Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffins (Cooking Light)

I think I've said this before, but in my house Breakfast is the most important meals of the day. Both my husband and son love breakfast. Which leads to me always trying to change things up for them. This week my husband want me to make muffins for work. Lucky enough had a few recipes bookmarked in the May Cooking Light Magazine that I wanted to try, and today was the day to do it.

The recipe was super easy to make. I did change a few things up from the original recipe that allow me to cut out a few extra calories from fat and the still came out tasteful, without being sweet, nor bland. The only thing that you want to do is be careful not to over mix it, because they will become more dense when they should be fluffy.

Adapted Recipe from the Cooking Light Magazine (May edition)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1 3/4 Cups of AP flour
1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon of baking soda
1 Cup of warm water
1/4 Cup of unsweetened applesauce
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 Large eggs lightly beaten
1/2 Cup of chocolate chips

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Preheat oven to 400

In a medium bowl combine flour, brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda.

Whisk the dry ingredients above, and create a well in the middle of mixture.

In a second bowl, combine 1 cup of water, applesauce, red wine vinegar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Add in chocolate chips.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stir just until moist.

Line muffin tin with liners and spray with cooking spray.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake at 400 for 15-17 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

Cool for 5 minutes in pan on wire rack.

Calories 175, Fat 5.6g Protein 4.1, CARBS: 22g

Tyler Florance's Shredded Beef Burritos in the Crock-pot

This recipe is actually a stove top recipe, but honestly, who has 3 hours to babysit a top on the stove top? Not me that's for sure. I really wanted to try this recipe, however during the work week, this is not the type of meal that I could just make whenever I arrive home from work. So I thought why not make this in the crock pot. I have to say, that this has to be one of the best crock pot recipes that I'm made in a long time!

I was so pleased with the way that it came out. The beef came out so moist and jammed packed with flavor. I was so please with the way it came out in the crock-pot that I'm not even going to try to make in on the stove top, why mess with perfection.

Recipe source...http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/mexican-pot-roast-tacos-recipe/index.html (this is the stove-pot version)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

2 pounds beef shoulder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced (I like red onions)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon smoked cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 avocado cut into chunks
1 med tomato cut into chunks
1/2 habanero pepper minced
6 wraps
lite sour cream

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, onions, canned tomatoes, beef cayenne pepper, and cumin to crock-pot.

Let cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Beef should be fork tender and falling apart.

Remove beef from pot and using 2 forks shred beef into bite size.

TO ASSEMBLE YOUR BURRITO:

Take one wrap, and take a teaspoon of sour cream and spread on wrap.

Add shredded beef, and top with chopped tomatoes, habanero pepper, and avocado.

Wrap burrito and eat!

Tyler Florance's Ultimate Crab Cakes (Baked)

I'm just going to get to the point...I love Tyler Florance, and I know that If he was my husband my ASS would be ten times bigger than it already is. I have never made a Tyler Florance recipe that I did not love. Each time I make something I tell myself..."it can't get any better than this" and each time I prove myself wrong.

I know that I have said that his Prime Rib recipe is my favorite, but this crab cake has changed me. For now this is my new all time favorite recipe. I highly recommend trying it at least once, you wouldn't be disappointed!

Recipe source: Tyler Florance Ultimate (cooking channel)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely minced
1/2 green pepper
1 celery stock
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds jumbo lump crab meat
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fat free mayonnaise, (more if needed)
1 large egg white
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves, (I used less because I don't care for it)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of butter melted

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In a medium frying pan, add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of pan and heat.

Add the onion, peppers, celery, and garlic and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion gets kind of caramelized.

Dump that into a bowl and fold in the crab meat, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg white, lime juice, and cilantro, mixing just until well blended.

Season with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 6 fat crab cakes. Put them on a plate, cover, and stick them in the refrigerator to chill. (about and hour)

Heat oven to about 400 degrees.

Take crab cakes out of frig and brush the tops with melted butter.

Bake for about 20 minutes flipping crab cakes once.

After fully cooked turn oven onto broil and allow crab cakes tops to crisp, this will take 3-4 minutes.

Serve one a bed or salad, or with fresh lemon wedges

Hubby's Cole Slaw

About 2 weeks ago, a friend emailed me requesting that I bring Cole Slaw to her daughter's Birthday party. My 1st thought was, how are you going to email me and tell me what to bring. Then my next thought was I never make slaw, because I don't like it; how was something to bring it to a party?

After telling my husband about my dilemma,my husband (who will eat just about anything) said that we would have care of this. I was doubtful about this, but I agreed to allow him to make it, if it came out awful, I could always blame him. LOL!

I was going to skip posting this recipe, but the fact that it was so easy to make and the fact that everyone loved it really change my mind. I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much and everyone at the party did.

Like always happy cooking!


WHAT YOU'LL NEED
6 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot (about 3 medium carrots)
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

After shredding the cabbage in your food processor, combine cabbage and carrots in large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, sugar, salt and pepper.

Add mixture to cabbage and let chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Mud Pie Brownies

I've come to the conclusion that when I'm stressed I tend to cook and bake a lot more than usual. But today I'm baking up a storm because I'm actually trying to clear out my pantry of all the not so healthy items. You know the old saying...out of sight out of mind. =) Besides I own some people some treats.

I have to admit that I've been working my staff hard, and the month of June isn't going to be much different. So the game plan is to make sure that I keep everyone happy with a few home baked treats. The people that I work with are major goodies...even if the guys don't want to admit it. =) Monday is going to be one of those days where we are all running around, therefore I think it call for brownies.

Not just any brownies...it called for Tyler Florence's rocky road bars! This is by far one of the best brownie recipes I've found. I hope you all enjoy them as much as my staff will. Happy Baking!

Recipe Source: Tyler Florence

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

6 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup walnut pieces (I omitted this because because of a nut allergy)
1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup Carmel sauce (store bought works well)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a glass bowl, melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave on high for until the butter is just melted.

Mix it up to melt the chocolate completely.

Stir the sugar into the melted chocolate until dissolved.

Add vanilla and eggs.

Mix in the flour and salt just until combined.

Mix in chocolate chips and then spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Sprinkle the marshmallows and nuts evenly over the brownies. Stick it under the broiler for 2 minutes,until the marshmallows are light golden brown.

Allow to cool to room temperature. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the cooled brownies before cutting.

Cran-Orange Muffins

Being that both my husband and I are very busy and are always rushing to work, we are always looking for something easy and fast in the morning. Not only this tasty, but it's also healthy. Another added bonus is my toddler loves them.

I hope you all enjoy them as much as we do. Happy baking!

Recipe inspired by: Food network

1 cup cranberries (frozen work well)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened,
1 orange zested
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

Line muffin tin with liners and set aside

Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer.

Remove cranberries from the heat, and set aside to cool.

Drain excess liquid and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In standing mixer, cream the butter, orange zest, vanilla, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold the flour into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until just combined.

Fold in the cranberries. Do not over mix.

Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin.

Bake until golden brown,this will take about 20-25 minutes.

Cool muffins on a rack.

Grilled Porkchops topped with Sauteed Mushrooms

As part of my 24x24 dinner party, I had to come up with a main dish that I knew everyone would like. The idea was to make something that could easily be eaten in a Portuguese roll, or could also he eaten with a side like rice. I wanted to stay way from the traditional steak dishes. let's face it a grilled steak is a grilled steak in any type of cuisine. After pondering over this for a few hours, I thought why not make a nice pork chop with some sauteed Mushrooms.

As we all know Pork could at time end up being flavorless and dry. The best way to avoid this is by putting the pork chops into a brine over night and then seasoning them in the morning. Another thing you want to do is make sure that your pan is super hot. You want to make sure that you get a nice sear on your meat. If you put the pork on the grill to early, changes are your are going to end up with an over done dry piece of meat. What I love about this recipe is the fact that the pork chops come out so moist and are packed with flavor. This is by far one of the best pork chop recipe I have ever come up with.

Recipe source: myself

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
1/2 cups dry white wine
1 teaspoon paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cloves garlic minced
4 4-6oz pork chops about (1/2inch)
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8oz of chopped mushrooms your choice (we use the white stuffing mushrooms)
Salt and pepper to taste

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In large bowl, combine wine, paprika, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes blend well. Add garlic cloves.

Layer pork chops in single layer and then pour marinade to coat chops

Marinate for 6 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain pork; reserve marinade.

Pat pork chops completely dry.

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in large skillet.

Add pork chops, flipping chops occasionally so that the meat cooks and colors quickly and evenly.

Transfer and let stand.

Pour reserved marinade into skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping off any brown particles clinging to the inside of pan. and let marinade reduced.

Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil; and add mushrooms stirring frequently until mushrooms are soft and tender.

Once cook layer over pork chops and serve hot.

Enjoy!