Can you think of a better way to start your Valentine’s Day morning than with rich, soft, chocolaty Red Velvet Pancakes?! I can’t either. They even get served with a luscious, cream cheese dipping sauce. Pretty sweet, right?— pun totally intended…that’s just how I roll.
For those of you who have been around these parts for awhile, I am sorry for another repost, but it is apropos, delicious, healthy, and I don’t have a new post so there you have it.
Resolutions, most of us make them at this time of year and most of us have sadly thrown in the towel in about 3.2 weeks; I have read that stat somewhere but I don’t remember where. So to help you at least start out on the right foot, I offer you these very healthy, super duper soft and lightly spiced cardamom and cinnamon, apple-blueberry muffins.
I hate to be alone in the mornings. It’s boring. When I was a little girl, and wanted my brother to wake up and get crackin’ so that we could play a game or watch Saturday cartoons together, I would throw a couple of dog biscuits onto his bed and our two Cocker Spaniels would jump on top of him and run all over the bed looking for the treats. When he would emerge from his room, I would be sitting on the couch, pretending to look uninterested in his arrival, and I would try not to smile. Unfortunately, I have the worst Poker face known to man. The worst.
Thankful. I have so much…too much. My grown kids are kind, happy and healthy, productive adults. That is everything to me. And my Golden Retriever, Sadie, is a constant love and complete noodge (I love both sides of her; the angel and the devil). I am surrounded by family and friends and always have food on my table and a warm bed. All of that is huge and Thanksgiving reminds me not to take it all for granted and to do what I can to help others to have the same necessities. Food and a warm bed should not be a privilege in a wealthy country such as ours. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If you are feeling like you have more than you need, please think of homeless organizations in your area to donate to. One of my local favorites is West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation.
As to the food I’ve decided not to reinvent the wheel and just show you what Sweet and Crumby has got for the upcoming big holiday. I hope this list gives you inspiration for your Thanksgiving menu.
This Maple Roasted Pumpkin Salad would be a tantalizing and bright way to start off your holiday meal. Add some dried cranberries or make a cranberry vinaigrette to give it that extra festive flare.
I kid you not, these muffins are scrumptious. They are not one iota dry or tough and they have oodles of bran and ground flax seed so you truly can’t go wrong here. If you were ever going to give a healthy type berry muffin with oat bran and ground flax seeds a go, wouldn’t you want to try one that has been given the Sweet and Crumby (S&C) stamp of approval? Wouldn’t you want it to taste bad to the bone but be oh so angelic?
Over the weekend, I woke up with one clear thought, “I MUST make doughnuts.” And if you are going to bother with the the huge vat of oil, wait for the dough to rise and eat a ginormous amount of calories, then you may as well jump in with both feet and make Maple Glazed Doughnuts topped with Applewood Smoked Bacon crumbles. Don’t you agree?
If you are here for the scintillating conversation, friends, I am sadly going to disappoint you today. I am having a mad case of writer’s block. But if you are here for the muffins, well, in that case I will surely knock your socks off, or slippers, or flip flops, whatever is on your feet; they are going to be flying right off of ’em. Because these muffins deserve a much heftier and blingier title than “muffin”. The term muffin seems to yawn banal or scream cloyingly sweet. These brightly flavored orange and rosemary muffins are none of the above.
I must start with this heavenly bread first. Because it is the bread of all breads, would be the crowning glory to any Easter Brunch table and is soft and tender and filled with a pillowy tart lemon curd and a tangy cream cheese spread. One bite is complete perfection and makes your eyes roll back and your heart skip a beat. Scouts honor.
There are days you just need a Mai Tai at 9:00 am. You know those days? When crumbles of life are falling down all around you and the only sane thing to do is to drink something fruity and tropical and rather strong? Well, I have a rather innocent solution, one that will not garner worried looks from your friends and relatives and one that is so amazingly delicious that you may not mind any more that your life is in shambles.
If actions speak louder than words, then making Nutella Banana Swirl Bread certainly would say, “Thank you”, or “I’m sorry,” or “Get better soon,” much better than any card. It is homey, like any good quick bread should be, but has a little something extra special with that swirl of Nutella running through it. It is a nice soft but sturdy loaf and not overtly sweet like my traditional banana bread.
Sweet And Crumby 
