Our Favorite "Guilt Free" Weekend Breakfast

I discovered a fat free muffin that is really quite good. I have only ever found them at Winco, but I'm sure that once you find them you won't be disappointed.

While the muffins are good on their own, I knew they could be SO much better. I made a "crumble" for on top. I sort of eyeball it but it consists of about 1 cup sugar, half cup brown sugar, as much cinnamon as you'd like, a tablespoon of flour and 1/2 tablespoon better which ends up making each muffin less then .5 grams of fat per muffin. If you choose to, you can add a little more butter and it makes the tops crispy. SUPER yummy! I combine all "crumble" ingredients in a bowl and squish them with my fingers. I tried the whole "cutting" technique with 2 knives and I tried using a fork but ultimately I like the result I get with my handy dandy fingers.

I then spoon a spoonful of the crumble on the muffins before baking. I also don't use cupcake liners in my pans when making these because it seemed like they stuck every single time. Such a waste of a good muffin when you have to spend your Saturday morning peeling little tiny pieces off of the liner. 

Here is the finished product. I used just half tablespoon butter on these so they didnt get crunchy on top...just crumbly.

Mom-in-law's 65th birthday gift!!

So this project wasn't in the kitchen but I had a BLAST putting it together. My MIL was hitting the big 65 today and Joe and I were at a loss as to what to get her. So, trying to think outside the box, I decided to make her a "Senior Citizen Survival Kit". I knew that she would enjoy the laugh and get a kick out of it. Here's what it included:

• A big pair of clown glasses~to help you see things far away
• Magnifying glass~to help you see things up close
• A bag of rubberbands~to give you flexibility
• Starbursts~for a "BURST" of energy
• Tylenol~for your aches and pains
• A fan~to keep you cool
• Fiber bars~to keep you "going"
• A bag of kisses~because we love you
• A jar of baby food~to help you adjust to softer foods 
• Toothpicks~to keep your eyelids open after 7:00 pm
• Denture cleaner~for that dazzling smile
• Red hots~to put the fire back into your life
• A whistle~for when you've fallen and can't get back up
• A fly swatter~to keep away the things that bug you

I labeled each item and put it in a shoebox sized tote (all except the fly swatter, it didn't fit) and decorated it with shapes and letters I cut out with my Cricut. I then tied a big bow around the whole thing. Here are the pictures I took of each item. I forgot to take a picture of the fly swatter and didn't realize it until after I had put it in a gift bag and stuffed it with tissue paper. Oh well.

Barbeque Chicken Sandwich

Tonight I decided to make BBQ Chicken Sandwiches for dinner but wanted to do something different. Neither Joe or I are big chicken fans so I knew I would have to do something spectacular to spice it up. As I began searching online I came up with the perfect sandwich. I needed, rolls, chicken, cheese, BBQ sauce avocados,

onion, turkey bacon, buttermilk and a few other ingredients I could find in my pantry.((Sorry, I didn't take pictures throughout the process so you will have to forgive the after pictures with missing pieces!!))

I started by slicing an onion on my mandolin so they were super thin. I then placed them in a bow and covered them in low-fat buttermilk making sure all the onions were covered. Next I cooked the turkey bacon. Then I sliced the chicken down the middle to make it thinner. I then used Emeril seasoning (because it was the first thing I saw in the cupboard) on both sides of the chicken. I cooked the chicken the in the same pan I cooked the bacon in. When the chicken is finished cooking place slices of cheese on top. We choose colby, but you can use whatever type you like.

                   

While the chicken was cooking I smooshed up 3 avocados (probably could have gotten away with just 2) and got my oil ready to go. (I used a candy thermometer so I knew when the oil reached 375.) I probably should have started the oil a little earlier so it was hot and ready to go. Oh well, it all worked out. When the oil was ready I took the soacked onions out of the bowl and put them in a larger bowl that had 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon, salt, and pepper and chili powder to taste. I made sure to fully dredge the onions and then placed a few at a time in to the oil.

                      These are the finished onions "crispies"

 It was then time to assemble the sandwiches. We toasted the bread, lathered both sides with barbecue sauce followed by avocado, a piece of chicken, a handful of onion crispies and a couple pieces of turkey bacon. 

Tah-Dah!!! I must say this was probably the best chicken sadwich I have EVER and at home or at a restaurant!!

Pioneer Woman Maple Cinnamon Rolls

On Monday I checked in on good ole Bakerella and she had made some mouth watering cinnamon rolls that she had seen on Pioneer Woman's website. I wanted to make them but really had no good reason to make them other then the immediate growl in my stomach that began once I started scrolling through the pictures on their blogs. So, when I found out my brother and sister were heading down to LA I headed out to purchase everything I needed for the cinnamon rolls to be delivered to family down south! Ahhh...PERFECT! I could make the full recipe on Pioneer Woman's website and keep just one little pan here for Joe and I. I must say they came out DELICIOUS! The maple icing really sets these apart from regular cinnamon rolls!

I was a bit bummed at first because, as I often do, I read through the directions once and just got to it. I skipped the part about letting the rolls rise before putting them in the oven to bake. In my opinion they came out a bit flat and unattractive but what they lack in looks they make up in taste. I would DEFINITELY make these again!!

Happy Easter

Today for Easter we are heading to my brother and sister-in-law's house. We decided on Grandma Jean's chicken salad ((YUM)) which I made last night because it always tastes better the next day and I made a cheesecake for dessert. The cheesecake was super easy! I of course got the recipe from Martha. Here is the link Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake. I didn't have any raspberries in the house but I did have a bag of frozen mixed berries so I just used those.

 Here is a picture of the basket that the Easter Bunny left for Joe...

Wishing everyone a wonderful Easter!!

Bake-a-thon!

Yeah for spring baking!! I got my first order for cookies so that started the extravaganza. A friend from work ordered Easter cookies that she actually was going to use as place cards ((such a cute idea))

So, since I was already baking I decided to make cookies to send to my family and friends in Southern California.

...and while those were drying I made chocolate covered oreos for work

but then I remembered I had a breakfast potluck on Friday and decided to bake a lemon coffee cake.((emailed to me by my friend Martha....yes Stewart!!))

It called for an angel food cake pan which I didn't have. So, thanks to mom and her clever ideas, I used a cake pan and placed an empty can in the center. I filled the can with dried beans so it would stay in place. I must say, it worked REALLY well!!

Add to this a triple batch of dog treats and I am all baked out!!