Parmesan Shrimp and Broccoli

Simply Delicious! 

And Freaking SO Easy! 

I have been on a one-pot dinner kick lately. So when I saw this recipe from damndelicious.com it made my whole evening and dinner was made! It just happened to also only take 35 min to prepare and cook! Not bad for a Thursday night dinner prep. I had this whole meal prepped and cooked before the hubby got home from the grocery store.

 **You do technically cook the pasta in a separate pot, however, I used left over precooked pasta so for me it was indeed a one-pot wonder!**

I'm all about kid friendly food and healthy eating and I do encourage my kids to eat whats made. I do my best to not make more than one meal at a time. So I did skim down on the spice factor a bit, and added broccoli.

If you are more of a spicy fan you may want to up the heat factor with the red pepper flakes.

From the look of my 13 month old I think I NAILED this one! 

GO MOM! :) 

Check out the recipe HERE! 

 

Muffin Magic

Mornings are always a busy time in my household. We are getting dressed, brushing teeth and packing backpacks. When it comes to feeding my crazy family its never easy to please them all. Everyone is grabbing 3-4 different things from the fridge, pantry and cabinets.  Needless to say variety is necessary in my house.

This week I was lucky enough to come across these little beauties below...looks like that Pinterest obsession really pays off. ;)  Not only do these muffins give me the opportunity to give each member of my family exactly what they like they were SOOO EASY to make also. EASY is something I strive for! You just have to follow the simple muffin recipe and add you own toppings and VIOLA you have as many different muffin flavors as you want. 

This recipe yields 12 standard size muffins. It does call for baking powder but as per usual my pantry was missing that. I used baking soda and cream of tarter to sub and they came AMAZING! Im sure the backing powder lends they same results though. 

ENJOY! 

Basic Muffin Ingredients

· 2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 tbsp. baking powder

· ½ tsp. salt

· ½ cup granulated sugar

· 1-cup whole milk (or whatever milk you have)

· 1 tsp. vanilla extract

· 1 large egg

· ¼-cup vegetable oil

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place muffin liners in a muffin tin.

2.     In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

3.     In another bowl, add the sugar, milk, vanilla, egg, and oil. Whisk to combine.

4.     Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined; batter should be lumpy. Do not over mix.

5.     Fill the muffin liners ¾ of the way up.

6.     Add your favorite muffin flavors/additions (fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, oats, etc.). **Remember to take a toothpick and push the additional ingredients down into the batter and swirl them around a little.**

7.     Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

~A Few Suggestions~

  If you are going to add a fruit that may be a bit on the bitter side,such as blueberries, think about maybe rolling them in sugar first or adding a little extra as you swirl and than again on the top just after baking.

 ***ADAPTED FROM The Wholesome Dish***

Chocolate Wafer Cookies

Yummy chocolate wafer cookies made with love and a 5 year old! These tasty wafers were so much fun to make and my son had a great time cutting out the cookies the next day!

Recipe via: Recipe Girl 

Yield: 8 to 9 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 30 min + chilling time

Cook Time: 18 min

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/07/31/chocolate-snaps/

Amazing Chocolate Brownies! Via Passion for Baking

Melted butter, dark chocolate, quality coco and vanilla....These amazing brownies are not just tasty, they are not just soft and gooey. These little hems are full of rich dark chocolate flavor and anyone looking to complete their chocolate fix should stir up these babies! 

This fabulous recipe is available at Passion for Baking. Thanks Manuela for posting these scrumptious chocolate pieces of heaven in English! 

http://www.passionforbaking.com/blog/2014/01/04/manuela-s-favorite-brownies/

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes

Its Tuesday and still early in the week to need a little something special in your day to bring a big warm smile to your face. So as fall is my most favorite season out of them all and always bring a smile to my face, I like to pay extra attention to everything it has to offer. From its color and it smells to the crops fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year. And one of the best things to get during this season is apples. Apples, Apples, Apples.... They are scrumptious all on their own but mix them with a little sugar and love and you have one heck of a desert. Now add in that I also am in love with donut, and not just any donuts but donut holes to be specific. I could eat them all day! Soooo Yummy! So when I saw this recipe for Apple Cider Donuts at Feastie.com I almost fell over, apples and doughnuts?! YES PLEASE! 

So here you go guys! 

ENJOY!

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes

Recipe adapted from Feastie 

makes 24 mini muffins or "donut holes" **

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used plain nonfat Greek yogurt)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• canola cooking spray
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, apple butter, vanilla extract, honey, apple cider, yogurt, and canola oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient mixture and whisk until just incorporated. Don't over-mix - a few lumps are okay. 
4. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, fill a 24-hole mini muffin pan with the batter; fill each hole only 3/4 of the way, or you'll end up with huge mini muffins (maxi muffins?). Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes and cool on a wire rack. 
5. While donut holes are still warm, melt butter in a microwave safe dish. Combine cinnamon and sugar in another dish. Using a pastry brush, very lightly brush a tiny bit of melted butter onto the top of each donut hole, then dip the top of the muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the donut hole in the cinnamon sugar to coat the sides and top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I'm Back and Ready to Get My Bake On!

Hello everyone, I know I have been gone for a few months...... But i'm back now and ready to post! I can't believe it's fall already. Its one of my favorite times, I just love all the smells and colors of fall but most of all I am in LOVE with fall treats!  

So In honor of the colder weather and pumpkin everything coming I will be posting a new fall treat every day with a new thyme every week. :) Next week i'll be kicking it all off with apples!

 It's apple baking time and I cant wait to see what I find. Apple are one of my favorite fruits to bake with. I know many of you think of apple pie as a fall staple during this season but lets add some fun and maybe a little twist on that and get our bake on! 

- See you all next week!

Mickey Mouse Cupcakes!

MEESKA MOOSKA MICKEY MOUSE!!!!!!!***** :)

Because  I love everything there is about Mickey Mouse and Disney! :) Just felling a little playful today. These cupcakes are so PURRRRTEY. Todays Awesomeness is brought to you by Crafty Confections on Flicker .