Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins

It's Teacher Appreciation week & today is Teacher Appreciation Day. My son has a great teacher & I've been throwing ideas around in my head for a week-long thank you celebration. Day 1: flowers & a handmade card (see picture below. The "card" is a pair of paper ice skates with yarn laces, all laced up. G's teacher is also a figure skater & skate teacher. The card says, "I APPRECI-SKATE you! Love, Gabriel").

I mean seriously, it's so easy to personalize a thank you, ignore that pinterest stuff! Do something FOR the teacher. I don't know about you but I had some great teachers myself. You know who they were... the ones who didn't count down the days till summer & who took a real interest in YOU. Yes, YOU. Well, I want to say a big thank you to all of them. They helped me so much.

I found out through G's teacher's sister that Ms. F loves carrot cake... I decided Day 2 would be cream cheese carrot cake muffins for the teacher & for the classroom aides. And these came out soooo yummy!!! You'll have to stay-tuned for Days 3 through 5 ;)

Love,
Lishie
Gabriel's mommy

Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins

slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Filling one 8oz package cream cheese 1/4 c granulated sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla Muffins 2 1/4 c, a-p flour 1/2 c granulated sugar ¼ c light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 1/2 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp ground ginger 3/4 tsp salt 2 large eggs 3/4 c water 1/3 c vegetable oil 1 c grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 medium-large carrots 1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan. Or line the pan with paper muffin cups, & grease the cups. 2) To make the filling: Place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl, & heat on low power for 40 seconds. Stir in the sugar & vanilla. Set aside. 3) To make the muffin batter: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 4) In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, & oil. 5) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. 6) Fold in the grated carrots, stirring to combine. 7) Drop about 2 TBsp of the batter (a TBSp cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom. 8) Dollop on a heaping TBSp of filling; a level TBSp cookie scoop works well here. 9) Cover with enough batter to fill the muffin cups quite full. The batter will come to within about 1/4" to 3/8" of the top of each muffin cup. But don't try to use all the batter; unless you have particularly deep cups, you'll have abut 1/3 cup batter left over. Bake it in a separate custard cup, if desired. 10) Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the cream cheese filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch. 11) Remove the muffins from the oven, & as soon as you're able to handle them, transfer them to a rack. If you serve the muffins warm, the filling will be molten. If you wait for them to cool, it'll firm up. Yield: 12 filled muffins

carrots in a row

ooey-gooey goodness

"I APPRECI-SKATE you! Love, Gabriel"

Strawberry Muffins

It's finally feeling like Spring in the Northeast (well, even if it is a bit more like a summery spring, but I am not complaining!!!) These strawberry muffins are just the right amount of sweet to make you smile. They are the perfect breakfast or brunch fare.

<3 Lishie

Strawberry Muffins

by Katie Mae, Allrecipes.com

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2, six muffin tins.

In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, & egg. Whisk lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder & sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries & stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture & stir together.

Fill muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the tops bounce back from the touch. Cool 10 minutes & remove from pans.

Rustic Banana Upside Down Cake

I made this cake a while ago. And I promised to blog it then forgot! It is so tasty, perfect to use up overly ripe bananas... And it is not too sweet, so it is perfect for a breakfast or brunch get together. My cousin Kelly made a gorgeous, non-rustic version & that's where the idea came from.

<3 Lishie

Rustic Banana Upside Down Cake

• 4-5 ripe bananas, sliced
• 1 & 1/2 light brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 TBsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 TBsp (I use canola) oil

Preheat oven to 350.

In a prepped, floured & greased cake pan, place the banana slices all along the bottom in one layer.  Sprinkle the brown sugar all over the banana slices. Set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Pour into the pan, over the banana brown sugar layer. 

Bake 40-50 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow pan to cool then carefully, placing the serving plate on the top opening of the pan, flip the cake out so the banana slices are on top. Serve & enjoy.

Griddle Corncakes

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In the initial couple of days of the power outage from Hurricane Sandy I attempted to use all of our fresh, refrigerated food. We live in a two-family home upstairs; my mom & pop-in-law live downstairs. We had breakfast together every day. My in-laws have a percolator & make coffee, I made these old camping/Southern great -griddle corncakes - one morning after lighting the gas burner by hand (this, btw, terrifies me). These are delish!
<3 Lishie

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Griddle Corncakes Recipe

• 2 c yellow cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 c water, plus more if needed
• 1/3 c canola oil, for frying

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, & salt.

In another bowl whisk the
 egg & 1 c water until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, using as few strokes as possible.
The consistency should be lumpy like pancake batter.

Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Ladle 1/4c  of batter into the heated skillet for each corncake.

Cook the corncakes until they bubble on top & are brown on the bottoms & along the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, for another 2 - 3 minutes. Serve immediately topped with a pat of butter!

*Sorry there is no "after" picture. My camera battery died & I had no way to recharge :( Sigh, Sandy.

Breakfast Swap ~ Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

So exciting!!! I love swaps & I love breakfast. I got a sweet breakfast assigned to me from Amy's Kitchen Creations: Homemade Caramel Rolls. Mine turned out to be more cinnamon than caramel so I made a quick cream cheese frosting. OMGoodness, so tasty!!! And like Amy's, mine were not uniform nor were they rolled tight enough (see photo). But WHO CARES? They were DELISH!!! It was the perfect Sunday breakfast treat. I have had Amy's blog before & was thrilled to get it again! Thank you so much, Amy!!! And thank you to Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking for putting this swap together as always.

Amy gave the link where she got the recipe: Food .com

Mom's Caramel Rolls

• 2 cups warm water ( not hot)
• 2 (1/4 ounce) package yeast ( 2 T bulk)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons butter ( let sit out until soft)
• 1 eggs
• 6 1/2 cups flour
• cinnamon-sugar mixture

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons water

1. Mix water and yeast and wait 5 minutes.
2. Stir in sugar, salt and 2 cups of flour.
3. Add egg and butter and mix.
4. Stir in rest of flour by hand, if dough is still sticky add just enough to make it not sticky anymore.
5. Let raise until dough is double in size.
6. Sprinkle flour on surface and roll dough out until is approx 18 X 12 inches.
7. Spread a very thin layer of soft butter on dough and sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on it.
8. Roll dough from the long side, it should look like a log.
9. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
10. Should be 18 pieces.

11. Place brown sugar and butter into microwave dish and heat until butter is just melted; stir well.
12. Stir in 3 T water.
13. Divide mixture into 3 pans (8-inch cake pans).
14. Place 6 pieces in each pan.
15. Let raise for about 45 minutes.
16. Bake for 20 minutes in a 325°F oven.
17. When you take out of oven, turn each pan of rolls over on a plate, otherwise you will have a hard time getting them out when they cool.
18. If you can, let them cool slightly and enjoy them when they are still warm.

And if you'd also like to make the cream cheese frosting, here's my input:

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese, room temp
• 1/4 c butter, room temp
• 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all of the ingredients together, pour over rolls.

Banana Crumb Muffins

We had a few overripe bananas & it gave me a wonderful excuse to bake up something yummy. I had spied these delicious muffins & had them bookmarked in my head to bake. Oh.my.goodness. DeLish indeed!

<3 Lishie

Banana Crumb Muffins
from Baby Loving Mama

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

 
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt in large bowl.

 
In separate bowl beat or whisk together bananas, sugar, egg & melted butter.

Stir banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Do not over stir! (The is the key to great muffins is to not over mix!)
 

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

 
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour & cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter with a fork until mixture is coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over muffins.

 
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Mini~Breakfast

What to do when your hubby wants one thing & you, another? Make something easy, fast & mini... I love tiny things, all compartmentalized. I am sure you have seen these little breakfast "nests" around. They are so simple to make & just delish...


This makes an adorable & sweet Valentine's breakfast! Serve with a soy sausage patty. No, really... Morningside farms sausage patties are amazing! Ask my hubby!


<3 Lishie


Egg & Hash Brown Nests
Makes 6 nests

• 3 cups frozen hash browns, defrosted 
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 6 muffin tin.


Line each muffin hole with the hash browns; bottoms & sides. Whisk the eggs & cheddar together. Pour some of the egg mixture into each "nest".


Bake for 25 minutes (or until done).

Cheerio Bars

Does your child LOVE Cheerios? Is this a rhetorical question? Gabriel could eat them all day long if I let him. And, I am ok with that. They are a great source of fiber & nutrients for him & oh so much better than some of the other, sweeter boxed cereals. I wanted to take this obsession of my toddlers & run with it by making a cereal bar. I did. The sad part about this is, the little tot will not eat chocolate! So these were wasted on him. Perhaps this recipe won't be wasted on you?  

<3 Lishie

Cheerio Bars

• 3 cups Cheerios
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Grease a 9-inch square pan & set aside.

In a large bowl combine the cereal & chocolate chips- set aside.

In a small sauce pan, set over medium heat, bring the sugar and honey to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to cook until the sugar is completely dissolved then remove from the heat.

Add the peanut butter and stir until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the sugar, honey, peanut butter mixture over the cereal mixture and mix until everything is well coated.

Immediately press the cereal mixture into the buttered pan*

*Lishie tip~ use a cooking spray coated spatula. 

Cool completely.

Cut into desired size and shape bars.

Recently Gabriel got to see Sesame Street Live & he wore his favorite Bert & Ernie t-shirt. Unfortunately, we also discovered the shirt had grown too tight so I created this keep sake, tooth fairy pillow for him out of it:

Bert & Ernie pillow presented by, well, Bert & Ernie!

Back Pocket for the tooth!

Mini Cinnamon~Walnut Pinwheels

These are great minis to make & take... the prep & cooking are pretty much 20-25 minutes start to finish. How? Well I've spoken of my cinnamon obsession before... Well, I had another tin of that wonderful Pillsbury Crescent dough & went to work (easy~peasy labor, really). 


All you need for these Mini Cinnamon~Walnut Pinwheels
is:

• 3 TBSp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup crushed Walnuts
• 1 canister of Crescent Rolls (pop!)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray or line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. 


Combine the first 3 items together in a small bowl.


Pop open the crescent dough & roll it out. Pull it apart into 4 rectangles. On each rectangle, spread the cinnamon mixture completely over the top. Take 1 rectangle & carefully roll it up, tucking in any sugar/nuts trying to escape (can't have that, can we?!)... Do the same with the other 3. 


Slice the rolled dough into 4 pieces each rectangle. You will get 16 rolled pieces total. Lay them on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the pinwheels are browned on the edges but not burnt. 


ENJOY!


<3 Lishie
*Lishie Tip: Top them with icing or cream cheese frosting to make the pinwheels even better!

Confetti Waffles & Cinnamon Honey Herbed Butter

So I am going to admit this again... yes, I am. Last night, I, Lishie, watched the original Gene Wilder (who I adore) Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory for the FIRST time. I agree, odd, but I just had not seen it. My sister Perrie is over so we had giggle time & movie time. She watched this with me then went on to watch some weird cult horror film with my hubby.

This morning, my sister wanted waffles & inspired by the movie, I decided to make confetti waffles:

Confetti Waffles

• 1 & 3/4 cup AP Flour
• 2 TBSp Sugar
• 1 TBSp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 & 3/4 cup Milk (I use Skim)
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 TBSp RAINBOW SPRINKLES

In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, & salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture- in other words, push all of the flour mix to the sides of the bowl creating a “hole” in the middle. Set aside.

In another medium bowl beat eggs slightly; stir in milk, oil, & vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy) then fold in the Sprinkles.

Pour 1 to 2 ice cream scoops of batter onto of a preheated, lightly cooking aprayed waffle baker. Close lid quickly; do not open until done!!!

Follow your waffle maker instructions- mine beeps when the waffle is finished cooking. Carefully lift the waffle (from its edge) from the hot iron with a heat resistant, silicone spatula.

To make the waffles extra special, I made an herbed butter to spread on (shaped as hearts- just mold the mixed butter into a cookie cutter then refrigerate until set.) I LOVE herbed butters... FOr breakfast spreads, for steaks, dinner, etc. They can really transform a meal into something magical.  

Cinnamon Honey Herbed Butter 

• 1/2 Stick Butter
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 TBSp Honey

Mix all 3 ingredients together in a small bowl. Re-refrigerate to set. Serve! 

Ohhhh don't forget to enter my Melissa & Doug Toy GIVEAWAY!

Egg & Hash Nests

The extreme temperatures seem to be finally breaking in the Northeast, thankfully! Here's a tasty "breakfast for dinner" meal I made in the oven. They are little packages of goodness! So yummy & like many of the recipes I make, very versatile (*see tip below)!

Since they can be pre-made, no worries about time! Make a batch of these & you can have breakfast all week or have them for lunch. And I rarely take shortcuts but did this time. How? I used Ore-Ida packaged frozen hash browns. It's just too hot out.

These are also the perfect finger food for little hands!


Egg & Hash "Nests"
Makes 6 Nests

• Cooking Spray
• 1 cup Potatoes, cooked & shredded or use my shortcut!
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 bell Pepper, chopped (I used half yellow & half red)
• S & P
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup Gruyere, grated
• 1 TBSp Chives, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees.

Spray a 6-cup sized muffin pan with Cooking Spray & set aside.


Combine the potatoes, onions & peppers, S&P in a bowl. Mix. Divide this mixture evenly among the 6 cups of the muffin pan, pushing down to form a "bowl" in each. Place in the oven for about 25 minutes.


While the "bowls" are pre-cooking, whisk together the 3 eggs, then add the cheese. After the 25 minutes, take out the cooked potato mixture & add the egg/cheese mix evenly divided onto all 6 bowls... Place the pan back in the oven for 15-20 minutes (Make sure the egg is fully cooked). Top with chives & ENJOY!


*Lishie tip- The versatility of this recipe... You can add cut up pieces of meat: ham, turkey, sausage, bacon, prosciutto, pancetta... Corned beef hash! Change up the cheese... swiss, cheddar, parmesan... Switch veggies- squash, asparagus, etc.... Use egg whites instead... Or you could even swap out the potatoes for sweet potatoes!

French Toast

 French Toast reminds me of college... Early morning (I mean the wee hours of the morning) breakfasts in the East Village at Veselka (yum, go for brunch!) or Odessa. We'd order French toast Challah. (Challah is an egg bread). It was so delicious & perfect.

The other morning I only had plain white bread so I spruced it up by making French Toast. Another easy breakfast that tastes & sounds more special & harder than the effort it truly takes to make it!

French Toast

• 1 egg
• 2-3 TBSp Milk
• Dollup of Vanilla
• Pinch of Cinnamon
• pat of Butter (1 TBSp)
• 2 pieces of bread, challah or brioche preferred, white or wheat perfectly fine
• Maple Syrup, to top

In a shallow bowl, scramble the egg & whisk it together with the milk, vanilla & cinnamon. 


Turn the griddle or non-stick pan on Medium-High heat & melt the butter. When the butter is melted... Quickly dip one piece of bread into the egg mixture, both sides, then place onto the griddle. When the edges begin to brown, flip the piece over. Do the same with the second piece of bread. 


Serve warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon or confectioner's sugar, & a dash of maple syrup.


Serves 1.  Just multiply the ingredient  amounts times the the number of people you are serving.

Blueberry Waffles

So here's my non-judgmental breakfast for the day predicted to be Rapture, Judgment Day. By far not my last meal but waffles are pretty perfect.  Add fresh blueberries (yes, I do love themes) & boy, they are better than perfect. These are regular waffles, not Belgian, not buttermilk but darn tasty. They are the food people tend to order at a diner because they just seem special. And they are. It was shown to me this morning when I surprised my inlaws with them at 8:30, piping hot off the waffle iron- you should have seen the happy look on their faces (you'll just have to trust me on that one- it's true- I don't lie)! You do need a Waffle maker & I love mine... It's one of those things that I do use. If you love waffles, get one!

Blueberry Waffles

• 1 & 3/4 cup AP Flour
• 2 TBSp Sugar
• 1 TBSp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 & 3/4 cup Milk (I use Skim)
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/4 cup fresh Blueberries

In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, & salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture- in other words, push all of the flour mix to the sides of the bowl creating a “hole” in the middle. Set aside.

In another medium bowl beat eggs slightly; stir in milk, oil, & vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy) then fold in the blueberries.

Pour 1 to 2 ice cream scoops of batter onto of a preheated, lightly cooking aprayed waffle baker. Close lid quickly; do not open until done!!!

Follow your waffle maker instructions- mine beeps when the waffle is finished cooking. Carefully lift the waffle (from its edge) from the hot iron with a heat resistant, silicone spatula.

Serve with maple syrup or sprinkle some powdered sugar on top! YUM.

Lishie-ism- My first waffle ALWAYS comes out deformed, or too light or something. But you know what? It’s always my favorite!!!

It's been raining here in NJ for days so this morning's sun had to be photographed. Ah Heaven: NOT Rapture :)

If you want my Buttermilk Waffle Recipe, go HERE.

Blueberry Muffins

Continuing on the Blueberry theme (I like themes) I also made muffins. This muffin recipe is very versatile, you can add a streusel to the top before baking OR you can switch out the blueberries for so many other  ingredients... cranberries, banana, nuts, chocolate chips... most anything. These are regular sized muffins & they are pretty good for you too so no guilt to have one for breakfast, or two! And did I say they are delish?! They are!

& ha ha, I only had Elmo, Strawberry Shortcake or Duckie baking cups. Can you tell what I chose ;)?

Blueberry Muffins 
 Makes 12 muffins

• 1 & 3/4  cups  AP flour
• 1/3  cup  sugar
• 2  tsp  baking powder
• 1/4  tsp  salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4  cup  milk
• 1/4  cup  canola oil
• 3/4 cup fresh (or frozen) Blueberries
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Grease twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups or line with baking cups; set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, & salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In another bowl combine egg, milk, & oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in the blueberries & lemon zest. 

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Top each with a little sugar for some crispy-ness (if not using streusal) Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden & a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm.

*Lishie Tip- For extra moistness, add 1/2 cup plain vanilla yogurt to the egg, milk & oil mixture.

Matzo Brei - Happy Passover!

I love matzo, as does my hubby. So when the local A&P offers free matzoh (an unleavened bread) weekly with purchase, we grab it up into the cart. Also, as friends know, I love to teach Gabriel about other cultures & religions. On Passover, observers of the Jewish faith fast from anything leavened for 8 days in commemoration of Exodus, when the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Northern Egypt.  Matzo looks like a giant cracker. It's delicious with just butter or jam, or peanut butter & jelly. Actually, anything you'd eat on bread or crackers.

Matzo brei is a yummy breakfast of eggs mixed with matzo. The name literally means "fried matzo" in Hebrew.

Kosher for Passover goodness.

Matzo Brei

• Canola Oil
• 4 eggs
• 4 pieces of Matzo
• Kosher Salt

Take the matzo & break it up into pieces in a bowl. Cover the matzo pieces with water & allow it to get just wet enough- about one minute. Drain the water but leave the matzo pieces in the bowl. 


Scrambled the eggs in a separate bowl & add the salt. Pour eggs over the matzoh. 


Heat the canola oil in a non-stick pan on Medium high. Add the matzoh mix. Carefully stir the eggs until cooked (your preference) and the matzoh has a golden edge. Serve & enjoy!

*Lishie tip- Add smoked salmon, "lox", or onions for extra yum.
*Perrie tip- As per her friend's mom- add a touch of yummy with a pinch of cinnamon. YUM

W is for Waffles

So I woke up this morning feeling fine... & wanted WAFFLES! I rarely do. Usually, it's pancakes but not today. Pulled my trusty waffle-maker out of the cupboard & whipped up some buttermilk waffles.

Buttermilk Waffles

• 1 & 3/4 cup AP Flour
• 2 TBSp Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 2 cups Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients (first 5) in a medium-sized bowl. Make a "well" in the center of the dry mixture.

W is for Waffle!

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil & vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture into the "well" then incorporate both the dry & liquid ingredients together. The batter should be lumpy!


Ladle the amount called for by your waffle-maker (I do two ice cream scoops-full) onto a cooking sprayed, pre-heated waffle-maker. Follow directions for your appliance from here. 

I topped the waffles with maple syrup & fresh strawberries. Delish!

My waffle-maker was a gift from my Step-Mom & I love it. It's a Villaware. For more of my favorite kitchen gadgets, go here.

*Lishie tip- This same batter can be used for Belgian waffles. Waffles are not just for breakfast! Add fried chicken & there's dinner! Or Shrimp & grits. Add ice cream & hot fudge- Dessert! YUM.

Pear Muffins!

I felt like baking tonight since we had pizza (cheese for Lent) with my in-laws & it's the weekend! Woohoo! The bananas are still not ripe enough to bake with (I owe a special someone a banana bread very soon!) Gabriel loves pears & doesn't like sweets so I thought, hmmmmmmmm... I know the perfect thing for my baby:

Yummy, home-baked pear goodness

Pear Muffins
Yields 2 & 1/2 dozen 

• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 TBSp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup butter, pieced, cold
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1/2 cup apple sauce*
• 3/4 cup milk (I used skim)
• 1 pear- ripe, skinned, cored & diced into small pieces (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 400 F.


Prepare muffin tins with paper liners.


In a large bowl, sift together/combine the flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Add the chopped, cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until the flour is lumpy/grainy.


Fold the eggs, apple sauce, milk & pears into the dry mixture. 


Scoop (I use a medium-sized ice cream scoop) batter into each paper-lined tin (about 2/3 full) . Bake approximately 15-20 minutes, until the tops are slightly golden & a toothpick inserted into the middle of one muffin comes out clean & dry.


Remove from oven & let cool 10 minutes before taking out of the muffin tins... Then allow to cool further on a wire wrack.

Cool muffins

*Lishie tips- If you do not have a pastry blender, no fears! Just use a fork. Most recipes will tell you to use two knives instead but one fork is enough & way easier!

Make sure the butter & milk are cold & the pear is ripe... Also, you can substitute either plain yogurt or sour cream for the apple sauce. Additions (insert in the recipe at the same time as the pear) can be: 1/4 cup nuts (walnuts) or 1/4 cup raisins, even craisins or dried cranberries! And for the pear, you can switch it out with apple... Of course you'd have to call them "Apple Muffins" then! LOL

BTW- Do YOU know the Muffin Man? (Caution- music! :) )