Back from Vacation

We went to Paris for spring break and it was awesome! I'm glad to be home now and back to my (our) own bed and I'll be back to baking soon!

Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins

I found this recipe on Recipezaar (#73887). It is basically a banana bread muffin with blueberries -- it's very good! I substituted white whole wheat for the all-purpose flour and applesauce for the margarine, but everything else is the same. Oh, I also substituted ground flax seeds for the wheat germ called for in the original...

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Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins

Time: 4o minutes; 15 minutes prep

makes 12 large muffins

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1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup oats (old-fashioned or quick)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 tsp salt

2 egg whites

2 cups bananas, mashed

1/4 cup melted margarine (or applesauce)

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

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Preheat oven to 375*F. Spray 12 large muffin cups with Pam or use paper liners. Combine first 7 dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Mix well. Beat egg whites, banana, and melted margarine (or applesauce) together until smooth. Add banana mixture to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups almost full. (I sprinkled some turbinado sugar on top for a crunch sweet topping...) Bake at 375*F for 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Cupcake Fun

I made some (box mix - too much homework to make from scratch!) cupcakes for my work party this evening...I think I got a little carried away in my decorating. Ha ha. Happy Friday, everyone!

Birthday Cheesecake

Birthday Cheesecake I made for my brother-in-law's birthday. It's coconut cheesecake with a Nilla Wafer crust and pineapple topping. The recipe was so mix-and-match with all the parts and pieces of it I wouldn't even know how to post it...it was definitely fun making it, though!