Tag Archives: Muffins

Making a Memorable Breakfast

Next week is my brother’s birthday. If he had the day off from work he would be treated to his favorite breakfast of Lemon Pancakes. Unfortunately, he has to spend the night before his birthday at the firehouse where he works, and I highly doubt the guys there will be surprising him with a plate of Lemon Pancakes to celebrate. If you are looking for a unique spin on a breakfast classic, then consider making the recipe below. In addition to the pancake directions, I’ve included a recipe for my brother’s favorite muffins. Perhaps his wife will bake a batch … Continue reading →

Edible Red Treats for Valentine’s Day

I’m not a big fan of Red Hots. The sweet and spicy candy is a popular Valentine’s Day treat used to decorate cupcakes and cookies… in kitchens other than my own. My disdain for the cinnamon candy is incredibly evident this time of year when I am faced with making Valentine’s Day treats for my daughter’s playgroup. This year each mom is required to bring a red-colored dish to pass and someone suggested I make a dessert featuring Red Hots. No dice. Instead, I will be making Red Velvet Cupcakes from the recipe below. (I’m making adjustments to the original … Continue reading →

Unbeatable Brunch Recipes

For many families today marks the end of winter break. Kids are back in school and leisurely mornings are a thing of the past. That said I know a group of moms who commemorated the day with a back-to-school brunch. The meal involved quick and easy recipes that minimized time in the kitchen and maximized time chatting about how the holidays were spent. I skipped out on the day’s festivities, but I did get a rundown on the mid-morning menu and the recipes that received the most raves: HAM AND EGG CASSEROLE Ingredients: 6 cups cubed bread (about 12 slices) … Continue reading →

Holiday Muffins

Whether you are celebrating with just your immediate family or you’re hosting a house full of relatives, it’s nice to serve up a few special recipes on Christmas morning. Growing up my mom always made sure that we had fresh warm muffins on Christmas morning. After we opened all of our gifts she would go into the kitchen to whip up some Gingerbread Muffins while we inspected our loot from Santa Claus. This year I am trying out a new muffin recipe that I’m sure my entire family will love. It contains chocolate so I have no doubt that the … Continue reading →

Crazy for Cranberries

Do you remember the last time you ate fresh cranberries? Most people only consume the plump tart fruit on Thanksgiving, and even then, the vast majority of diners are not eating the real deal. Folks, that gelatinous cranberry colored blob that you plop out of a can during the holidays doesn’t do justice to the real fruit. Believe it or not there are a myriad of recipes out there that feature fresh cranberries in their righteous glory. This year consider banning over processed store-bought cranberry-ish blobs from your table, and instead, consider making these delicious fresh cranberry dishes: CRANBERRY CHERRY … Continue reading →

Perfectly Delicious Pumpkin and Chocolate Treats

There’s no time like the present to make the most of a fall favorite: pumpkin. Of course, with Halloween upon us, chocolate is also in abundance as well. So why not marry the two ingredients in mouthwatering creations that will have your guests begging for more? The following recipes make great additions to holiday parties. Both the Chocolate Pumpkin Bars and the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins can be made in advance and travel well. What’s more, both dishes follow standard recipes for bars and muffins, so if you’ve made either in the past, you will have no problem baking these. … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: O is for Orange

Decorating with fresh pumpkins isn’t the only way you can infuse your home with the color of the season. Plump fresh oranges piled high in a vase with vibrant yellow lemons can sweeten up any dining room or kitchen table. Incidentally, oranges can also brighten up several dishes that begin with the letter “O” including oatmeal, orzo and okra (sautéed with a squeeze of fresh orange juice). If your family loves oranges consider making the following recipes that spotlight the healthy and versatile fruit: ORANGE AND LEMON INFUSED MASHED POTATOES Ingredients: 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: M is for Muffins

Studies show muffin consumption increases during the fall and winter months. If you find yourself seeking out recipes for fruity fall harvest muffins each autumn then you might want to add the following to your repertoire. The first is one of my all-time favorite muffin recipes, which features a popular seasonal fruit-—cranberries. This Classic Cranberry Muffin recipe courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa is one of the only ways I can get my preschooler to eat cranberries. It’s a very straightforward recipe that makes enough muffins to feed an entire classroom full of children. The second recipe is for a Fall … Continue reading →

Graduation Potluck: Fruit Muffins and Hearty Ham Bakes

My daughter is not even in school yet so graduation day is a long ways off. However, my friend’s daughter is graduating from eighth grade in a couple of weeks and to celebrate she is hosting a brunch following the morning ceremony. For a variety of reasons (not the least of which is the fact that she has six other children and most of the people attending the party are very close friends and family members) she decided to make the brunch a potluck. Which means I had to find recipes to make that could be doubled (or tripled) and … Continue reading →

Frugal Breakfast Plan

In spite of my sometimes best intentions not getting all the way to fruition, I really do try to make a home made breakfast for my family. Not only is it a nutritious practice, but it is also very frugal. Pound for pound, those easy already prepared breakfasts are some of the most expensive meals around. Cereal can cost $4 for a box that lasts one or two days at the most. And frozen breakfast meals are even worse. Lately, with our hectic schedule, we have been relying too much on those convenience breakfast foods, such as instant oatmeal, cereal, … Continue reading →