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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Family Dinner Challenge!!

HOWDY friends!  I came across this great website this morning, and just had to share. 
Aviva Goldfarb over at The Six O'Clock Scramble is hosting a Family Dinner Challenge, and I encourage you to join me in taking the pledge! 

Just follow the link to get all the details and sign up TODAY!

Aviva will provide you with: 
-- A Family Challenge Checklist that you can print it out and post on your fridge
-- 4 weeks of family dinner recipes, including side dishes and grocery lists, to help you save time and money by making only one grocery trip each week
-- More tips and tools for healthy family eating
-- A chance to enter and win great Family Dinner Challenge prizes!

Hurry on over and sign up NOW...your family will be blessed by it.

Let me know if you take the pledge!
Blessings,
--Faithy

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Luscious Lime Muffins



HOWDY friends!  Just popping in to share a recipe that I finally got around to making this past weekend.  I cut the original recipe out of a magazine many, many (like over 20) years ago and never have tried it.  I came across it in my recipe box while looking for something to do with some extra limes I had on hand, and thought NOW is the time at last!

I wish I knew which magazine to credit for it, but alas, it has been too many years.  I can tell you that the magazine clipping credits a Mrs. Robert Day of San Benito, TX for sharing it with the magazine.

According to the original recipe, Mrs. Day used these muffins as a breakfast treat and as snack-time cupcakes as well.  I’m thinking a light cream cheese icing with a bit of lime juice & lime zest would transform these into scrumptious cupcakes!

Don’t wait as long as I did to try this recipe.  It’s delicious!

Luscious Lime Muffins


Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (feel free to use all-purpose if you prefer)
1 cup sugar (or your favorite sugar substitute…I used Whey Low Type D)
3 teaspoons low-sodium baking powder (or regular baking powder)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup low fat (skim) milk
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon fresh lime zest (I actually used about 2 teaspoons!)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (feel free to use a little more - 1/3 cup or so - if you like a more tangy flavor)


Directons:
Preheat oven to 400°F, and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with your favorite cooking spray.

Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate, smaller bowl (or a 2-cup liquid measuring cup), whisk together milk, eggs, oil, lime zest and lime juice.  Add all at once to the flour mixture and stir lightly (with a fork or wooden spoon), just until moist.  (The batter will be lumpy.)

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.  (I always use a large cookie scoop, but an ice cream scoop works well too!)

Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.  Let cool in the pan for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.  Serve warm.


Optional Glaze:
I made these plain, as the recipe suggested, but felt like they needed a little more “POW”, so I mixed up a simple glaze of lime juice and regular granulated sugar, and spread it over the hot muffins as they were cooling.

I can’t give you the exact measurements because I just threw it together without measuring.  Just take some fresh lime juice (I juiced half of 1 lime) and add sugar until the taste suits you, then brush over the muffin tops with a pastry brush.  You’ll want it to be very liquid and easily absorbed by the hot muffins.

My official taste-tester husband and I both thought these were much better with the glaze.

I hope you’re enjoying your summer.  Don’t forget to get out there and enjoy it before it’s gone!
Blessings,
--Faithy

Fun Stuff!!

Hi folks...I came across this blog post for a fun summertime treat this morning, and I just had to share.  Please check it out, and let me know if you try it.  I'm sure it will be a hit for you if you do!!


Blessings,
--Faithy

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Faithy’s Favorite Raspberry Lemonade Pie

We must have pie.  Stress cannot exist in the presence of pie. -- David Monet --

Howdy folks…sorry I’ve been AWOL again…imagine…real life taking on more importance than virtual life…LOL!

Anyway, I thought I’d pop in and share another quick, easy, and absolutely yummy recipe.  This is an old favorite of mine.  Can’t remember where I got the original recipe, but I’ve adapted it over the years to make it my own.  It’s a wonderfully cool and creamy summertime treat!

The recipe goes together really quickly, but you’ll need a little patience to wait until it freezes.  (I always use any extra as a taste sample, and just eat it unfrozen, to help with that patience part.)

Faithy’s Favorite Raspberry Lemonade Pie

1 (14 oz.) can fat-free (or regular) sweetened condensed milk (I always put it in the refrigerator ahead of time so that it is chilled when I start)
1 (12 oz.) can frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate, partially thawed (use a little less of this if you prefer more sweet than tart…I like it a bit tart, so I always use the whole thing!)
1 (8 oz.) tub non-dairy whipped topping, thawed (I generally use the lite version)
1 small container fresh raspberries (save a few for garnish)
1 graham cracker crust (I generally use the chocolate cookie crust with this one, but I didn't have any.  I also use the reduced fat version of the graham cracker crusts when I can find them.)

Pour sweetened condensed milk and raspberry lemonade concentrate into a large mixing bowl and whisk well to combine.  Fold in the whipped topping and raspberries (don’t worry if they break apart as you mix them in…the little bits of frozen raspberry spread throughout make this really good!).  Once everything is well combined, pour into the pie crust and garnish with a few fresh raspberries (fresh mint and lemon slices also make good garnishes for this pie).  Freeze until firm (3 hours or so) and enjoy!

Feel free to play with the recipe and substitute any flavor of frozen juice concentrate and fruit to suit your tastes.  (I’ve used regular limeade or lemonade - plain or with fresh blueberries before.  I even tried a mixed berry juice once.  Lately, I've been thinking that frozen orange juice concentrate with mandarin oranges might just be delicious!)  If you come up with another great combination, please let me know.  I’d love to try it!


I hope you’re enjoying this beautiful 4th of July weekend.  Get out there and spend it making memories with your family…you’ll be glad you did!

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
-- Lee Greenwood --

I hope you will also take a moment to remember where TRUE freedom comes from…

One can have political freedom and still be a prisoner of sin, while one who is in a political prison and knows Christ can be more free than his jailers.
Freedom in Christ is the ultimate freedom to be celebrated, not only on special days, but every day of the year. -- Billy Graham --

If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.
 -- John 8:36 --

Blessings,
--Faithy