Orange Food Day

Didnt intend to make it an orange day..but it turned out being so...which is fine by me since in a not so distant time..i was hung up on orange in a serious way.

so it all started out with the pumpkin maple swirl muffins i had been preparing..and dreaming of. this was delayed a bit cause of my son's high fever...which meant rare free mama time...but i actually was able to tackle them during a sick day....meaning i was home with my sick kid although i was not sick atall.


Pumpkin Maple Swirl Muffins
Filling:
1 package cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup

Muffins:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 tsp baking powder (check your expiration date! mine was 5 year old!)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup solid pack pumpkin (not sure what that means)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp maple syrup

Topping:
2 tsp packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine cream cheese, sugar and maple syrup in a small bowl until blended (that the "filling")

Combine flour, sugar, nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. (thats the muffin)

Mix eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, oil and maple syrup in a medium bowl then add it to the flour mixture, mixing until just blended. Fold filling in just until batter is swirled.

Mix topping ingredients together.

Spoon batter into greased or paper lined muffin cups. Sprinkle nut topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 20 - 22 minutes or until wooden pick (duh...toothpick) inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, serve warm if possible.



So I deleted the nuts so my 15 month old could enjoy them. I also used pumpkin pie filling...which im not sure in the pumpkin pack they speak of...but im guessing not. I bet pumpkin pack is like 100% raw pumpkin..which might be nice to do with that pumpkin gut you find yourself with these days. I would recommend shredding the hell out of it in a food processor first though. Anyhoo....thats just my guess. But my muffins turned out perfect with the pie filling. I did add a bit more than the recipe asks for.

The pretty little cakes are not too sweet..which my husband appreciates...and not to earthy...which i appreciate. The cream cheese is a nice surprise and even without the nuts they are supreme. I give this recipe an 7.5 out of 10. They are super yummy, pretty darn easy to make (aka difficult to screw up) and healthier than the average dessert muffin in that there is no butter, shortening or white sugar involved. I cant say that pumpkin screams at you when you bite in .....but it is still present..and again maybe thats because i failed to follow the directions for solid pack pumpkin (wtf?).



Next up on orange boulevard: Orange Rosemary Easy Chicken. This is honestly the easiest possible recipe EVER! Which is of course why i was immediately attracted to it. Well that and it is healthy (aka not fried). Found it on Healthy Quick Meals(duh)


Orange Rosemary Easy Chicken
1 pound or so of chicken (anyway anyhow)
Place in casserole with a lid

sprinkle paprika and pepper over chicken

mix together 6 ounces of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed not diluted
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes at 350F covered, until no longer pink inside

This dish was very moist and savory. The "sauce" was not something i ended up lathering on. Instead the OJ was more of a marinate that kept the chicken very moist and added much flavor. It really was a tasty dish...and ease alone keeps this baby at a 10 out of 10. We will be revisiting ole ojrose ckn. I put some jasmine rice and fresh broccoli in the rice cooker for a simple, delicious side dish.