Tuscan Lemon Muffins

How did I never realize how OBNOXIOUS poppyseeds are in lemon muffins? As it turns out, seedless lemon muffins are delicious! This recipe, in particular, adds depth and texture to the muffin batter via ricotta cheese and olive oil, which also cut the sharpness of the lemon. Although what greatly saddens me is seeing what counts for a "light" muffin... this is why I never check the Starbucks nutrition labels.

Caramelized French Toast with Cinnamon and Berries

Um, yum. This recipe ups the crunchy outside, pudding-y inside deliciousness of French toast by the nth degree by using brown sugar butter. The caramelized brown sugar produces a beautiful toffee color on the toast surface as well. What I really love is that the ingredients that make the difference here are simple pantry ingredients-- brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg-- that take only a few minutes to add. The only downside here is the time to soften butter; I find there is rarely an hour prior to breakfast to let butter sit. The first time I made this I made the butter ahead of time and refrigerated, which doesn't quite work because you need the butter soft in the second application after you flip the toast over. Although I hate doing it, I think this calls for the microwave.