Six out of seven days a week I wake up completely content to start my morning with an iced coffee and no breakfast. Most of the time I eat a light breakfast because I know I should, not because I actually have a feeling of hunger. However, there is something about Sunday mornings that make me ravenous and want to consume a morning meal chock full of eggs, bacon and waffles.

I love waffles, there is something about the crisp texture and the way syrup pools within the waffle divots that makes me a very happy girl. My dad gave me a Waring Pro Waffle Maker that I became completely obsessed with it…for about a minute. The novelty wore off and I put in the cupboard for about three months. However, I pulled in out last week and rekindled my love affair with this fantastic appliance by making vanilla bean waffles with homemade blueberry sauce.

I like my waffles kind of well done, so I crank up the number on my waffle iron to 4 to ensure a nice crispy exterior. These waffles were absolutely delicious; perfect crisp texture with a heavenly vanilla scent and flavor. These were deliciously addictive with both maple syrup or the homemade blueberry sauce. Have a fabulous weekend and I hope I sparked a craving for some waffles!

Notes: The blueberry sauce had a little too much orange flavor for me, so I will definitely cut back on it for next time.

Prop 411: Plate and Napkin from Pier 1

Vanilla Bean Waffles
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Beanilla vanilla paste

Directions
1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla bean paste, just until smooth.
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

Blueberry Sauce
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.
2. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

If you like this recipe, please spread the love…

In the past month or so I have gotten quite a few emails from readers looking for lightened up baked goods to to serve to their families and friends. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that butter, cream cheese and sugar are amongst my best pals, but I figured I would give healthy er…healthier baking a whirl! Contrary to popular belief, I do not eat a ton of desserts…I make a ton of them, but usually just snag a bite for quality control. I do however, love fruit and since fruit is considered healthy, it will more than likely be my go to ingredient for this the Lightened Up series of recipes. I will also try to include nutrional info if at all possible! I totally realize these may not be “healthy” in everyones’ eyes and I am sure they can be made even better for you by adding in some whole wheat flour, flax seeds, etc. However, in comparison to what I usually serve up here, they are definitely lightened up! These turned out fabulous…I loved the way they domed up in the oven and they were surprisingly moist without being too sweet! These muffins would be perfect with your morning cup of coffee or tea and an awesome snack to toss into your kiddo’s lunch box! Have a fabulous day and thanks so much for stopping by!

Prop Info:
Triangular Bowl- TJ Maxx
Napkin- Pier 1
Plate- Target
Muffin Liners- Confectionery House

Strawberry Banana Muffins
yields 6 muffins
Approximate Nutritional Info:
Calories: 217
Fat: 8
Fiber: 1.4
Sugar: 11 grams
Protein: 7 grams

Ingredients
3/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 medium banana; mashed
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract…I used Beanilla Vanilla Paste
3/4 cup and 2 TBS flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Method
1. In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside for 1 hour. Drain, reserving liquid and berries separately.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 6 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the banana and vanilla paste. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the juice from the berries. Gently stir in the berries. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Notes/Tips…
I always spray my muffin pan and liners with a very light spray of non-stick spray. I poured the batter in almost to the top of the liner and they domed up beautifully without overflowing. I sprinkled the tops of the muffins with coarse sugar before baking. I also baked for 20 minutes to ensure the centers were thoroughly cooked.

Peaches. I love peaches. I have been slacking on my Barefoot Blogger posts, but when I saw this recipe,chosen by Aggie of Aggie’s Kitchen, I knew this one would definitely get whipped up in my kitchen. I had every intention of making this last night, but I ran out of time, so I woke up this morning and threw it together rather quickly. I scaled the recipe down quite a bit to accommodate only two ramekins. Usually I have a decent amount of self-control and can practice restraint when it comes to the consumption of baked goods. However, on top of the peaches, this recipe has a crumb topping which makes me weak, so I felt it was highly necessary to scale it down to only two portions; both of which I may consume by 3 pm…it’s healthy because it’s fruit…right?!? This recipe was quite the palette pleaser and would be absolutely amazing if topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream! Have a scrumptious day, now please excuse me while I go eat a ramekin full of fruity crumble goodness! Oh, and if you follow me on twitter, you know about my twitter only giveaway, so submit those cherry recipes!

Prop Info-
Ramekins- TJ Maxx
Plate- Target
Napkin- Pier One
Spoon- World Market

This recipe is not available of foodnetwork.com, so I will post it here.

Peach & Blueberry Crumbles
source: Barefoot Contessa at Home
serves: 5 to 6

For the fruit
2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.
3. For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.

I purchased a bunch of really great strawberries from the market and I wanted to do something with them before they were past their prime. I did a little googling and came across a recipe on Martha Stewart’s site for Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes. I am sure most of you are aware of Sprinkles Cupcakes, but if you are not, they are one of the first cupcake boutique~type bakeries in California. They offer a pretty extensive menu of flavors that rotates throughout the week. Sprinkles has become such a huge phenomenon, they now offer their mixes which can be purchased from their website or at Williams Sonoma and even have a Sprinklesmobile which delivers cupcakes in the Beverly Hills area.

Now on to the cupcakes…this recipe is very straight forward and easy to make. I put the strawberries in my Magic Bullet and had the strawberry puree done in a snap. The cupcakes baked up evenly and had a good texture. I found them to be a bit on the dry side, but Bri’s co-workers raved over them!

The true star of these cupcakes was the frosting, which I adapted from the Sprinkles recipe. I threw in a brick of cream cheese in place of a stick of butter and made a few more minor adjustments. This frosting came out amazing and according to others tastes like homemade strawberry ice cream.

Although I believe the cupcake recipe needs a little tweaking, this frosting will remain a regular in my kitchen…I think it would be amazing on a layered cake or as a filling for strawberries! Thanks for stopping by…have a great day!

Oh, and congratulations to Nina, of Nina’s Cupcakes for winning my ice cream giveaway!

Click Here for the Cupcake Recipe

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole strawberries
1 stick unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, slightly cold
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
22 ounces of confectioners’ sugar (approximately 1.4 pounds)

Method
Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the cream cheese and beat until combined. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air.

Note: The frosting is able to be piped, but is on the soft side and definitely needs to be refrigerated!

This morning I woke up and decided to whip together a little Fourth of July dessert that would be easy, but also delicious and festive. Since I am so in love with my mini bundt pans, I decided to use them yet again…this time for mini lemon pound cakes. I was excited to make these because I was able to use a new product that was introduced to me by Stonyfield Farms. About a month ago they contacted me and asked if I would like coupons to try their new Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt. Of course I accepted and within a few days had a bunch of coupons and a great yellow tote on my doorstep. It was a little difficult for me to find the yogurt, but once I did, I was in love. I am a big fan a Greek yogurt and find it to be a terrific addition to many recipes and a great substitute for sour cream. In fact, I used it in place of sour cream in this recipe…and it came out delicious!!! Stay tuned for more recipes with this yogurt because I have a bunch of great coupons…be sure to check their website for coupons!! I hope all of you have a safe and happy Fourth of July filled with great company and delicious food!
Fourth of July Lemon Cakes
adapted from allrecipes
makes 6 mini bundt cakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray mini bundt pans with non-stick spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice, peel and extract.
3. . Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the Greek yogurt. Beat just until combined.
4. Pour into a greased pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

Garnish with whipped cream or Cool Whip and lots of berries!