Hello blogging world! I know, I know. It's been a while. I'm sorry. Sometimes life gets the best of me and it takes all of me to get the laundry done and be the places I need to be. Thank goodness this upcoming week is slow of pace. That means I get to pay more attention here and hopefully catch up!

So, what you're here for. This AH-mazing recipe!

Coffee Cake Muffins

Ingredients:

- 1/2 C brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon

- 2/3 C sugar
- 1/4 C butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 C low-fat sour cream
- 2 tbsp water
- 1.5 tsp vanilla
- 1 3/4 C all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 400. Prepare your muffin pan with liners and/or cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together your brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar together. Add your eggs and mix until well blended.
- Add your sour cream, water, and vanilla.
- Gradually add your flower, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just blended together.
- Take 3 tbsp of your brown sugar/cinnamon mix and put it in another bowl. Pour the remaining into your batter. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix it-- but don't over blend. You want to be able to see your sugar mixture (as pictured).
- Fill your muffin tin with about 1/4 C to each (a little less if possible). Sprinkle brown sugar/cinnamon mixture on top of each muffin (should make around 20 muffins).
- Bake for 25 minutes. Check with a tooth pick to see if it comes out clean with no batter, and go from there if they aren't done after 25 minutes.
- While the muffins are cooling, mix together your powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle over muffins (after they have cooled for at least ten minutes) as evenly as possible.

These are perfect if you have a brunch or morning function to attend and need to bring something to share!

This recipe was adapted from Myrecipes.com

Nothing like a muffin that has coffee in it already. I'm not saying skip your morning cup (or two, or three)... but these muffins will help give you just a tiny kick if you need it! Not to mention, they're delicious!

Ingredients:

- 2/3 C milk (I used skim)
- 5 tbsp butter, melted
- 3 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 1 C all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 1/2 C sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 400 and prepare your muffin pan.
- Mix together your milk, butter, coffe, vanilla, and egg. Make sure the coffee is well blended.

- Next, mix together your dry ingredients (expect the chocolate chips). Make a well in the center of them.

- Pour your butter mix into the middle of your flour mix. Stir until well blended, then add your chocolate chips.

- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean (no uncooked muffin sticking to it).

Enjoy! As you can see, I still had my morning cup of coffee... and in my new seasonal mug, no less.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway from Simply Modern Designs! It only goes until December 15th, so hurry, hurry!


This recipe was modified from: MyRecipes.com

OK, so I was trying to come up with a way to tie this to Christmas. After all, Coffee Cup Love (or Mug Love) isn't exactly a seasonal subject... but then again it is.

Every Christmas season, Starbucks and Barnes & Noble come out with Christmas mugs. Whether it's their own design, Grinch-themed ones, Charlie Brown, Scrooge... the list goes on. And every year I say no. No... I have ENOUGH mugs. I mean... I have a bit of an obsession really. After all, what fun is it to offer someone just a plain coffee mug? It's much more fun to give them one with "personality".


Yes... and that's not even ALL of them. There are still the ones I bought Clark. (Yes, I have impressed my obsession on to him. Isn't that part of marriage?) And my "standard" mugs, and my travel mugs... you get the idea.

So, this year Starbucks has a "Night Before Christmas" type line you can find at Barnes and Noble. It's probably one of the cutest things I've ever seen. There are matching napkins (that you can see in this post) and a Santa-Cookie set that comes with a plate and matching mug to set out with milk and cookies, right? Most adorable thing EVER.

But... I stayed strong. I walked away.

Luckily, my hubby loves me, and he did not. He bought me the napkins and the dove mug, because it was the one I liked the most. So, I now have one seasonal coffee cup (as you can see, I used it this morning).

Do you have any "obsessions" or "loves" that are amplified this time of year?

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and all I wanted to do was curl up with a good book, a nice cup of tea, and something tasty to go along with them... but what?

Ta-DAH! Too bad I used Michael's nap-time to make these rather than do what I set out to do, but there's always another day!

These are easy, not so time consuming, and did I mention delicious? They are a little too thick to be considered a "cookie" I think, even though that's what I set out to make. I decided to call these "biscuits", because it seems that when you eat one you really want tea or coffee to go with it.

Just my opinion, of course. Here's how you make them!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 C Butter/Margarine (one stick)
- 3/4 C Sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1.5 C All Purpose, Unbleached Flour
Powdered Sugar

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare your cookie sheet.
- Beat the butter until nice and fluffy. Then add the sugar and mix until well blended.


- Add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir again.

- Add the dry ingredients in thirds. For example, add the baking powder and 1/2 C of flour, stir. Add the baking soda and 1/2 C flour, stir. Add the salt and the last 1/2 C flour, stir. You may eventually have to move on to a simple spatula or spoon rather than mixer, but use your mixer until you can't anymore.


*I think this is a lot easier than having another dirty dish, but if you wish to combine them in a smaller bowl and then add them in thirds, that will clearly work as well!*

- Sprinkle powdered sugar onto a plate (about 1/3 to 1/2 C). Take a heaping teaspoon of dough and roll it in the powdered sugar, then place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat for each biscuit!





*If you wish them to be flat, you can press them with a spoon before you put them in the oven.*

- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. If you wish them to be flat, you can press them with a spoon before you put them into the oven.


Recipe makes from 24 to 36 cookies, depending on how big you make them.




The way they looked reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, for whatever reason. Hope you enjoy!