The best muffins

This recipe is a good one.  Smells great, tastes great.  Cinnamon is a great thing.

Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Recipe adapted from Relish

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 apple- shredded/ grated
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 whole eggs

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 12-cup muffin tin with papers.  Dry mix flours, sugar, b soda, cinnamon, salt in one bowl, set aside.  In a large bowl, grate apple and carrots, add coconut, oil, craisins, milk, vanilla, and eggs and mix to combine.  Add dry to wet and mix just til combined.  Pour into muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes, til just cooked through.  

Yogurt lunch ideas

I have this yogurt thing that I've been taking for lunch lately.  I recently discovered that greek yogurt is very different than regular old Dannon.  The smell doesn't bother me and it is a great substitute for mayo and has a lot of uses in baking.  Fat-free greek yogurt is so creamy an delicious and good for you!!  I have settles on Fage as the best greek yogurt.  I have tried pretty much every brand at this point searching for the best one, but Fage is creamy and not too sour and it's not that expensive, plus it comes in the biggest container.  So I invented this yogurt lunch thing and people at work keep asking me about it, so here's what I do...

Pumpkin Apple Greek Yogurt

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fat-free greek yogurt- Fage is my favorite
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin- I get the 365 Whole Foods brand
• 1 apple- diced and microwaved for 3 minutes
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp sugar or 2 packets stevia
• handful of oats
• raisins or craisins (optional)
• nuts (optional)

Method:

First I dice and microwave my apple, sometimes I use pear and sometimes I throw banana in there too.  The apple is the only one that I microwave though, it just has such a great flavor when it's cooked.  Then once that is cooked for 3 minutes I throw it in with the yogurt and pumpkin and mix it.  The warm fruit warms the yogurt and is really nice.  Add the cinnamon and sweetener and mix it.  Now you can eat it without the oats, but I like a little crunchy oat on top, with the cinnamon and apple, the oat is a nice addition.  Sometimes I add raisins, craisins, or something else for a little pop.  You could definitely add nuts, pecans would probably be really nice with the pumpkin.  I could also see a little coconut or even chocolate chips if you wanted to get fancy.  In the end, this is a pretty low fat, lean protein lunch.  I bring it to work a lot in tupperware and eat it when I have 5 minutes free.  It is really delicious and as I said before, everyone always asks me about it and then thinks that I'm some sort of cook because it sounds very complicated to make.  Meanwhile I just dump everything together and stir it up while I'm making my morning coffee.  Ha.  Well give it a try and enjoy!

Life without mayo- Tuna salad

So I have never been a big fan of mayo- who am I kidding?  I friggin hate mayo.  It's the devil.  It's creepy looking, creepy smelling, it makes me uncomfortable.  Anyway somehow I have become obsessed with greek yogurt and all of the things that you can do with it, including adding fruit and eating it with chicken.  Recently I made a tuna salad with it, so good it was gone in a day.  Still playing with the recipe, but I think it had potential.

Mayo-less Tuna Salad
Recipe inspiration from Not Enough Cinnamon

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of white albacore
• 1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt
• 1 apple diced
• a few scallions diced
• 1 can artichoke hearts diced
• a couple handfuls craisins
• a dash or so balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Dice everything that need to be diced and mix it in a bowl, salt and pepper added last to your taste.  I like this on a bed of greens but it works in a sandwich as well.  I think adding sun dried tomatoes or drained roasted red peppers would be nice too.

Mostly apple muffins

This batter turned out to be 75% apples and 25% actual batter..... oh well the muffins turned out delish anyway.

Apple Cinnamon Almond Muffins
Recipe adapted from Culinary Chat

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbls cinnamon
• 1/2 cup canola oil or butter (your preference)
• 2 eggs or 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup milk or soymilk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 4 small gala apples- cored and cubed
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup raw almonds for tops

Method:

Preheat oven to 430.  Paper a 12-cup muffin tin.  Chop up your apples and set aside.  In a small bowl mix flours, b powder, salt, cinnamon, set aside.  In a larger bowl mix sugar, eggs, oil, eggs, milk, extract, and raisins.  Add the dry to the wet and mix, then add the apples and mix.  Pour into muffin cups and drop a few almonds on top of each muffin.  Bake for 10 mins then lower temp to 400 and turn the tray in the oven, bake for another 10-12 mins.  Take out the muffins when they bounce back and are crusty on top.  They may remain moist because of the fruit.  

Baking doughnuts

I am too lazy to fry my doughnuts.  I don't want the mess of oil or the chance of burning myself.  So the Wilton doughnut pan is a great alternative.  Basically you are making a muffin in a different shape.  The recipe is much like a muffin, although I tend to make everything a little more hearty and less buttery and sugary etc.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup ap flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt or you can sub more apple sauce

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray your doughnut pan with Pam spray.  In one bowl mix flour, b soda, b powder, salt, and cinnamon.  In another bowl mix egg, sugar, apple sauce, vanilla, cider and yogurt if you have it.  Pour dry into wet and mix just til combined.  Pour into doughnut pans, don't fill higher than the top rim of the mold or when they bake they will over-flow and it won't look like a doughnut!!  Bake for about 11 to 13 minutes- less time if you are using the mini-mold.  When the cake bounces back to the touch remove and let cool.   Knock out your doughnuts and enjoy!!

Apple cinnamon muffins

Saturday morning and the guys are here refinishing the floors.  To combat the smell of polyurethane I decided to bake some cinnamon muffins.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Oats and Almonds
Recipe adapted from My Recession Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups ap flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup soy milk 
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 3 apples worth of peeled and cored apple chunks
• 1 cup rolled oats
• almonds for topping

Method: 

Preheat oven to 430.  Paper a 12-cup muffin tin.  Mix flours, cinnamon, b soda, b powder, salt in one bowl.  Mix sugar, milk, apple sauce, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and molasses in another bowl.  Mix dry into wet and then mix in oats and apple chunks.  Divide into muffin tins and top with 3 almonds each and sprinkle of cinnamon.  Put into oven and turn temp down to 400.  Bake for about 25 mins.  

Muffins baked with no power!!

We had quite a bit of rain today didn't we?  And the power went out just as I was finishing baking my muffins, thankfully the oven wasn't effected by the storm and I could feel that the muffins were done without my oven light.

Apple Molasses Bran Muffins
Recipe adapted from Circle-B-Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup OJ
• 1/4 cup dark molasses

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup bran 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4 apples, diced (Granny Smith or other baking apple) 
• 1 cup chopped almonds

Method:

Preheat your oven to 450 and paper a 12- cup muffin tin.  Mix all wet ingredients and set aside.  Mix all dry ingredients and set aside.  Mix the dry into the wet and when almost combined add the raisins, apples, and almonds.  Mix until combined, divide into muffin cups and place in the 450 degree oven.  Turn the oven down to 400 and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are set in the center.  

Lots of fruit lying around...

Strawberries, a couple of aging peaches, and half of an apple that no one ate...  I haven't made muffins for a while.  So I looked up a strawberry muffin recipe and then basically didn't follow it.


Strawberry Muffins
Recipe adapted from Sprinkle Charms

Ingredients:

• 1/2  cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup or more soymilk

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup ap flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 pint chopped strawberries
• 2 mashed peaches
• 1/2 apple (chopped)

Method:

Wash and cut all of your fruit into one bowl, set aside.  Preheat oven to 430 and paper a 12 cup muffin tin.  Combine all wet ingredients in a bowl, mix, set aside.  Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl, mix, and add to the wet ingredients.  Mix until almost combined, add fruit and then mix just until combined.  Divide into prepared muffin pan and bake on 430 for 7 minutes.  Lower temp to 400 and bake for another 13 or so minutes, until muffins bounce back to the touch.  

Rustic Apple Cake

In celebration of Game of Thrones' premiere last night I made yet another apple cake recipe to bring to Jen's house. The original recipe can be found at Eat Good 4 Life's blog- I made a few changes.

So for some reason I decided to get fancy and I tried baking this in a small bunt pan. Well I oiled the pan but I didn't butter it and so the top third of the cake stuck to the pan. So this cake is really ugly- but reaaaaally delicious. I might make it again for Easter dinner, but use the right pans next time and grease and flour the pan!!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil (canola oil or vegetable oil will also work, olive oil has healthier fats)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

3-4 apples, thinly sliced
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup OJ
powdered sugar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 9 inch round pan.

In a bowl, beat eggs and sugar for 2-3 minutes. I do this with the hand mixer.

Stir in oil, and vanilla and combine. Then stir in flour and baking powder alternating with the milk. Stir in apples, coating every piece with batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until cake pulls away from pan and is brown on top.

Cool for 20-30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar if desired.

Sandwich Memories

So in my travels today I met a kid named Reuben, and that got me thinking about sandwiches. I've been working at the same restaurant for going on 7 years now and when I started I only worked lunches. Lunch was my jam!! Quick and dirty- in at 10:00 out by 4:00 and still have the rest of the day to do my thing. And we used to do the best sandwiches. Besides the reuben we had 2 that stand out in my mind:

1. The Monte Cristo Sandwich- literally french toast with honey mustard, ham, and melted swiss cheese.

First you make french toast, this recipe is ideal if you have left-over french toast, then you simply make a sandwich with the honey mustard, cheese and ham and put it in a hot pan with a little butter and cover until cheese is melted.

2. The Turkey Apple Melt- an open-faced sandwich on black bread with a cranberry spread, turkey breast, granny smith apples, and cheddar cheese that gets melted under the broiler.

For this one you take each piece of bread and cover with cranberry spread or other nice fruit spread, layer turkey, apples, and cheddar cheese. Then you pop it in the toaster until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Eat each piece separately or smash together and enjoy!

My First Pie: Fin

It's doooooone! Took almost an hour, and we ended up turning it up to 375 to finish because the fruit was still not bubbling. But then I heard the sizzle of it boiling over onto the bottom of he oven and we knew it was over. Pulled it out and now it's cooling.

So my impressions of this crust recipe is that it's not quite what I want in the end. Light and flakey but it was kind of hard to roll and it's not sweet enough. I will be experimenting for the next one but otherwise- nice first try!

My First Pie: Part Deux

So the pie is in the oven and here's how we did it:

I cut up 5 apples: 3 granny smith and 2 fjui (each apple cut into 12 pieces), and a quart of strawberries (each cut in half). To that I added:

zest from one orange
2/3 C Sugar
1/4 AP Flour
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Mix up that mixture and then toss the fruit in it and set aside.
Then take your pie doughs out of the fridge and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Put a little whole wheat flour on your counter and dust your rolling pin and your work space. Using the weight of the rolling pin roll from the center out moving your dough clockwise until it is big enough to cover the bottom of your pie plate with plenty of room for the sides and the crimping around the edges. This lady on youtube does a good demo. Roll the dough over your rolling pin and use it to get it on the pie plate. Make sure that it's slightly pressed into the bottom corners and use egg whites to glue any pieces that fell off. Throw that baby back in the fridge and roll out your top using the same method- or make a crumble for the top and save that other half of dough for another pie with a crumble top. Once your top is rolled take the bottom from the fridge and pour in the fruit. Make sure that you don't have a mountain of fruit- make it kind of level or it will never cook all the way through. Using the rolling pin again roll the top layer onto the pie and crimp the edges. Here's a demo on crimping. Then, I scored the top to get 9 slices so it will be easier to cut later. I also cut 2 little holes in each top to let the steam out. Then it went in the oven at 450 for 10 minutes and then I reduced the heat to 350 for 35 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the apples are tender but still have a bite to them.

Let cool then cut or your fruit will not be set and will run everywhere.

My First Pie

Today I am attempting my first pie. I just made the dough and it is chilling in the fridge. Her is the recipe I used- it's a combo of some stuff I found on the interweb and my mom's pie recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Sticks Butter

1/3 C Ice Cold Water
2 Egg Yolks
3 Tbsp White Vinegar or Lemon Juice

3 1/2 C AP Flour
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Sugar

Method:

Cut the butter into 1/2 squares and throw then back in the fridge/ freezer to keep cold. Then measure the water and break the yolks right into the measuring cup and add the vinegar in there too- save yourself some dishes. Put the wet in the freezer to keep cold until you're ready to use it. Then SIFT the flour into the bowl of your stand mixer and throw in the salt and sugar. Mix it real quick just so the dry is combined. Then throw in your butter and mix for a few minutes (flour might get all over you)- until the butter has broken into pea-sized pieces and flour has turned a little yellow. Don't over mix!! Then take the wet out of the freezer and add to the mixer on low. Mix and stop and mix and stop for like 20 sec intervals until it has juuuuuust come together. We had to add about 2 Tbsp more cold water to get it to come together. For real though, don't over mix this. It has to just come together when you squeeze it with your fingers. Once combined- dump the dough onto saran wrap and divide it into two discs- don't handle it too much or you'll melt it damnit. If you're going to bake today, throw the discs into the fridge for 1/2 hour. If you're going to bake at a later date throw them in the freezer and they will last indefinitely.

Next post after I get back from the gym: the filling (strawberry and apples), rolling out the dough, and baking.

Jewish Apple Cake

Last week on my Spring Break the only thing that I wanted to accomplish besides studying endocrine and renal nursing stuff was to get together with Jen, Matt, and Elias to bake and hang out at Jen's house like old times. Those guys love anything with apples in it so we decided to do a Jew Apple Cake. This was one of my favorite things at The Night Kitchen when I was a kid. I found this simple recipe from Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart's blog.

We ran out of canola oil so we used a couple of Tbsp of butter to supplement. Also, we made an amazing crumble for the top rather than just layering apples. On top of the apples I made a brown sugar oat crumb that basically just fell off when we knocked the cake out of the pan, but we ate it off the counter anyway. We also used 8 apples and made an apple layer in the middle of the cake and on top. We like apples. And our cake took forever to cook. At least 1 1/2 hours. So put it in for an hour and check it, then give it another 8 or so mins until a knife comes out mostly clean of batter.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 Apples, pared, cored & sliced
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
5 tablespoons Sugar
3 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1 cup salad Oil
4 Eggs
¼ cup Orange Juice
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
2½ teaspoons Vanilla
1 teaspoon salt

Method:

Sprinkle apples w/ 2 tsp. cinnamon mixed w/ sugar. Combine all other ingredients and beat to make smooth batter. Pour half into greased and sugared angel cake pan. Arrange half of the apples over batter and cover with remaining batter. Top with the rest of the apples. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Turn out and stand to cool on rack.
Note: To make mini-loaf cakes, I used 6 5 x 3-inch pans and baked 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Photo Credit: Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart