Recipe Review: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins

Hi! Today's recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins comes to you from the beautiful blog of The Novice Chef.

Of course, I couldn't just MAKE the recipe, not with all my dietary restrictions now. But I LOVE pumpkin. :) 

These are beautiful muffins! Here's how I modified them: I used applesauce instead of oil. And Neufchatel cream cheese instead of regular. I also used homemade pumpkin puree instead of canned.

:D

 I'm giving them a "Yes, please", although I have no need to make them again. They are delicious, very moist and flavorful. I have a dozen in the freezer; I got 18 muffins from the recipe.



Let me know if you try these! :D

Have a great day! Be blessed, my friends!

Pancake Sausage Bites

Good Monday Morning!

Did you have a great weekend? I hope so! I hope it was filled with love and laughter, peace and joy. :) Maybe friends and/or family, or some coveted alone time.

Anyway! Today's share isn't so much a recipe as it is a method. These are pancake & sausage bites, brought to you by Gwaltney's website.

Now, let me tell you about the ones here to the right side of your screen, then I'll fill you in on what I did. I'm not going to rate these, because once you've got the idea the end result's up to YOU! :D

Mom was looking for something to take to their Sunday school class; every fifth Sunday of the month, they have a pitch-in breakfast. We batted ideas back and forth, and then I remembered that I'd Pinned this idea onto my breakfast board to try. So we talked about it, and she decided to do them. She made mini muffins, and used pancake mix and turkey sausage crumbles. When I asked her how they'd gone over, she told me that she thought people had mostly used them as an excuse to eat the homemade jam she took to top them with. And I had to agree: they needed something. I'd tasted one before they left the house, and while they tasted like pancakes and sausage, they weren't FLAVORFUL.

So I thought about it. :D

I made these last week. And here's what I did.

First, I cooked my sausage a few days before I made these; I wanted it to be the same temperature as the batter, and I knew I could probably end up freezing some of the crumbles for later use. (Which I did.) Drained it onto paper towels, where it sat until it was completely cooled. I stored it in a zippered baggie in the fridge until I made these.

Next, the pancake mix I used is a "just add water!" type. Instead of only water, I replaced part of the liquid with sugar-free maple syrup, then baked them off.

The flavor was BETTER, but still not strong. So I made some maple butter; Kenn likes Mrs. Buttersworth, so I mixed about a quarter cup of it with about the same amount of softened butter. If I was going to make this again, I'd double the ingredients, make it in my mixer so it completely incorporated, and roll it and chill it again for presentation's sake. :D But it was GOOD butter. :D

I'll probably make these again. Kenn liked them. I had them for breakfast several times last week; they reheated in the microwave very well, and the butter obviously stored well in the fridge! :)

Let me know if you experiment with them, too. If I had kids, this would be something I'd make and maybe freeze a big batch of; they'd be simple out-the-door breakfasts for those crazy school days, and I've never met a kid who didn't like pancakes and sausage, OR eating with their hands! :D (This could easily be made vegetarian, too!)

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL day!!! Try something new! :D

Healthy Life English Muffins

Happy Wednesday! :)  Are you having a good week?

I wanted to review these English muffins because, with some of the jams, jellies, conserves, preserves, and curds I'm making, there's just something about a toasted English muffin with those nooks and crannies filled with melted butter and fruit of some type. :) And THESE are great; I can have a whole muffin for a net carb total of only 15 - and still have carbs for the jelly or whatever. :)

So, these get a YES, PLEASE. They're relatively low in calories, if that matters to you. :) I don't like English muffin pizzas - never really have; there's something about the taste that I just don't like - but these would work well, if that's something your family likes.

OK, I'm outta here! :D So many reviews to write, so little time.... :D
Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED! And try something new!

S'mores Muffins

Good Monday Morning! And HAPPY OCTOBER!

How was your weekend? Did it go quickly? I swear! As photographers, our weekends are booked so often; they're much more full than I usually enjoy. :D And this one was no exception - but what would I give up?!? Nothin'. :D

Today's review is of another recipe from Taste of Home, for "I Want S'more Muffins". (Yes, I still roll my eyes at that name....)

If you saw my Facebook status last week, you already know my reaction to these. It's not just a YES, PLEASE! It's a OH, MY! YES, PLEASE! :D

The recipe only makes six muffins. And in my case, that's probably an EXCELLENT thing. :D My biggest recommendation is to eat them while they're still at least slightly warm - although they're still wonderful cold.

And if you drop one while trying to tip them out of the pan, it WILL explode on the floor. All over the floor.

Ask me how I know. :D

I think the homemade marshmallow fluff did, indeed, make a difference for me. It's not all hard the next day, and it didn't all melt away. As you can see, it's definitely a s'more. Although I didn't have milk chocolate chips, so I used semisweet. :)

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!!