Easy Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

I love playing around with muffin recipes and I came up with this one based on a few I had. We had them for breakfast and they were delicious.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

1.5 cups flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats (ground to flour in a food processor or blender)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup milk (increase to 1 cup if using fresh blueberries)
1 egg
1 cup frozen bluberries (or 1 cup fresh with more milk added)

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine oil, egg, and milk in a separate bowl and add to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

Emergency Chocolate Cake

My dh recently turned me on to a great food blog called Farmgirl Fare. I’ve been slowly making my way through the recipe posts and I was ecstatic when I found her recipe for Emergency Chocolate Cake. In part because the cake looked simple and yummy but also because I was so glad to know that other people had such deep desires for chocolate cake Right This Minute that they would consider it an emergency.

This cake is moist and fudgy and heavenly, and I can have in the oven in about 10 mintues. My dh and dd are in love with it too. Check it out here.

Greek Caponata

I also tried another recipe from the same episode of Everyday Italian where Giada made the baklava, it’s called Caponata and it’s basically a roasted vegetable salad. I am sadly not a good vegetable eater. I want to love vegetables but most of the time I simply eat them because I think I must, but this recipe made me eager to get in some veggies with my dinner. The flavors of garlic and oregano with the eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes were so yummy mixed together. I served it over thickly sliced rustic bread like Giada did, and all we ate with it was some cheese and nuts. I’ll definitely make it again. You can find the recipe here.

Simple Baklava

I’ve never made baklava before but during a rare quiet moment last week, I sat down and watched Everyday Italian, my favorite cooking show. When I saw Giada di Laurentiis make a simplified version of baklava using a mini muffin tin, I knew I had to try it no matter how much phyllo dough intimidates me. One morning last week while I had a few moments to myself, I tried her recipe and it came out great. I even managed to separate the sheets of phyllo and butter them without much trouble. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Countdown: Sinfully Good Treats

Five Days Left Until the Release of A Persistent Attraction

I am a firm believer in the sensuality of food. Some day I must write a book with a chef as the hero or heroine. For now though, please check out my two free stories “Cinnamon Dreams” and “Strawberry Fantasy” that demonstrate the connection between food and sex.

To get us in the mood for a good sensual romance, I want to share some recipes for sinfully delicious treats.

Triple chocolate cake

1 pkg Devil’s Food cake mix
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 cup chocolate chips
8 oz sour cream
4 eggs
1/2c vegetable oil
1/2 c water

Stir cake mix and pudding mix together. Add other ingredients except chips. Stir until combined. Mix on high speed for 2 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips with flour (prevents them from sinking to bottom of pan as cake cooks) and mix them in on low speed. Pout into a bundt pan and bake according to cake box directions.

Apple Butterscotch Tart
I discovered this recipe after we went apple picking last fall and fell in love with it.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies
These are my new favorite cookies!