An Apple a Day

I am such a muffin lover. I could eat muffins all day long and I almost always make a couple different types of muffins every week.  They are great snacks, fast Breakfast options, and well they can even be dessert at times.   One of my favorite recipes is from The Sisters Cafe blog.  Check out their blog if you haven't yet...they have so many fabulous recipes.  The delightful muffin recipe is for their Apple Muffins.  I make this once a week and there are never leftovers (except some crumbs).  Seriously, to die for and easy to make! Enjoy :)


Apple Muffins

Ingredients:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
½ c. chopped pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ c. packed brown sugar
¼ c. canola oil
2 large eggs
1 c. natural applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ c. low fat buttermilk
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces (Sometimes I add more, just 'cause I like lots of pieces of apple in them.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup brown sugar with the pecans and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, combine ¾ c. brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.
Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk until just combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pecan mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Makes ~20 muffins.

Trader Joes, I Heart You.

I have been on hiatus mode.  I don't know why except for one little excuse:  Life gets freaking busy! So I apologize, I will be better about blogging.  I swear.  I do have a few excuses though, and I am sure you can all relate that when;

* The husband was working 24/7 (which means I was in single mommy mode), life gets crazy.

Baby daddy.

* Spring break for Mr. Delicious (aka no break for mommy), life gets crazy.

* Nasty Cold (think Rudolph-red  nose, sniffle central, and blood shot eyes).  On a bright note, my voice did however sound pretty raspy and sexy. My hubby liked it. life gets crazy.

I told you it wasn't a pretty picture.  And please excuse our messy playroom and my 2 inch roots ;)

Ok, enough of the blabbering.  Here is the reason for my post.  Simply put, I have an extreme love affair with Trader Joes.  Where else can you go grocery shopping for some awesome organic produce, score fun and unique treats, and all the while your little munchkins are perusing along side you with their own little cart and balloon in tow?  I love it.  My boys love it.  It makes for a happy shopping experience for all.  Boo-ya.

So, with that being said, I am on my way to this phenomenal Grocery store this afternoon, so that I can make some fabulous Greek Gyros tonight.  Oh, by the way, remember when I said I wish I was Italian ? Well, I also wish I was Greek. If you haven't yet noticed, I am sort of bi-polar and it has been brought to my attention more than once, that I seem to want to live several different lives.  True.  Who doesn't wish they were a cat with 9 lives?!  I certainly do. That would awesome. Artist in NYC, Hippie in SoCal, Fashion Designer in Paris...
So yes, I would love to be Italian and also Greek.  Remember the movie "Mama Mia"?  I wish I lived in a house like that over the crystal blue water in Greece.  Ah-maz-ing.

Greece

Anyways, this awesome recipe was emailed to me as part of this recipe exchange thingy (thanks Bekah).  I thought I would share. Enjoy.  I know I will. Oh, and if you love trader Joe's as much as I do (thank goodness my husband knows that Trader Joe's is a grocery store and not a real man named Joe...) than you need to pick this up: It won't disappoint and you will love me for sharing this with you.

Find it Here :)

Greek Lemon Chicken Gyros

Lemon Chicken (place in Ziploc overnight)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 4-5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
Pepper/Onion Skewers
Sweet mini peppers (Trader Joes sells a bag of yellow, red, and orange)
Wash and cut off tops
Chop a red onion into chunks
Add peppers and onion to a bag with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic

Marinate for up to 12 hours.  Skewer.


Taziki sauce (best made one day ahead to let flavors blend)

1 C sour cream
1 C plain Greek yogurt
Juice from 1 large lemon
1 T minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 mini cucumbers grated

Mix together, refrigerate.

Heirloom Tomato relish

Trader Joes heirloom tomatoes
About 10 tomatoes cut in half
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Let blend for at least 20 minutes


Grill Chicken Breasts and pepper/onion skewers. Serve sliced chicken in a Trader Joes flat bread (or wheat Pita) with grilled veggies,Taziki sauce, tomato relish and fresh spinach.  Enjoy!

I wish I was Italian

On my kitchen counter sits her... Giada De Laurentiis.  Not really her in the flesh (although she could probably fit on my counter, she is tiny) but her newest cookbook "Giada at Home".  P.S. Did I mention that I met her in Chicago and she gave me this cookbook and signed it?!  No I am not kidding and yes, I was star struck.  She is as lovely and charismatic in person as she is on TV, which made me even more jealous of her seemingly endless perfection. I wish I was Italian.  

How totally phenomenal would it be to have a secret family recipe from your old Italian grandmother for the most delicious Marinara to have ever been created?  I really do daydream about these things, I told you I am a foodie and obsessed....don't say I didn't warn you.  Ok, so there she sits all proud and beautiful just screaming from the counter "make a new Italian dish for dinner tonight"!  I have given in to the pressure of all things Italian and have vowed to make a new Italian dish from her book at least every 

other week.  I am a sucker for Italian food and her recipes in this book are very easy to follow and needless to say, worth salivating over!  If you are in the market for a good Italian recipe book, get "Giada at Home" from Giada De Laurentiis.


Ok, so now on to more deliciousness (is that a word?!  I really do have a problem with creating words, so excuse me ahead of time for the new vocabulary).  I love Farfalle Pasta, it is cute, pretty and very versatile.  I make this roasted Garlic and Tomato Farfalle pasta dish about once a week because it is fast, easy, and delicious...even Bentley loves it!  It is my own recipe that I have adapted and I hope you enjoy it.


Roasted Garlic and Tomato Farfalle 
Ingredients
1/2 box of Farfalle Pasta (I use the Barilla Farfalle Plus, because it has added Omega-3 and Protein).
2 cups (or more if you prefer) Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
1 can whole black olives (make sure they are not sliced)
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Italian Cheeses (Mozzarella and Parmesan)
1/2 cup Fresh Italian Parsley
Fresh Basil Leaves
3 Fresh Garlic Cloves

Directions
In a large pot, boil and salt water and cook pasta per directions on box.
While Pasta is cooking, press and mince three fresh Garlic cloves and saute in about 1 Tbl. of the Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.  Add the tomatoes and olives and simmer on low until the tomatoes and olives are tender and soft.  Add the fresh Parsley and several fresh Basil leaves to the Tomato mixture and set aside.  Drain the Pasta, reserving a little pasta water (this makes the sauce more consistent).  Drizzle some Extra-Virgin Olive Oil over the hot pasta to coat and toss and pour the Tomato mixture over the pasta and toss again.  Add the cheese and toss one more time till everything is mixed.  Serve immediately and enjoy!
 **I like to serve mine with fresh, crusty Garlic-bread**

Hungry yet?!