Morning Glory Muffins

It’s spring break, and it snowed.  I know March is typically the snowiest month here, but there’s something crazy about being on spring break and seeing fresh white powder outside. 

It is pretty though.  And, it made for a great backdrop for watching Frozen.  Have you seen it?  I LOVED it.  So much so, I watched it twice yesterday – once with my adorable little sister and once with my husband.  Perfect. 

Just like these muffins.  Delicious and so enjoyable, you’ll reach for a second.  Maybe not as spring-like as these Cranberry Orange Zest Muffins, or with as many veggies as these Apple Carrot Zucchini Muffins, but they are perfect for a snowy morning, or to enjoy alongside your viewing of Frozen!  

Morning Glory Muffins – Adapted from Mom

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 C sugar
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 C unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 C grated carrots
• 1 medium apple (tart, like Granny Smith), grated
• 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 C raisins
• 1/2 C flaked coconut

Directions

Mix together 2 1/3 C white whole wheat flour, 1 C sugar, 3 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. baking soda and 1/4 tsp. salt. 

In another bowl, combine 3 eggs with 3/4 C applesauce, 1/2 C olive oil and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Then, combine the dry ingredients and stir well. 

Fold in the grated carrots, apple and pineapple.  Stir well.  Toss in raisins and flaked coconut. 

Using an ice cream/cookie scoop, fill lined or lightly greased muffin tins until they are 2/3 full.  This recipe will fill 24. 

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes; check for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins in the middle of the tray.  When the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are ready.  Cool in the pans for 5 minutes. 

Cool to room temperature before serving. 

Enjoy! 

Sweet Citrus Punch

It’s always a treat to provide overnight or brunch guests with a nice morning beverage, besides coffee.  I find that whenever we serve eggs, I crave an orange-juice based beverage; does anyone else experience that? 

For a brunch a few weeks ago, we made this sweet citrus punch, which was a recipe that caught my attention from Liz and her husband over at Pocket Change Gourmet.

This punch combines orange and pineapple juice along with sparkling lemon water for a delightful breakfast beverage. 

Sweet Citrus Punch – Adapted from Pocket Change Gourmet

Ingredients

• 1 can frozen orange pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 3 C cold water
• 1 bottle, sparkling lemon flavored water

Directions

In a juice container, mix together the orange juice concentrate along with the orange pineapple concentrate. 

Add 3 cups of cold water.  Stir until the concentrates are dissolved. 

Chill the beverage until ready to serve. 

To serve, fill half the glass with the orange pineapple mix, then, top with the lemon sparkling water.  Give a quick stir and serve, either on ice, or without. 

We served this morning beverage in wine glasses for an extra special treat. 

Enjoy!

Kitchen Tip: Slicing Pineapple

The pineapple is part of the Bromeliad family – and the pineapple is pretty much the only edible member of this botanical family. 

Pineapples are a “mutliple fruit”, which means that many flowers were fertilized and together they form one giant fruit.  This means, that each section of the pineapple produced flowers – sometimes these beautiful purple flowers can reach a count over 200 on one pineapple! 

I had the priviledge of seeing pineapples up close on their parent plant when I traveled to Ecuador.  There was nothing like it. 

Do you enjoy a good pineapple?  We certainly do… but cutting it can be quite the task!  Here’s what I’ve learned about how to slice one:

Start by grabbing the vegetative part of the pineapple that is growing off of the top.  Twist the stem and …

it should pop right off!

Now, slice the top off and start skinning the thing – slicing the outer layer off. 

Now, you have a clean pineapple.

Next up, slice the pineapple down the middle.

Then, slice a few more times until you have sections that are about bite-size in width. 

Slice the center out of each segment, just like this:

Then, slice the strip horizontally into bite sized pieces. 

If you don’t plan on eating all the pineapple within a day or two of slicing, only prepare half of the pineapple.  Leave the other half with the exocarp still on (the outer skin), and wrap it in plastic wrap, storing it in the fridge until you are ready to eat it.  You’ll buy another 3-4 days on the life of your pineapple that way.

How do you cut your pineapple?

Pineapple Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Our garden is overflowing the rhubarb right now!  And, strawberries are just about in season here too.  So, combining this veggie and fruit with sweet pineapple made for a delightful {and easy} dessert!

Fruit Kabobs

For Easter, my mom made us a special treat -- fruit kabobs that you self assemble from this adorable watermelon fruit basket!  

It was a fun afternoon treat to enjoy the skewers filled with a variety of fresh fruit.  Something different for a change -- would be a hit at a party or even for a fun snack with kids (or adults who happen to be big kids).  

Fruit Kabobs

Pineapple

Kiwi

Grapes

Cantaloup balls

Strawberry

Watermelon

Other fruit as desired

Wooden skewers

Dice all the fruit into large 1-2 inch cubes.  Strawberries and grapes likely don't need any other prep than to be taken off of the stems and for strawberries, removing the tops.  

Place all the fruit in a large bowl.  If desired, carve out a basket from a personal-sized watermelon.  Then, allow each person to build their own kabob.  

Serve fresh and enjoy!

Linked to: What's on Your Plate, Works for Me Wednesday

Orange Slush

This "orange slush" is a summer must! My mom has been making it for as long as I can remember.

 One batch lasts all summer long (and then some) - so make it early, stick it in the freezer and enjoy!

Orange Slush - Mom                                                              {Print Recipe}

2 1/2 C water

2 1/2 C sugar

2 cans frozen orange juice

3 C pineapple juice

2 C real lemon juice

1 bottle of club soda

Boil the water and sugar together; cool. Then, add cans of OJ, pineapple juice, lemon juice and club soda. If you wish, you can toss in a little vodka too. Freeze the slush in a large ice cream pail.

To serve, thaw the slush about 30 minutes before serving. Fill a glass 3/4 of the way with slush. Then, add ginger ale to fill the glass up. Serve with a spoon, or a straw, and get ready to watch the smiles.

This post is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday
• Tuesday Tastes
• Delicious Dishes
• URS: Cool Foods

Spring Break Pineapple Pancakes

I wish I were headed off to some warm destination for spring break... but, at least the sun is out here!  To celebrate the re-appearance of the sun, I made a tasty spring break pineapple pancake!



A delicious, fruity breakfast ... yummy!



Pineapple Pancakes - SnoWhite

1 1/4 C wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 C honey
1 T applesauce
1 egg
3/4 C carrot puree
1 C milk (+ more if you like thinner pancakes)
16oz crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)

Topping
8-16 oz. crushed or pineapple tidbits
1/8 C pineapple juice
1 T butter
cinnamon, to taste


In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.



In another bowl, mix together the carrot puree, honey, applesauce, and egg.



Then, add in the pineapple - either tidbits or crushed. This should be drained -- reserve the liquid/juice!



Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, adding the milk until you reach the desired thickness.



Preheat your griddle to 350, and pour the batter onto the hot griddle using a ladle.



Cook until bubbles form around the edges - then flip.



Meanwhile, melt 1 T butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in pineapple.



Sprinkle with cinnamon and add in reserved pineapple juice.



Heat until warmed...



Then, serve the sauteed pineapple over the pineapple pancakes.



Enjoy the little taste of the tropics!



This post is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Collen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Lemon Blueberry Dump Cake

Frog Prince made me a fun twist on our traditional dump cake ... a lemon blueberry version!  Yummy.

Lemon Blueberry Dump Cake - Frog Prince

1 pkg. lemon cake mix
1 bag frozen blueberries (about 12oz)
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
3 T butter, thinly sliced

Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.

Place blueberries in the bottom of the baking dish.



Pour crushed pineapple over the top of the blueberries.



Sprinkle the cake mix over the fruit.



Then, lay the thin slices of butter over the top.



Bake at 350 for about 1 hour, until butter is melted, the cake mix is lightly browned, and the fruit is bubbly.



Enjoy!