Banana Nut Muffins

As you know, I love making muffins. I don’t know how many muffin recipes I have on the blog, but it’s probably pushing 50. Banana muffins are probably one of the most popular type of muffins I make. It’s probably because my kids always want bananas, but then never end up eating them and then they are overripe.

This recipe is my new favorite banana muffin recipe. I love the depth of flavor and the walnuts that are sprinkled throughout and on top. They were devoured in no time at all! Now, I just need to wait for another bunch of bananas to ripen to make these again!

Three muffins on a white dish
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Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

For some reason, I had three bags of frozen hashbrowns in my freezer and it was time to find a recipe to start using them. I’ve been waiting to make a hashbrown casserole and now seemed to be the perfect time. This week, the weather has been perfect – almost fall like – and I didn’t mind turning the oven on.

Everyone enjoyed this casserole – especially my quiche hating husband. Though who doesn’t love potatoes, eggs, cheese and ham? The reason he said he doesn’t like quiche is that he eggs are too wet … who knows, I love quiche! The hashbrowns are baked first with a stick of butter. I know, not super healthy, but indulging occasionally is needed. Then eggs, diced ham and cheese are mixed in and it’s baked until cooked through. I served it with steamed asparagus for dinner and then had leftovers with a green salad. I’ll definitely be making it again!

Cheesy hashbrown casserole with asparagus
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Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Yesterday was my son’s eighth birthday and he requested mint chocolate chip cupcakes. The only issue – he doesn’t like chocolate cake. His favorite flavor is vanilla. I decided to spoil him – he is my baby after all – and figure out a way to give him what he wanted. I made a vanilla cupcake with mini chocolate chips, topped with a mint buttercream and mini chocolate chips sprinkled on top.

The cupcakes were really good and he loved them! The mint in the frosting was a little strong, but the vanilla in the cupcake brought it all together. I’m definitely going to experiment again with the frosting. 

20200612_143357.jpgMaking these cupcakes was perfect timing to also celebrate Cupcake Lovers Day! I joined up with some fellow bloggers to share new cupcake recipes. There’s a few on the list below I can’t wait to try out. Continue reading →

No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Jars

I was in the mood for cheesecake and thought it would be the perfect time to give this recipe for blueberry cheesecakes a try. I also had 2 pints of blueberries my kids didn’t eat, so there was that too. 🙂 These are great to make ahead of time, grab and go.

These jars are packed full of so many good things – blueberry jam, creamy lemon cheesecake and a crunchy crust. These could be made with any berry and they would be perfect. I loved all the hints of lemon throughout the berries and cheesecake.

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Creamy Sausage and Spinach Pasta

I love pasta … my family, not so much. As we continue eating at home, I was looking for recipe to use a block of sweet Italian sausage I had for awhile in the freezer. I didn’t want to make soup since the weather is finally starting to feel more like late spring or early summer. I decided on this dish and I’m glad I did!

My son absolutely loved it! It was even better the next day for leftovers. The sauce is creamy and full of flavor. I threw in a half of a container of sliced white mushrooms I had and it all worked together perfectly. Plus it took less than 30 minutes to make!

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Cucumber Cream Cheese Spread

My kids snack all day long. Do yours? I’m not finding I’m snacking too … which is not great for trying to not gain weight right now. I’m on the hunt for new recipes for snacks that are healthier and will keep them full longer. I swear they have about 15 snacks before lunch every morning. I’m going to need to building a revolving door in the my pantry!

I had bought a bunch of cucumbers during my last Costco run and needed to use them up. I also had a block of cream cheese that was close to expiring, so off to Pinterest I went. I found a recipe for this spread that had both ingredients and I whipped up a batch. It was really good. I love the adding of the diced cucumber to the cream cheese and it was perfect to eat on sliced cucumbers or butter crackers.

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Triple Berry Crumble

Berry season is almost here and I got a jump start with this simple and delicious crumble recipe. I had stocked up when I was at Costco the other week and bought strawberries, blueberries and raspberries – all of my kids favorite fruits. They ate a good amount of them, but I had some that I needed to use up before they went bad. You could easily replace the fresh fruit with frozen if berries are not in season.

The crumble was delicious. The berries cooked down to make a jam like substance and the top was crispy and sweet. It was perfect warmed in the microwave and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. A perfect way to wrap up a barbecue dinner.

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Chunky Ham and Bean Soup

Last week it was feeling more like late winter here in PA, so this soup was the perfect thing to make! The weather has been crazy here – it was even snowing yesterday. We’re entering our 9th week of being at home and managing ok. There’s a good daily schedule in place for the kids to follow while I’m working and they’ve been keeping up with their remote learning assignments. My kids are homebodies … so they’re loving being at home. I’m much more of an extrovert and would prefer to be out and about doing stuff. I hope all my readers are doing well and staying healthy!

After our Easter dinner in April, I made ham stock with my Instant Pot and frozen the rest of the ham. This was the perfect base ingredients to make this soup. The soup was simple to make and delicious – we had no leftovers! With only a few ingredients, it is something that can be thrown together quickly. I also loved how creamy and thick it was without using cream or milk.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Squares

I’m back to baking more delicious treats! I whipped these up on Saturday morning while I was enjoying a cup of coffee. We were up early because my husband wanted to run to the local hardware store to grab some items he needed to paint. Our daughter turned 13 in March and we decided we would makeover her room to be more grown up. The weather was great this weekend and we took full advantage of being able to open the windows. Her room came out great and just needs a few finishing touches.

Back to these lemon poppy seed squares … the recipe is originally for a loaf, but I decided mini squares would be better – plus they’re individually sized. We all need a bit of portion control these days. Being stuck at home, we’re all snacking nonstop. The bars are just the perfect amount of lemon and poppy seeds. They’re made with Greek yogurt and olive oil and delicious and moist! Continue reading →

Toasted Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

I’ve been doing more quarantine baking and by far, these muffins are my most favorite thing to far. They are delicious … though not great for my waistline. I usually work from home and have no issues with feeling like I need to snack all day long. Now that I’ve been home for the last 5 weeks, I want to eat all day long. Anyone else feeling the same way?

I have made other variations of oatmeal muffins with chocolate chips, but these are so much better. Toasting the rolled oats before turning them into flour adds a rich nutty flavor. The mini chocolate chips add a sweet bite to them and the strudel on top adds a crunchy layer. You’ll definitely enjoy them!


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