Cookies 'n Cream Muffins

Mouths are happy when Oreos are involved.

 So, chop them up, stick them in a muffin and drizzle some icing on top for a no-fail treat. 

Cookies 'n Cream Muffins


1-3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cold butter
1 egg
1 cup milk
16 Oreos, coarsely chopped


Topping:
3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp sugar
5 Oreos, finely crushed
2 Tbsp cold butter
1 cup vanilla chips
1 Tbsp shortening


In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut in butter until crumbly. Beat egg and milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chopped cookies. Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. For topping, combine flour, sugar and crushed cookies. Cut in butter until crumbly; sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 400F for 16-18 minutes. In a saucepan over low heat, melt vanilla chips and shortening until smooth. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Cappuccino Muffins

These muffins didn't last long. Even the girls loved them. Of course, you can't go wrong when chocolate chips are involved, right? I found this recipe in the 2000 Taste of Home Annual cookbook.

Cappuccino Muffins


Espresso Spread:
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips


Muffins:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup miniatures semisweet chocolate chips


In a food processor or blender, combine spread ingredients; cover and process until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until serving. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir milk and coffee granules until the coffee is dissolved. Add butter, egg and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375F for 17-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve with espresso spread.

Do You Like Asparagus???

Matthew's favorite vegetable is asparagus. Growing up, my mom NEVER made asparagus. In fact, the first time I may have learned about this delicious vegetable may have been through VeggieTales. (Now that is sad.) Anyway, when Matthew asked me to prepare it, I was lost. So, I do what you do to any vegetable that you have no idea how to prepare -- I breaded it and fried it, of course. After a few meals of the same thing, I began experimenting, and searching out new recipes. This is, by far, our favorite! Matthew cut some asparagus from the garden tonight and I made Asparagus Pie. If you like asparagus, you will want to try this recipe. It has such a fresh, garden flavor, and is baked -- not fried!

Asparagus Pie

1/2 lb. asparagus

2 eggs

4 Tbsp butter, melted

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tomato, thinly sliced

1/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Steam asparagus for 3 minutes. Arrange in a spoke design on the bottom of a buttered pie plate. 

Beat eggs. Add butter and cottage cheese; beat until smooth. Mix in sour cream, flour, baking powder and salt. Pour on top of asparagus. Arrange tomato slices on top and top with cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Caramel Apple Muffins

I get a LOT of my favorite recipes from Taste of Home. So here is one of our favorite Taste of Home muffin recipes -- Caramel Apple Muffins. 

Caramel Apple Muffins

2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2-1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 cup chopped, peeled tart apple

12 caramels, chopped

TOPPING

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup quick-cooking oats

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, butter and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple and caramels.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

YUMMY Snickerdoodle Muffins

I can't even tell you how good these are. Think about it as eating cookies for breakfast, but getting away with it because it is a muffin!! 

Credit goes to eatmedelicious.com for this scrumptious recipe.

Snickerdoodle Muffins


2 cups unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/4 cups flour


1/2 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cinnamon, mixed together


Cream the butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated.


In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and nutmeg.


Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture.


Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely. Place muffin in muffin tin. Bake for 20-22 minutes in 350F oven.

Build a Cathedral Today!

My morning devotion time really spoke to me this morning, so I wanted to share it. It is from the book Breakfast with God, and is entitled "What Are You Doing Today?"


Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us. And the truth of the Lord endures forever. Psalm 117:1,2


In the Middle Ages a man was sent to a building site in France to see how the workers felt about their labor. He approached the first worker and asked, "What are you doing?"


The worker snapped at him, "Are you blind? I'm cutting these impossible boulders with primitive tools and putting them together the way the boss tells me. I'm sweating under this hot sun. My back is breaking. I'm bored. I make next to nothing!"


The man quickly backed away and found a second worker, to whom he asked the same question, "What are you doing?"


The second worker replied, "I'm shaping these boulders into useable forms. Then they are put together according to the architect's plans. I earn five francs a week and the supports my wife and family. It's a job. Could be worse."


A little encouraged but not overwhelmed by this response, the man went to yet a third worker. "What are you doing?" he asked.


"Why, can't you see?" the worker said as he lifted his arm to the sky. "I'm building a cathedral!"


How do you see your work today? Do you see it as drudgery without reward or purpose? Do you see it as "just a job"? Or, do you see your work as part of God's master design, not only for you but for others? Do you see yourself as a partner with Him in establishing His kingdom on earth?


How we regard our work may not effect whether a task gets done or not. It will, however, have an impact on the quality of our work and our productivity. The real impact of how we feel about a job lies in this: the more positive we feel about our work, the greater the satisfaction we have at day's end, and the less damaging stress we internalize. Those who see value in their jobs enjoy a greater sense of purpose.


Any job can be done with grace, dignity, style and purpose . . . you only have to choose to see it that way!

Random Snapshots

Get In My Belly, Chocolate Pudding Pie!

One thing I love to do is spend time in the kitchen. It works out great for Matthew because he loves to eat.  My mom has never liked to spend time in the kitchen -- that is no secret. Mom sent me off to college with skills, but cooking was not one of them. I don't think she even owns a cookbook! After getting married, my menu was very limited, and I have to say that Matthew is a very patient (and now a well-fed) man. As I deciphered recipes and tried new things every week, we now have so many favorite recipes that I can't fit them all on our monthly menu.

One thing I want to teach our children (yes, even Eli) is to prepare food. And, when I talk about preparing food, I am not talking about simply popping a frozen pizza into the oven or opening a can of soup. Sure, we do that from time to time, especially when we don't have much time to spend cooking. But, I want them to learn how to read and follow a recipe. So I encourage them to help with meal planning and preparation. 

Last week, while grocery shopping Megan asked if we could make a pudding pie. Simple enough for little hands to help, and delicious enough to be devoured by kids of all ages! So we backtracked through the grocery store and picked up the ingredients that we needed for the pie. Oreos, butter, Cool Whip and chocolate pudding. Megan chopped the Oreos and stirred the pudding. She pressed the Oreo crust into the pie plate. Then she layered the pudding and Cool Whip over the crust, and garnished the pie with delicate chocolate shavings. Mmmmmmmmmmm! 

Note to Megan's future husband: You're welcome!!   ; P

Making Rain

We are studying spring weather and talked about clouds and rain today. We made our own "atmosphere" in a glass, with shaving cream representing clouds. Then we dropped blue food coloring over the "clouds" and watched it "rain" down below. It was fun to watch as the blue color swirled in the water.

Reflections on Joy

Today, Megan was playing with Eli and instantly the giggles turned to tears. Megan was all dressed for dance class, in her cute leotard, and wearing a pair of tights. She was dragging around a balloon that was tied to a ribbon, and running around the kitchen table while Eli was watching the commotion. He waited anxiously each time she circled the table to run past him, with hopes that he would finally capture this mysterious toy. It was fun to watch, but more fun to listen to. The giggles were so loud and continuous. I was beginning to wonder how long it could go on, when Megan slid on the floor in her slick tights and smashed her leg into a planter that holds a potted plant. Instantly the tears poured out of her eyes as I assessed the damage. Fortunately, I think she will survive, with a nice knot and bruise to show for the incident. We both decided that running in the house in tights probably was not a great choice. 


The reason I share this story is that it made me think of how quickly the laughter in our lives can turn to tears, unless we have true joy in our hearts. I can recall times in my life when laughter turned to tears -- news of a tragedy, the loss of a family member, personal feelings of failure. What I have learned from these times is that happiness is temporary, and joy is much deeper. 


Joy is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit. If we have joy, we have evidence of God's spirit living inside us. Wow! Joy says that our spirit will not be defeated by a bad day. Our spirit will not yield to rudeness. Our spirit will not be crushed by hurtful words. Having joy doesn't mean always being happy about all the things that are happening in our lives. Of course, we will have troubles and we will hurt. 


In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord, always. I will say it again, rejoice!" I am sure Paul had some pretty rough days. He had adventures that I don't wish to experience, and as he writes this passage on joy, he is sitting in a prison cell in Rome, where he spent two years. 


If Paul can maintain joy in a dirty, dark, cold prison cell, then why do we sometimes struggle with joy? If you know someone who seems to have it all together, and nothing seems to rattle them, you may know someone who is filled with joy. Rest assured, they probably have their share of problems and have a good dose of bad days. Joy is a choice, and I choose joy. 


Heavenly Father, my King,
Today, I ask You to be fill me with Your Spirit. 
Teach me to love the unlovable.
Fill me with joy that consumes my thoughts.
Give me peace when I am anxious.
Lord, give me patience -- lots of patience.
Teach me kindness when I want to be selfish.
Remind me of Your goodness so I can share it with others.
Let there be no question of my faithfulness.
Let gentleness guide my words and actions.
And give me self-control to make wise choices.
Above all, let You be glorified through me today!

Sweet Megan

If you have a little girl, spring probably brings in daily bouquets of freshly picked flowers. It amazes me how thoughtful the girls are to pick me flowers and we often have several little arrangements brightening our kitchen. 

Random Shots

Math Game -- Addition War

Homeschooling is a lot of fun. I love spending so much time together, and the girls are usually eager to learn. What makes learning more fun is when we learn through games. So, to practice addition facts, Megan and I like to play Addition War. It is just like the traditional War, except we flip two cards at a time, adding them together to see who has the greater sum. I have to admit, Megan usually has the larger stack of cards, but that is fine with me. My intentions are not to win the game, but to watch as Megan sharpens her math skills.

Point . . . Tap

Emily and Megan have been taking ballet and tap lessons at Celebration School of Dance. They love their instructor (Ashley is great) and have had so much fun learning new dances. We are excited about their recital on 

April 29 at 2 p.m. at Charger Auditorium in Carthage. All the girls have worked super hard to learn their routines, so if you are around stop by for some great entertainment.

Ten Months and On the Move

I tried to take photos of Eli the other day and this is the best I got. One word to describe our sweet boy is ACTIVE!! I joke that his two hobbies are walking and eating. : ) Well, this was our first attempt for a photo with his blocks. I hope we get a better shot, but this may have actually captured this month quite accurately. He keeps me and Matthew and Emily and Megan busy all day long making sure he is not on the stairs again, but we are so thankful for a healthy little boy. 

Praise God for everyday blessings! 

I wouldn't change a thing.

The Henson-Robinson Zoo

A day off school for Easter "Monday" meant a day trip to the Henson-Robinson Zoo in Springfield. It is a small zoo, but a great size for little ones. Emily had fun chasing a peacock and taking photos. Megan enjoyed feeding the ducks and playing on the playground. Joshua liked feeding the goats. Eli, well, he just hung out. Here are a few shots of the zoo.

Joshua, Michael and Eli

Poor peacock that got chased by Emily

The "Peacock Chaser"

Sweet Megan

This looks like a statue, but is actually a live tortoise.

Emily with a hippo

Feeding goats

Dad with Joshua

Michael with Eli

Joshua liked feeding the goats.

Closet Readers

Ok, if you have children that LOVE to read, you may be able to relate to this post. I find the girls reading in the strangest places in the house. Wherever you can carry a book, you might find a reader escaping to a faraway place and time for another adventure, or learning about their "interest of the day." Here are our "closet readers" enjoying a fascinating book on wild cats. They are reading in my closet. Yes, among my shoes they are learning about tigers and panthers. With my scarves and belts as their backdrop, they are discovering pumas and bobcats. Odd behavior? Maybe, but they are in love with books and learning and I love THAT behavior!

 

Eli is learning to "smile" for the camera. It usually includes a goofy squint. : )

A Little April Fool's Day Mischief

For some reason, the girls LOVE pulling little pranks for April Fool's Day. They REALLY, REALLY love pranks. They talk about it all year long, but most of the pranks they want to pull on their Dad, and most of them I have to veto. Their ideas usually include nail polish and makeup to be applied while Matthew is sleeping. 

This year, we decided to play a little bit with mealtime. We made color changing jello. It looks like cherry, but tastes like grape. We replaced Matthew's glass of water with a glass of invisible Kool-Aid, and then served "miniature" breakfast foods for dessert. The girls had lots of fun, and the pranks were harmless. So, now, the brainstorming for next year begins. : )

All of these tiny treats are actually candy!
What a fun idea that we got from Clubhouse! magazine.