Diet Soda Muffins - 5 Points, A Challenge, Pink Saturday

What a terrible lot of titles I have tonight. To start, I have had a lovely week with my parents and grandmother visiting. I was so sad to say goodbye to them this morning, as I always hope that they will decide to move in with me. But they promised to come back soon. I have a lot of blogs to catch up on now that they have returned to their home far away.

I mentioned that I wanted to try a cake using orange soda, since I apparently have an obsession with using fizzy drinks in my cooking (Diet Cola Brownies, Lemon Pecan Butter Cake). Last night I looked through the kitchen to see what breakfast food I could bake. I sponsor a health and fitness club at school, and we were having a meeting this morning to discuss how to deal with stress during the cold months. That sounded, to me, like a discussion that would require chocolate.

Here is the recipe:

Diet Soda Muffins
1 box double chocolate muffin mix
1 can diet orange soda

1. In a medium bowl, stir muffin mix and diet orange soda until blended.
2. Pour batter into muffin stone or greased muffin cups.
3. Bake according to package directions.
4. Yields 12, 5 point servings

They were very good and had a hint of  orange that really complimented the chocolate. The kids ate them all up!

Now for the challenge bit. I have noticed a lot of great challenges out there in the blogosphere. Here is my intention with this challenge - to offer an opportunity for those who love to cook to share their skills with others.

I pointed out that my posts for Cream Cheese Corn  and Turkey Stuffing Casserole were a little high in points and presented in aluminium pans. Here was the rest of that meal:

Obviously this, along with a double batch of corn and four times the recipe for stuffing casserole,  is meant to feed a large crowd.  Many homeless shelters serve large groups of people and have their own kitchens, staffed by volunteers. There are, however, some smaller shelters that depend on individuals and religious groups to provide food for their lodgers. We have a small shelter like that in town. After being inspired by a fabulous book, I called and offered to bring a meal.

It was so much fun cooking large amounts of food - I almost never get to do that - and providing a meal for people who were truly thankful. So, my challenge to you is to share your cooking skills with someone in need. It may be a shelter, a sick friend who could use a nice pot of soup, your neighbor who enjoys baked goods, or a co-worker who has had a hard time lately. Whomever you chose, I would love to hear your story!

Finally, it is, of course, almost time to wish you a Happy Pink Saturday I thought that I would share one of my favorite pink items with you.  This is a shirt bearing the initials of my alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University. Stone bought it for me a year ago. He bought me a large...a junior's size large! It was SO tight. I could only wear it in the privacy of my own home, and I felt like I was stuffed in a sausage casing. Fifty pounds later, it is too big. I have to wear another shirt under it to keep from being indecent. I love this shirt!

Last Friday I left you with the song that was playing on my Creative Zen. Here is this Friday's musical contribution - what the Zen ""DJ" has me listening to at the moment. "See The Sun Again", by Dido.