Simple Yet Gourmet

Updated 10-19-21: These muffins have been a family favorite for almost a decade, but over the years I've made some changes that not only make them easier to make, but more delicious and healthy! I figured it was time to put my version on here.  Hope you like them as much as we do!   Here's another great fall muffin recipe!  I was really pleased with how these turned out.  I made them for breakfast when my parents were visiting and they loved them!  I was surprised that my Dad liked them as much as he did.  I didn't think he was really a muffin kind of guy, but he was really complimentary about them.  These muffins take a little bit more preparation than most, but as always, the end result is worth it.  A spiced pumpkin muffin with and ooey, gooey center and a streusel topping is a great breakfast treat!

Ok, ok, I know we've already posted quite a few pumpkin recipes, but I just have to share this one with you.  After eating at Einstein Bagels and tasting their pumpkin cream cheese I fell in love and decided to make some of my own.  I played around with it a little and came up with a delicious little spread.  It's not exactly the same as Einstein's but I think it's just as good.  We love this on bagels, but it's great spread on other things too.  I spread it on graham crackers for a snack at Mommy School and the kiddos went crazy for it!

My kids are into crepes right now!  They love them with jam, fresh fruit, and powdered sugar.  This lemon cream filling was a wonderful treat for breakfast.  It wasn't to sweet or tart, just right, and with fresh fruit on top it made for a great breakfast. After breakfast, we had some of the cream left over so we used it as a fruit dip, yum.  I liked the idea of a fruit dip that wasn't so sweet.  It was a nice twist from the fruit dips I have used and seen in the past.  Hope you enjoy this no matter how you end up using it!

Up until I was introduced to the delicious Red Berry Risotto Kirsti posted about a year ago, I was unfamiliar with Risotto.  I fell in love with the creamy texture of the rice so when I came across this recipe I knew I needed to try it out.  Unlike the Red Berry Risotto, this dish is a savory side dish that is wonderful with just about any kind of meat.  The lemon flavor combined with the creamy texture makes this dish nearly irresistible. One of my new favorite sides! Lemon Risotto modified from Giada's Kitchen 5 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons) 3 Tablespoons butter 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons 1/4 cup cream cheese salt and pepper to taste 2 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley In a medium saucepan, bring the broth and 1/4 cup lemon juice to a simmer.  Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat. In a medium, heavy saucepan, m...

With Valentine's Day this week I decided to post a yummy treat you could make your family for this special day. Strawberries are everywhere for the holiday so I decided to make a Strawberry Tart with them!  The strawberries I found were beautiful and super sweet.  The recipe called for a chocolate ganache on the bottom of the tart,

One of my favorite cakes happens to be carrot cake.  These cookies are just bite size treats of an old favorite.  The recipe has you making these into sandwiches, but I liked then with just one cookie, frosted.  Like carrot cake, these cookies are better the second day, but great warm out of the oven as well.

These cupcakes are beyond delicious!   Divine is how my sister Becky described them.  I served these at her Bridal Shower on Saturday and everybody loved them!  I honestly think they are the best cupcakes I have ever eaten .  I'm not the only one who had that opinion either :) These are a chocolate lovers dream.  Here's the rundown.  A Lindt Lindor truffle is baked in the center of a rich and very moist devils food cupcake.

These delicious little morsels were a hit at the baby shower.  The raspberry puree added just a small amount of raspberry tanginess which nicely complimented the sweet and creamy cheesecakes and gave them a beautiful marbled look.  I loved that they came in a cupcake form, making them easy to eat!  These were not too complicated to make, but I definately suggest using a water bath while baking them.  Annie said she didn't use one on hers and didn't think it made a difference, however; I made two trial batches without the water bath and the cheesecakes fell in the middle both times.  I finally wised up and tried them with a water bath and they turned out perfectly!  It was so easy too.  All I did was put some water in a cake pan and placed the muffin tin over that.  Easy schmeezy.  So try them out.  If you like cheesecake, you'll love these!

Pam and I had a wonderful time cooking together over Thanksgiving, so you will benefit from all the new recipes we decided to inflict upon our families! Our family tradition is to always have a bunch of appetizers in the early afternoon to hold us over until the turkey is done. Pam found this yummy cheese ball recipe to share, which was a hit! With all the holiday parties coming up I thought many of you might like to give this a try. This was a hit with everyone that day and my kids continued to eat it the next few days until it was gone. Enjoy, we did!

As promised, here is my new treasure. Once October hits, I want to make anything with pumpkin or apples. This recipe is one that I will continue to make over and over again. They are fast, easy and yummy! I love the filling for these. Instead of melting out the bottom, it melts slowly and stays in the roll, perfect! Enjoy these melt in your mouth gems!!