Use what you've got

Now fellow bloggers, I am not the kind of girl that easily goes with the flow. I love to plan out things, whether it be vacations, events or a grocery list. Well this week I have been able to actually use what we already had to make dinner, muffins, ect.

(The left side of the picture is chocolate chip muffins and the right side is banana nut)

Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup light-brown sugar, packed
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 (11 1/2 ounce) package milk chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Grease twelve muffin cups.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt.
4. In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla until blended.
5. Make a well in center of dry ingredients.
6. Add milk mixture and stir just to combine.
7. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
8. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
9. Now bake for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean.
10. Remove muffin tin to wire rack.
11. Cool for 5 minutes.
12. Remove from tins to finish cooling.

Banana Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl (I added nuts also). Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

I also made some really yummy cupcakes using the chocolate cake recipe from the Better Homes Cookbook.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup milk
Directions
1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl sitr together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar (about 1/4 cup at a time). Scrape sides of bowl; continue beating on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition (about 1 minute total). Beat in vanilla.
3. Alternately add floud mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pans.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
*I frosted them with this Buttercream Icing.

Also in exciting news, my friend Emily had her baby girl on Tuesday night and we were able to go see baby Natalie on Thursday. She is perfect!!


This weekend we've also gotten to see our friends Nick and Sarah in San Antonio, who are expecting their first bundle of joy within the next two months!! The boys golfed, the girls shopped and went to see a movie. We ate dinner last night at the new Marriott resort in San Antonio and it was beautiful! I'm just always so impressed with the scenery each time we go to San Antonio. We've stayed before at the Westin La Cantera and it was equally as beautiful and serene.

2 kid days and 1 teacher day until summer!! Which might consist of summer school, but it'll still be nice to have a change of pace. : )