Mother's Day Muffins

So my mom and I saw this muffin tin at IKEA a while back... but we didn't get it.
(I don't know if you can tell, but the muffin cups are tall and skinny... super cute...)

And there are really cute paper cups to go with it.

And since then, my mom has mentioned several time that she wishes she HAD gotten it.

So I bought 2 of them for her for Mother's Day (and cups, of course).

And made muffins for breakfast.

And they were so good, I thought I'd share the recipe :)
(I mixed and matched a few recipes I found online)

Orange Cranberry Muffins
375 degree oven
10-12 minutes**
Yeild: 12

3/4 cups dried cranberries
Juice of one orange
- Put juice and cranberries in a small saucepan. You may want to add just little water if you don't get much juice (liquid should cover about half the berries). Simmer for 5 minutes to rehydrate the cranberries. Remove from heat.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tb orange zest

- Mix together well in a medium bowl and set aside.

2 eggs (at room temperature)
6 oz. cup of Orange yogurt (I used Yoplait's Light Orange Creme)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
- In a small bowl beat eggs well. Add yogurt and oil and mix thoroughly. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until moist. Consistency will be more like an extra sticky cookie dough than a batter.
- Fold in cranberries and separate evenly into lined or greased/floured muffin tins.

3 Tb sugar
2 Tb flour
1 Tb COLD butter
- Cut together with a fork and sprinkle over each muffin.

Cook and ENJOY***!


**Cooking time will vary. Muffins usually take 20-25 minutes to cook. The provided time is when using these tall, skinny muffin tins and a convection oven. Just watch and learn! :)

***As always, best when enjoyed still warm. May be made in advance and frozen. If frozen, thaw overnight then reheat in the oven, covered with tin foil.

Back to the Real World...

'Tis the season for trying to remember what goals we set last year, wondering why we even set New Years Resolutions since we always forget them and then go on making them again...

...oh the human race...

And yet I do it too. Mind you I figure that if I write them down, I have no excuses for forgetting, right? :)

I always set smaller "goals" (really just things I want to do) for the Christmas break. Things I want to do to maximize my time off and enjoy this time of the year.

Some of the things I had on my list (which I completed) this year include:
See the lights at Temple Square
Knit a scarf (ok... I cheat... I use a loom... and I'm not quite done yet)
Do a puzzle (technically I did 2... one with Jessie and another on my own)
Make mint fudge
Make our traditional Holiday food items with Mom (Christmas braids, candies, etc.)
Finish my book (I've been so tired and busy lately that I'd had it sitting around forever)
Give really meaningful gifts
Be social on New Year's Eve
See friends in town (missed seeing Camille's crew -- I was sick -- and Katie's crew :( -- hopefully I'll catch the Pondster before she heads back to Cali)

I really wanted to go skiing over the break, but it just didn't happen.

Other things I did:
Spoiled the Cal-bear :)
Went to Narnia (Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and out to Chili's with some friends
Finally re-watched INCEPTION (still soooo good!)
Saw A BEE MOVIE
Played lots games (and never won :( -- except for Mario Kart...)
Watched a bunch of LIE TO ME episodes
Music, music and more music
Family time! :)
Watched a few traditional Christmas movies
Cleaned and organized to make construction a little more sane
Worked out
Slept in



And tomorrow... it's back to school.

The good thing about this is having a schedule.
And institute is starting up again.
And Thursday is Temple Night.

It's already after 11?

Darn.

I better go to sleep...