on a wire rack. Drizzle with sugar free maple flavored syrup.

If you'd like a glaze then add some powdered sugar to your sugar-free syrup...yummmm

Turkey "Joes"

The other day I got a hankering for some sloppy joes. I decided against buying the pre-made sauce in a can, especially since my husband has to notify me EVERY time he sees a commercial about how much he hates the stuff from a can. So I opted to make them from scratch instead. That way I could make them a little better for you.

Here is the result:

*Next time I'll get a less-blurry picture. My camera + no flash + dog jumping on me = blurry picture

The outcome was delicious!!! My husband LOVED it and we ate leftovers for the next 2 meals...it makes a big batch. He loves cheese so he added a slice to his sandwiches (yes that was plural as in two) while I enjoyed mine open-faced style with a little mustard on toasted bread and topped it with the sloppy goodness. I bet you want to know how to make them don't you? Okay okay. Stop pulling my arm. I'll tell you:

Ingredients
16 oz. lean ground turkey meat (told you it's a big batch)
1 sweet onion
1 jar roasted red bell pepper
2 cups chopped mushrooms (preferably fresh)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Few dashes of hot sauce

Directions
Peel and chop your onion into quarters. Drain red bell peppers and add that with your onions to a food processor. Pulse until onion and pepper are finely diced. Place in a bowl with chopped mushrooms and set aside.

In a small bowl, add ketchup, chili sauce, apple cider vinegar, and hot sauce and stir until well blended. Set aside.

Find a really big skillet. And I mean BIG. Spray the skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Add ground turkey and cook for about 2 minutes while breaking meat into crumbles with your spoon. Add the onion-pepper-mushroom mix and saute with the meat until it is cooked through and mushrooms are soft (about 8 minutes).

Add the sauce mixture to the yummy goodness in your skillet and simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until the sauce thickens. *By the way...this will be good in the freezer for up to a month

Yummy Sunrise Smoothie

So I was at work yesterday and started to get the 3:00 munchies. Rather than grab the normal box of low-calorie speical crackers that leave you empty and longing for more I decided to try something a little more refreshing. I brought some frozen strawberries and some yogurt on a whim that morning and had left an orange the day before and this was the result:

Yummy Sunrise Smoothie

Ingredients
1 orange (peeled and broken into slices)
about 5 whole, frozen strawberries
1 (6oz.) container low-fat yogurt (I used Dannon Light'n'Fit Key Lime flavor)

Put all the ingredients in a blender and add a little water, juice, or milk and blend until smooth. If you want a thicker shake you can add a few ice cubes as well.

The result is yummy deliciousness that is WAY better than empty calorie pre-packaged snacks!

Update on Day 5

By the way . . . I quit the Purification.

More blogs to come soon

Day 3 & My Ultimatum

Last night was AWFUL. I had the worst headache and the nausea was like every 10 minutes. I wanted so bad to quit. I gave my body an ultimatum. If I was not down at least a pound in the morning I was going to put the program on hold. I've never wanted to not lose weight so bad in my life!

I know what you're thinking..."Come on Amanda. It's only been 2 days." Yes...the hardest 2 days in a long time! To make matters even more intolerable after I finished eating my dinner of brown rice, broccoli, and mushrooms my husband decides he's finally hungry and nothing in the house is good enough to suit him. 20 minutes later he comes back and sits down with a huge drink and a big brown bag that smelled of french fries and deliciousness.

Now I must be honest. The smell of those greasy fries actually made me feel sick. I was pretty shocked they had that effect on me. However, he then pulls out this thick, round construction wrapped in the prettiest silver package. As he comes closer to show me the beautifully constructed sandwich I see the steam billowing out of the shiny wrapper and then I see it. . . a double cheeseburger from Five Guys. Granted, I have never eaten a cheeseburger from Five Guys but I've heard so much about it and man that thing smelled good! To answer your question, no, I did not cheat. . . I left the room.

Back to my ultimatum . . . I've been weighing everyday just to track my progress. On Wednesday I was 139 and Thursday morning I was 138. I felt so awful that if I was still 138 or heaven help if I was MORE than that I was going to throw in the towel. Well I got up later this morning after trying to sleep off my massive headache and I weighed.

The verdict: 136 . . . TWO pounds. God really has a way of getting the message across. So I'm going to stick it out. I can do it, with God's help I know I can and I will feel so much better afterwards. I'm just ready for this "natural energy" to kick in that I've read about.

Day 2 . . .

This is horrible. I've never felt worse in my life. My dinner consisted of 1/2 cup brown rice, a bag of steamed broccoli, and some sauteed mushrooms with lemon juice and a little balsamic vinegar. My body is definitely letting me know how loaded down with toxins it is. I had to leave work about 15 minutes early.

Physically I am drained. I have nausea about every 2 hours, a non-stop headache, and I cringe at the thought of having to take those stupid cleanse pills. YUCK!! I've had to talk myself into not quitting about every 10 minutes today. Honestly if I hadn't have spent so much money I probably would give up.

It's not so much the sweets and sodas and caffeine I miss as much as my daily yogurt and whole grain toast. If 2/3 of your body is made of yogurt then 1/3 of mine is made of yogurt...I eat that stuff like the world is coming to an end. I'll see how things go tonight but more than likely I'll feel worse in the morning...and I'll probably call in sick.

This has really opened my eyes to how much bad stuff I was actually putting in my body. My Dad once said that "if food is fuel then be only put the best in your tank." A friend of mine at work (the one whole told me about this) said that it has to break you down before it can build you back up. Immediately I thought about how the same is true in your walk with the Lord. Sometimes we fill ourselves with pride and things of the world and we're so full of ourselves that the only way God can do anything with us is to break us.

There is beauty in brokenness. When we're broken and vulnerable that's when we really and truly give all of ourselves to God and totally put everything in His hands. It's when were in that state that our "blinders" are taken off and we can see things more clearly. Most importantly God can mold us back into the men and women He's called us to be.

When I was sitting in church last night, listening to the pastor and fighting the side effects of this purification I thought about sacrifice. I know how much of a struggle it is for me to remain faithful to this process and it's only certain foods I have to abstain from. It puts a new meaning to "denying the flesh." My thoughts then moved to Jesus. If I'm struggling this much with this one little thing and it's only been 2 days...how much more did my Savior struggle. It puts some things into perspective...yet I still can't even begin to imagine all the things He went through and how perfect He was.

God, You are awesome. My prayer is that we all will receive the strength to fight and the patience to endure.

Day 1: Mixed Emotions

Today was Day 1 of my 21 day journey to purification. I must say, other than feeling nauseous a couple of times during the day it isn't too bad. I started reducing my caffeine intake beforehand because I knew it would be rough. The no meat, no sweets part is okay . . . however . . . I would KILL for some dairy or a granola bar! I ate my only allowable carb (1/2 cup brown rice) for dinner along with some veggies.

I've started to get a muted headache but it's nothing unbearable. I don't know whether to be thankful or brace myself for the worst. More than likely it's the calm before the storm.

One thing I can say about this purification process is that is requires some thought and effort. I have to get creative. I'd go crazy munching on baby carrots and apples. Raw or not I'm gonna find a way to make it taste good!

Well it's off to church for me. My niece still wants to give me my Valentine's present . . . (please don't be chocolate, please don't be chocolate!)

Purification: My 21 Day Semi-Raw Food Adventure

On Wednesday, February 17th I am going to start my 21 day purification process. One of the girls at work introduced me to Standard Process's Purification Program. It's supposed to eliminate all the toxins from your body. It's like the master of all cleansing programs.

Here's the hard part. It's a diet based on raw fruits and vegetables with the only allowable carbs being 1/2 cup of brown rice or 1 cup of lentils. I can steam or saute vegetables for 4 minutes but at least half must be consumed raw and I have to eat twice as many vegetables as fruit. This in addition to the 10 supplements 3 times a day as well as 2-3 shakes that pretty much smell like grass.

Part of the process is journaling your progress. Therefore, beginning Wednesday I will be blogging about my process to purification. Feel free to live vicariously through me and decide for yourself if this is something you may want to do.

My Funny Valentine

I love Valentine's Day. I love cooking for my husband, setting the table, and dressing up. Just call me Suzy Homemaker. I even cooked dinner in heels & pearls with my apron . . . totally 1950s. I spent most of the day cleaning the house and when it got closer for my sweetie to get home I began assembling the table setting. We only have a table that seats 6 so I tried to re-arrange things to make it a little more intimate.



I made Buffalo Chicken Salad with Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. Two favorites. The salad was really simple. I had some leftover lettuce that I chopped and added with some bagged lettuce and threw the mix in my pretty serving bowl. I used chicken tenderloins and diced them into bite-sized pieces, sauteed them in 2 tablespoons of margarine and added some hot sauce right at the end. Those little soldiers were thrown into another serving dish and placed on the table. I took a picture with the cake on the table and then put it back in the fridge since it was made with whipped cream. Didn't want the peanut-buttery goodness to melt!!

I took out as much fat from this meal as possible. I worked hard especially on the cake since I love to devour desserts. Here is my version of the recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake









Ingredients
1 box devils food cake mix
3/4 cup liquid egg whites
1/2 cup applesauce
1 & 1/2 cups water
1 (3 oz.) package Vanilla flavored sugar free, fat free pudding
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup reduced fat peanut butter
1 & 1/2 cups fat free whipped topping (from the tub, not the can)

Directions
In a medium bowl, add cake mix, egg whites, applesauce and water. Mix until well blended. If batter seems too thick you may add another 1/4 cup water. Divide batter evenly between two 8 or 9 inch round pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled. (You know the drill.)

For the Filling:
In a separate bowl, combine the milk and pudding mixture and stir with a whisk for 2 minutes until it has thickened. Add peanut butter and blend well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place one layer on your serving plate with the bottom facing up. (This will give you a flat surface.) Spread 1 cup of the peanut butter mixture and place the other layer on top facing right-side up. Gently fold the whipped cream into the rest of the peanut butter filling until it's blended well. Frost the cake with the whipped cream mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Black Bean Brownies

I know what you're thinking. "Black Bean Brownies? Seriously?" Yes folks, seriously. I saw them on Dr. Oz and so I began my google search to find a recipe. I found one that used wholesome ingredients and sounded decent and here is the result:


What do you think? They look good...yes?

Well they are the prime example that looks can be deceiving. I was sssoooo hoping they would be oh-so-delicioso with their promise of 83 calories of wholesome goodness. There are few things edible in this world that I do not like and these are definitely at the top of the list. I guess I will just have to find a recipe of my own to reduce the calories.

Valentines & Snow!!!

It's snowing outside and that makes me SUPER excited!! I left work and went to the gym for hip-hop step class and when I walked outside the ground was covered in snow. Now considering I was born and raised right here in Florence, SC and the last big snow we had was in 1989 (I was 3), this is a big deal!!

When I got home my husband was snapping pictures and playing catch with our dog in the backyard. He's so precious . . . like a kid in a candy store. I'm going to try and get some good pictures tomorrow morning so I can post them.

I am also making our Valentine's dinner tomorrow night. On the menu is his favorite buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing and the oh-so-yummy chocolate peanut butter cake. I love cooking for my husband...and just about anyone else that will let me entertain them!

For now, it's hot chocolate and snuggle on the couch time. Until tomorrow friends . . .

Valentine's Cake

As I said in the last blog, I'm on the Outreach Team for my church's Women's Ministry and we're trying to do at least one project per quarter (4 per year). Since we just met in January we decided to do something for the local girls home. There are about 5 girls, ages 14-18 so we chose to do a cake and Valentine cards.



I got the idea from cakecentral.com. I had seen the cakes that used kit-kats and M&Ms but since I did a butter cake with strawberry filling I thought it would be neat to use graham crackers and strawberry milkshake flavored whoppers. I was super excited about how it turned out and it was SO easy to make. I'll definitely be making many versions of this in the future!!

Past Creations . . .

This is a little concotion I made out of cracked wheat, black beans, asparagus, and sauteed onions. I thought it was quite yummy!



Here's a baby shower cake I made for one of the girls at work. Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream.



Thanksgiving 2009 at Grandma's. Made-from-scratch Cranberry Cheesecake with Gingernap Crust. Absolutely nothing low-fat about this.



I get the urge to bake at random times and mix different thing together. This was the result of Martha White Honey Bran muffin mix, chopped dates, shredded carrots, and cinnamon.



I make a cake for my niece and nephew every year for their birthdays. Below is the most recent one for Allyson. This was a last minute cake. She wanted Hanna Montana so I had to improvise:

My Big Fat Sweatshirt

I have this sweatshirt that I borrowed from my sister's house one day. It was actually her husband's sweatshirt and he's a 6+ foot-tall logger. Needless to say the thing is gigantic and SSSOOO comfortable. However, my husband thinks it's ridiculous and picks on me but I have a very justifiable reason for wearing it.

Let me explain: I'm a newly-wed and am blessed with a job that I started as an intern in my senior year of college in January 2009. My husband just graduated in December so he's still on the job hunt (anyone looking for a Health Physicist?? . . .Anyone?) We're currently renting a house that uses gas to heat the house, oven, and my stove. Long story short . . .our gas bill is through the roof so we keep the thermostat on 62. Winter 2010 + Florence, SC = COLDEST WINTER we've had in a long time.

Below is a picture of me and my beloved sweatshirt. I cook in it. I bake in it. I clean the house in it.



Criticize all you want hunny, I'm not freezing my bazooka just to look cutsie in the kitchen! lol

Cake Mania

It's been a week since my last post and what a week it was. I had 5 cake orders to fill. Between working everyday until after 5:00 and baking every night I haven't gotten much sleep!





Thomas the Train. I semi-redeemed the horrible mess. When I tried to make the 3-D train I did a number of things wrong: 1)Used self-rising flour instead of all purpose, 2)Left out the baking powder, 3)Failed to securly tie down the top of the pan. No, I didn't take a picture of the huge mess in my oven but I did take a picture of the finished products.

I got up early the next morning and made a 2-D version of Thomas because I felt so awful about messing up the train.

Next up was the emergeny baby shower cake. It was for a girl in our office and she was put on modified bed rest so we had to bump up the office shower to Tuesday. I made a giant baby rattle and two little bassinets with fondant babies. My husband did the babies...he's so great. I'll post pictures of that later.

After the baby shower cake on Tuesday was a lingerie shower cake on Friday. I thought it turned out SUPER cute. However, due to my delierium from lake of sleep I failed to take a picture. Hopefully one of the girls got an image for me.

Lastly was a celebration cake for a company here in town. They needed enough for about 350 people. I did a 3-tier butter recipe with strawberry filling and two (2 layer) chocolate sheet cakes with cookies & cream filling. I heard everyone enoyed the cakes so that was a relief.




I have one more cake to do for this Wednesday. I'm part of the Outreach Team on our Women's Ministry at church and we are doing a Valentine's cake with cards for the local girls home. There are about 5 girls that are ages 14-18 so I'm thinking I'll do something a little more sophistacted and cute. I'm excited about this one!

Now it's time for laundry. More blogging to come later.

Cake Disaster

So I'm currently blogging while waiting on my cake to finish baking. The cake from you know where.

My cousin wanted me to do her son's birthday cake and it was Thomas the Train. I thought to myself..."I can buy one of those 3-D pans no problem." WRONG.

I'm frustrated.

To be continued . . .