Peach Muffins
PIN IT!One of my favorite episodes of Arrested Development is when George admits to Michael that he was the muffin man who poisoned all of Michael’s teachers when they wouldn’t give him a good grade. So naturally now whenever I make muffins I tease Elliot that I’ve poisoned them and am the big bad muffin man. However, this really only works when we haven’t been fighting because after a blow-out, he’s generally concerned for his well-being and won’t eat even a bite of a muffin. It’s rather funny actually. But don’t worry guys, I don’t actually poison him and these peach muffins are perfectly safe to eat.
Now before you all report me to the police for making jokes about poisoning muffins, let me assure you I’m not that crazy. Yet, bahaha! I’m kidding. I wouldn’t tarnish these fluffy, soft muffins with anything. I’m such a muffin addict, I make a new batch at least once a week. And now that my cookbook is due in TWO MONTHS, I’m making 15 batches of muffins a day to make sure the one I choose for the book is perfect. Cookbook writing ain’t all fun and games, y’all.
These are definitely cookbook worthy, but I decided to share them with you and my lovely readers at work instead. I’d say the hardest part of this cookbook is trying to figure out which recipes are perfect for my book. I want to add all of them but you know, that would be a giant book that absolutely no one would read. And I definitely want y’all to read this book. Or else I’ll poison you in the form of fluffy muffins.
I’m kidding again, don’t you worry.
For the fluffy muffin recipe, check it out here on She Knows!
Nutritional information per muffin:
Calories: 173.3
Fat: 4.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 17.8 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Protein: 2.9 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 3
Claire
Tags:breakfast recipes, brunch recipes, muffin recipes, peach muffin recipes, peach recipes
Perfect Summer Sangria
Did everyone have a fantastic 4th of July? Despite a few rain showers (which prevented me from tanning myself at the beach), ours was pretty good here in ol’ Chucktown. I ate far too much, as always. We go to this potluck every year and I load my plate up with the most random bits of grub. But it’s all deep southern classics, like mac n’ cheese, pulled pork and fried chicken, who I am to say no to that? Plus, it’s a holiday. Calories don’t count right? And today is Friday so they don’t count either which is why I’m going to drink 14 glasses of this perfect summer sangria.
Look at all of that fruit? It makes me want to dance. The funny thing about this sangria is that I made it, like, a month ago while we were living at the old house (weep, weep!) for work and then realized I never actually shared it on here. Other food bloggers, does this ever happen to you? I actually only stumbled upon it because I was searching for an older photo for work and WAHLAA! Here sat this beautiful sangria just begging to be shared.
And what better time to enjoy a nice cool glass of sangria than on a STUPID hot day like today. I love the south with all of my little heart but HOT DAMN the summers are brutal down here. Which is why I’m going to plant myself down on an inflatable pool bed with a big mason jar of this and call it a day.
That’s if the weather holds out. If someone is knowledgable on Indian keep rain away dances, please do share the technique with me. The level of pale I’m reaching is becoming a national hazard.
For the easy and delicious recipe for this perfect summer sangria, check out the recipe here on SHEKNOWS!!
Nutritional information per serving (about 1 cup):
Calories: 135
Fat: Less than 1 gram
Carbohydrates: 18.5 grams
Fiber: 0 grams
Protein: Less than 1 gram
Weight Watchers Points: 2
Claire
Tags:easy sangria recipes, perfect summer sangria, rose sangria recipe, sangria recipes, summer recipes
Candy Striped Beets, Garlic & Onion Pizza
Once upon a time, not to long ago, I was in a kitchen in NYC cooking with Michelle Bernstein. Which is overwhelming in itself. I mean, she’s MICHELLE FREAKIN’ BERNSTEIN. But that’s not all. I was standing next to 4 other James Beard award winning chefs, all who were running around, chopping, dicing, swearing. So, when Michelle handed me a small batch of vegetables and asked me to cut, I grabbed them and said “how do you want these radishes cut?” To which she said “they’re beets, not radishes.” Strike out number one.
Strike out number two happened later when I was having a panic attack and grabbed her a bunch of cilantro when she asked for parsley. Whoops. So, back to the first strike, that was my first time ever using candy striped beets. Which is ridiculous because they are probably one of the most beautiful vegetables in the entire world.
On one trip to the farmers market here I saw just one batch of these beets left so I grabbed them without any clue as to how I’d actually use them. Which is why they sat in my crisper for longer than I care to admit. Well, after a week of eating charcuterie and croissants, one can say I had a mean craving for something NOT FRENCH. So I grabbed my beets, my favorite pizza dough recipe and decided to make a pie.
But I didn’t want anything complicated. So I rolled out my dough, topped it with simple tomato basil marinara and some freshly grated mozzarella. Then I sliced into my beautiful beets, placed them on the cheese along with a few cloves of garlic and white onion and tadaa! It’s really sort of embarrassing how easy this pizza is. But it’s so GOOD we each ate our pizzas in complete silence. And my word was it marvelous.
Candy striped beet, garlic & onion pizza
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields 2 personal pizzas.
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 – 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 homemade pizza crust ( I love this recipe)
- 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup tomato basil marinara
- 2 medium sized candy striped beets, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled
- 8 small slices white onion
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Prehat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Roll the dough out into 1/3 inch thickness. Separate into two pieces and roll into medium circles. Cover each circle with ½ cup marinara. Then top each dough with ½ cup shredded mozzarella. Place about 6 – 7 slices of beets on each pizza, along with 4 cloves of garlic and 4 slices of onion. Garnish with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Place pizzas on the pizza pan. Bake pizzas for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown, puffy and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information per 1/2 pie:
Calories: 370
Fat: 7.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 52 grams
Fiber: 2.5 grams
Protein: 17.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points:
Claire
Tags:beet recipes, candy striped beets, easy pizza crust, healthy pizzas, homemade pizza recipes
Balsamic Fruit Salad
There are some ingredients I just can’t get enough of. (Same goes with food but I find this to be an inappropriate time to share that I had 4 croissants today). Well, this summer, it’s balsamic. I feel like I go through this phase every summer too. I pour that sh*& on everything. Strawberry margarita? Why not tang it up with some BV! Side dish a little boring? Add some BV. Need some more flavor in that chicken? BV all the way. In fact, I love it so much I’ve even started calling it BV (mainly b/c I can’t spell it to save my life). Which is why my husband was not at all surprised when I ate this entire balsamic fruit salad on my own in one bite.
I’m not kidding you guys. I ate this ENTIRE SALAD without sharing one bite. There wasn’t a morsel left on my plate. Not even a splash of vinegar sauce. That’s how good this salad is. The sweetness of the fruit, the crunch of the cucumber and the tang of the vinegar is like an orgasm of flavors in your mouth.
Not to brag, but guys, doesn’t this just look luscious? Don’t you want to just bury your face in there and never come out? After all of the heavy cheese, wine, charcuterie and FAT I’ve been eating this week, a salad like this is visual porn to me right now. In fact, I’m getting all hot and bothered just looking at it.
And you know what? That also could be due to the fact that I’m drinking wine like it’s water in the Air France Lounge right now. But I mean, it’s there. It’s free. It just wants me to drink it. If you don’t hear from me, I passed out on my computer and had to be escorted to the plane by police.
If you want the amazing Balsamic Fruit Salad recipe, be sure to check it out here on Fabulous Foods!
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 142
Fat: 4 grams
Carbohydrates: 7.08 grams
Fiber: >1 gram
Protein: 2 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 2
Buffalo Chorizo Breakfast Hash
And once again, France has stolen my heart.
Not much to my avail though. Every time I visit this insanely beautiful country I fall even madder in love with it. I can see why Ernest Hemingway wrote “There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris.” Granted I’m not in my beloved Parie this trip, but I can totally relate to that sentiment. When I’m here, I’m content, at ease and serene. Not to mention I’m completely amoureux with the food, the culture, the people, the wine and the sights. Oh the sights. When people tell me to close my eyes and think of something beautiful, France is always what comes first. I could lush for years, but instead I’ll share a few photos of my time here in the Bordeaux region, then we’ll move onto something far more American, buffalo chorizo breakfast hash!
After the horrible month I’ve had, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate being somewhere I feel happy. Somewhere that brings out the little girl in me, makes me laugh, smile and glow. Somewhere I can feel like my world isn’t crumbling beneath me. It’s nice. But enough about my favorite country, let’s talk about hash. No, not marijuana (although some of that might ease my troubled mind), the stuff you eat for breakfast at those amazing greasy spoons you had in college. You know when you were so…under the weather from a night of….studying that you needed something greasy.
Except this is like 5000% healthier than the stuff you ate at those diners. Instead of regular chorizo I subbed in lower fat buffalo chorizo and used only a SMIDGE of olive oil. And you know what? It still works perfectly for hangovers. Not like I would know what THAT is.
I’ve had some amazing food these past few days in France, but my mouth is still watering at the thought of this incredible hash. Slightly spicy, full of flavor, incredibly decadent without actually being decadent and perfectly zesty. It’s everything you could want or need in a breakfast. Or brunch. Could you imagine a big bowl of this with a giant mimosa? Perfection. Just perfection.
Now I’m off to eat yet more fromage et charcuterie. I know, I have such a horrid life.
Buffalo Chorizo Breakfast Hash
Serves 4.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minute
Ingredients:
- 2 large potatoes (8 ounces each), cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers
- 5 ounces buffalo chorizo
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup cheddar
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until just fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in bell peppers and potatoes, cook until potatoes are soft, about 8 minutes. Add salt, pepper, cilantro and crushed red pepper.
- In another skillet, crumble chorizo over medium heat and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Stir into potatoes.
- Sprinkle hash with cheddar and serve.
Nutritional information per serving (about 3/4 cup):
Calories: 371
Fat: 13.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 39.25 grams
Fiber: 4.5 grams
Protein: 10.5 grams
Weight Watcher Points: 8
Claire
Tags:breakfast recipes, chorizo recipes, hash recipes, low fat recipes
