Food For Thought Friday: Pumpkin Muffins

So, it's Friday.  Cue skipping through the office and smiling at people that, on any other day of the week, would only warrant a grunt at best.  I haven't been baking much, lately.  Sad face.  My family are suffering for it, too.  I actually bought cookies the other day at the grocery store, brought them home, and filled up the cookie jar with them.  Yep, that'll fool 'em. 

At any rate, I was bitten by the baking bug again this morning and, low and behold, it is Friday!  Coincidence?  I think not.  I absolutely love baking with pumpkin.  This time of year, it's everywhere; in bread, in soup, even in your latte.  But I enjoy baking with it all year round.  It makes me feel sneaky, because my family is eating a vegetable and they don't really notice.  Hooray for sneaky health food!

These pumpkin muffins are so fabulous and so easy to whip up.  Plus, they make your house smell like pumpkin pie.  Who doesn't want that?  No downside here, people, so get baking!  I hope you're all having an awesome Friday and that the awesome will continue through the weekend!  Enjoy.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cup flour  (I add a smidge more because I'm way up in the clouds)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup (about 2/3 of a can) canned solid-pack pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 Tbsp.

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl; set aside.  Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pie spice, 1 1/4 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth.  Whisk in flour mixture until just combined (a few lumps are A okay).  Divide batter among 12 muffin cups.  Combine remaining 1 Tbsp. of sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle liberally over batter.  Bake for 25-30 mins, or until tops are firm and nicely browned.  Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving (if you can...)

Note: you will most likely have extra cinnamon/sugar, unless you like breaking your teeth when you bite into a muffin!  That is just a good proportion of sugar to cinnamon.  What to do with the leftover goods?  Sprinkle on some buttered toast and reminisce about childhood or stir into a bowl of oatmeal!  Yum!

Back to the writing cave!  I think I'll grab a few of these to bring with me...

Food For Thought Friday: Current Events

I have emerged from deep within the hermit cave to post some food for thought and an update on current events.  It's been so long!  I've been working hard on my manuscript and haven't had much time for reality lately.  A few exciting things have happened since I dug in to the last act of my book:

First of all, I had a mind-blowing epiphany about the POV in my story and after changing it, I've found the story is not only telling itself, but it's much more crisp and clear this way.  Hooray for clarity!

Second, my little 11 month-old monster started WALKING!  Very exciting stuff here, people.  My husband and I both were of the mind that she would likely crawl until she was middle-aged, but she has proven us wrong, once again.  Since she took her first steps and proudly smiled at me, she seems to have no desire whatsoever to do it again and gets exceedingly disgruntled when I try to get her to perform on command in front of other people.  Alas, I fear she will not have the successful performance career we had hoped for.

Third, my eldest has turned the ripe old age of 6 and I am in complete denial about it.  I swear he was just my sweet baby boy when I put him to bed the night before his birthday.  When he woke up the morning of the big day, it was like a scene right out of the movie "Big".  A grown little man emerged from his bedroom and proceeded to say grown little man things like, "I'm 6 now, mama... I'm too OLD for that."  Excuse me???  Where in the parenting contract does it state that your little ones will grow so fast?  It must be somewhere in the fine print, along with 'Hobbies will be a thing of the past,' and 'Don't expect to be able to go to the bathroom by yourself until you're 40.'

So that's what's going on in our neck of the woods.  While I continue to blubber about my babies not being babies anymore, why don't you enjoy this super delicious recipe, courtesy of Mountain Mama Cooks.  Her blog is awesome and has provided me with oodles of yummy recipes adapted for high-altitude baking.  This is one of my favorites:

Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
2. Prepare two standard loaf size pans with butter and flour or cooking spray.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
4. Beat milk, vegetable oil, eggs, poppy seeds, and almond and vanilla extracts in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until combined. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well combined. Fold the blueberries into the batter with a rubber spatula.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the two pans and bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Transfer the pans to a rack and let cool about 10 minutes before removing the bread to the rack to cool completely. 

(P.S. Remember, this recipe is suited best for high-altitude kitchens.  For the regular recipe, go here.)

Food For Thought Friday- Scones

 The temperature is rising with the sun's prevalence and inklings of green are sprouting up through the deadness winter left behind.  Spring is in the air and the sweet aroma of ripe strawberries was beckoning to me at the grocery store this week.  So instead of buying just one container like any normal person would do, I went strawberry crazy and bought two.  (Two is always better than one, right?)  Well, days went by and after my family had its fill of strawberries, I was left with a bunch sitting in my fridge and getting riper by the minute.  What's a girl to do?

Make scones, of course!  I love scones.  They are sophisticated muffins.  And sophistication is good.  These scones are very easy to make and capture the essence of spring with the bright flavors of strawberry and lemon.  So whip up a batch and fill your house with the delightful scent of spring berries.

Strawberry Scones

1 cup finely diced fresh strawberries

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

zest of 1/2 a lemon (about a tsp.)

6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. light cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 425.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the diced strawberries on several sheets of paper towel to absorb their juice.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Stir in lemon zest.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or a fork until the flour-coated pieces are the size of peas.  Add the strawberries, tossing gently to coat.  Make a well in the center.  Blend the 1/2 cup cream and the vanilla extract in a measuring cup and pour them into the well.  Using as few strokes as possible, gently stir the dough until it forms a ball.  Let the dough sit for 1 minute.  Lightly flour your work surface and your hands.  Place the dough on the floured surface and knead it gently three or four times.  Transfer it to the large baking sheet and pat into an 8-inch circle.  Cut the circle into 8 wedges, just as you would a pizza.  Separate the pieces so that they are at least an inch apart.  Brush the tops of the scones with the remaining Tbsp. of cream and then sprinkle with the extra sugar.  Bake the scones until the outsides are crusty and just starting to turn golden brown, about 18 minutes.  Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving.  (If you can stand the wait.  I never can.)

Food For Thought Friday

Food For Thought:

Banana Muffins

These muffins are divine.  They are fluffy and banana-y and everything that is right with the world.  Please enjoy liberally!


2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped nuts, depending on your affinity for crunch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 small bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare 12-cup muffin pan (either with paper liners or grease the pan).  Stir together flour, nuts, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cooled melted butter, mashed bananas, sour cream and eggs until thoroughly combined.  Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture just until combined; do not over-mix or you will have banana hockey pucks!  Divide among muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Happy Friday everyone!

Cookies are like big words

There you are, plugging away at your manuscript.  You have made it past the big event, and are now transitioning to the next event.  Transitions are hard, by the way.  You find yourself with less material in the "down-time" than you thought you would, and are desperately trying to fill space to make it to the next event.  And it occurs to you: I know what I'll do!  I'll knock their socks off with my unbelievable writing prowess!  So you start using really big words.  They aren't necessary, as they don't get your point across any better than small words.  But they are so delectable and enticing, aren't they?

We have all made this mistake, many times over.  I'm pretty sure I do this on a daily basis, coming from a poetry background where each word should impress and evoke feeling.  But we have to be careful in using all these big fancy-schmancy words all the time, because they can seriously detract from your story and pretty soon that's all the reader will see is you trying to impress with your elaborate wording and failing miserably, and they will STOP READING.

Cookies, although delicious and exceptionally fun to eat, are also unnecessary.  We do not need to consume them in order to maintain a healthy diet.  If we eat too many, we begin to resemble the Pillsbury Dough Boy.  Too few, and our lives are boring and void of any meaning whatsoever.  (maybe that's just me)  Do you see the correlation, here?

And so, I leave you with a cookie recipe that I find delicious and the boy (my son) loves them too.  Proceed to ingesting copious amounts whilst composing your inscribed fictitious tome.

(See, didn't sound that great, did it?)

Granola Raisin Bran Cookies

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups crunchy granola raisin bran cereal

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat sugars, butter and peanut butter until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla; beat well.  Combine flour and baking soda and add to butter mixture; mix well.  Stir in cereal and chocolate chips.  OPTIONAL: I always chill my cookie dough for about 30 mins. before baking.  I think it makes for a chewier cookie that is not flat or too crispy.  After chilling, drop by level tablespoon 1 1/2 inches apart onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown.  Let stand for 1 minute before removing to racks to cool.  Makes about 3 dozen.

Desert Island Recipe: Muffins

Given the title of this blog, I felt obligated to provide a recipe for muffins.  While searching through my extensive collection, I tried to pick just one recipe to share for today.  It was hard.  It might not yet be evident, but I absolutely LOVE muffins, or any kind of breakfast confection, for that matter.  So choosing just one recipe to share for the day was a challenge, to say the least.  After much deliberation, this is the recipe I would choose if I were marooned on a desert island.  And the desert island had a kitchen equipped with baking utensils.

At our house, these muffins are referred to as "Daddy Muffins" because they happen to be my husband's favorite.  To gain top approval from my somewhat picky husband is no small feat, people.  That should speak for itself.  This recipe is also very easy and customizable, which are two magnificent things in a busy and picky household.  Enjoy!

Berries & Cream Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries (sometimes I use both)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Streusel:

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. quick-cooking oats

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. cold butter, diced

Preheat oven to 400.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add the berries and toss gently.  In another bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, oil and vanilla.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  For streusel, combine flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Fill muffin cups two-thirds full with batter.  Sprinkle streusel over muffins before baking.  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.