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Insanely delicious. That's really all there is to say. The sugar crusted tops compliment the tartness of the fresh raspberries amazingly. So incredibly moist and delicious. But the best part was when I self-admiringly exclaimed "and they didn't even come from a box!" to which Brendan replied "how would you make muffins from a box mommy? that's silly..."

That's right buddy, if I have it my way you'll never know... :)

*to decrease fat and calorie content I used skim milk and substituted half of the butter with applesauce (4T melted butter, 4T applesauce) and no one was the wiser ;)

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This recipe is the product of loving the taste of butterscotch but not the overwhelming sweetness of the flavor in the traditional Oatmeal Scotchies recipe. So I tweaked it a little to fit my taste and ended up with a very nice combination of flavors that mellow out the sweetness just a bit.

Oatmeal Choco-Scotchies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups quick or old fasioned oats
1/2 package (11 oz size) nestle toll house butterscotch chips
1/2 package (11 oz size) nestle toll house semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla in a large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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I absolutely love trying new and different salmon recipes. It's one of my most favorite fish to eat, the kids love it and it has so many healthy benefits. But while this one is definitely a keeper, my favorite is still a brown sugar cured, slow cooked version which I will post at a later date. For now, enjoy this one... as everyone at my table did.

Orange-Pecan Salmon

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 salmon fillets (6 oz each and 1 in. thick)

In a small bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Pour one cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the salmon; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes. Set aside remaining marinade.

Drain and discard marinade from salmon. Place salmon in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

In a small saucepan, bring reserved marinade to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup. Serve with salmon.

(Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home)

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So I'm coming back with a bang. I can't believe I let an entire month slip by without posting a new recipe! I'm slacking big time and I need to make up for it. I even told a potential new follower that I would post my mom's Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread Pudding recipe and I failed at that too. I promise, that one will be coming soon. But for now... Pork Chops with Cherry Port Wine Sauce. Oh heavenly goodness. The reason the photo was taken subsequent to my first few bites was because I was enjoying it too much to pause for the picture. I served it with a rice pilaf and roasted cauliflower for an incredibly delicious and easy dinner.

Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce

2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, halved
2/3 cup ruby port wine
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

PORK CHOPS:
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 boneless pork loin chops
2 tsp. olive oil

In a small saucepan, suate shallot in oil until tender. Stir in the cherries, wine, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 1o minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the coriander, mustard, salt and pepper; rub over chops. In a large skillet, cook chops in oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side. Serve with sauce.

(Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)

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