Broccoli, egg, and cheese muffin cups

I love breakfast.  I really love it when someone makes it for me.  However, most days I am the one making breakfast.  Peyton and I really like having eggs.  I needed a way to make eggs as easy as possible.  Enter, the muffin tin.

A little bit of prep work, and you can have breakfast, or lunch or dinner, ready for the whole week.  After baking, keep these in the fridge, then just microwave for one minute and you're set.  You really don't have any reason to skip breakfast anymore.

I received some awesome gadgets from OXO and put them to use for this recipe.  My favorite has been the 3-in-1 egg separator.  It fits right on the bowl, has an elevated ridge for cracking, and separates the yolk from the whites with ease.

I added broccoli and cheese to my muffin cups, but you can make them however you like.  I think next time I'll try adding some ham and maybe green peppers.   This recipe made 6 muffins, but you can easily double to make 12.  I added toast and fruit and the meal was Peyton approved!

Broccoli, egg, and cheese muffin cups

2 cups broccoli florets (about one head of broccoli)

4 whole eggs

2 egg whites

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare muffin tin with cooking spray or baking papers.

Steam broccoli in a medium pot of boiling water for about 6 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  In a large bowl combine eggs, egg whites, milk, shredded cheese, and salt and pepper.  Fold in broccoli.  Pour into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full. I sprinkled each with a little extra cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until each muffin turns light brown.  Serve immediately.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.    Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 1 minute.

Now you can have breakfast in no time!  

I received these OXO products as part of their blogger outreach program. Opinions are all mine.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

We have been having some amazing weather here in Seattle!  80 degree temperatures in May?? That's pretty shocking for us here.  These cookies go perfectly with this summer-type weather we have been having. Citrus treats are just summery treats to me.  Not to say I wouldn't eat a dozen chocolate chip cookies in the summer, I just make a little extra room for citrus. 

I made these cookies for my Bakin' Friend last month.  These cookies have a great lemon flavor and are dusted with powdered sugar for that little extra sweetness.  This is a cookie where you could be in danger of eating the whole batch.   They are light, sweet, and just the perfect little treat.  I imagine eating a lot of these this summer...I think you will too!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

from Lauren's Latest

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again until all ingredients are combined.  Add in all dry ingredients except the powdered sugar and mix slightly more. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate.  Grab a heaping teaspoon of dough, roll into a ball, and roll in powdered sugar.  Repeat with all remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until dough is set.  Allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack to completely cool.

Think you can commit to these cookies this summer?  You won't be sorry.  They'd be perfect to bring to all those summer parties you'll be attending.  They'll definitely get you some invitations to come back.

Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

Here we are in May already!  May is one of my favorite months.  The days are getting longer, and somewhat nicer.  I have lots of friends who have birthdays in this month. Peyton was born in May.  Cinco de Mayo is also a highlight of the month.   I love how people look at it as the perfect excuse to drink Coronas and margaritas and eat tasty food.  You know that is my kind of day.

Chilaquiles is known as the traditional hangover food.  Typically served at breakfast or brunch and often with eggs.  My interpretation is a casserole and includes chicken.  This is another dish that you can easily customize to your taste.  Vegetarian? Leave out the chicken.  Add some beans for extra protein.  Toss in those eggs and serve at breakfast time.  For garnish I used guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo.  Have a fresh salad on the side and there is dinner. I fried my tortillas, but you could simplify and use tortilla chips.  Of course, don't forget your favorite beverage to wash it down!

Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

8 small corn tortillas

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken, of course)

1 cup corn, frozen or fresh

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

14 ounce can diced tomatoes

19 ounce can enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese, such as cheddar or monterey jack

8 small corn tortillas

1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Preheat oven to 400.  Prepare a 2-quart casserole dish with baking spray.  

Cut tortillas into strips.  I used a pizza cutter for easy slicing.  In a medium skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat.  Fry tortilla strips in batches for about 30 seconds.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

In a large skillet, cook onion, garlic, corn, and the full can of tomatoes about 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Transfer to a bowl and add chicken. Stir to combine.  

Place a layer of tortilla strips in the bottom of your casserole. Then top with the chicken  mixture, half the can of enchilada sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.  Repeat each layer one more time.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes.  Casserole should be bubbly and cheese should be melted.  

Add your favorite garnishes and enjoy!

This would be the perfect dish to make for Cinco de Mayo.  It is completely no fuss and will feed a crowd. The flavors are delicious and you can make it however you like.  Oh, and this can be prepared with an 11-month-old baby holding onto your legs, crying and wailing....or so I've heard.  Pass the tequila.

April Bakin' Friends

Yes....I received all that from my Bakin' Friend this month!  The secret ingredient was lemon, and I received not one, but three different lemon treats!  Valerie totally spoiled me! This month was really fun because Valerie sent treats to me, and I mailed treats to her! However, I only mailed her some lemon cookies!!  Note to self...do more baking next time!

Valerie sent me lemon fudge.  This was so light and flavorful.  It reminded me of something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I tried several pieces trying to figure that out.

Lemon zucchini bread with lemon glaze.  The glaze was my favorite part.

Chex Lemon Buddies.  Look how she packaged these in adorable little bowls!  I can't wait to use these for ice cream!

This was such a fun month!  As soon as I opened this box I had to smile.  Valerie added so many fun things to her delicious treats.  I really appreciated all the extra effort she went to!  If you haven't signed up for Bakin' Friends yet, you should go ahead and do that now.  You never know what you might receive!

Eleven months of Motherhood

My little baby....just trying to grow up so fast.  Gone are the days of sitting for these monthly photos.  There are too many things to climb, throw, eat, discover.  Each day we hit the ground running and it's a pretty full 13 hours.  She maximizes every minute.

Yeah...big month.  She has heard JT every single day since the CD came out....I'm pretty sure she is singing along.  We love music.   Dancing and singing all the time.  I do my best to entertain her with my dancing....she usually laughs at me.  If you have little ones around I hope you expose them to music.  Babies and kids are so responsive to music.  I'm always surprised when I sing a song from our music class and P responds.  It's already ingrained in her little memory.

We climb stairs.  We climb stairs a lot.  She used to have a tough time and now it is second nature. You may be able to see that she has a toy in her left hand.  She loves to carry things wherever she goes. I guess I'll be getting her a purse soon.  Stair climbing does kill a lot to time in our day and it's amazing to see how much stronger she has become.

Swinging has become our new favorite.  It's so fun to see how much joy she gets from this.  I see a lot of time at the playground in our future.  Looking forward to a fun-filled summer. We're always looking for new activities to fill our days.

We love looking at books and catalogs.  I hope this translates into a love of reading and books.  I've always loved reading and it would be fun to see her enjoy that also.  She now has six teeth!  The top four just came through so quickly.  My guess is she's just about 20 pounds.  For as much as she eats, I'm surprised she doesn't weigh 60 pounds! It's pretty amazing to look back and see how much she has grown.  We're spending a lot of our time planning her big first birthday party!  I keep thinking back to this time last year and how I was enjoying my last few weeks of pregnancy.  Seems like a lifetime ago. Life has definitely changed.

Chicken Enchiladas

Mexican food is one of my favorites.  To me it is just so satisfying.  I really can't think of a Mexican dish that I don't like.  Plus, I love margaritas.  These enchiladas are super easy to whip up and will definitely satisfy your Mexican food cravings.  Just in time for your Cinco de Mayo festivities!

These enchiladas are made with chicken, but you could easily make these vegetarian.  I almost always use rotisserie chicken when I'm making a dish that calls for chicken.  It is so easy and such a time-saver. Since we're making an easy dinner, I used canned enchilada sauce.  Feel free to make your own, but this tasted just right to me!  For added flavor, I toss in corn and bell peppers.  Of course, don't forget the cheese!

Chicken Enchiladas

2-3 cups cooked chicken

1 small diced onion

1 bell pepper of your choice, diced

1 cup corn, I used frozen

10 ounce can enchilada sauce

2 cups cheddar cheese, or a cheddar and jack combo

6 flour tortillas

1 bunch green onions chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Over medium heat saute onion, bell pepper, and corn until veggies soften and corn is cooked through.

In a large bowl, combine cooked veggies with shredded chicken.  Add about half your can of enchilada sauce and stir to combine.  Spoon chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in your prepared baking dish.  Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Top with remaining cheese and green onions. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Here you have a quick, easy, and tasty dinner!  You can personalize it to suit your tastes. Throw in some beans, omit the chicken, substitute beef...endless possibilities!  These are also very tasty the next day! Since you made such an easy meal, that tastes like it took you hours...pour yourself a big margarita and enjoy!

Today we ran...

Today we ran. The sun was shining.  So we ran.  We hit our favorite path at Greenlake and we ran.  We saw runners, walkers, dogs, babies, ducks, and turtles.  The running community has such a strong sense of camaraderie, and we felt it.  We thought of other runners.  Our hearts were heavy for those who can't run, and we were happy that we could.  We felt no fear; not for a moment did we think we should be in a different place.  In the back of our minds was sadness; sadness for a city that has been hit by a tragedy.  However, hope was stronger than sadness. Hope that others will also run.  Join this amazing community and run.  Grab your baby, friend, spouse, dog.....and run.