Muffin Style…..

Growing up Strawberry Shortcakes consisted of some little store-bought pound cake disk, strawberries and whip cream from a tub.

I wasn’t a fan.  

Then as an adult I learned about another type of Strawberry Shortcake that was made up of a yummy, crumbly biscuit top and bottom, strawberries that are coated in sugar and freshly whipped cream.

Hello Yumminess…

I make my biscuits in a muffin pan, so they have a nice shape and are easier to plate up for a fun breakfast or summer time dessert.

Here is what you will need:

Strawberries

• 4 cups of sliced strawberries.
• ½ cup of sugar.

Biscuits

• 2-1/3 cup of biscuit mix.
• ½ cup milk.
• 3 Tablespoons sugar.
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter.

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• 1 Tablespoon sugar.

Here is what you need to do:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice up your strawberries, add the sugar, give a good toss and set it aside.

In a large bowl mix together the biscuit mix, milk, sugar and melted butter.

Place a spoonful of the batter into each cup of a lined muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle each top with a little bit of sugar.

Whip up your heavy cream with vanilla and sugar.

And its time to assemble.

Slice open your biscuit muffin, plate the bottom of the muffin, add cream, strawberries with a spoonful of juice, more cream and…

Cap it off with the top of your biscuit muffin.

Enjoy  

xoxo

Jill 💜

I 💜 Breakfast…

Eggs Benedict is my all-time favorite breakfast meal and whenever I see it on the menu, it is almost a guarantee that I will be ordering it. With that said I love ordering it and definitely not making it. Spinning eggs in water is not my thing and actually seeing all the butter that goes into a hollandaise sauce is just too much for me to take. I like to once in a while pretend that sauce is good for me. 😉  So, when I am home and have a craving for a nice big hardy breakfast this is how I do it.

Here is what you will need :

• eggs.
• Canadian bacon.
• asparagus.
• roll of your choosing. ( I like onion rolls)
• olive oil.
• butter.
• salt & pepper.

Here is what you need to do :

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss asparagus with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes.

Get your griddle hot and melt a little butter on it. Time to warm up the Canadian bacon and fry up you eggs.

Make sure to sprinkle the top of your eggs with a little salt and pepper and use the griddle to warm up your asparagus if need be.

Toast your roll under the broiler and then its time to assemble.

Place the roll, bacon, asparagus and then top it off with your fried egg.

Break the yolks to use as the sauce and….

Enjoy !!!

xoxo

Jill 💜

Where have all the Cinnamon Scones gone???

My daughter and I just love us a cinnamon scone!! The only problem with this is that they are impossible to find at stores. We did have a good run for a while with Starbucks and Au Bon Pain, but that luck ran out and I was forced to come up with a recipe that would fill our cinnamon scone needs.

And I finally think I did it.

Here is what you will need:

Scones

• 2 cups of flour.
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar.
• 2 teaspoons of  baking powder.
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
• ¾ cup of cinnamon chips.
• 1 stick of cold cubed butter.
• ¾ cup of whole milk.
• 1 egg.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Glaze

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons of milk

Here is what you will need to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cinnamon chips.

Next, cut in your stick of cold cubed butter with a pastry cutter.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and give it all a good mix.

Empty the mixture onto your counter and form into a round disk. Try to be gentle and not work the dough too much. You don’t want your warm hands to melt the butter pieces that you will see throughout the dough.

Cut into 8 triangles and place pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Time to mix your powered sugar with the tiny bit of milk and get your sugar glaze ready.

Let them cool for just a minute and then spoon over the glaze.

We like our cinnamon scones warm with extra glaze for dipping. If you plan to store them, let them cool completely and then place them in an airtight container.

Hope you like them…

xoxo

Jill 💜

Seanie’s Home…

I just love bite sized food and turning any of my families favorites into them. My big guy is home from college and in need of some home cooked meals, so I thought I would have some fun and take one of his favs and turn them into a yummy side dish for him to enjoy.

Here is what you will need:

• 12 small red potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter – melted
• 6 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 slices of thick bacon – cooked and crumbled
• 2 green onions – sliced
• sour cream
• salt & pepper

Here is what you need to do:

Clean your small red potatoes and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, fry up your bacon, shred the cheese and slice the green onion.

When the potatoes are ready, slice them in half and brush them with the melted butter. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Top each potato half with cheese and place under a broiler until cheese is melted. Make sure to keep an eye on them, they are small and can burn quickly.

When the cheese is melted, top with crumbled bacon and slices of green onion.

I love to add a tiny dollop of sour cream to each and serve them up next to a nice, juicy piece of grilled skirt steak.

Yum 😋

Hope you like them….

xoxo

Jill 💜

A Love Affair with Mussels….

My love affair with mussels started exactly when my love affair started with my husband. 😉 He took me to a restaurant in the city named Spain and they brought a plate of mussels to the table that were covered with a tomato/onion vinegar mix that was so yummy and had me hooked from the moment I took my first bite. So, when I came across a recipe from my favorite 💜 The Barefoot Contessa 💜  from her cookbook ” How Easy Is That ” I just had to try it out and it has quickly become one of our new favorite ways to eat mussels. I did have to switch it up a bit to suit the fact that my husband and I are the only mussel lovers in the house, but if you want to make it for a crowd definitely go check out her recipe on foodnetwork.com.

Here is what you will need:

Breadcrumb Mix

• 3 slices of day old bread – cut into cubes. I like to use leftover semolina or ciabatta bread.
• ¼ cup of olive oil.
• 2 garlic cloves – chopped.
• 1 tablespoon basil.
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
• ¼ cup of pine nuts.
• Juice of 1 lemon.
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• ½ teaspoon pepper.

Mussels

• 1 bag of mussels.
• 1 cup white wine.
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Here is what you need to do:

Cut bread into cubes and toast in oven at 250 degrees until dried out and toasty.

Clean your mussels, making sure to discard any that are cracked or open and won’t close up when you touch them.

When your bread cubes are ready, add them to a food processor with the olive oil, garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon, salt and pepper.

Just wanted to share two of my favorite things to keep in the house, that not only work great in this dish, but a whole bunch of others.

Grind all the ingredients together and then set aside.

Next, bring the wine and olive oil to a boil and throw in your cleaned mussels. Give a good mix, cover and simmer until mussels are cooked and open. If there are any mussels that don’t open, pick them out and throw them away.

Toss in your breadcrumb mixture and give it all a good toss.

Serve it up in a big bowl with crunchy bread and a whole lot of napkins.

&…

Enjoy!!

xoxo

Jill 💜

My Favorite Muffin !!

Hand down 🙌  Morning Glory Muffins are my favorite. They are packed with a bunch of yummy ingredients that I just love and can’t get enough of. Making them mini size is so simple and a great way to keep your calorie count down and still feel satisfied.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour.
• 1 cup brown sugar.
• 2 teaspoons baking soda.
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
• ½ teaspoon salt.
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground ginger.
• ½ cup of sweetened coconut.
• ½ cup of raisins.
• ½ cup of walnuts.
• 1 cup of crushed pineapple.
• 1 tart apple peeled and grated.
• 2 cups of grated carrot.
• 3 eggs.
• ¾ cup of vegetable oil.
• 1½ teaspoons of vanilla

Here is what you need to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Next, prepare the ginger, coconut, raisins, walnuts, pineapple, apple and carrot.

Add them to the flour mixture and give it all a good mixing.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla.

Mix everything together, making sure that all the ingredients are nicely distributed throughout the batter.

Spoon batter into your well buttered/floured mini muffin mold fully. I just love when they come out with the little muffin tops.  Just make sure to butter/flour the top of the pan as well, so there is no stickage. Bake 15 – 20 minutes.

If you would like to make regular size muffins, just use liners and fill them ¾ of the way up and bake 25-30 minutes. You should get about 12 muffins from this mix.

 Pack them in an air tight container, so they are ready for you to…..

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill 💜

❄️❄️❄️❄️

 Perfect Dinner on a Chilly Night…

 ❄️❄️❄️❄️

Whenever it is really cold outside I always want a meal that is not only hardy, but has a little spice to it.  This Coconut Curry Shrimp dish has a bunch of spices that will warm you from the inside out and become a family favorite on those cold winter nights.

Here is what you will need:

• ½ of a medium sweet onion – chopped.
• 2 cloves garlic – minced.
• 1 heaping tablespoon of ginger – minced.
• 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes – juice and all.
• 1 can of coconut milk – unsweetened.
• 1½ lbs of large shrimp.
• 1 bag of fresh baby spinach.
• ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning.
• 1 teaspoon curry powder.
• 1 teaspoon garam masala – this can be hard to find, so if you don’t have it, substitute it with another teaspoon of curry powder and a ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon.
• 1 teaspoon cumin.
• ½ teaspoon turmeric.
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
• 1 teaspoon onion powder.
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• ½ teaspoon pepper.
• Cilantro – chopped for garnish

Here is what you need to do:

Saute your onion, garlic and ginger in a little olive oil for a few minutes.

Add in your diced tomatoes and coconut milk.

Give everything a good stir and bring together for a few more minutes over medium heat.

Time for some spice. Add in the curry powder, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Give it all a good stir and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, toss your shrimp in the ½ teaspoon of Cajun seasoning.

When the sauce has come to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and add in your shrimp.

Then add in the bag of baby spinach. Give a good stir and cook for 10 minutes.

Check to see if any more salt or pepper is needed.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro

and…..

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill 💜

Someone got fancy pans for Christmas….

😉

Small little cakes just make me happy!!  They make dessert easy to serve and look so cute on a pretty plate.  These decorative mini bundt molds make them ten times prettier in my book and work out  great with my favorite Chocolate Chip Hot Milk Cake recipe.

Here is what you will need:

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ cups of sugar
• 1-1/3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup of mini chocolate chips

Here is what you will need to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter and milk into a small pan and heat until you see a slight boil.

Meanwhile, add the eggs and sugar to a mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk until the egg/sugar mix has doubled in size.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

When the milk/butter mixture is hot, remove from heat and add in the teaspoon of vanilla.

With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the hot milk mixture and then spoon in the flour mix and blend until the batter is nice and smooth.

Mix in the mini chocolate chips by hand.

Pour batter into your well buttered/floured molds. The chocolate chips will head to the bottom, which is what you want.

Bake:

Mini Bundt pan – 20 -25 minutes.

Regular Bundt pan – 50-60 minutes.

When the cakes are done, let them cool in the pan for a bit and then flip them over onto a cooling rack.

The chocolate chips form a perfect top layer, that not only make the cake look great, but eliminates a need for frosting.

❤️Hope you love them❤️

xoxo

Jill 💜

Almond Joy Style…

I don’t know what it is, but when I wake up in the morning and take that first sip of coffee, I immediately start to crave something sweet to go along with it.  I hate starting my day and diet off on the wrong foot, but if I’m being honest I have to admit that I have grabbed that bag of Oreos on more than one occasion.

But..

That all changed when I learned about a basic recipe for Breakfast Cookies that can be switched up with different types of healthy ingredients to keep everyone happy and on the right track each and every morning.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of quick cooking oats
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup of almond milk
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Today I am making the cookies in honor of one of my most favorite candy –  Almond Joys – so I added…

• ½ cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• ½ cup of shredded coconut

Here is what you will need to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mash up your ripe bananas with a fork.  Mix in your oats, egg, almond milk, honey and vanilla, making sure to get everything nicely combined.

Next add in the chocolate chips, almonds and shredded coconut (or whatever fun ingredients you have up your sleeve).  Give it all a good mix and make sure that all the extras are nicely distributed.

Spoon batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Let them cool completely and….

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill 💜