Well, my world, anyway. There are certain days (or weeks) when facing the day is just hard. Maybe I have to work a 12-hour day before heading home to my kids, or maybe a student of mine has been going through something rough and I’m absorbing the pain. It’s not always cake!

On days like that, I need an easy breakfast to throw together. This muffin base is simple, butter-free (and therefore a health food, of course), and easily customized. I chose lime zest (a.k.a. summer in a whiff) and white chocolate chips, but you can use any old mix-ins. It’s all about making your mornings as happy as possible!

I know it’s pretty common for people to whine about winter, so I try not to do it a lot. But being honest here, this time of year is an endless struggle for me. You see, I have an autoimmune disorder that restricts the blood vessels all over my body. In warm weather, my blood flows freely and I feel energetic, vibrant and positive.

But when winter hits, I range from a partial lack of feeling in my arms and legs (and even other parts of me on bad days) to a continuous ache in those areas. It’s totally manageable, but there is a tangible difference between the person I am in warm weather and the person I am right now. I’m just waiting for the seasons to shift so that things can get better.

And I don’t even mean to complain (though it reads that way, I know), because I’m really lucky. At least my problem is seasonable and it’s workable. A lot of people suffer with chronic pain and exhaustion and there’s not anything they can do to make it better.

While I like to think of the Sylvia Plath quotation that there’s not a whole lot that a good book and a good bath doesn’t fix, we all know what happened to her. So I think it’s really important to focus on self-pampering when possible. That could be wrapping yourself up in a cozy heated blanket at work with a mug of tea, or taking a bubble bath at night, or taking a 20-minute power nap, or having muffins for breakfast. Or why not do it all?

Well, time often gets in the way, but that’s why I love these muffins. They take no time at all to make (the video will show you!) since it’s a simple matter of mixing dry ingredients with wet ones, and then you’re done. Check it out!

This time of year, I start baking with citrus more, especially lime. Lime to me is summer. When I zest a lime and the aroma reaches my nose, I feel sunny days and sand and margaritas. These muffins reached me at the heart of my winter blah feelings and really helped alleviate some of the grayness everywhere.

And white chocolate with lime is the best. If you haven’t gone for that tangy-sweet combo, try it now!

It’s totally okay to hate on a season for whatever reason, but just be sure to self-pamper. After all, there’s no guarantee than anyone else will do it for you. Make some muffins, grab some tea and have a moment!

Seriously, can we get more holidays like this into the books? I love Cinco de Mayo. It’s just great food and great weather and friends. Mother’s Day is also pretty cool. But first things first. Who can resist a margarita?

I still remember discovering margaritas. There was a restaurant a few blocks away from my D.C. apartment, and they had a brilliant sales plan. In order to keep people waiting for tables happy (and there was always a huge wait on weekends, up to two hours), they’d keep the margarita slushy machines moving with frozen margaritas. Some were plain, some strawberry, and the best ones (my favorite) were swirly. Swirled margaritas are just a true pleasure. They came in tall beer mugs with plenty of salt.

Oh, those irresponsible days, slurping away and eating chips with queso dip, enjoying warm spring nights. Now if I drink a margarita, I pay for it when somebody small wakes me up way too early the next morning. So while I still indulge occasionally I can’t do it much. Instead, I’ve incorporated non-alcoholic margarita flavors into this awesome custard pie.

Recently, Edy’s (they’re called Dreyer’s in other states) premiered a frozen custard line. The second I saw a container in the freezer section, the light bulbs started going off everywhere in my brain.

One of the first things I wanted to do with the custard was incorporate it into a frozen pie. And what better way to begin than with margarita? Now, there is no margarita in here. I mean, no tequila, no margarita. That simple. But the sentiment is there!

You begin with my tricked-out graham cracker crust, which has white chocolate chips melted into the base. Plenty of lime zest, lime juice, and custard later, you’re ready to roll.

This custard softens quickly, which makes it an ideal base for the pie. It’s as basic as baking gets. The lime zest and lime juice play against the sweet custard perfectly, and the graham cracker base provides the same addictive crunch that those little cookie pieces in the best ice cream cakes incorporate.

There are so many options for Cinco de Mayo, but it should be a holiday that comes with ease and sunshine, not hard work and hours in a hot kitchen. This recipe is easy, cool and quick. When you’re done, you might even have time for a real frozen margarita.

And if you can’t get your margaritas the traditional way, there’s always frozen custard. In hot weather, it’s just as good, if not better. Have a great holiday, and I’ll be back Wednesday with a super easy Mother’s Day recipe that anyone, even a child, can bake. And it’s impressive! How’s that for a cliffhanger?