French Breakfast Muffins

I'll be honest, I don't know if this recipe is actually french. But then again, there are many recipes that claim to be french, but really aren't. The name does make them a little more intriguing than just breakfast muffins. If I saw a recipe for breakfast muffins I might look at it (mealy because I love breakfast), but French Breakfast Muffins... I definitely am more interested. I got this recipe from a friend, and as soon as I read what was in it I knew I had to try them. Let me tell you that these muffins are delicious! My friend also likes to call them doughnut hole muffins because that is what they remind her of. I am honestly not a huge fan of doughnuts, but these muffins I am huge fan of! I may or may not have eaten them for dinner last night, and lunch today (yes I know somehow I missed breakfast). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I think I better go eat another one right now!

French Breakfast Muffins

I like to call these “donut hole muffins,” because they taste like cake donuts.

MUFFINS

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 large egg

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CINNAMON-SUGAR TOPPING

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Heat the oven to 375.

Butter the bottoms only of 12 standard size muffin cups and set the pan aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In separate bowl, whisk egg until frothy. Blend in milk, melted butter, and vanilla.

Add wet to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake 15 minutes. Rotate pan and bake 5-7 more minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack until muffins are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.

While muffins cool, prepare topping. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Melt butter in another small bowl.

Quickly dip tops of muffins into the melted butter and then the cinnamon sugar, rolling to cover the entire top. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 muffins

Thanks Melanie for the great recipe!

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

Who would have ever thought that spaghetti could get any easier? Spaghetti for many of us is that go to recipe when we don't want to cook anything, or we just don't have time. Somehow this recipe took that concept, and made it even better. Really the only part of this recipe that takes any time at all is cooking the meet. Then you throw everything in and you can continue on your merry way, not worrying about a thing. A few hours later you have the most delicious spaghetti ever! My husband went back for not just seconds but thirds. This recipe will definitely be appearing in our house again! I threw some pureed zucchini in with the sauce. It doesn't change the taste and you get some more  veggies in your meal! This recipe also makes a ton so I have left overs which I love taking to work.

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or salt
3 jars 26 ounce pasta sauce
2 cups pureed zucchini (optional)
1 pound spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
4-8 ounces cream cheese
1-2 cups chicken broth

1. Cook/brown beef in a medium skillet over medium heat until crumbled and browned Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drain fat from pan if necessary.
2. Pour one jar of pasta sauce and pureed zucchini if using into bottom of crock pot on high heat. Break spaghetti noodles in half and place noodles over sauce. Pour cooked beef over noodles, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with cubes of cream cheese. Pour another jar of pasta over cream cheese, close lid and let cook on high for 3 hours. After 3 hours, give a good stir (will be thick) and add last jar of pasta sauce and 1-2 cups of chicken broth (more if you want a thinner sauce). Close lid and let cook another hour or until ready to serve.
Makes 10-12 servings

Recipe Source: Picky Palate

Chocolate Lava Cake

I love chocolate. I love love love this cake. I pretty much love everything that has to do with this cake. I love that each person gets their own individual cake. I love that they are rich and full of chocolate. But mostly I love that they are ooey gooey in the middle!

I know there are many recipes that call for egg yolks or egg whites. If I can find some that I can make on the same day that is wonderful, otherwise I hate it! I don't like wasting either the yolk or the white. Sometimes I will save them. Sometimes I will make scrambled eggs with whatever extras I have. And sometimes I find recipes like this that I can just use the whole egg instead!

Chocolate Lava Cake

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
Butter for Ramekins

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 350°F
1. Melt chocolate on low flame in a double boiler. When melted, take of flame, and…
2. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
4. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
5. Butter 4 individual ramekins well, and pour in chocolate batter.
6. Cook for about 10 minutes. (See tips below)
7. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.
Voilà!

Tips:

You can definitely prepare your chocolate lave cake recipe ahead of time, and then bake 10 minutes before serving.

In terms of buttering the ramekins: butter the bottoms first, and then butter the sides, wiping from the bottom up to the top. It helps the chocolate to rise even more.

In terms of baking time… well, it depends on how runny you want it! I like it with a super-liquid-oozing center -- so do my guests! For this, you want the top to be cooked through, but the center to be liquid. You can check with a toothpick after 10 minutes of baking.
If you don't like liquid-center chocolate desserts, just cook for a little longer, and you will have an incredibly moist chocolate cake. So, either way, you can't go wrong!

Recipe Source: Famous French Desserts

Stovetop Broccoli and Cheese Chicken Pasta

I am always looking for new dinner recipes. We honestly eat very simple dinners around my house. This recipe was very tasty. I also loved it because I had all of it on hand. I love when I can make a dinner and not have to go to the grocery store to get everything that is in the dish. I mean don't get me wrong I love going to the grocery store (this actually is true) but mostly because I love food. This recipe was fairly easy, very tasty, and didn't take too long to make. It is also very kid friendly. Again lets be honest, almost everything i like, kids like...I don't think I have gotten my big girl taste buds yet. I was thinking that this recipe is actually quite healthy, but then I remembered the cube of butter that is in the sauce. I personally don't think butter is bad for you, but it definitely isn't low fat or low in cholesterol.  But again, I love butter and use it a lot of recipes!

  

 Stovetop Broccoli and Cheese Chicken Pasta

1 pound thin egg noodles
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 pound broccoli florets, steamed
1-1 1/2 cups milk

1. Prepare egg noodles according to package directions, drain and run under cool water to stop cooking.

2. Melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper, whisking until thick and combined. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until combined. Increase heat to high and whisk until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese until melted.

3. Transfer cooked noodles to a large dutch oven or pot over low-medium heat. Add chicken, broccoli and cheese sauce, stirring; will be thick. Stir in milk to loosen sauce to your liking. Serve immediately. This dish does best when served as soon as possible. If needed to be prepared ahead of time, add additional milk or chicken broth to loosen sauce.

Makes 6 servings

Recipe Source: Picky Palate

Simple Breakfast Syrup

I love breakfast. I always have. Do you ever have those days where you want something delicious like pancakes, waffles, french toast, or whatever it may be, but you realize that you ran out of syrup last time you ate one of those items? No? So its just me huh? Well this does happen to me sometimes. I typically love getting pure maple syrup. I feel like its just a little bit healthier, but on those days that I don't have any or just feel like having something sugary then this syrup is a life saver! It is quick and easy to make. It is very low maintenance. You can get it started, then finish making the rest of you breakfast without much worry. This recipe is one I got from my mom, and is the syrup recipe she would make whenever we wanted or needed homemade syrup.

Simple Breakfast Syrup

2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups water
1/3 cup Karo syrup
1 tbs pure maple syrup (if using mapleine use only 1/2 -1 tsp)
1 tbs vanilla

Combine both sugars, water, and Karo syrup in a medium sized heavy duty saucepan. Mix briefly to combine. Cook over medium high heat. Once mixture starts to boil continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add maple and vanilla. Serve warm or at room temperature (I prefer warm). Technically you should be able to store it at room temperature, but I store it in the fridge just to be safe, then warm it up before I use it.

Cheesy Pull-A-Part Bread

I kind of just threw this recipe together, and loved it so much that I just had to share it with you. It was easy, and we gobbled it up so fast! The 2 cups of cheese is just enough to make it cheesy but not completely covered in cheese. I am a huge cheese fan and would be just fine with even more cheese. Feel free to put as much or as little cheese  as you desire. Also the small the balls of dough are the more cheese you will have throughout the bread. Its so fun having little pockets of yummy cheese throughout the bread!

Cheesy Pull-A-Part Bread

5 1/4 c. white flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 rounded tablespoons saf-instant yeast
3 T. oil
2c. hot tap water
Adobo Seasoning *
2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese shredded


Mix dry ingredients to bowl of stand mixer. Add oil and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add a little more water. Dough should clean the bowl of the mixer. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Grease a bunt pan well. Pull of small golf ball sized pieces of dough and place them in the pan. Do one layer at a time leaving a small amount of space between each ball of dough. Once you have a single layer sprinkle some adobo seasoning on dough. Next sprinkle some cheese on dough. Repeat with another layer of dough, then adobo, then cheese. Repeat this process until you have used all your dough, or your pan is 2/3 the way full. Really this dough recipe makes enough for one huge pan, 2 small pans, or 1 pan and some rolls or whatever you want to do with the extra dough. Cover pan with a dish towel. Let rise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. While still warm flip onto a serving plate. This will be the real test if you greased you pan well enough. If you haven't it can be a little tricky getting it out of the pan. Hopefully it will come out nicely for you. If you are having trouble getting it out of the pan take a butter knife, or something that won't scratch your pan and gently loosen the edges. Once the edges are loose it should come out beautifully. I prefer this when its warm, but it tastes great when it is cooled as well. You can either serve it in slices or just pull pieces off and eat them.





*If you don't have Adobo, can't find it, or don't want to buy it that is ok. Adobo is just a seasoning that combines salt, garlic, pepper, oregano, and turmeric. Feel free to use your own combination of these things to make a delicious cheesy bread!

Brown Butter-Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok I have had to make these cookies 3 times just to get a picture of them. I  have made them, then somehow we eat/give away all of them before I can get a picture to put them on this site.  My husband said that these might be his new favorite cookies. I can't seem to get enough of them.  They are kind of like a peanut butter cookie and a chocolate chip cookie combined into one delicious irresistible cookie. 

Brown Butter-Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Truffles

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with foil and spray with no-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth (using your hands or some sort of food processor works best). Spread in baking dish and flatten with hands. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.

To brown butter, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently and heat until it's golden brown and giving off a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl; allow to cool to room temperature.  If you want to speed up this process stick your bowl in a sink full of cold water.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove peanut butter truffles and cut or tear into small pieces; place back in freezer for at least ten minutes. Don't worry about them looking perfect; I  didn't...

In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and browned butter. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated.  (You can also do this step in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.) Fold in chocolate chips. Gently fold in chunks of peanut butter truffle. You want them to be visible, not completely blended into the dough. (Note: This makes a lot of peanut butter truffles. Use as much or as little of it as you want!)

Scoop onto a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet, flatten slightly with hand, and bake for 8-10 minutes.  8 minutes is perfect in my oven but watch your cookies closely to see if they need to be cooked a little longer. You want your edges to just start to get golden brown. The center might still look a little doughy, don't worry they will continue to cook on the pan as they cool. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Source: Bakergirl