apple pie muffins

Xavier was asking for apple pie the other day and while I wasn't up for making a pie, I found this recipe for apple pie muffins.



They were easy as pie...ha ha. Seriously, they were easy. The boys favorite part was adding the crumb topping to the muffins.



Apple Pie Muffins
FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
•½ cups Packed Brown Sugar
•1 cup All-purpose Flour
•¼ cups Melted Unsalted Butter
•1 teaspoon Cinnamon

•For Muffins
•1-½ cup Packed Brown Sugar
•⅔ cups Vegetable Oil
•1 whole Egg
•1-½ teaspoon Vanilla
•1 cup Buttermilk
•2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
•1 teaspoon Baking Soda
•¼ teaspoons Salt
•2 cups Diced Peeled Apples

Topping:
In a small bowl, toss together crumb topping ingredients until crumbly. You may need more flour to get a good crumble. Set aside.

Muffins:
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and wet ingredients (brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, buttermilk) until smooth.In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt. (I don’t have a sifter, so i just fluff/mix it up with a fork.)
Stir oil mixture and flour mixture together.Fold in apples, mixing just until combined. Batter will be a bit runny, but that’s okay.Spoon into greased muffin cups or use liners, filling 3/4 full. (The easiest way is to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup.)Sprinkle topping over evenly. (It’s easiest to use your fingers.)

Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and the tops spring
back.

I subbed out half of the white flour for whole wheat and made my own buttermilk using vinegar and used yogurt for half the oil. Next time I will cut the sugar just a bit. I meant to do it this time but I had helpers and got distracted:) Someday I will tackle a good crust, but until then I have these muffins:)

mini chef.... a special collection of recipes

This post is a special collection of recipes all from Xavier. He created them himself. He asked me when his recipes were going to be on the blog so here goes:)

This first recipe is not so new with the ingredients but the approach is what makes it so interesting!

Nuked Cheese and Bread
2 slices bread
2-3 slices cheese

Sneak the bread bag open very quietly so mom won't hear you messing around in the kitchen. Do the same with the cheese unwrapping it carefully so the plastic wrapper doesn't give you away. Place the cheese on one slice of bread...the more the better and place the remaining slice on the other slice of bread. Fold the sandwich in half because you know better than to use a knife. Slide a chair from the kitchen table over to the microwave. Place folded over sandwiches inside microwave stacking them on top of one another. Start pressing buttons until the microwave turns on. You know it is done when mom comes into the kitchen and starts hollering about what is in the microwave and how long has it been in there?!?


Doesn't that look yummy and melty?

Banana Smooshy

1 banana
1 spoonful of jelly/jam of choice
dash of cinnamon

Slice one banana with a butter knife and place in bowl. Place one spoonful of jelly on top and sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon. Smoosh it all together with a spoon. Holler at your brother for reaching for the first bite when you wanted to try it first!






Special Blueberry Drink

This drink was created as a result of being extremely thirsty after a family day at the pool. It was composed on the car ride home and later dictated to mommy. Here it is verbatim.

It is a very special drink. Sugar. We need sugar. A few blueberries, then a little sugar. Fill a glass like this full of water (gestures with hands to a full glass). And this big with ice (gestures with hands to half a glass). Then just add some little chocolate chips. You have to squish the blueberries to get them juicy otherwise it just tastes like water with ice. Add maybe 3 spoonfuls of sugar. Stir the drink. And then you just taste it. When I make it, I say YUMMY.

***this drink was created exactly as written minus the sugar and chocolate chips:)***

A big thank you to Xavier for sharing his recipes with us!

mmmm... my kid's favorite dip

Mmmm. Hands down the most requested thing in the house by the kids. White Dip. Well, that is what we call it. It is actually a cream cheese fruit dip. So good and so very easy (the easy part even actually makes it even taste better)!! Mom made this for us as kids and we called it Caramel Apple Dip....it does taste close to caramel apples and it is certainly less hassle. I have made it hundreds of times. If you have come to my house for one thing or another I'm sure you have had it!


Fruit Dip aka White Dip


8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 small jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Use electric mixer for best results. Serve with cut up fruit. Green apples are the boys favorite with this dip.

I use neuchatel cheese which is a light cream cheese.


Here is Xavier "testing" it for me to make sure that it is as good as he remembers it to be.




Yup! It sure is!!








I am really behind on posting new blog entries but I will catch up soon , I promise:)

These are some of my **favorite*** recent pictures of Xavier. I really {heart} them!!!

Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins

Is this thing on????

I thought this would be a fun way to stay connected with family and friends. I think I will post photos, recipes and maybe some of my projects. One of my goals in this new year is to actually make something from the cookbooks that I have been collecting!

My good friend Shannon got me a subscription to Everyday Food, one of Martha Stewart's magazines for my b-day. Thanks Shannon! I have already made 3 things from it! On Saturday morning Xavier helped me make these muffins. It was very easy.... except for the "helping" part. Here is the recipe.

Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter (I used 1/4 cup butter & 1/4 cup canola oil)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, with a mixer beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork; stir in milk and vanilla. With the mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour; mix until just combined. Fold in frozen blueberries. Divide batter among lined muffin cups. (mine made 14, I used large bananas and my helper wanted a few extra blueberries). Bake 25-28 mins. (Nutrition info. per muffin based on 12 muffins: 9.2 g fat (5.3 sat. fat);4.4 g protein; 32.3 g carb; 2.6 gram fiber) ***note by cutting the butter and replacing with canola you cut down on the amount of saturated fat. 1/2 cup butter has 58 grams of sat fat vs. 1/2 cup canola oil has only 8.5 grams sat. fat.......I bet you could make these with all canola and not really sacrifice much flavor:)

We thought these were good. Xavier ate 3 and Dax ate 2! They were not as sweet as a commercial muffin. If you like a sweet muffin, increase the sugar a tad or use super ripe bananas. Did you know you can freeze a banana in the skin? It is true... just ask my mom. They will turn really dark in the freezer but they are great for baking. I usually peel mine and put it in a bag though because I don't want to deal with the peel later.

Mmmmm...muffins

Testing to see if it is cool enough!