Double Orange Muffins & Giveaway For A $100 Walmart Gift Card to Celebrate Walmart Canada's 20th Anniversary

Now that summer vacation is here and I don't have two teenagers rushing off to school in the morning, I like making fresh muffins for them to enjoy...something that they don't have time for during busy school mornings. Fresh muffins are such a treat and they disappear quickly in my house. These Double Orange Muffins have some nutritious ingredients in them...oranges, oat bran, flax seed, carrots and oatmeal...along with a streusal topping, which makes for tender and delicious muffins.

These muffins are easy to mix up too, especially if you buy a bag of shredded carrot from the grocery store.

And the orange juice and carrots keep them moist and they are perfect with a bit of butter too!

Double Orange Muffins

{makes 12 muffins}

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oat bran

1/4 cup ground flax seed

3 tbsp. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 can Minute Maid® Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, thawed

1 cup finely shredded carrot

Streusel Topping:

3 tbsp. large-flake rolled oats

1 tbsp. packed brown sugar

1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. cold butter

1 tbsp. finely shredded carrot

To Make:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, oat bran, flax seed, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. 

3. In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, thawed orange juice concentrate and 1 tbsp. water until smooth. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

4. Stir in carrot. Divide among 12 greased muffin cups.

5. Streusel Topping: Stir together oats, sugar and flour. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture is coarse crumbs. Mix in carrot. Divide over tops of muffins. 

6. Bake in 350 degree oven until muffins spring back when pressed, about 15 minutes.

*recipe from the Canadian Living Test Kitchen & Minute Made Orange Juice

Although baking is a year round affair in our house, I especially love summer baking with the endless combinations of fresh fruit made into tasty cobblers, pies, and crisps. 

Yummy! I often have to stock up on many ingredients such as flour, oats, baking powder, chocolate chips and more. 

And my favorite place to stock up and save is Walmart. Walmart is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary in Canada, and it has been my go-to place for shopping for my family for years.

 I loved going there when my now 17 year-old daughter was an infant for cute baby girl clothes.

And when she started school, she was a big fan of the Mary Kate & Ashley line of clothing, only found at Walmart. 

Walmart has been my favorite place for one-stop Christmas shopping for my children with it's huge assortment of toys, clothes, movies and craft supplies. 

When we need camping supplies, we go to Walmart. And when we need groceries, birthday party supplies, or new pajamas, we head to Walmart. Walmart knows that it costs a lot to raise a family and wants to help Canadians save money and live better. 

As a special thank you to Canada, Walmart is giving one of my readers a Walmart gift card valued at $100! 

That is $100 that you can use to help make your summer more awesome!

To Enter To Win a Walmart Gift Card valued at $100:

1. You must be 18 years of age or older and live in Canada. {Except void where prohibited.}

2. Please leave a comment sharing how Walmart has helped your family save money and live better.

Please make sure that there is a valid email address attached to your comment so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

3. One entry per person.

4. Giveaway open from Wednesday, July 1, to Saturday, July 5, 2014 at midnight MST.

Good luck!

This post is linked to:
Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons,  Tidy Mom,  Weekend Re-Treat Linky Party,  Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza, Monday Funday, Under The Table & Dreaming, It's Overflowing, Block Party, The Scoop, Time To Sparkle, The Party Bunch, 

Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Icing & Teaching Kids About Generosity

One of the things that my family loves is the smell of tasty treats baking in the oven! It is such a warm, comforting aroma to have wafting through the house. And some of our favourite flavors include the colour orange...like orange-cranberry, or this delicious & moist Minute Maid® recipe for Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Icing because it has both oranges and carrots for a hit of great taste and nutrition.

These Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Icing take a bit of time to mix, but the reward is well worth the effort! With Minute Maid® Orange Juice providing the delicate orange flavour, these bars are perfect for a treat or snack. Minute Maid® has been a part of our morning routine for years as I keep our freezer and fridge well-stocked with Minute Maid® Orange Juice so we can enjoy a delicious glass any time. This wonderful recipe {along with many others} was developed by Minute Maid®, in partner with the Canadian Living Test Kitchen,  and I am thrilled to be able to share this tasty treat with you.

Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

{Recipe by Minute Maid® and The Canadian Living Test Kitchen}

~Makes 16 bars~

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1-1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

Pinch each of ground cloves and ground nutmeg

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup Chilled Minute Maid® Original 100% Orange Juice

Cream Cheese Icing:

1/4 cup cream cheese

4 tsp Chilled Minute Maid® Original 100% Orange Juice

1-1/2 cups icing sugar

To Make:

1. In large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until combined; beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, salt, cloves and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture; mix in carrots.

3. Stir in Chilled Minute Maid® Original 100% Orange Juice. Scrape batter into parchment paper lined 8 inch metal cake pan.

4. Bake in 325 F {160 C} oven until cake pulls away from side of pan and cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

5. Cream Cheese Icing: In bowl, beat together cream cheese, Chilled Minute Maid® Original 100% Orange Juice and vanilla until smooth; beat in icing sugar, one third at a time until thick but smooth. Spread over cake and cut into bars.

{Note: For a little pretty touch, I added some orange zest on top of the bars.}

These bars are tasty, moist and the cream cheese icing is AH-mazing. Mmm. I believe that cooking and baking are an important life skill and had my children in the kitchen at an early age. My daughter, now 17, can cook or bake almost anything and bakes cookies, bars or muffins as a hostess gift when invited out to dinner at a friend's house. My son, 13, can make homemade pancakes, pasta, cookies and quite a few other dishes, and can easily feed his large appetite when Mom or Dad are not around.

Recently, Minute Maid conducted a poll {see note below} and found that Canadian parents are in overwhelming agreement that raising caring and generous children is one of their top priorities. More than half of parents set a good example of generosity through spontaneous good deeds such as: shoveling a neighbour's driveway, carrying groceries, holding the door open for a stranger, or giving homemade gifts to family and friends such as crafts or baked goods. Our family loves to make and give tasty treats to family & friends. It's our favourite little way of showing appreciation and love. Often, when I make cookies or bars, I simply double the batch so we have some for gifting. These delicious bars are the perfect gift for sharing and would be sure to warm up any one's day.

Minute Maid wants to help Canadian parents with fun, new ways to teach generosity to their children. Minute Maid has developed a collection of recipes that are perfect for gifting...from cookies to squares to cakes, these wonderful recipes are sure to bring a smile to the faces of the people you would like to share them with! And when you bake with your children with the idea of giving and sharing, you are working to instill goodness…one moment at a time.

For more information and amazing recipes, Canadian parents can visit www.minutemaid.ca for a collection of delicious homemade food and drink ideas.

You can also connect with Minute Maid on Pinterest HERE. 

Disclosure: This post was generously sponsored by Minute Maid Canada. As always, I only partner with brands/products that I love and use in my own home. All opinions are my own.

Please Note: Canadian parents are in overwhelming agreement that raising caring and generous children is one of their top priorities. This key insight, along with others, was gathered through the Minute Maid Moments poll conducted earlier this year in partnership with Leger, an independent research firm.  

This post is linked to:
The Creative Collection, Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza, Take-A-Look Tuesday, Time To Sparkle, Wow Me Wednesday, Savvy Southern Style, Inspiration Gallery, Monday Funday, Our Sunday Best Showcase, The Scoop,

Candy Corn Brownies

 I love fall baking, and when the Halloween-coloured candy arrives on the shelves I am so inspired to have so fun creating yummies...like these candy corn brownies.

And this is an easy creation to make because there is the option of using a tried and true brownie, or using the recipe I am sharing here...which is our favorite ooey, gooey brownie...originally perfected by my Mom.

I am happy to share this recipe with you as it is an easy one bowl brownie, topped with candy corn and then drizzled with chocolate.

Easy One Bowl Brownies

{makes 16 brownies}

1/2 cup butter, melted
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 heaping cup of flour
1/2 cup walnuts {optional}

Topping:
1 cup chocolate frosting
1 cup candy corn
1/2 cup melted chocolate for drizzling

1. Spray 8x8 glass pan with cooking spray.
2. In bowl, mix melted butter with cocoa. Add 1 cup sugar and 2 eggs. Beat until mixed. Add 1/2 cup sugar. Pour batter into glass pan.
3. Bake for approx. 20 minutes in 350 degree oven. Batter will be puffed up and top still a little wet.
4. Remove from oven. Let cool on cooling rack for 15 minutes.
5. Frost while still warm. Sprinkle with candy corn. Let cool.
6. Drizzle with chocolate. When cool, cut into 16 bars.

They also taste best if you share them with love!

Here are come other recipes for Fall that you might like:

Caramel Apple Bites

 Pumpkin Spice Latte Dessert

 Pumpkin Spice Scones

Wishing you a lovely week! 

This post is linked to these parties:
The Sunday Showcase Party, Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon Designs, Aalderberry Hill, Made By You Monday,  Give Me The Goods Linky Party, Time To Sparkle, Homestories A to Z, The 36th Avenue, Inspire Me Please, The Inspiration Gallery, I'm Lovin It, Chic & Crafty Party, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, Whipperberry, Link Party Palooza, Homestories A to Z, Chef-In-Training,  A Bowl Full of Lemons,  Sugar Bee Crafts, Gingersnap Crafts, Wildly Original Linky Party, StoneGable, Funky Junk Interiors, Someday Crafts, The Great Halloween LinkUp, Share Your Creativity, Super Saturday Show & Tell,  The DIY Dreamer, The DIY Dreamer,

15 Treats for Coffee on The Porch

I love this time of year as it brings weather that is perfect for visiting with friends & neighbours on the front porch, back deck or cottage. I often like to serve a little something sweet to my guests along with coffee, iced tea or lemonade. Here are 15 of my absolute favourite Echoes of Laughter treats to share depending on whether I am looking for something that is along the lines of breakfast, brunch, a seasonal fruit dessert.or just gooey!

Peaches & Cream Muffins.

Luscious Lemon Chip & Sweet Cranberry Scones

Strawberry Rhubarb Scones

Breakfast Cookies

Cherry Crisp

                 Summer Fruit Clafouti

Superlicious & Easy Apple Turnovers

Sweet Strawberry Mini Pies with Basil Whipped Cream

 Confetti Squares.

Apple Brownies

Cherry Brownies

Banana Split Bars 

Pineapple Cherry Bars

Cake Balls

Petit Fours

I hope you enjoy front porch visits as much as I do!


And for more treat ideas, these boards on Pinterest have lots:
Scones
Muffins
Squares

This post is linked to these parties:
Becoming Martha, Design, Dining & Diapers, Whipperberry, Remodelaholic, Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home, I Heart Naptime, Uncommon Designs, Aalderberry Hill, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Under The Table & Dreaming, Made By You Monday,Craft-O-Maniac, Home Stories A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just A Housewife, Lil Luna, Gingersnap Crafts, Rae Gun Ramblings, Savvy Southern Style, Jennifer Rizzo, It's Overflowing, Somewhat Simple, Cozy Little House, Fun In The Sun,
The 36th Avenue, StoneGable,

Luscious Lemon Chip & Sweet Cranberry Scones

Now that the kids are home for summer vacation and our mornings are not so rushed, it is nice to make them a special treat for breakfast.

 I call it "LOVE FROM THE OVEN".

One of our favourites are SCONES...made with buttermilk & so soft & tender.

Today I am sharing a  NEW recipe..... made with a new-to-me-product...lemon baking chips.... the results....these  wonderful & amazing lemon chip & sweet cranberry scones.

To be honest, I had never heard of LEMON CHIPS until I was browsing the aisles of the Bulk Barn last week  and found them among the chocolate chips.

I didn't know what I was going to do with them, but they looked & smelled SO good...I decided that they had to come home with me!

 Once I got home, I thought about all the lemon combinations we like....

Raspberry & lemon.

Blueberry & lemon.

Cranberry & lemon.

All gorgeous flavour combinations, but I decided to go with Cranberry & Lemon because that is what we had in the freezer at the moment.

I used my Mother's buttermilk biscuit recipe, which is easily adapted into a scone recipe by adding sugar and fruit.

There is NOTHING easier to make than a baking powder biscuit.

If you invest time into learning how to make biscuits, it will serve you a lifetime of a great side to add to a meal.

 For this recipe, you will need:
 2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup lemon chips
1 scant cup frozen cranberries {I like lots of berries. Use less if you don't!}
Sanding sugar {course sugar} {optional}

Directions: In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Stir. Cut butter into cubes and add into flour mixture. Use pastry cutter or 2 forks to cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs. Add lemon chips and cranberries and buttermilk. Stir with large spoon until soft dough forms.{If dough seems dry, add a little more buttermilk}. Turn onto floured surface {and flour your hands too!}and knead gently 7-8 times.

 Form dough into circle about the size of a dinner plate. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Cut into 8 wedges.

Place on cookie sheet or pizza pan.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

{Make sure you add scones to a HOT oven as this helps to activate the baking powder}

 Remove from oven when tops are slightly golden.

 Serve as a special breakfast treat, share with neighbours or enjoy with tea!

The lemon chips with the cranberries are perfectly divine tasting!

This biscuit recipe is so versatile.

If you leave out the sugar and fruit, it can be just a plain biscuit...perfect for strawberry shortcake.

Add a cup of shredded cheese and a teaspoon of garlic powder to the recipe and you have lovely cheesy biscuits to go with a soup or chowder.

Add a cup of shredded cheese and diced ham and you have a great brunch or lunch biscuit.

Have you tried LEMON CHIPS?

What did you make with them?

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