18 Jul

Egg Muffins

Posted by Chelle as Breakfast, Quick Breads/Muffins/Scones | 0 Comments

So I did the healthy applesauce oatmeal muffins yesterday, and today I am balancing those carbs with these egg muffins. Provided by my friend Meghan, this recipe comes from the South Beach Diet cookbook. I would venture to guess you could add to these muffins just about anything you would put in an omelet and it would taste great. These will be a great option for a protein-packed lunch! I followed Meghan’s recipe of eggs, bacon and cheese but omitted the scallions because I didn’t have any in the house.

Egg Muffins

12 eggs (or a combination of whole eggs and egg whites - egg whites count for 2 whole eggs. As an example, I did 9 whole eggs and 6 egg whites)
Splash of milk
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
12 slices cooked bacon, torn into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Add 1 piece of bacon, ripped up, and some cheese to each muffin cup.

3. In a large bowl (one with a pouring spout works great for this!) beat the eggs, milk and scallions. Pour the egg mixture into each muffin cup. Be careful not to overfill.

4. With a fork, turn the bacon and cheese in each cup over to mix it all up. Top each with a sprinkle of cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes and then keep an eye on them - they can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on your oven (mine went about 23 minutes). When they are puffy and slightly brown on top they are done. Be careful not to overcook them or they will be rubbery.

*~* I can’t use Meghan’s recipe and not announce that we have known each other since the fall of 1998 when we happened to be on the same floor of good ol’ St. Martin’s freshman dorm at Duquesne. We were hall mates our freshman year and then suite mates our sophomore year with a group of 12 girls. We happened upon each other again on The Nest and on MySpace. Hi again Meghan!

17 Jul

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Posted by Chelle as Quick Breads/Muffins/Scones | 4 Comments

My good friend Kayte (of Kayte’s Kitchen) told me about these muffins awhile ago and I thought they sounded really good, but then I forgot about them! She gave me the recipe again yesterday and I was able to make them today. For me, they definitely taste “healthy” (maybe because the only other muffins I make include about 2 cups of sugar and a cup of oil?) but they are so moist and really good! I added the optional raisins and am glad that I did - they give the muffins a little more depth and flavor.

Also, I took Kayte’s advice and mixed these with a wooden spoon instead of using a mixer. I definitely see the potential for them to be over mixed and come out tough!

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins (from SparkRecipes)

1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon (I omitted this because I’m allergic)
1 tsp. granulated sugar
Nuts or raisins (optional)

1. Soak the oats in milk for approximately 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Combine the oat mixture with applesauce and egg whites, and mix until combined.

4. In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients.

5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add nuts or raisins, if desired. **Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough!**

6. Spoon batter into 12 prepared muffin cups. Combine cinnamon and sugar and top each muffin with some of the mixture.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until done.

14 Jul

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Posted by Chelle as Appetizers/Snacks | 7 Comments

What girl doesn’t have a memory of licking the beaters or eating finger-scoops full of chocolate chip cookie batter while their mom was baking cookies? It just felt right. Then, “they” started saying we were going to die from doing that because of raw eggs. Well, that just ruined all the fun. Then last year a friend of mine introduced me to a dip that tastes EXACTLY like cookie dough. All the sinful fun without the raw eggs!

Each month the women in my neighborhood get together for a “girls night” and enjoy some non-men, non-children fun. We rotate host houses and everyone brings a snack to share and their beverage of choice and we sit around and gab. I thought this cookie dough dip would be perfect for such an occasion. And it was - almost every single girl at the get together asked me for the recipe- it was a huge hit!

Be forewarned - this is super sweet and incredibly addicting!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip (adapted from Recipezaar)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)

2. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla extract and set aside to cool.

3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar for 1 minute.

4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.

7. Garnish with additional chips, if you choose.

Serve with Nilla wafers (my choice) or graham crackers.

**Note: after refrigerating the dip it will be pretty solid and un-dippable so make sure to remove it from the refrigerator about 15-30 minutes before you plan on serving it, so it has time to soften up.

12 Jul

Breakfast in a Scone

Posted by Chelle as Breakfast, Quick Breads/Muffins/Scones | 0 Comments

I saved this recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride’s blog awhile ago and have been dying to try it! My mom came to visit a couple of days ago and she doesn’t really like traditional “breakfast” foods so I thought that she might enjoy these. And enjoy she did! She took a few back with her and my sister reports that they are awesome.

I followed this recipe to a “T” and used buttermilk for the entire amount of liquid called for. I did roll the dough into an 8″ circle, however I thought this made the scones mighty large (in comparison to the picture in Foodie Bride’s blog) but everyone loved them and they turned out tasting great! I will definitely be saving this recipe and making it often!

Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into 1-inch pieces
3/4 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Heavy cream, optional**
1 large egg
2 tsp. water

**Heavy cream may be substitued for half of the buttermilk.

Preheat oven to 400.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper in a large bowl on low speed. With mixer running, gradually add cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour - butter bits about the size of small peas. Add grated cheese and mix just until blended. (This can also be done by hand: In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper. Gradually cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles small peas. Stir in cheese.)

Add green onions, bacon and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk to flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand just until all ingredients are incorporated. If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding 1 Tbsp at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a lighter-textured scone. Remove dough from bowl and place it on a lightly flours flat surface. Pat dough into a ball. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a circle about 8 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into 8 to 10 equal wedges, depending on the size scone you prefer.

Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Brush each wedge with egg wash. Place scones on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle. Serve warm.