Mother's Day

On a kind of last minute decision, Cody and I decided to head up to Longview this weekend to spend Mother's Day with our families (novel idea right...).  We were in need of a relaxing weekend, so we stayed out at the barndominium. 
On Saturday morning, I prepared a breakfast for our moms and my sis-in-law (who is mom to our precious niece and nephew).  We had granola, fruit, yogurt, baked donuts, oatmeal banana muffins and eggs baked in avocados (all recipes are the bottom).

We relaxed and visited for the rest of the morning.
The kids enjoyed riding the (alli)gator and exploring the land.

Later, Carol, mom and I headed into town to Pure Nail Bar for some wonderful pedis before doing a little shopping. 

We also go to enjoy Mexican food at Posados and Bodacious for our favorite barbecue.  Yes, we live in Houston and yes there are a million restaurants here, but I have not found a hot sauce I love as much as Posados or bbq that we enjoy as much as Bodacious.
I was able to relax this weekend (I didn't even run y'all..I just needed to get that off my chest..I was feeling a little guilt), catch up on some much needed rest and just really enjoy time with our families!


The granola is my go to recipe from this post, the rest of the recipes are listed below. Enjoy!
Egg Baked Avocados
1.Preheat oven to 450.
2. Slice in half avocados and scoop out pit.
3. Break egg into the avocado half making sure that yolk ends up in the hole left by the pit.  (More than likely a good bit of the egg white will spill over out of the avocado.  Make sure that you have the pan lined with foil for easy clean up).
4.  Place eggs into the oven just until yolk has set.
5.  Top with salt and pepper and a little mozarella to serve.

Baked Cinnamon Donuts
from RasperberiCupcakes
1 cup full cream or reduced-fat milk
15g unsalted butter, melted (approximately 1 tbs)
400g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dried yeast
1/4 cup (22g) caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For cinnamon doughnuts:
35g melted butter (approximately 2 1/3 tbs)
1/2 cup (44g) caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Place milk in a heatproof, microwave-safe jug. Microwave on medium-high (75%) for 30 to 40 seconds or until heated through (do not allow to boil). Stir in melted butter and set aside.

Sift flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in yeast, sugar and cinnamon. Make a well in the centre. Add milk mixture. Mix to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic (or if you are lucky enough to have a mixer with dough hooks like me, beat using dough hooks on high for 5-7 mins).

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Using your fist, punch dough down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth. Roll dough out until 2cm thick. Using a 6.5cm cutter, cut 12 rounds from dough. Using a 3cm cutter, cut circles from the centre of each round. Place doughnuts (and doughnut holes), 5cm apart, on prepared tray. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C (350 degrees F). Cook doughnuts for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. For cinnamon doughnuts combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Brush doughnuts with remaining butter. Dip in sugar mixture, shaking off excess.
*These were much better fresh when I made them on Thursday, but when we heated them up completely on Saturday, they regained the soft donutish texture)

Banana Oat Muffins 
from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg 3/4 cup milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup mashed bananas

Directions:

1.	Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
2.	In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.
3.	Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.