Monthly Archives: November 2011

Cinnamon Chip Muffins

Need something quick and easy to make for breakfast? These Cinnamon Chip Muffins are very simple, festive, and can be made in 20 minutes. This recipe uses biscuit baking mix, vegetable oil, milk, an egg, sugar, and cinnamon chips which are all mixed together quickly in one bowl. The chips melt slightly as the muffins bake creating little pockets of cinnamony goodness in every bite. What’s better than the aroma of cinnamon wafting out of the kitchen first thing in the morning? If you don’t like cinnamon chips, chocolate chips could be easily substituted here since the batter itself is basic. If you’ve been consumed with what to make for Thanksgiving dinner and haven’t given any thought to what to offer overnight guests for breakfast, don’t stress. Grab a bag of cinnamon chips and a box of Bisquick while you are at the store and give these a shot. Warm cinnamon muffins with a spread of butter and a cup of coffee sound like a perfect morning meal to me.

The ingredients:

In a mixing bowl, combine biscuit mix, sugar, egg, milk, and oil.

Fold in the cinnamon chips.

Spoon batter into a muffin pan lined with muffin liners or sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake at 400°F for 15-18 minutes.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Hershey’s Kitchens

Apple, Ricotta Cheese, and Pecan Pizza

I admit I’m a basic, plain cheese pizza kind of girl and probably never would have tried this Apple, Ricotta Cheese, and Pecan Pizza if it weren’t for a restaurant in Philadelphia called Pizzeria Stella. Stella makes a pistachio pizza – yes pistachio! – and I kid you not, it is one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had and (gulp!) there isn’t a tomato anywhere in sight. Before trying the pistachio pizza, I might have ordinarily passed by a pizza with apple, pecans, and arugula but not this time. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this. The original recipe called for goat cheese (which I think tastes the way a dirty sock might taste, bleh!) so I swapped that out for ricotta cheese. I like the contrasts in this pizza – smooth ricotta and crunchy pecans, sweet apples and bitter arugula – which help to keep the dish interesting. The honey-mustard dressing on the arugula provided an added tasty flavor to each bite. If you aren’t an arugula fan, I think you’d enjoy this even if you left it off but I’d recommend keeping the dressing. If you’re still not sure about this kind of pizza, I’ll tell you I wasn’t at all sure about a pistachio pizza either. Now…I dream about it.

The ingredients:

Arrange apple slices over the pizza crust.

Top apples with ricotta cheese and fresh thyme.

Bake for 8 minutes in a 450°F oven. After the pizza has cooked, top with pecans.

While the pizza bakes, prepare the dressing by mixing olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Pour the dressing over arugula and toss.

When pizza has finished baking, top it with the arugula salad. Slice and enjoy!

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Part-skim ricotta cheese for goat cheese
Boboli for six-grain pizza crust
McIntosh apples for Fuji

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Caramelized Onion, Gruyère, and Bacon Spread

If you like caramelized onions and need a tasty appetizer for any of the upcoming holidays, consider Caramelized Onion, Gruyere, and Bacon Spread. This creamy dip can be spread on crackers, crusty bread, or crisp vegetables. Onions are slowly sautéed until soft and golden brown before being mixed with gruyère cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, and bacon. I used light mayonnaise, fat-free sour cream, and turkey bacon in this dish which helped to lighten it in calories without sacrificing any flavor. I really like the addition of the chives in this dip – I just wish I liked onions more. Before I started this blog, I usually either left onions out of a recipe or used shallots instead. I’ve come a long way since then and cooked onions don’t bother me as much anymore but this dish was a little too ambitious for my taste buds. Don’t get me wrong, this is a tasty dip. Just make sure you like onions.