Muffin mania

I really don't have an excuse as to why I haven't posted since March 16. Well, I did start the new job and all. It's been keeping me really busy during the day

and exhausted at night. Jen gave me a friendly reminder that my blog was quiet. When I made these muffins, I immediately got the camera. I needed something to take to a church social on Sunday. I have been wanting to try out my new Pampered Chef Muffin Stone (not pictured here), so I signed up for muffins. I have also been wanting to get rid of these orange-flavored craisins that I don't like to eat plain. Well, a quick look on the back of the bag and there I found this recipe for Citrus Burst Muffins:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon salt, optional

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

1 cup Orange-Flavored Craisins (pictured)

1/2 teaspoon orange zest (which I didn't have)

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or a line a 12-cup muffin tin. Combine flour, both sugars, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine milk, orange juice, oil and egg. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients stirring just until dry ingredients are moist. Stir in orange flavored craisins and orange zest. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full of batter. Sprinkle tops with pecans and sugar. (If you look closely, I mixed up this step and mixed the pecans right into the matter. No harm, no foul.) Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool five minutes in muffin tin. Remove muffins to a wire rack and cool. Recipe says it makes 12 muffins, but I got closer to 20. Enjoy!

Who says you can't have hot breakfast in a hurry?

I always struggle with what to eat in the morning.

It's usually a granola bar, some jelly toast or the occasional bowl of oatmeal. In just a few more minutes, I can have a hot and healthy breakfast pita like the one you see to the right. I cook my breakfast while I pack my lunch so I am not standing around idle, wasting time. So, I turn on the stove and while the pan heats up, I make a sandwich. Then, I pour in the egg beaters. While they warm up, I grab a few snacks and a drink and throw it into my lunch box. For this pita, I sprinkled real bacon bits and a bit of mozzarella cheese into the cooking eggs for added flavor. And of course, I added some ketchup. On a busy morning, I bet making this is quicker than waiting in the drive-thru at your favorite fast-food restaurant.