Sugar-Crusted Citrus Muffins

These lemon and lime muffins have a tangy topping that separates into a sticky syrup and a crunchy sugary crust.

Makes 10

1-3/4 cups self-rising flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1 cup milk

Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

Finely grated zest of 1/2 lime

1 egg, lightly beaten

6 Tbs. butter, melted

For the crunchy topping:

1/2 cup sugar

juice of 1 small lemon

Thinly pared strips of rind of 1/2 lemon

Thinly pared strips of rind of 1/2 lime

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan or line 10 cups with paper muffin cups.
• For the muffins, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Pour the milk into a bowl. Stir in the lemon and lime zest, egg and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix briefly until just combined.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until risen and golden. Remove from the oven and leave the baked muffins in the pan.
• While the muffins are baking, make the crunchy topping. Mix the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until blended. Stir in the thinly pared strips of lemon and lime rind. When the muffins come out of the oven, spoon the citrus mixture over the hot muffins. Leave to cool in the pan, then turn out and serve.

Orange Teriyaki Salmon

I haven't made salmon in awhile and this is a quick and simple recipe. I keep all the ingredients on hand so I have dinner ready in thirty minutes. I also made steamed snow peas and rice to go with it.

3 Tbs. orange juice

2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbs. rice vinegar

1 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. bottled minced garlic

2 tsp. ground fresh ginger

4 (6oz) salmon fillets

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Combine first 6 ingredients in an 8"sq. baking dish, stirring with whisk. Add fresh fish to baking dish; spoon sauce over fish. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 15 minutes.
• yield 4 servings

White Chocolate, Lemon & Raspberry Muffins

I was craving some warm delicious muffins and I love the combination of raspberries and lemons.

Makes 12
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 fresh or frozen raspberries (don't thaw)
Scant 1 cup white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 Lemon
2 eggs. lightly beaten
1 cup milk

• Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line the cups with paper muffin cups.
• Mix the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, raspberries, white chocolate and lemon zest.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and milk, then pour the egg mixture all at once into the dry ingredients and mix briefly until just combined. (Careful do not over mix)
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until well risen, golden and firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

Adapted from Muffins Galore by Catherine Atkinson.

Meatballs for Two

I have been craving spaghetti and meatballs for the last three days. As soon as Mike and I came home from vacation this is what I made for dinner the next day. After eating out for lunch and dinner for the last four days it was so good to have a home cooked meal. This recipe is great just for two...but of course my husband does not like meatballs. I guess I know what I will be bringing to work tomorrow for lunch. I made homemade tomato sauce that simmered all day and I put the meatballs in the sauce for about thirty minutes to give the sauce more flavor.

For those of you who are on a time crunch you can use any spaghetti sauce of your liking...yes, even if it comes in a jar.

1 egg

3 Tbs. seasoned, bread crumbs

2 Tbs. chopped onion

1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese

1/8-tsp. black pepper

1/2 lb. ground beef

Tomato sauce of your choice

Hot cooked spaghetti

In a bowl combine first 5 ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 2-in. meatballs. Brown in a skillet over medium heat; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes until meatballs no longer pink.

**My favorite brand of pasta other than homemade is Barilla. When choosing a pasta always make sure the first ingredient is Semolina otherwise it will turn to mush when you cook it. Cook until "al dente" which means firm to the bite. **

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

I thought this would be tangy and refreshing. I made this for an appetizer and used the left overs over grilled chicken.

2 plum tomatoes
1/2 small red onion
1 4-in. piece seedless cucumber
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno pepper
1 medium pineapple
1 lime
1/2 tsp. salt
lime tortilla chips or Lay's jalapeno flavored tortilla cups

• Hull and remove seeds form tomatoes. Dice tomatoes, onions, cucumbers. Chop cilantro. Combine tomatoes, onion , cucumbers, and cilantro in bowl. cut jalapeno in half length wise and remove seeds. Finely chop jalapeno and add to the bowl.
• Slice top and bottom off pineapple to create flat base. Core and peel pineapple. Set aside half of pineapple for another use. Dice pineapple flesh, juice lime to measure about 2 tsp juice. Add pineapple, lime juice and salt to bowl. Mix thoroughly until combined.
• Yield 16 servings (3 cups)

Adapted from Pampered Chef's Spring/summer 2009 season's best recipe collection.

Crab Cakes Our Way

I love when my husband suggests ideas for dinner so I was excited when he said he wanted crab cakes. Since he is a picky eater I was happy to find an easy recipe with ingredients he would enjoy. You'll love how simple these are to prepare.

1 lb. fresh crabmeat ( I used imitation crabmeat)
6 to 8 multigrain saltine crackers, finely crushed ( I used breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 TBS. minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS. butter or margarine

• Drain and flake crabmeat, removing any bits of shell. (If using imitation crabmeat like I did make sure it is chopped up very fine)
• Combine crushed crackers and next 7 ingredients; gently fold crabmeat into mixture. Shape into 6 thin patties.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. (I used canola oil, when I used the butter it burned my patties to quickly)

Add crab cakes: cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Adapted from Southern Living Cookbook pg. 237