Savory Girly Girl SPINACH & SWISS Brunch Muffins.

Sometimes us Girly Girls get tired of making Manly Man food.

When hubby goes out of town, many times my dinner consists of, sliced fresh fruit, extra sharp cheese slices, almonds, Wheat Thins and a glass of wine.

Don't get me wrong, I do love my meat & potatoes.

But sometimes a Girly Girl just wants dainty brunch food.

So if a Brunch is in your near future, or maybe an afternoon tea, or a bridal/baby shower.....or even a dinner alone, then give these Girly Girl Spinach & Swiss muffins a try.

I think you'll really love them.

This recipe makes 12 Girly Girl Muffins.

2/3 c. milk
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg
2 c. Original Bisquick Mix
3/4 c. coarsely chopped fresh spinach
3/4 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped green onion (or if you prefer, you can add 3 slices cooked & crumbled bacon)
Tiny pinch of Kosher Salt
Soft butter or softened cream cheese for Schmearing (Herb flavored cream cheese is so very Girly too)

Click Here for Printable Recipe

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Grease your 12 cup muffin tin.

Grab a nice big handful of fresh spinach, and chop it all up.

We're Girly Girls remember, we don't want big chunks of Spinach to get in our teeth now do we?

Do the same with the green onion (and the bacon if you are adding).  Dice it all up nice and dainty.

Now would be a good time to shred your Swiss cheese too and get out your freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

I buy the already grated Parmesan cheese in the little plastic tubs but if you have a chunk of Parmesan cheese, by all means...grate away.  Kudos if you do!

Combine the milk, oil and egg until blended.

Add Bisquick, spinach, onion and cheeses and the dash of Kosher salt.  Combine.

Batter will be thick and sticky.

Spoon batter evenly into your greased 12 cup Muffin Tin.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Keep an eye on them, that's what the oven window is for.

Cool for about 5 minutes.  These little Girly Girls will pop out perfectly.

So cute and Brunchy.

Please serve these little girls warm.  That's when they show-off their best.

You can make these ahead of time, just be sure to heat them before serving.

If you are having a Girly Girl dinner alone, then pop one in the microwave for about 8 seconds.

Or if you are having them at a later time, you can pop several in a Gallon Sized Ziploc bag and Microwave just a few seconds until warm.

My Girly Girl Serving Suggestions:

*Delicious served with sliced fresh fruit (strawberries, grapes, pineapple) soft butter for a little schmear (or softened cream cheese is great too - especially the herb flavored kind), and of course a glass of white wine - This is my favorite way to serve.

* Nice accompaniment with a Girly Girl Salad, and of course a glass of white wine.

* And of course, if you MUST serve to a Manly Man, these are great served with softened butter and a big ole chunk of juicy steak meat, right off the grill. Oh, and a glass of white wine - gotta keep it Girly.

BIG HANDS Hearty Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich

Summer in the Midwest means loads of tomatoes, which means BLTs galore.

Personally, when I make an old fashioned BLT on white toast, I could easily eat two, and I'm not a Big Hands person. Not to mention a couple slices of bacon that secretly disappear before the sandwiches are even assembled, I can still easily eat two regular BLTs.

So, next time you have some hungry Big Hands you have to feed, here's a Hearty version of a good old-fashioned Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich for the Big Hands people in your life.

1 roll refrigerated Home-style Grand Biscuits (will make 4 Big Hands BLTs)
1 pound thick cut bacon (Peppered Thick Cut is my choice, but if you are not a Pepper person, then regular Thick Cut is perfect too)
Ripe Tomatoes, sliced
Lettuce
Mayo

Here's where we bump up a regular BLT on toasted white bread, to the Hearty version that turns a regular sandwich into a meal for Big Hands.

I used a roll of refrigerated Grand Biscuits (Whole Wheat Reduced Fat) but please by all means, feel free to use the regular Home-style Grands.

This is the kind that I used.

But in all honesty, I think the Big Hands person in my life, would have preferred that I used the regular kind as opposed to the Whole Wheat Low Fat.  He didn't actually say this, bless his heart, I just had that wifey feeling.

But since I was trying to be some-what healthy (if that's at all possible when using Thick Cut Bacon) I decided to go with the Whole Wheat.  Trust me, his Big Hands ate it anyway, Whole Wheat version and all.

So feel free to use the regular Buttermilk home-style instead in case your Big Hands person is picky.

Get the regular BLT players all set up and ready.

You know, the Mayo, the Lettuce, and of course the star of the show, your Thick Cut Bacon.

I sometimes use the Pepper Thick Cut bacon for a bit more flavorful sandwich, but regular Thick Cut is good too.

I also put mine in the oven at 350 to avoid the stove-top splatter.

After you have all the players ready to go, turn the oven to 350 and get ready to make the Big Hands biscuit bread.

Open the roll and separate out the 8 biscuits.

Take a biscuit and roll it out flat, until it becomes 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

Do this to all 8 biscuits.

Pop your flattened biscuits onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until golden brown.  About 18 minutes or so.

When they come out of the oven, they're perfect in every way.

Each biscuit will have a some-what puffed up side (which will be the pretty top side of the sandwich) and underneath they will have a flat side, perfect for stacking purposes.

Oh my goodness, the possibilities are endless with these babies. 

Imagine making Breakfast Sandwiches with these........a fried egg, a little slice of ham and of course a slice cheese. 

My mind is going crazy trying to think of other uses for these Big Hands bread slices.

Ok, now it's time to start stacking on the flat side.

Schmear some Mayo (if that's your schmear of choice)

A couple of thick slices of tomatoes

 
And of course, as many bacon slices as your heart desires

A couple slices of crisp cool lettuce.

And VOILA!

Here you have it.

A BIG HANDS BLT.

Now that's a one hearty Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich.

Your Big Hands will thank you.

FRESH SQUEEZED Orange Juice.... Don't Be Fooled! Plus a Neato Juicer

I'm not going on a big fanatical tangent about store-bought Orange Juice. 

Although I'd like to.

Instead,  I wanna tell you why one simple solitary orange can give you the Best Tasting.....Better For Ya......Instant Dose of Pure, Unadulterated Vitamin C......Just like THAT!

As the years begin to add up on my Life's-Calendar, I'm becoming more aware of what I eat, where it comes from, and if I'm making the right choices.

I've also learned how "clever marketing ploys" can trick you into thinking you're buying something good for you.....When in fact, it's only a mere shell of it's true original form.

Take store-bought Orange Juice for example.

True, "fresh squeezed" Orange Juice is literally impossible to package and sell.

In order to get the pure health benefits from "fresh squeezed" orange juice, it literally has to be squeezed and drank straightaway.  

Otherwise, it has to be heat treated, pasteurized, processed with additives, all of which, ZAPS the pure juice of its true health benefits.

It's an Orange in disguise really.

Store-bought orange juice is FAR FROM a Glass of Sunshine that the juice companies are implying.

Oh it's down right exhausting, all the information available on what happens to orange juice before it hits your grocer's refrigeration section.

I'll let you read all about it on your own, or you can just trust me when I tell you that no OJ is more pure than one single fresh squeezed orange.

INSTANT LIQUID VITAMIN C.

Which leads me to my new favorite juicer that I bought from TJ Maxx (also know across the country as Marshall's or Home Goods).  Quick, go there and see if they have any left.  You'll thank me for it.

It's nothing fancy.

It's cute.  It's simple.  And it's ergonomically perfect.

It's got a great little spout.

 

Perfect for catching the seeds.

Which, by the way, seed catching is imperative for recipes that call for juice from a Lemon.  Darn those little lemon seeds.

Plus, this handy dandy little juicer, squeezes out every last drop from your citrus product with very little effort.

If you are a pulp eater like my hubby, or have a recipe such as Lemon Orange Pound Cake which calls for pulp, this little baby will catch the pulp nice and neatly too.

Pure, delicious Vitamin C.

Oh, and fresh squeezed orange juice also has Vitamin A, Potassium, Calcium, fiber, antioxidants, and all kinds of essential amino acids which the body needs to make and repair healthy muscles.

But don't tell your kids all that gobbledy gook, their tiny little brains don't need to hear that just yet.

Just one, cute, round, supple, navel orange, can give you your daily allowance of Vitamin C.  All  in one quick squeeze.

So easy.

So pure.

So good for ya.

Your daily boost from this fruit couldn't be simpler.

Buy a big bag of oranges.

 

Cut ONE in half.

Use your handy dandy little juicer and squeeze away.

No added garbage.

The real McCoy.

Good stuff your body craves.

Juice from about 2 to 3 nice sized Navel oranges (1 c.) will give you your daily dose of Vitamin C.

Now get to squeezing and put that REAL Glass of Sunshine back in your life.


NOTE:
I am not professing to be a doctor, or a nutritionist, or dietitian.  What I wrote here might not be worth a hill of beans. It's just my personal opinion about fresh squeezed orange juice.
(This note is written just in case Minute Maid or Tropicana decide to send me a nasty-gram.
This sort of thing happens quite often when you publish your opinion on the Internet for the world to see).