Egg Bites- like Starbucks

 I love these little egg bites. I first had them at Starbucks, like so many of you.  The secret to making these is blending cottage cheese with the eggs!  Who knew?! Also, the cottage cheese somehow makes the egg bites more tender than normal baked eggs.

The cottage cheese has a lot of flavor (and salt), so you don't even need to season these, isn't that crazy?

You can make many variations, depending on what you like and what you have on hand.  For these, I used those mini pepperoni, minced jalapenos and mixed Mexican blend cheese.

Here's some other ideas you could create:

• Feta, green onion and bacon
• Mozzarella, tomatoes and basil
• Taco meat, cheese and onion
• Cheddar and chives
• Ham, bacon and jack cheese
• Cream cheese and smoked salmon

Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs
• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• add-ins of your choice... (see above)

Add one cup of cottage cheese to your blender, add in 8 large eggs and blend until not chunks of cottage cheese are noticeable.

Back at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Note- I recommend a silicon muffin tin for this... it makes it much easier to get out. I use some spray Pam before adding the 'add ins" and then pour in the egg mixture. I fill about 7/8 full and bake.

Let cool and remove from the pan.

These egg bites last in the fridge about 4-5 days, I take two in my lunch almost every day. 

Easy to eat, taste good and lots of protein.

Here's some pictures of the steps:

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Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Got up early this morning and made coffee cake.  
Yup, Monday at 5am.
I have to get up pretty early to blog these days. 
And any excuse to cook, or bake, something is OK with me.
I even got a power walk in while it baking and was to work by 6:45.  Woo hoo.
We've been trying to diet, (having too much fun vacationing lately, I guess), but I have an almost unlimited supply of "test eaters" at work. 
I know!  I can get them to eat this and probably do it happily too..
There were happy faces all around, including mine when I tried it.
I did take a walk, you know.

I can see where variations of this would be great. You might want to try fresh berries instead of chocolate, but I must say, chocolate chip coffee cake is especially decadent and not the normal dry coffeecake. I also think this would make terrific muffins, just back them about 20 minutes or so. The topping is just brown sugar and nuts, no flour or oatmeal, and I was a bit worried about it at first, but it was crisp and sugar crunchy. Yum.


This recipe from the Seattle Times a couple of days ago, but looks like it was originally in the Baltimore Sun.

 

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter or margarine and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream and baking soda. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream until combined to the butter sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread batter into a greased angel food cake pan, or an 8x8 square pan. Batter will be very thick.

Prepare topping by blending with your fingers the brown sugar, chopped nuts and cinnamon. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, testing it with a toothpick to make sure it's done inside.

Cool on wire rack before removing from pan.

Cinnamon Sugar Quick Bread

You've heard of one bowl brownies, right?  
What about one bowl Cinnamon Sugar Bread?
Here's proof:

I've had a rough week, a really rough week... 12 hour days of stress every day so far.  
Really though...  cry me a river, everyone else is stressed too.
How to feel better?
I know!
Why not bring the others you work with a little fattening home-baked treat that let's them know that you care?  

I saw this on another blog while surfing on Pinterest.... it's the best way I know to do double duty folks!  Check out Whisk and a Prayer blog for her rendition.  I changed it up a bit,  like I am prone to do.  

Makes one 9x5 loaf
Ingredients

1/4- 1/3 cup brown sugar(or white sugar)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. I lined mine with parchment too.

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together, Set aside.

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, milk, and oil to flour mixture.

Stir until just moistened.

Pour half of the batter into pan.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Cover with almost all of the remaining batter.

Top with more cinnamon/sugar.
Run a knife gently through the mixture to give it a marbled effect.

 Top with what's left of the batter, and and sprinkle with a bit more cinnamon sugar, if desired. I just added a little line of cinnamon sugar down the middle.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

I haven't tried it, but I think this would make great muffins too!  It might take a while to layer up 12 little muffin cups but would be a fantastic way to go for individual servings.  
Bake at the same temperature in paper liner cups for 20-25 minutes.
 

Oatmeal, Raisin & Walnut Muffins

You know muffins aren't health food, right?
Good... just making sure...
But, then again, don't you feel better about a baked good that includes things thatare good for you?  Like Oatmeal, nuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds?

I made these the other day when we had an impromptu family breakfast party, and everyone agreed that this was a great little muffin!

You will notice that the recipe calls for 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup sugar... I made it with 1/2 cup but I thought it could have been sweeter.  Everyone else disagreed with me and said it was perfect the way it was... so I will leave it up to you!  We ate ours with piles of my Strawberry Habanero Jam which added a nice kick to the muffins too! I promise to blog about that awesome jam some time soon...

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup oatmeal, blended into a coarse flour

1/2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat

1/2- 2/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt, or sour cream

1 large egg

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds (optional)

1 Tbsp flax seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix all the dry ingredients. In another small bowl whisk together with sour cream, egg, and vanilla.

Stir butter mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. It's a very thick batter!
Add in walnuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds.

Divide the batter among muffin cups and bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Use an ice cream scoop to fill the paper liners about 2/3 to 3/4 full.  You should have just enough to fill all 12 liners.  If desired, add a couple raisins, pumpkin seeds and walnuts to the top of each before baking, my raisins on top got a little brown in the baking, but it was still yummy!

Need some more muffin ideas?  Here's some others:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Apricot, Cherry, Almond Muffins
Banana Raspberry Bran Muffins

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Muffins

I was thinking of making muffins the other day, but really, when do 2 people need 18 muffins?  Yeah, pretty much never.

I woke up on Monday  and it was cold and rainy... again.
Have I mentioned that it's pretty much the worst June ever in Seattle?
I am sure I have...
I laid in bed and contemplated staying there, head under the covers.
Then I remembered those muffins...
Hey, wouldn't people at work be happy if I brought in muffins still warm from the oven?
Heck yes they would...
I whomped this batch together in my standmixer, just dumping it altogether not following the elaborate "first mix this together, then mix that together, then finally combine".  I didn't have time for that... it was 5am and I need to get moving. I had these in the oven in under 10 minutes.  I love a recipe like that.

I found this original recipe online and knew it was a keeper.Of course, I made some tweaks... mostly reducing the amount of the mini chocolate chips... the original called for 2 cups. In 18 muffins that's a lot of chips. But do what you like, that's what cooking is all about.  It gives the illusion of 'healthy' by using half whole wheat flour, but it would be equally delicious with all white flour I am sure.

(I forgot to show the butter, the milk and the yoghurt... did I mention it was 5am?)

Makes 18 muffins
Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup yoghurt, or sour cream

1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels

Preheat oven to 375º F. Paper-line or grease 18, 2 1/2 –inch muffin cups.

Combine all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, milk and yoghurt (or sour cream); beat until smooth. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture; beat until just blended. Stir in morsels.

Spoon batter into prepared cups, or better yet, use an ice cream scoop, filling 3/4 full.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out slightly sticky. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Need some more muffin ideas?  Here's some others:
Apricot, Cherry, Almond Muffins
Banana Raspberry Bran Muffins

Banana Raspberry Bran Muffins

Trying to give you some healthy options here... I'm not all about cupcakes, ya know!  Though I guess these are sorta like cupcakes... same shape... just healthy.

I tried to make these without any sugar, just molasses, thinking the banana would be good enough, and it WASN'T.  So I recommend you add some sort of sweetener if you want to have muffins that actually taste super good!  The next time, I added 1/4 cup molasses and 1/4 cup white sugar... but I would even say if you know your 'peeps' like them sweet, then add up to a 1/2 cup sugar even, plus the molasses.

I made a batch this afternoon, and promptly ate two.
I was happy.

Next morning update...
These taste even better the morning after you make them, I know, because I just had two more.

The rest, well, I am going to freeze them and whip them out one weekend when I need a little something extra.  Frozen muffins unthaw pretty quick, and you can defrost them in about 15 seconds in the microwave.  These would be great to take with your lunch and eat with your morning coffee at work, lots cheaper than buying that $3.00 and 500 calorie cinnamon chip scone at Starbucks...

Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients

1 cup Wheat Bran

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 banana, mashed

3/4 cup Milk

1/2 cup Molasses, sugar or Honey

2 Tbsp Oil

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

Stir together: bran, flour, soda and baking powder. Then stir in raisins and set aside. Mash the banana, and blend with the milk, molasses, oil and egg.

Add to dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Gently fold in the walnuts and raspberries. You don't have to be gentle with the walnuts, but you don't want to smash the raspberries beyond recognition.

Spoon into greased muffin tins, or muffin papers and bake in preheated 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes or until muffins pull away from sides of cups.

Other options for these muffins:

• Add applesauce instead of mashed up banana
• Add blueberries instead of raspberries
• Dried cherries, cranberries or raisins would be great too.

Here is another great muffin recipe:

"Add in" Muffins

Apricot, Cherry, Almond Muffins- Basic "Add in" recipe

This is a great basic recipe for muffins any time... you can make it your own, to match your pantry contents, or whatever flavors you are wanting that day!

One of the things I like best about this recipe is that it makes a decent size batch for a small family... of course, I can eat more muffins than this, but really, I should not!

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (3/4 white flour & 3/4 cup wheat flour works too)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup plain yogurt, or sour cream

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla (or other flavor extract, I used almond for this recipe!)

"Add in" items, go ahead and personalize your muffins

1/4 cup chopped apricots

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup dried cherries, or Craisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix all the dry ingredients. In another small bowl whisk together with sour cream, egg, and vanilla.

Stir butter mixture (and additional ingredients; *see note, below) into flour mixture until just combined. It's a very thick batter!

Divide the batter among muffin cups and bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Here's some great ideas for YOUR muffins:

• 1 chopped banana, 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped drained canned pineapple and 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate and 1-2 tablespoon poppy seeds.
• 3/4 cup macadamia nuts and 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup Heath toffee brittle chips and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup fresh, or frozen blueberries plus streusel topping.  (Streusel topping is equal parts butter, brown sugar, flour- rubbed together into a crumbly topping and put on top of your muffins!)