Mother’s Day Preparation

B and I are headed up for an early Mother’s Day tomorrow with Mom, Dad, my brother and younger sister. That means today I am planning the Day Early Mom Appreciation festivities. Happiness!

Menu: Spinach Bacon Quiche, Blueberry Muffins, and Cranberry Pecan Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing. Mom loves breakfast and has skillfully served it to us every birthday as we grew up. Even though this meal will be served at dinner time, I want to make a brunch to honor her that way.

We’re hoping it doesn’t rain so that we can attend this Plant Celebration at Centre Furnace Mansion. It looks beautiful!

Kid President Rocks! And this is a funny, amazing tribute to Moms.

I’ll leave you with a few picture of me and my mom. We’ve had a lot of good times together. We worked for New Yorker’s for Constitutional Freedoms together. We both love history and museums. We love food and serving others. We both love crafty things and making stuff with our hands. She’s taught me a lot.

I can’t wait to see you tomorrow Mom!

Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

I need these to come back in my life. They are the most amazing muffins. Crisp apples and lovely cinnamon mixed with textured oatmeal make for an amazing muffin. Seriously, go make them right now. You’ll thank me.

I was surprised when I looked for a recipe for “Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins” however. I looked, searched, Googled and ventured in to the great unknown but there were only one or two recipes that even remotely seemed like what I was looking for. I took a chance on one from a blog and it definitely paid off. Follow along! The recipe is at the end.

1) Chop apples. I used 2-3 because I like my muffins to be mostly fruit. 😉

2) Wisk dry ingredients.

3) Mix wet ingredients and add to the dry ones.
4) Stir to combine.

5) Add apples.
6) Stir to combine.7) Portion into muffin pan and cook. (Keep watch as they near the end because I needed less time than they called for)

Look how amazing these are! They fell apart in my hand and were so full of amazing apple chunks! Get out the stick of butter and go at ‘um. Ooo so good. 

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Recipe care of Cathlin Cooks

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

• 1½ cups whole wheat flour (used white flour but only because I need to restock on whole wheat!)
• ½ cup rolled oats (Because of the lack of wheat flour, I upped this to 1 cup oats and used 1 cup white flour)
• 1/3 cup light-brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup sugar
• cinnamon to taste
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk or water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1½-2 cups chopped apples (I used Galas which allow the apples to retain a little crunch even after cooked)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F and grease a muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl, stir together milk/water, eggs, oil, and vanilla until blended.
4. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and add wet ingredients, stirring just to combine.
5. Stir in apple chunks.
6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a muffins pass the toothpick test.
7. Allow muffins to cool on a wire rack for five minutes before removing from pan to continue cooling.

Serve warm or completely cooled. Muffins can be frozen.