Pumpkin Muffins

Thursday morning I woke up bound and determined to bake.

I had gone on a pumpkin buying spree the night before, my cupboards now contain a total of 9 cans of pumpkin puree.  

We headed to Costco yesterday and I realized they now carry the Organic Pumpkin I bought at a little over $3 bucks a can for under $2 if I bought a case and we all know how Costco works one day your favorite products there and the next you go back to buy some more and it magically disappeared and no one ever knows where it went.

(Case in point they carried this great Organic Flour for awhile for fairly cheap and then one day poof it's gone never to return again.)

Then you search all of Costco looking for that one item while your cart magically fills with all these other things you never intended on buying.

I am so glad I stocked up because I have so many favorite pumpkin recipes I can't wait to make and these muffins are no exception.

They are moist, with a nice pumpkin spice flavor and as if this wasn't enough I made a little brown sugar  spice crumb topping just to make them a little extra special. 

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Bakery-Style Double Chocolate Muffins

I've been in love with muffins lately. A muffin and a cuppa coffee or tea and I'm good to go.

Add a little chocolate to the mix and I think I've made it to heaven.

It feels a little naughty having chocolate for breakfast but I think that's what makes it so fun!

These muffins are chocolaty but have a  light texture and the coffee helps intensify the chocolate flavor. 

These are defiantly a perfect Double Chocolate Muffin in my book!

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Lettuce Wraps With Stir-Fry Rice Noodles

“This sponsorship is brought to you by Thai Kitchen whom we have partnered with for this promotion.”

Sometimes lunch at our house is a little hodgepodge of whatever I can find without leaving the confines of my cozy abode.  Well alright you busted me some times dinner is made up as I go too..

Thai Kitchen was kind enough to ship a sampler package over of a few products to try out for the upcoming Chinese New Year Celebration! Which was a perfect addition to the lettuce wraps. 

The one thing I almost always have on hand is stuff to make some kind of lettuce wrap and last weekend while I was trying to decide what to concoct, lettuce wraps fit the bill!

These are amazing! Yes there I said it once again, another amazing recipe. 

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Cioppino (Italian Fisherman's Stew)

Cioppino has always been a family favorite and a tradition for special occasions!

With Christmas time always being so cold in the Pacific Northwest what a better way to celebrate the holiday's then a delicious bowl of Cioppino or Italian Fisherman's Stew.

The best part of Cioppino is it's done in under an hour so there's not too much slaving over a hot stove and it's quite a treat with many different seafood options! 

This soup is guaranteed to win the hearts of any seafood lovers! 

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Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins With Streusel

Delicious Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins With Streusel.. Can life get any better then these? I think not.

I'm not sure there is any better way to start the day than with Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins With Streusel and a spot of coffee or tea. 

These muffins have a wonderful texture with pop in your mouth blueberries and a crunchy oat streusel.

I can't tell you these are the ultimate in healthiness but I will tell you they are totally delicious and the oatmeal adds a fabulous texture to the muffins!  

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Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake With Struesel Topping

With Christmas fast approaching I thought I would start to share a few of my favorite overnight breakfast casserole recipes and I'm kicking it off with my Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake With Struesel Topping! 

This is always a family favorite and super easy to make. Who could resists  french toast with maple syrup and blueberries topped with a brown sugar/ cinnamon struesel topping?  A perfect beginning to any morning!

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Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

I love a good turkey burger.. The panel in our house says they can be just as tasty as a good old beef patty! I use a 93/7 percent turkey meat. I've used all white meat before but I find a mix of dark and light meat to provide the best flavor and maintain a nice moist patty. The other secret is a super tasty bun from a local bakery or if your feeling super motivated from scratch.

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Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup Gluten Free

I love broccoli cheddar soup and so do the kids. Could there be anything better then broccoli and cheese in a soup? This is a fabulous meal when you have an over abundance of broccoli in the yard and start running out of creative uses for it! Creamy, cheesy, deliciousness...How you warm my heart and make me happy..

 I have used cornstarch in this recipe over traditional flour for all my gluten free friends, the kids couldn't seem to tell the difference. I buy cornstarch over in the organic bulk section of the store and look for one that isn't genetically modified and organic. If you have concerns about cornstarch make sure to read the ingredient label to make sure it's gluten free..

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Chicken And Dumplings With Swiss Chard

This is a favorite in our house! Ok I guess most of the recipes I share with you are favorites, I guess that's why I share.It's a healthier version of a comfort food classic. I leave out the cream and add swiss chard. I don't know what my kids would think if I made it any other way! I like the swiss chard because the flavor is rather mild compared to other greens and remember I have that over abundance kicking in my back yard, even if I didn't I will fill you in on my secret..There is no way I would leave the swiss chard out it just adds yumminess and makes it super filling. Soup it's what I've been making!

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Tom Yum Soup With Shrimp

This is my all time favorite soup every time we eat Thai I order it. I was a little bit skeptical of trying to make this at home only because every recipe had a different variation and some called for Tom Yum Soup Mix that had MSG, no thank you. This is another recipe that probably isn't authentic since I kind of did my own thing, but it was delicious.This ended up being so flavorful with a perfect balance of flavors, a must make for any sickies in the house. It's super easy to make and will be something we enjoy more often now that I have the sauces in the fridge. Please adjust the heat to your liking by adding more Thai chili's or garlic chili paste. The hubby and kids have already asked to eat this again along with Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls. I found my ingredients at store that carries a very large Asian food section, if you don't have a supermarket with a large Asian section I would go to an Asian store. They will be able to help you find what you need.

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Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls

This is part 2 of my Thai food craving!  I love fresh spring rolls and they can be so healthy and are pretty easy to make. These are by no means meant to be authentic, I hope I don't offend anyone with my take on a favorite in our household! The kids love to make these and eat them even more! I used shrimp, rainbow carrots, glass noodles, lettuce, mung bean sprouts, Thai basil and cilantro. Feel free to use what ever combination of ingredients you would enjoy! Cucumber is always a tasty addition too.

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Sesame Garlic Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce Or Marinade

I love Thai food, actually any Asian food for that matter. I love the salty and the sweet mixture of the food. I love how fresh and healthy the ingredients are. This dipping sauce made an excellent accompaniment to fresh springs rolls. It also makes a fantastic marinade for meat. It is a excellent balance of salty with just a touch of sweet with wonderful undertones of garlic, ginger and lime.

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Colts Famous Super Fluffy Half Whole Wheat Pancakes

 My sweet husband made me pancake's Sunday morning! Shh..Don't tell the kids or the picky eater's in the house these have whole wheat, they'll never know! These are light and fluffy! Just like when you go out to eat! He also has adjust his recipe over the years to use part greek yogurt and whole wheat pastry flour ( not regular whole wheat must be pastry to make a softer crumb) to make some super tasty pancakes and healthier pancakes! I mean they aren't truly healthy but they are better then what they could be and no one will be able to tell the difference! I really am so picky about pancakes.I almost never eat pancakes unless they are nice and fluffy with real maple syrup or a good blueberry sauce. Something about flat little disks of rubber never appeal to my taste buds but these hit the spot right on! The most important trick to fluffy pancakes is making sure the baking powder is super fresh! Tally ho on to pancakes we go....

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