Confession

I'm going to come clean with you. The kitchen is still a trial for me. This cooking for one? It stinks. Really, I can't stand cooking just for me. And I'm finally getting tired of eating Amy's frozen dinners.

So, last night after yet another dinner of cold cereal, I decided to half cook. Half cook, is that a real kitchen-y term? Whatever. I figured that if I baked something halfway decent that I could grab and eat, maybe with a cup of chai or glass of milk, it had to beat cold cereal. Sounds logical, doesn't it? Alright, maybe it sounds half logical.

Still, it's progress.

The recipe I chose is one I've been making for years. My sweet man loved these muffins, and so do I. In fact, I doubled the batch last night so I'll have half meals for a week or so.

Fast, simple and yummy. It doesn't get much better than that! I hope you enjoy these, my half cook recipe for the week.

Applesauce Muffins

2 cups biscuit mix
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 cup applesauce
3 T. milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. melted butter
½ t. cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Lightly grease muffins tins.

In a large bowl mix together biscuit mix ,
1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 t. cinnamon.
Add applesauce, milk, egg and oil and mix well.

Pour batter into greased tins.
Place in a pre-heated 400-degree oven
and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, stir together remaining cinnamon and sugar.
Dip the top of each muffin into the melted butter
then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Makes a dozen muffins.

Saturday

It is a gorgeous Saturday morning here in the middle of nowhere. The sky is blue, robins and bluebirds are zipping around and the snow sparkles.

Oh, right...the snow. Well, if you overlook the layer of snow covering everything, it really is a pretty spring morning. Maybe the snow will melt.

Yeah, I've got a bridge to sell, if you're interested...

Me? I'm ignoring the sn-- ah, the white stuff. I've got a long To-do list and don't have time for Mother Nature's nonsense. On the list? Oh, the usual. Vacuuming, dusting, mopping, bringing in firewood. And, if my mood stays the same and my chin doesn't hit the ground (I'm going to try real hard to see that it doesn't!) I'm going to bake. Yes, that's right, I'm going to dust off the oven, wash some mixing bowls and, for the first time in over a year, I'm going to bake. It's time.

Vito and I loved creating in the kitchen, and that enjoyment included baking. I'll tell you, he baked the best apple pie in the world. Truly, he did. It was so amazing that when we invited folks for dinner they'd request his apple pie for dessert. Before I get teary-eyed, moving along...

I've got to get back on the kitchen horse eventually. I can't live on frozen dinners forever. And, I might find happiness doing what we enjoyed. So, baking. Today. Something simple to start. Maybe cookies or a quick bread. Just something. Like I said, it's time.

Tonight I've got a date with some bunnies. Not somebodies, some bunnies. I've got about thirty that need to be stuffed because, well, just because bunnies shouldn't be flat. I'll stuff them tonight, put eyes and whiskers on tomorrow and then they'll be ready for their Big Day. It's hard to believe, but Easter's right around the corner.

What about you? What are you going to do this gorgeous Saturday?