Keeping with the healthy trend...Yum Yum Brownie Muffins

I am not sure how many times I have said I LOVE sweets. I think I could really eat them everyday and every meal. I especially love frosting. When eating cake or cupcakes I always tend to eat the cake part first than the frosting. It is so sugary and sweet...yum!

Hopefully I didn't make you run out and buy a tub of frosting to eat out of the tub, not that I ever would...

Since I am health conscious and I know that I cannot eat sweets all the time, I really do try to find ways to have my cake and eat it to. For today's recipe I turned to Hungry Girl for her Yum Yum Brownie Muffins. First it is super simple, second there is only two ingredients and third when I heard about these I wanted to try them because I really wanted a cupcake.

The only two ingredients that you need are a chocolate cake mix and a can of pumpkin NOT canned pumpkin pie.  Now you make think that this is going to taste like pumpkin, but nope, no pumpkin taste at all. Please keep in mind that there is sugar in the cake mix so there will be sugar in the cupcakes themselves. I believe Betty Crocker has a Sugar Free cake mix, but I have not tried this recipe with that so I am not sure if that will work or not.

The only thing I would have done different is maybe added some mini chocolate chips in it because I felt like it needed something a little more. You can also get fat free cool whip and put a dollop on top which would be really good also.these do come out super moist and have a texture mix between a cake and muffin. While still these might not be as healthy as a chicken breast, its a nice way to enjoy a cupcake/muffin with a little guilt.

Recipe from Hungry Girl

Ingredients/recipe 
1 (18 1/4-ounce) box devil's food cake mix 
1 (15-ounce) can 100-percent pure pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 400.

Mix the cake mix with the can of pumpkin, whisking to remove any lumps. The batter will be thick. Pour into 12 foil cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean.

Let cool and enjoy!

these are the stats from Hungry Girl:  PER SERVING (1 muffin): 181 calories, 3.5g fat, 357mg sodium, 37g carbs, 2g fiber, 20g sugars, 2g protein

New Year’s Resolutions and a Turkey Egg and Cheese Bake

Hello everyone! How’s it going? 

I was thinking today about being healthy, saving money, and New Year’s Resolutions. Have you made any Resolutions this year? I would like to say I did, but I really didn’t. In my mind I made a list of things I need to take care of such as; getting ready for taxes, cleaning my room, cutting coupons and many more. What I also planned on doing is practicing the piano again because I used to be very well at it. Many of the things I planned or thought about haven’t been done.

What about you? Are you following your New Year’s Resolutions or are you planning on getting things done that need to be taken care of?

A few other goals I am trying to set for myself are food goals. I want to bake more bread and learn how to decorate cakes. These are just some of my food goals that I hope to accomplish. 

So enough of goals and resolutions (and if you do have any stick to them, you  can do it!) let’s talk food.

How does a really good BLD sound? BLD if you don’t know is a Rachael Ray term for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. I saw this recipe in her Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine months ago and though it sounded delicious. It’s a Ham, Egg and Cheese bake. It is soo simple your kids can do it with a little help. This is a really nice breakfast and healthy. It has yummy English muffins on the bottom topped with ham, eggs and cheese. You cannot go wrong with that in my book. I made a few changes to make it slightly healthier but pretty much kept it the same. I really hope you guys try this one. 

This is right before you add the extra cheese, omg I could have eaten this than!

Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients/recipe

• 4 to 6 whole wheat English muffins cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
• 8 ounces sliced deli turkey, coarsely chopped
• 2  cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cups milk
• Salt and pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

.

Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 13x9 baking dish. Layer the English muffins on the bottom top with, ham, 1 ½ cups cheese and 2 tablespoons chives in the dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour into the dish and top with the tomato slices in an even layer.

2.      Bake the eggs until nearly set, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 1 tablespoon chives on top and bake until golden.

I cannot tell you how much I love this dish and how good it is. It is also very changeable and you can do almost anything you want with it.

I hope you try this and like it. Enjoy!

You wanna Pizza me?!

Hello everyone! So I really don’t know what made me choose that title, maybe it was the cranberry wine, or maybe it was me being my silly self. How has your weekend been so far? Have you cooked anything major for dinner or breakfast? This morning I made homemade waffles, OMG so good. I cannot wait to share that recipe with you, I’m so excited!

Did you see my awesome new header? It was designed by my best friend Nancy. So a MAJOR Thank You to her! I love it. It’s very much me in so many ways. Thank you again.

I have talked about making pizza dough before and how I like to throw pizza parties where everyone brings the toppings and I make the dough (which you have to try it is so much fun!) so I thought about sharing another pizza dough recipe. This lovely recipe comes from Brown Eyed Baker, one blog I talk about a lot.  I loved this dough. It was soft inside and had a nice crisp crust outside. I didn’t have a pizza stone so I baked it using my normal pizza pan. I left it in a tad longer to make sure the dough was crisp on the bottom. I also used 2 cups of whole wheat flour to bump up the fiber and to be a little more heath conscious. 

For the toppings I went Hawaiian style and used Canadian bacon and pineapple. If you decided to go with this topping, just top to your liking. So good, so good. If you have never tried it, try it you might like it.  Here is the recipe for the dough, and top which every way you like and try the pizza party you might just enjoy it!

Proofing

rolled out and ready to top

bake away pizza

I really wish I had left overs

yum-o

You can't really tell, but the crust is crisp

Ingredients/recipe

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker Basic Pizza Dough (go here to see how to mix by hand and for original recipe)

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting work surface and hands
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for oiling the bowl

1. Measure warm water in a measuring cup and sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast proofs about 5 minutes. Add the room-temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

2. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until it combines. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

3. Cut dough into thirds and save one half for later. Heat oven to 475 (I do not have a pizza stone). Let dough rest for about 10 minutes. Roll out dough into the shape you want and lightly brush EVOO over the top. Top with whatever toppings you like and put in the oven and bake between 9-13 minutes. If the topping is cooking to quickly cover the top with tinfoil. When the cheese is bubbly and brown to your liking, take out of the oven and let rest for a few minutes and cut into pieces and enjoy!

I LOVED this pizza dough. I have been looking for a pizza dough that I really enjoy and this is it. I loved the crisp crust and the soft inside. This pizza was delish and I hope you have time to try!

Enjoy!

2011 a Year in food

So I am jumping on the band wagon and listing some of my favorite foods that I cooked in 2011. Granted I haven't posted as much as I would have liked, but I still had some good food that I want to share again before we jump into the new year. Here we go.

Egg Frittata

This was my first food blog of 2011. This recipe is so good and easy. Try it for a brunch.

Since we are talking breakfast, why not try my homemade iced coffee

Iced coffee

In August I learned how to make homemade Ice Cream with two ingredients. It is amazing, simple and delish. A must try.

Homemade Ice Cream

Bacon Cheeseburgers. You really can't go wrong. Plus a side of grilled veggies, yum-o.

Bacon Cheeseburgers

A healthy Clam Chowder. Get on your New Years resolutions with this!

New England Clam Chowder

Black Magic Cupcakes. To die for!

black Magic cupcakes

A change up to your chicken dinners

Chicken Saltimbocca

My favorite bar from last year...Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies! Thank you Betty...Betty Crocker that is!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

There you have it. A few of my favorites from 2011. There was still quite a few more recipes that I made and enjoyed. Check them out if you have time. Thank you for following Matts Delights and keep checking back for more!

P.S Don't forget to check out my latest food post.  Pesto Chicken found here!

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!!!

How is everyone doing this New Years Day? To be honest I haven't done much besides a little shopping and snacking on left over cookies and candy. I have so many exciting things to tell you and show you that I don't know where to start except for with food of course! I have a really nice, light and healthy dinner that is pretty inexpensive.


I tend to cook a little leaner after the holidays only because I eat sooo many cookies and sweets during the holiday's. I still love my sweets though, everything in moderation right?

Just recently a good friend of mine told me they had type two diabetes. Diabetes is nothing new to me as it runs in my family. This is why I really try to watch my sweets even though a cake could be a meal for me lol. I know that diabetes is controllable with the right diet and working out. I do work out quite a bit and wishes everyone would workout for a mere 30 minutes a day. It can include a walk, run or lifting weights, whichever you prefer. It really just helps the body, mind and soul. That is just me.

This meal goes out to my friend. I hope everyone can enjoy this meal as it is balanced and simple.

Pesto Chicken with White Beans and Broccoli

 Feeds about four

Ingredients:

Four chicken breasts
1 jar of pesto, (any brand you like or homemade)
2 cans of white beans
1 bag of frozen broccoli or fresh whichever you prefer
Dried or fresh thyme
garlic powder
onion powder
salt and pepper

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and coat with pesto. Note: You will not use the whole jar of pesto, you will use about two tablespoons for each chicken breast. Bake in oven about 350 for about twenty to twenty five minutes or until an oven thermometer reads 170. If the pesto is getting to dark cover with tin foil.

While the chicken is baking, drain and rinse your beans.  Place in a small pot and heat through with a pinch of salt and pepper and about a teaspoon of dried thyme. Cook until heated through about 7-8 minutes.

Within the last ten minutes of baking the chicken breast, microwave the broccoli or steam it. Add salt and pepper to taste and a tsp of garlic and onion powder.

Once the chicken breast are done, take out and let rest. Put on a plate and enjoy!

I hope this New Year brings many joys and dreams come true and also good times, because if you are like me I love to have fun and laugh. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays from Matt's Delights!

Hello Everyone!!!!

I know its been awhile since I last posted, but I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Mine was fantastic. I visited family, cooked a ton and laughed a lot.

As for the holiday baking extravaganza..I did it and it was fantastic! I made a ton of different cookies and bars and will be sharing which ones I made very shortly.

I am checking in and will be posting very soon. Enjoy your day and keep checking for recipe coming up!

Butter Pecan Cookies-so easy!

Hello. How is everyone doing?  I’ve made two cookies on my holiday extravaganza list. So far I am going good, and different from what I normally do. So exciting! 

 I wanted to wish everyone a great weekend and if you are doing any baking I have such an easy cookie you can make. If you like soft and moist cookies this is the one for you. And the best part of it all it only takes four ingredients, but you can add more if you would like.

Cake Mix Cookies. Yes that is right cake mix cookies. For me it’s a little bit of cheating, but sometimes its nice to take a shortcut, especially during this busy time of year. This is what you need

1 Box of Cake Mix (any flavor you feel)

½ cup of oil

2 eggs

Yep. That’s it. That’s all you need. Now the fun part. You can mix in anything you would like to this. Do you want chocolate chips? Add them. Want nuts? Add them. The possibilities are endless. Here are my Butter Pecan cookies. (I actually got the recipe from my Grandmother. This is her favorite type).

Ingredients 

1 Butter Pecan cake mix

½ cup of oil

2 eggs

Place all ingredients in a bowl. Mix until combined. Bake in a oven preheated to 350 for 8-10 minutes.

I added Christmas sprinkles to mine. These are buttery and delicious and easy. Enjoy!