Doggie Birthday Cupcakes

A couple weeks ago, I saw a picture of Eric's cousin, her husband, and their beautiful dog on their wedding day. My immediately thought (other than awww, that's so cute!) was: why didn't we do that? The answer is simple: we didn't adopted Arya until about a month after our wedding. But it feels like she has been with us forever and we sometimes forget that there was a time before her.

October 16 marked 1 year since our little puppy love came into our lives. To celebrate, I baked her doggie friendly cupcakes! Both cake and frosting are made mostly from pumpkin puree. Canned pumpkin has a ton of fiber and beta-carotene and can be used to treat both diarrhea and constipation in dogs. However, don't let your own puppy love eat all (8) of these cupcakes at once. Like everything else, too much of anything is bad and could make your dog sick. (Source)

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/3 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin-pie mix)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

Frosting
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Kibble/dog treats, garnish, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 8 paper liners.

Combine all of the cake ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide evenly between the muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the center of the cupcakes set.

Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

Whisk together cream cheese and pumpkin puree. When the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost the cakes.

Remember to take off the paper wrapper before giving it to you pup!

Licking the batter bowl clean!

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Cinnamon Glazed Apple Muffins

This was the third year in a row we missed out on picking apples. The first year it was a bad crop and no one had apples. Last year our favorite orchard closed the weekend before we planned on going at the end of October. This year, we went in early October so not to miss out again. Well, we did. There was a rush of people the weekend before we planned on going and they picked the orchard clean. But they did have some pre-picked apples we could buy. So I've been going apple crazy. Some were sucesses like these muffins and my apple pie salsa. The apple and sausage mac and cheese, not so much.

Next time, I'm going to give these muffins a crumb topping and drizzle them with a cinnamon glaze. A muffin just isn't a muffin without a crumb topping.

Recipe adapted from here.
Makes approximately 2 dozen muffins.

Ingredients:
Muffins
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups diced apples, peeled and cored (about 3 apples--I used Mutsu)

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffan pan with paper cups.

In a large bowl, cream sguar, eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. In a second bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ones and mix until well combined. Fold in diced apples.

Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes or until muffins are set in the middle. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Glaze
In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until well combined. Dip the tops of the muffins in the glaze.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Breakfast Recipes:
Basic Homemade Bagels  
Blueberry Muffins
French Toast in a Mug  
Homemade Hash Browns 
 Individual Bacon and Cheese Quiches
Monkey Bread Muffins  
Only the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls 
Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes  
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Quiche in a Mug
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Three Semi-Homemade Donuts for Autumn: Spiced, Sour Apple, and Cinnamon-Sugar

Temperatures are still on the warm side, but the leaves are changing color and that scent of autumn is in the air. I can't even put into words how much I love autumn. So I wanted to make semi-homemade donuts (donuts made from canned biscuit dough) with an autumn flavor. My first choice was cinnamon-sugar--you can't go wrong with cinnamon-sugar. And then I had some mulling spices in my pantry so I thought, why not? Then there was a single packet of apple cider mix sitting on a shelf. I tasted the mix and it had a sour apple flavor. I'm not a big fan of sour but Eric loves it--if you like Sour Patch kids, you'll like the sour apple donuts. I ended up with three delicious autumn donuts (and donut holes!)

Ingredients:
1 tube of refrigerated biscuits
vegetable oil
cinnamon-sugar
mulling spice mix (I used Aspen Mulling Spices)
apple cider mix powder (I used Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Mix)

Directions:
Separate your biscuits and lay them out on your work space. Rinse out an empty soda pop bottle. The size of the bottle doesn't matter. Remove the cap and press the opening of bottle into the center the biscuit to make the hole in the center. To get the dough out of the bottle opening, just squeeze the sides of the bottle; it'll pop right out and you'll have donut holes. Repeat with the rest of the biscuits.

Pour your vegetable oil in a large sauce pan, enough so that the donuts can be submerged. Heat the oil over med-hi heat to between 360 and 375 degrees. (I don't use a candy thermometer; I just wing it.) With tongs put your biscuit into the oil and cook until the perfect golden brown on each side. Place on a plate lined with paper towel.

Place the cinnamon-sugar in a shallow dish. The mulling spices in a second dish. And the apple cider mix in a third dish. Coat your donuts and donut holes in the desired seasonings.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Fall Dessert Recipes:
Acorn Donuts
Apple Rings!
Homemade Candy Corn 
Peanut Butter Baked Apples
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Between my husband and the dog, peanut butter has become a staple in the house. So much so that I buy the huge 5 pound jar. A few weeks ago we ran out and it wasn't in the grocery budget to stock up on it. Eric and Arya had to go two whole weeks without their peanut butter, and I got plenty of complaints from Eric and sad eyes from Arya as she tried to give me her Kong toy (which usually gets filled with peanut butter). So when I finally bought a jar, Arya got her Kong full of peanut butter and Eric got these amazing peanut butter pancakes.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup water (or milk, if you prefer. I actually like water better)
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat griddle or skillet to medium heat. Grease with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, combine water, peanut butter, egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until well-combined.Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour 1/4 cup portions onto the griddle or pan. Cook until little bubbles appear, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve with butter or syrup, if so desired.

Peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and eggs with cheese, kale, and bacon

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Breakfast Recipes:
Blueberry Muffins
French Toast in a Mug
Homemade Hash Browns
Individual Bacon and Cheese Quiches
Monkey Bread Muffins
Only the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Quiche in a Mug
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
Sweet Buns Three Ways: Cherry, Blueberry, and Cream Cheese 

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry pancakes and blueberry muffins, two of my favorite breakfast meals. When I saw the blueberries, all pretty and plump and blue, at the grocery store--and on sale--I had to get some. First thing I did with them was make muffin (I will soon be making blueberry pancakes and maybe even chocolate covered blueberries). I love these muffins because they aren't super sweet and they have a delicious crumble on top.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Muffin
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cup blueberries*

Crumble Topping
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, but if you're using frozen blueberries, do not thaw; just toss them in frozen.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine all the crumble topping ingredients until you have a texture of coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

In a second bowl, combine egg, oil, and milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir (be careful not to over mix). Fold in blueberries.

Divide equally between the 12 cups. Generously sprinkle crumble on top of the muffins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the center of the muffins set.

Strawberry and chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins

Strawberry chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins

Strawberry chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Breakfast Recipes:
French Toast in a Mug  
Homemade Hash Browns  
Individual Bacon and Cheese Quiches
Monkey Bread Muffins  
Only the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls   
Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce 
Pumpkin Oatmeal \
Quiche in a Mug

Apple Cider Cookies with Spiced Rum Glaze

Cake mix cookies. If you've never made them before you're missing out. Incredibly easy. Incredibly versatile. Incredibly soft and tasty. Basically, incredible. I think I'd rather use a boxed cake mix to make cookies than a cake.

Anyways, I was making my husband a bagged lunch for work the other day when I realized that all the leftover Christmas treats had finally run out, and I had nothing sweet to put in his lunch. So I decided to make cookies for him using what I had in the pantry, which just happened to include a spice cake mix and instant packets of apple cider--the two main ingredients in these cookies. The spiced rum glaze was an after thought (and perhaps my favorite part!).

Ingredients:
Cookies
1 boxed spice cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 packet apple cider instant drink mix (I used Apline Spiced Apple Cider)

Spiced Rum Glaze*
1/8 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoon spiced rum

Directions:
Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the cookie ingredients together (by hand or using a mixer). Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the cookie bottoms turn a golden brown. Place the cookies on a wire and allow them to cool completely.

Side note: I wish I had had 1 cup of walnuts or white chocolate chips to throw into the dough. I think either one would have really complimented these cookies. 

Glaze
In a small sauce pan, heat the milk, spiced rum and vanilla over low heat until warm. Sift in powdered sugar into the pan. Slowly whisk the sugar in until well combined. Remove from heat.

Dunk the top of the cookies in the glaze and place them back on the wire rack to dry. (I tried drizzling the glaze on the cookies and it didn't work.)

*The glaze recipe is going to make more glaze then you'll need for the cookies. I actually added the spiced rum to leftover glaze had from cinnamon rolls I had made for breakfast a few days before. If you want, you can make the glaze without the spiced rum so you can use it on something else. Here's how much you'll need for the cookies: 1/4 cup prepared glaze and 1/2 tablespoon spiced rum. Just stir the two ingredients together in a saucepan over low heat.

These cookies only made it into Eric's lunch twice. He couldn't stop eating them and went through the batch in three days I think. Of course, I might have eaten one or two.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Cake Mix Cookies:
Grasshopper Cookies
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Creamsicle Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yummy Butterscotch Cookies

Corn and Black Bean Skillet Chicken

I've been in a baking mood lately, not a cooking mood, which means that dinners around here have been pretty boring. Leftovers, boxed, or frozen. The other night I still didn't feel like cooking, but I craved real food. This is a nice quick recipe for those kinds of nights. It's got lots of flavor, it cooks in one pan, and fills you up.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with chiles, drained

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle the mixture on both sides of each chicken breast.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, flip, and cook for another 5 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Add the black beans, corn, and tomatoes to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the veggies are hot.

Serve over rice, pasta, tortillas, or as is!

To be honest, I didn't think Eric would love this meal. He's generally not a fan of black beans. But he devoured it! I definitely will be making this again.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Baked Garlic Chicken
Chicken Enchiladas with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Chicken with a Honey Mustard Sauce
Jalapeno Popper Chicken
Lime Mustard Chicken
Orange Chicken in a Slow Cooker
Parmesan-Seared Chicken
Provincial Chicken
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken