Christmas Recipe: Fruit Cake

Well I have been slacking a bit on posting recipes but I really wanted to post this one. I was going through a dresser at my parent's home and found a recipe box. As I started going through it I realized I was looking through my grandmother's recipes that were most likely used for her holiday cooking. I think some of the recipes were most likely given to her during her wedding shower or passed along from her church friends over the years. I am posting the fruit cake recipe (given to my grandmother from Alice and Goldie) in honor of Christmas and honoring the tradition of passing along good tidings to friends. (Please note, I have not actually made this recipe before so feel free to comment if you do try)

Ingredients & Directions:

• 1 cup brown sugar or white sugar
• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1 cup raisins and any other fruit you like
• 1 cup dates (Alice said she likes just the dates and Goldie likes the dates and raisins)
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves (I assume ground cloves. Goldie doesn't use cloves in her version)
• 1 tsp nutmeg

1. Mix all ingredients and boil 3 minutes. Let cool

2. Sift together well and add to mixture...

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

3. After pouring into pan you can sprinkle nuts over the top before baking

4. Bake at 300 or 325 degrees in a slow oven (not really sure what a slow oven is) for 45 minutes

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Enjoy!

Dessert Recipe: Pumpkin Muffins- the "Healthy" version

Happy New Year to all!!
So one of my new years resolutions (one of about ten) is to find more "healthy" recipes. I put healthy within the "s because I know there are some recipes I am going to try and post on here that may not be the exact version of health everyone wants. My disclaimer as most people/companies talk about is that having the perfect balanced diet does not necessarily mean you are 100% healthy (you may be 80% there), you do need to exercise (just do not overdo it). So, please use your Wii Fit, walk around whenever you can, run a 5K, join a yoga class, go for a swim, etc. Get that heart pumping! As most of you know I run half and full marathons, so most of the recipes on here are for my diet (which I do not know my daily calorie count or keep track of what I eat everyday), I eat what feels right and feel good about (trying not to eat too much processed food, but I know that can be impossible sometimes). I know I am not perfect but food should be enjoyable, it's something I look forward to. Ok off my soapbox...

This recipe was something my cousins made a couple of years ago that's super easy and fast. They are also 2 points per muffin according to Weight Watchers. I honestly have no idea what the points mean, but they are very light and super tasty...

Ingredients:

• One 18 oz box of yellow cake mix
• One can of 15 oz pumpkin
• One cup of water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Place liners in cupcake pan, or grease with light cooking spray
3. Mix all ingredients with mixer until blended well (medium speed, love my Kitchen Aid!)
4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full to nearly full (this recipe should make 24, but I always seem to get less than that)
5. Bake 20-25 minutes, cool muffins on wire rack

Additional Notes:
I would recommend not using as much water as these muffins are super moist. You may also want to try different cake mixes, but note that with any chocolate mix you will need the water as chocolate tends to be the driest.

I hope 2010 finds you all happy and healthy!