Nearly Guilt Free Chocolate Muffins

Nearly Guilt Free Chocolate Muffins This is so easy, we have been making these a lot. I like them because they have the vitamin A and fiber from the flax and pumpkin and the chocolate that my kids love. We have made these a lot so far this summer because they are easy to grab and go. I had heard of making these with spice cake mix, but never the devil's food. It's been a new favorite around here. 1 box devils food 1 16 oz pumpkin puree 1/2 c flax meal 1 c mini chocolate chips Mix cake mix and pumpkin together with a hand mixer or kitchen aid...mixture will be thick. Add chocolate chips last. Spoon into greased muffin tin. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Roast Chicken and Artichoke Pasta Dinner

If you are a fan of ordering the famed Spinach and Artichoke Dip when you go out to eat, here is the meal for you. Although it's not the healthiest meal I've ever made, it's really not to bad with the light mayo and is great paired with a salad! We tried this meal recently and everyone in the house gobbled it up. Roast Chicken Artichoke Pasta 1 lb roast chicken, chopped 24 oz. artichoke hearts, cooked, drained, quartered 1 lb. penne, cooked and drained 2 c spinach (optional) 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 cups Parmesan, grated (to taste) 1/2 cups, olive oil or light mayonnaise 4 oz light cream cheese Splash of milk if needed to thin out sauce Juice from 1 lemon Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped Cook pasta according to directions on package. If you want to add spinach, toss fresh spinach in the boiling pasta water the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain pasta and toss with all other ingredients. Serve warm!

Ham Loaf

I can not believe that this family classic is just now making it's debut on the food blog. This is an Easter meal in our family that I have fond memories of. I hate to even post a picture because this is for sure the ugly step child of main dishes. The trickiest part of this recipe is getting the nerve to ask the butcher to grind your ham and you may get a dirty look or two because they have to clean the machine before and after to do this, but for this Stewart family classic it is worth it. My kids ate this meal for the first time and they all loved it's sweetness and texture. It's a great meal and really takes ham to a whole other level!!

Loaf Mixture

1 lbs ground ham
3/4 lbs ground pork
1 egg
1/2 cup cracker crumbs (crushed saltines)
1/2 c milk

Purchase you meats at the store, you should be able to buy ground pork in the meat case, and the ham you will purchase in a small ham "roast", then have the butcher put it through the grinder like I talked about. Tip... go to a "customer friendly" grocer. You will have better luck at a high end grocery store then you will asking them to do this at Walmart.
Mix all ingredients together and shape into loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. Poke holes in meat with a skewer to allow glaze to distribute in the meat. Set aside while you make the glaze.

Glaze Mixture
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c vinegar
2 t prepared mustard (Dijon)
1/2 c water

Bring all ingredients to a boil in small saucepan. Boil 5 minutes. Pour mixture over meat.
Cook in loaf pan 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mustard Sauce
(Make earlier in the day)
1 beaten egg
6 T vinegar
1 T flour
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 T water

Heat ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat. Heat and Stir until thickens. Take off of heat pour into small bow and cool completely in the refrigerator.
Then fold in
1 c !!Whipped!!! Whipping cream
2 T sugar

Refrigerate mixture until ready to serve as a dollop on top or to the side of ham loaf.

Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese Pasta

Photo and Recipe from BigOven.com

4 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Mizithra cheese; shredded
6 ounces Spaghetti
Cracked pepper

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.
While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the butter over medium heat; the butter will froth a bit, and then start to turn a nice golden brown. Let the butter cook until it is a light caramel color. Set aside.
Drain the pasta.
Carefully pour off the butter into a small dish, being careful to leave behind the solids that have settled to the bottom of the pan.
Mix the butter, spaghetti, and most of the cheese (save some to sprinkle on top).
Garnish with remaining cheese and Cracked pepper to taste. YUMMY!

Crockpot Marinara

Photo courtesy of Budget Bites

I've always wanted to try marinara sauce in my crock pot and I surfed around looking for the perfect recipe. This one caught my eye because it included two of my favorite ingredients that many of the other sauces did not include. Balsamic Vinegar and Brown Sugar! I was not disappointed, this sauce will darken and caramelize the flavors as you cook it over a long period of time. It was excellent. I served mine with a browned butter and mizithra cheese pasta kind of like my own "Managers Special" at Spaghetti Factory. It was AMAZING! Enjoy this recipe from Budget Bites with my notes.

INGREDIENTS
2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes (I used whole and then pureed my sauce at the end)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves fresh)
2 whole bay leaves
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
to taste salt & pepper

STEP 1: Cut the onion into a small dice and mince the garlic (or use pre-minced garlic from a jar). Place both in the slow cooker. Also add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, basil, oregano, and freshly cracked pepper. Stir well to combine. If your slow cooker tends to lose moisture and dry things out, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water as well.

STEP 2: Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs. (I read from other websites that some people prefer to cook their marinara with the lid off, so I did about half and half. I guess when you leave the lid on, the marinara can get watery.)

STEP 3: Remove the lid on the slow cooker, stir the sauce, and remove the bay leaves. Season with salt to taste (I added about 1 tsp). Enjoy over your favorite pasta! (I also pureed my sauced at the end with an immersion blender to give it that smooth consistency.)

Now how easy was that? You can also try adding other ingredients like sliced mushrooms, Italian sausage (cook separately and add to the sauce after it has cooked), crushed red pepper, olive oil (for a richer sauce), bell peppers... the sky is the limit.

Red Velvet Waffles

Ok, so I wanted to try a fun Valentines Day breakfast. I researched some online recipes and found that many red velvet waffles were time consuming and people complained of a rubbery texture...ew. This one appealed to me because it was easy but I wasn't expecting too much. Wow was I ever wrong!! These had the perfect red velvet flavor, a moist, cakey texture with a light crunch on the outside! Perfect for a special day, shower, or a brunch. I will be impressing guests with these for years to come. Try it!!!!!

Serves 6

2 c baking mix (I used Jiffy Baking Mix, but you could use Bisquick)
1 1/4 c milk
2 eggs
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/4 c sugar
1 T red food coloring
1 t vanilla
2 T melted butter

Mix together dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients adding the melted butter last. Scoop onto hot and lightly sprayed (with cooking oil) waffle iron.

Top with the following options:
Cream Cheese Butter/ REAL Maple Syrup
---To make Cream Cheese butter use equal parts softened butter and softened cream cheese stir together and dollop onto warm waffle.

Or Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz cream cheese softened
3 T butter softened
1 t vanilla
1/4-1/3 c milk
2 c powdered sugar

Mix and stir until you reach a desired consistency...you want it to be thicker than a glaze but still thin enough to drizzle and spread.

Low Fat Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am huge muffin fan and when I saw this recipe on "For the Love of Cooking" I knew I needed to try it. Pretty impressive since she says her young daughter came up with the recipe. Except for one thing...my version is modified to make them healthier and tastier! These have a great chocolatey wholesome flavor with a hint of banana. I will absolutely be making these over and over again! Try it this weekend!

Chocolate, Banana, and White Chocolate Chip Muffins:
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking
Adapted by me...

1/4 cup of butter, softened
1/4 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed up
1 cup of flour
1 cup oat flour (measure one cup quick oats in blender and blend until a course powder forms)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips plus additional for topping
1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, yogurt, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend 1 cup quick oats in blender until a course powder forms, then dump into batter. Add 1 flour, baking soda, and salt. Add mashed bananas. Stir in white and milk chocolate chips. Spoon into greased muffin cups. (I used jumbo muffin tin)
Press additional white chocolate chips onto top of muffins if you want to improve the aesthetics.
I got 6 jumbo muffins and 2 regular size out of this recipe. Cook the jumbo about 6-8 minutes more than regular size.
Regular muffins bake 20 minutes
Jumbo 26-30 minutes