Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Recipe: Well if you haven't noticed I have been posting more recipes lately...I have been cooking and baking up a storm. It might have something to do with the fact that I am re-vamping my recipe system. As of now I have a lot of cookbooks and a ton of Everyday Food Magazines {with little sticky notes poking out of each one, or folded corners} but the EDF's are not very user friendly because I am not able to organize them by meal type, or protein, etc. Thus I am ripping out each recipe I like and tossing the mag because I don't need this much clutter! Can I get an Amen! Whew, okay back to these scrumptious little muffins I made 2 weeks ago.

Instead of typing the recipe all out here I will tell you I got it from my favorite Pioneer Woman, not to mention she shows you step by step with pictures. A couple things I changed is I baked them in cupcake paper instead of just in the pan. And I will say they are delightfully moist and the cream cheese frosting is fabulous. Please note, the dollops I placed on mine are cute, but not enough frosting for this girl. I went easy because PW warned it might be too rich...I forget my definition of rich might be a little skewed. Again, I shared with co-workers and several asked for the recipe. They are a perfect with coffee {I wouldn't know because I don't drink it but my sister liked it} or as a dessert, or as an afternoon/evening/anytime snack! Enjoy!

Ribbon Cookies

Recipe: While I was in Arkansas a couple weeks ago at Creative Kitchen I had purchased a ribbon cookie cutter for breast cancer. On Sunday I made the dough and Monday I made the cookies and Tuesday my co-workers gobbled them up. I love feeding people, it's a hobby of mine, so I love that I have so many co-workers that I can bring goodies and they are gone in no time. Which is dual purpose: 1. my love for feeding others and 2. get it away from me so I do not balloon up to the size of an elephant!

The recipe is as follows:

Cream together: 1 cup butter, 2/3 cup sugar. Beat in: 1egg. Add: 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 1/2 cup sifted flower. Mix until all ingredients are blended. Chill dough 3-4 hours {I did overnight because I was too tired!} before rolling.

Pre-heat oven to 350. Roll out 1/4" thick and cut. Bake about 8-10 minutes or until barely colored. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.

Cookies can be frosted {I put a drop of red in some cream cheese frosting to get pink!} and decorated or eaten just plain.

And here is my handiwork...taaaadaaaa! Okay they may not look quite professional but I am working on it. Notice I tried to do a white outline...I did it on others but they did not make the photo shoot!

The Pioneer Woman

Something I love: I haven't done one of these posts in a while so I decided I need to share with you something I really love, I mean love. The Pioneer Woman is in one word: a riot. She is in her own words, "I'm a desperate housewife. I live in the country. I channel Lucille Ball and Ethel Merman."

Basically she is a rocking cook and mother of four. She grew up in the city and now is married and lives on a working cattle ranch in northeastern Oklahoma. Ree Drummond is her name and she seriously is hilarious. You have got to check out her site, in addition to a wonderful read about the love story between her and Marlboro Man--this is her nickname for her hubby-- it's called "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" she is an amazing cook and recently has published a cookbook. Check it out on Amazon or see her talk about it on her blog. I already purchased it and it will be arriving soon to Wellton!

Oh and before I forget she blogs daily about anything really ranch related or not; cooking, home and garden {they've remodeled a lodge on the ranch}; homeschooling and more! She also just recently launched an interactive cooking website called Tasty Kitchen where you can go on and post your recipes and try others. And finally she gives away amazing goodies on her site nearly every week! Last week there were Le Creuset pans and this week there is the 90th anniversary edition Kitchenaid Mixer, *sigh* I will find out today if I am a lucky winner...which would just be amazing since just under 35,000 people entered!

The Garden Cafe

Dining Destination: Located in the heart of downtown Yuma is another "seasonal" restaurant although this one is in a permanent location unlike Crepes'N Cafe. At 250 S. Madison Avenue is the cutest outdoor patio cafe named The Garden Cafe. It is so quaint and cute, with all sorts of birds chirping and wonderful fresh air you really can't beat it.

I have now been there twice and this time I could not say no to the tri-tip salad. First of all let me say that tri-tip is huge in Yuma. I know that it's sort of a west coast thing and I personally love it. But Y-town LOVES it! You know how fundraisers have big meals and in most places they do pit BBQ with shredded beef. Not this place, they do tri-tip through and through, and frankly they do a great job at it. So anyway I got this salad and was scrumptious. It was also huge! I should have shared it but I did my best and brought home the leftover meat.

My dining partner chose the tortilla soup because her voice was hurting and she thought soup would help. I believe on my first trip there I tried the soup and liked it, but I guess I'm just going to have to go again. Which shouldn't be a problem since a couple of my friends love going there--as do I!!

Burgers & Beer Birthday Party Fixings

Recipe: Last week was my hubby's 25th birthday and we had some friends over for burgers and beer. On a quick sidenote I hate how burgers often get a bad rap for being unhealthy--it's the combination of fast food restaurants toppings and sides of soda and french fries that make the meal unhealthy. Beef itself is a naturally nutrient-rich food, helping you get more nutrition from your calories. Beef has eight times more vitamin B12, six times more zinc and two and a half times more iron than a skinless chicken breast.

Anyway back to the party, I love to mix in with my ground beef jalepenos and onions, it keeps the meat super moist and gives great flavor. And believe me it does not make it super hot...I know it's hard to belive but seriously kids can eat these. I also always cut out the capsaicin {the little white part the seeds are connected to} and the seeds to help limit the heat. I usually do about 1 jalapeno per pound of meat and depending how much meat I have I guesstimate with the onion. This time I had about 6 pounds of beef so I did 2 small onions chopped and diced and then mixed them with the burger, garlic salted and peppered both sides and put them on the grill. It's important to me for no pink to be present in ground beef {always cook to 160 degrees} and including the onions and jalapenos allows me to do so while never losing the juiciness and flavor!

One more recipe I will share is what I did for a pasta salad. My mother-in-law and her cousins and her mother often get together to do some canning. A while ago they got on a big kick doing Giardiniera which she often bought before and we put on sandwiches and such--it's an Italian relish of pickled vegetables in oil and vinegar. *Please note I hyperlinked a recipe for giardiniera, not the one my MIL used she has perfected it apparently and does not want to share with the world, she will with me but not you yet...but should she change her mind I will post it:)* Anyway I cooked up some tri-colored pasta and added a jar and a half of giardiniera to it and it was a huge hit!

I know I didn't make the giardiniera and if I did this little side salad would really have encompassed much more labor but you too can choose to make it or buy some, or receive it as a gift! It was nice to have on hand and throw in with pasta or top any sandwich with.

Crepes'N Cafe

Dining Destination: If you are looking for cute, comfortable and crepes well this is the place. I received an email from a co-worker who is from France about a little cafe that just opened up for "the season" {the season=when the weather cools down in Yuma County and the winter visitors aka snowbirds arrive} I didn't realize that it wasn't a permanent eating establishment until Holly and I arrived one morning at 7am. It's housed in a food truck {if that's what you call it} and is very clean, tidy and welcoming. Located just south of the freeway on Fortuna on the west side of the road before the Walgreens.

The chef/owner is from France himself and was so very nice to us. I ordered the very simple "Golden" with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Holly chose the "Delice" with nutella and banana. While we sat and visited at the picnic table the wonderful owner made us each a "Golden" crepe to-go! We of course obliged and headed on our merry way. I am obviously not French though and could not consume 2 crepes in one morning...however I will be stopping by again sometime soon on my way to work. Who knew Yuma was going to be this mecca of world cultures!?!

We have a problem

Okay so I have an addiction to sweets. There are some that grab my attention better than others...one of them being Oreo Milkshakes from Jack in the Box. I know, I know but they pretty much have perfected it. And now that I am working in Yuma it's been a huge struggle because for some unknown reason there are what seems to be 27 JIB's in town...

So that was an exaggeration but let me tell you there are way more than any other town: {let me walk you through this geographically}

-First there is one in Wellton--not close to my house but nonetheless in my area

-The next one falls at Fortuna

-Then 32nd street, by the Wally World I shop at

-Have no fear head east 1 mile and there is another one on 32nd street and Araby

-#5 exists still on 32nd street {what is it with this street!!!} just west of 5E

-Keep rolling on 32nd street till it curves into 4th Ave and you will find another freaking JIB on the "big curve" as the locals call it

-But if you were feeling frisky and wanted to see another one on 32nd street {that would be the fourth one!} you can at the crossroad of Ave B

-16th street was feeling left out so they put two in there: one just west of I-8 and one west of Ave B

-Finally the new mall shopping area has one of course and the most northern one exists at 4th ave just south of the freeway

I know this seems like crazy talk but seriously what town can support 11 [eleven!!] JIB's??? I feel like I'm constantly on the run trying to avoid their perfectly creamy, oreo-y shake.

*Please note, no picture with this blog because I was trying to not give in to the demons and eat one. And the internet really did not come through for me on image search.*

Beer-Batter Cheese Bread

Recipe: A while back my lovely sister made a delicious bread from Cook's Country Cookbook for a little dinner get together. It was simply scrumptious and I have been wanting to try it ever since. I have yet to tackle it but am hoping if I blog about it I will be encouraged as you might be to try it! The recipe is as follows:

Beer-Batter Cheese Bread
Makes one 9-inch loaf
Insert the toothpick in a few spots when testing for doneness; it may hit a pocket of cheese, which resembles uncooked batter on the toothpick. Strongly flavored beers make the bread bitter, so mild American lagers like Budweiser work best here.
8 ounces Gruyère cheese , 4 ounces shredded and 4 ounces cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (12-ounce) light-bodied beer , such as Budweiser (see note)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.
2. Combine shredded and cubed cheese, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Stir in beer and mix until well combined. Pour into loaf pan, spreading batter to corners. Drizzle melted butter evenly over top of batter.

3. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool bread in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely and slice as desired. (Although this bread can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, after the second day the bread is best toasted.)

Brownie's Cafe

Dining Destination: Located at 1145 S 4th Ave, Yuma, AZ‎ right in the middle an older established part of Yuma is Brownie's Cafe. My kind of place, Mom & Pop, the average age was 50+ when we walked in and dropped it down a few notches. The kind of place where people looked at us like strangers/newcomers and the kind of place where we were about the only folks who didn't know the name of a waitress or person in the shop. That just makes me want to stop in a little more frequently and get to know the people.

I went there with two girls from work and I really enjoyed myself. I chose Robbie's Burger {1/2 lb patty with American Cheese, Ortega Chili and bacon served on Sourdough toast} it was simply scrumptious. Please forgive my photo for I inhaled half the burger before I remembered to take a picture. Also please notice and feel free to give a round of applause that I asked for sliced tomatoes in place of french fries. As you know I love tomatoes {especially home grown ones, and especially when they help prevent me from consuming unnecessary calories!} My only regret is I forgot to order a brownie sundae for dessert, I found it only fitting for the occasion. Next time though because there will for sure be a next time!

The Rabbit

Something I Love: We have a lot of wedding gifts that at the exact moment I'm using them I think to myself, "Wow, this is the best wedding present we got!" We were extremely blessed with various homemade gifts, kitchen gadgets and more. One thing in particular that is such a blessing is our Rabbit. That's right, no not a furry little bundle but our wine opener.

{Please excuse me, I did not take this picture but this is the exact edition we own...mine had too much glare}

In the past year or so I have trained myself to become more accustom to drinking vino, I thought it might be more professional at certain times to have an elegant glass of wine in my hand instead of salt slipping down the side of a margarita. Since then I have decided that I love wine and love trying new kinds and brands. Thankfully I have a rabbit, which this one includes a foil cutter and extra spiral {I wonder if I'll ever need to use the extra spiral--I suppose that would be the point at which you can officially call me a wino} and best of all the amazing gadget itself. You'll never want to return to the old ways of opening a bottle of wine, it's so easy and fun it may just encourage more glasses to be consumed!

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Dining Destination: Last week I had the pleasure of catching up with a friend at a place in Yuma called Julianna's Patio Cafe. First and foremost the location is kind of hidden over near medical buildings and such but once you're there you forget about all of that because of such a bright, colorful and fun atmosphere. We of course sat on the patio {October in Yuma is delightful} and what do they have...none other than parrots and other exotic birds decorated one side of it. The 2 you see pictured here got very talkative towards the end of our lunch.

Now on to the sweet deliciousness. We did order the Bacon Wrapped Dates for an appetizer {medjool dates, a little jicama, wrapped in crisp bacon and drizzled with a balsamic glaze} I have to be honest with you, I am hesitant when ever dates are present, it's something about their texture and taste that doesn't always sit well with me and probably 98% of the people I know. However, you wrap anything in bacon and then add a balsamic drizzle...I mean you could have put cardboard in there and I would have loved it! We each had a skewer with 3 each and I didn't not waste a second, I did take my time absorbing the taste so that I could get better on here at describing things but all I can say is the date didn't bother me. The jicama was crisp and the bacon was heavenly.

For the entree I chose the Prime Rib Club {spring mix salad, prime rib, tomatoes, avocado, jack cheese, crumbled bacon--are you surprised? and choice of dressing I went with the balsamic/vinegar--again surprise surprise} I LOVE with all of my heart a beef/steak salad. In addition to being so fresh and tasty I'm getting much needed zinc, iron and protein my body needs. Did you know the zinc and iron brought to you in naturally nutrient rich beef is more easily absorbed by your body than the zinc and iron found in plant sources? And not to mention a 3 oz. serving of beef {about the size of a deck of cards} provides 51% of your daily need of protein.

Finally Holly chose the chicken breast sandwich on a recommendation from the waiter, who by the way was UH-MAZ-ING at keeping my iced tea glass full. For those of you that don't know me, I cannot eat a meal without consuming at least 1/2 to 3/4 gallon of water or iced tea. I just can't eat without them. Her chicken breast was topped with provolone cheese, pesto, tomato relish and garlic aioli served on ciabatta.

Okay and I know I already said finally, so in conlcusion we did not order dessert {round of applause} because we were STUFFED! We did vow to try at least the creme brulee or red velvet next time we visit after we peeked at the dessert tray. The waiter also mentioned 1/2 off appetizers and wine, beer & well drinks from Monday-Saturday 4:30-6pm. One of these days after work you will find me with a glass of wine and tray of bacon wrapped dates all by myself!

Creative Kitchen

Dining Destination {of sorts}: Sorry I haven't posted in a bit, no worries though I have been taking pictures and dining out frequently:) I just returned from a trip to Fort Smith, Arkansas where I had a great time at the National Beef Ambassador Contest. This is where young adults 17-20 who are passionate about the beef and cattle industry come together to compete for a year of travel, advocacy, scholarships and many networking opportunities. They have 4 areas: media interview {very intense}, consumer promotion, classroom presentation/lesson plan development and written issues response. I mention all of this because I too served as a 2005 national beef ambassador and had an amazing time promoting the industry that I dearly love.

Now down to the destination...there was the cutest store on the main drag in Fort Smith called Creative Kitchen Store I'm going to put my disclaimer out there now: I'm going to post too many pictures. See here the cooler case that displayed petite fours and cupcakes galore! Not only do they sell these treats in their store--but they cater and provide good home cooking when ever you want it. In another fridge case they had home cooked lasagna and other things ready to be warmed up in the oven.

Obviously with that talent they are also the go to folks for any wedding and shower cakes. And in case you forgot we are in the SEC and these folks are Hog Fans {Arkansas Razorbacks}

In addition to an incredibly cute and chic store the owners Jami and Jennifer are a riot! As I was purchasing my breast cancer ribbon cookie cutter and a dip mix they talked me into a cupcake saying, "Oh, just eat it with a diet coke--it cancels out--that's what we do! Can't you tell?!" Followed by lots of warm laughter. It was such a delight stopping in their store if you're ever down Fort Smith area stop in and tell them the girl from AZ at the "beef" contest told you to!

An Apple A Day

Something I love: So my friend Janette has completely and utterly converted me when it comes to apples. I never thought I would be so convicted about what type of Malus domestica {scientific name} I consumed. Nonetheless, she raved about the sweet, crisp heavenly taste that it had and so it was on my mind for a couple weeks. Recently while shopping at Sam's Club I saw the apple stand and of course saw my "old" favorite Gala's in bags and then...*sigh* and then...I saw them. Wrapped oh so neatly and protected in a 6 piece carrier were the apples I have been waiting for all my life:

I know, I know they don't look super crazy magical but you have to give them a try. I said to Janette when she told me about them, "Oh well Gala's are my favorite." {all territorial, of course--I mean who tells me what apple to eat?! Kidding!!} Still, she carried on and said, "Honeycrisps are WAY better than Galas." And you know what? She was 110% correct. If you're interested in knowing all about these precious gems, have no fear there is an entire site dedicated to them. Please remember folks, it's not just an apple a day that keeps the doctor away--it's a honeycrisp apple.

The Fry Bread House

Dining Destination: Located on 7th avenue just north of Indian school in Phoenix is one of my favorite places: THE FRY BREAD HOUSE. That's right no need to wait for a state or county fair you have access to the epicurean delight year round!

I love that I can go get this tasty experience anytime, although really I can't allow it anytime. I mean there is only so much fried/bread foods I can allow myself to have otherwise I'd be a balloon! Anyway down to business. Both times dining here I have chosen the Indian taco with refried beans, ground beef, lettuce and cheese--I then add to it some delicious hot sauce and dig in. I try and use a fork and knife but my fingers always have to get involved which makes me thankful for the roll of paper towels they put out on the counter.

The Tohono O’odham Indians own and operate the restaurant and do a great job with decorating it with Native Arts and making it feel down right homey. For dessert you can delight your taste buds with a powdered sugar/honey combination that you won't regret. If you can see how big my taco is then I would recommend sharing the dessert:) The fry bread is liking biting into a fluffy pillow of sorts that forces you to keep eating it until it's all gone even if you're stuffed!

4140 N 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85013 602-351-2345 Open Mon-Thurs 10AM-7PM; Fri& Sat. 10AM-8PM