Always Learning, Always Changing: Recipe Edits

This post is about old recipes that I have updated/improved/tweaked since posting them originally.

When I am cooking, I like to write in the margins of the recipe things I discover as I am making the dish, noting changes/additions/subtractions that I made along the way.

I 'm not great at cooking with an electronic device as the source of my recipe. I'm a pretty messy cook (okay, a really messy cook)! I don't want to touch screens or buttons or have my screen go to sleep while my hands are sticky, so I usually print off recipes when I am cooking from a blog or website.

Ironically, some of the recipes from this blog that I have in my notebook also have scribbles on them from the time since I posted them.

Even though they are tested, tweaked and approved before I post them, I sometimes alter things after the fact.  I love getting feedback from people about recipes and new ideas of how they altered them. I have often tried changes people have suggested.

I decided that I needed to tell you some changes I've made, rather than sneaking in and changing the recipes on the past blogs without alerting you (and thereby confusing those of you who have made them before). 

So here are some of my updates, improvements and changes from previous posts.  

1. Sugar Cookies

This is still my favorite sugar cookie recipe and so many friends have told me that they make these too.  So fun, that my mom's tradition that she started could be passed down far and wide.

My long-term challenge with these cookies has been that they spread so much! This is especially a problem when you are cutting them into detailed shapes.  The shapes tend to spread to the point of unidentified objects!  Which, of course, defeats the purpose of cut out cookies!  My mom looked up a shortbread recipe one day and noticed that the absence of baking powder was the main difference between the recipe and her sugar cookie recipe.  It makes sense that baking powder would change the spreading of the cookie- that's its main job.  So, since this discovery, I have dialed it back from 4 tsp. of baking powder to 1 tsp. baking powder in my "Timeless Sugar Cookie" Recipe.  It makes a pretty major difference in the spreading.  They have the same taste and texture as before, they just keep their shape much better. 

2. Banana Muffins 

These are a staple in my home for breakfast treats and to take for breakfast events.  They are so easy and are made with things you most likely have on hand.  They are a good use for dying bananas and do not even require an egg! My college roommate, Karin, told me that she likes this recipe and uses it but cuts the sugar.  I thought…"Cut the sugar? Why would you ever do that? :) "  But I tried it, and she's right- especially if you are going to add mini chocolate chips or sprinkle the tops with sugar before baking. :)  I think the flavor of the other ingredients really comes out when there is 1/4 cup less sugar.  Who knew? Thanks, Karin!  So rather than 3/4 cup sugar, I do 1/2 cup.  

3. Baked Potato Soup

This is my son's most requested soup.  One day when I was making it, I thought, "really does it need a STICK of butter??" and I gave it a try with 1/2 a stick (4 Tbsp.) and it was just as rich and creamy and tasty!  I have a hard time with a stick of butter in soup! I mean, in cookies, yes, 2 sticks most of the time, but in soup, I try to lighten it up if I can without compromising taste or texture.  Certainly, this one fairs well with that reduction. Also, you can take or leave the sour cream depending on how creamy and dairy-ish you want it.  My husband says, "Yes" and "Always" to including sour cream in all things, but sometimes I think it makes it more thick and creamy than necessary.  So, in summary, my changes are cut the butter in half to 4 Tbsp. and take/leave/or reduce the sour cream.

4. Key Lime Pie 

This is a our family's favorite pie.  It's just so good.  My challenge with it has been the size of pan and amount of filling.  In the original recipe I posted I gave two sizes- a traditional pie pan and a deep dish. Well, this summer I tried to make the standard size and the 1/2 recipe of the filling was not enough at all.  I ended up tripling the filling and putting it in 2 crusts...meaning it really needs 1 1/2 batches of the filling for a traditional pie plate.  So, my conclusion is, use a deep dish and the large batch of filling unless you have a much smaller pie pan (diameter wise) like an aluminum pan.

5. Tea Cakes 

I made Tea Cakes recently for an event.  I always love them more than I remember!  Sometimes I forget about them and then when they resurface and I make them, I fall in love all over again.  They keep longer than sugar cookies and they are less work, but just as lovely.  When I made them this summer, they just didn't stay puffed up as high as I like them.  I texted my friend, Melissa B.(when she makes them they always look perfect).  She said she rolls them in small balls and that helps keep the roundness. I had rolled mine out with a rolling pin and cut them with a biscuit cutter. They turned out bigger and flatter.  So, though in the blog post I said "roll and cut out or roll into balls", based on my experience, I will now say roll them into balls!

6. Popcorn and Kettle Corn 

We make stove-top popcorn most every week in our house (sometimes for family movie night on the weekends and sometimes for our Snack dinner on Sunday nights).  Several months ago someone at church said I should ask our friend Drew for his Kettle Corn recipe.  My kids and I are big fans of kettle corn.  I asked Drew for his recipe and he said, "there isn't really a recipe, but rather it's just a matter of adding a few Tbsp. of sugar to the oil before popping."  That simple!  So, now we sometimes make a batch of each.  For the recipe, we simply add 3 Tbsp. sugar to the oil as it is heating up and swirl it around to distribute it evenly amongst the kernels.  Make sure you salt the popped corn well, as the salty/sweet combo is what makes it so super-delicious!

I'm sure there are a dozen more recipes that I have tweaked-since-posting, but these are the main ones that have been on my mind.  I often write about making recipes your own, altering them to your liking, and getting creative! So, since I have done that and have taken your advice on making things better, I wanted to let you know.  I will update these 6 posts with these changes so that they will be "new and improved".

Keep your great suggestions coming!

Blueberries: Rustic Mini-Pies, Muffins and Ponderings on Perfectionism

Blueberry season has been a fun one in our household.  We love them.  We eat them like candy.  Mostly because they have been tasting like candy! This summer we had the chance to go berry picking a couple of times and it was such fun!  I didn't freeze any of them, because between eating them by the handful, on yogurt and granola in the morning, in fruit salad at dinner; and baking these rustic mini pies, blueberry muffins and cake, they have been gobbled up!  

There has been this internal dialogue happening for me surrounding blueberries and perfectionism.  I have a child who is quite the perfectionist (in certain areas of her life).  And when it comes to blueberries, which she adores, she is extremely selective.  When I buy them from the store, I find her eyeing carefully before reaching in to pick one to eat.  Even when we buy frozen berries, she is careful to find the dark blue ones and reject the pinkish purple ones.  She prefers dark, plump berries – and the biggest, roundest of all.  This annoys me and her brother! We see it as selfish! "How dare you pick out the "good ones" and leave the less than great ones for all of us!?", we say.  I have tried to help her see this.

The interesting thing that happened when we were blueberry picking in July was that she was the VERY BEST picker.  Her discernment in selecting the very best berries makes her an excellent picker.  If you have ever gone picking, you know it is a little tricky because the same branch will most likely contain berries across the spectrum of ripeness, and you have to carefully move about, plucking the very darkest, plumpest, best berries and leaving the green and pink ones for a later week.  I realized that this quality of hers, that in one sense is a selfish quality – one that needs to be reformed, in another situation, is the quality of discernment, carefulness, skillful selectivity.  In this action, rather than plucking the best for herself out of the bowl at home, she was gathering the best for our collective basket for all of our benefit. 

Isn't this true. Don't we all know that our strengths turned around can potentially be our greatest weaknesses?  It's hard to see this in others sometimes.  And it makes parenting a tricky, and skillful journey of trying to guide and shape the character of these humans under our care!  I would imagine  you would hope your surgeon is a perfectionist.  I sure do! And however, I want my friends to love me with my imperfections and all. 

I think there is great value in having high standards, being an achiever, discerning and striving for excellence!  And yet we can become enslaved to it, or defined by it, or run down from trying to maintain perfection, or becoming self-absorbed with our perfectionism.  One of my favorite truth-tellers is Brene´ Brown and in her book,  The Gifts of Imperfection, she dismantles this dangerous pursuit and gives antidotes which include Gratitude, Authenticity, Self-Compassion, and more.

So, back to berries.

I decided to make some pie out of the blueberries we picked.

When thinking about it, I decided individual pies would be easier to serve and would be fun to make.  

I looked up a filling recipe from my standard, The Joy of Cooking, and used a frozen roll-out pie crust from Trader Joe's.  (You can, of course, make a from scratch crust.  I just didn't have the time or oomph. The Joy of Cooking recommends a couple of crusts, if you're looking for a crust recipe.)

I really like rustic pies.  I like that they are free-form, not all alike, and can be made on a baking sheet.  I think I like the freedom of imperfection in them!  They are more artistic, less tidy, and somehow European-cool.  Some cookbooks call this kind of pie a Galette or in Italian, a Crostata. Maybe that's why they seem European.

For these Galettes, here's what to do:

Thaw the frozen crust according to the package.

Make the filling:
[Combine and let stand 15 minutes]:
5 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar (more or less depending on the sweetness of your batch of berries)
3 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/8 tsp. salt

Divide dough into 8 balls.  Lightly flour the dough and roll out between sheets of parchment paper.  Peel off the top sheet of paper.
Place rounds on parchment lined baking sheets. Spoon berry mixture in center of dough.  Gently wrap the dough around to form an edge, pinching and squeezing as you need to to create a pouch.  Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar.

Bake in 375˚ oven for 15 minutes or until crust is golden and berries are bubbly.  Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream!

I have been working daily on my school prep – selecting articles, designing syllabi, and course assignments and getting kids back to school.  In all of this I have had very little time to blog and very little time to play around online.  But I let myself do some pinteresting one day and saw a friend had posted these "very best blueberry muffins" and when I clicked the link, it was In Praise of Leftovers, one of my favorite blogs.  So, I knew I had to try them.  And I will say, they are delightful! They are certainly more of a cake-for-breakfast-muffin, than these BRAN MUFFINS or these CORNMEAL MUFFINS but man are they good.  So, hop on over to her BLOG and check out these muffins, if you are more in a muffin-making than pie-making mood.  

The "Best" Blueberry Muffins via In Praise of Leftovers

For batter:
6 Tb. unsalted butter
1/3 c. whole milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 c. blueberries

For topping:3 Tb. cold unsalted butter, cut into little cubes
1/2 c. flour
3 1/2 Tb. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and butter a 12-cup muffin pan.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat; remove from heat. Whisk in milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until well combined.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk mixture and stir until just combined. Gently but thoroughly fold in blueberries. Divide batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.

Combine all ingredients for topping in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over batter in each cup.

Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool in pan for at least 5 minutes (10 would be better), then run a knife around edges of muffin tops and carefully remove from cups. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

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If your area still has blueberries to pick, I hope you can do it.  If not, I hope you can find some at the store and make something yummy with them before the calendar turns September...and consider how your perfectionism could be best utilized!

Parmesan Rosemary Muffins - A Game Changer

Seven years ago, I saw this magazine in the newstand called Weekend.

The cover drew me in. A beautiful photo, great design, intriguing headlines.  I bought the magazine and quickly became a fan.  I bought a few more when they came out.  

I struggled with reading a magazine called "Weekend" since my life, with young children felt like it never included a weekend.  Of course, there were Saturdays and Sundays, but not what I would consider a weekend. Groundhog Day, you know?  Every day is much the same, and when the weekend comes,  while there is a shift in schedule, the days are still filled with bottom wiping, meal preparing, disciplining, noisiness, exhaustion and duties.  It is hard to relate to a magazine called Weekend that features articles about day trips, house projects and book reviews.  And includes photos of people lying on rafts in floppy hats, and napping and reading novels, and hosting candlelight dinner parties with adult friends.

Portland Muffins (Despite my Directional Issues)

I told you a couple of months ago that I visited Portland, Oregon for the first time this spring... remember when I saw Joy the Baker?  What a great city!  One of my favorite things about visiting a city is going to local food spots and having great meals and tasty treats, and being inspired to recreate them at home. (Like this savory dinner from Sizzle Pie).

One of my least favorite parts of visiting a new city is how often I get turned around/ sometimes lost/ have to think so hard about my proximity and how to get back "home".
Confession:  I am a food-lover and a directionally-challenged person.  These are two truths about me.

It takes me a few days to get my bearings in a new spot, which is just about how long most of my trips are.  So, inconveniently,  just when I get the hang of the place, POOF! the time has flown and it's time to go home.

I thought my fancy smart phone was going to help me with this directional issue.  And it does, to some extent.  Except that I really prefer a paper map.  I want to look at the entire map at the same time and get my bearings, and be able to read the street names simultaneously.  This doesn't happen on an iphone screen.  And then there are "directions" and "route" options, which throw me off.  I'm faced with these decisions: should I look at the itty bitty-up-too-close-or-too-far-away map? or do I read written directions?

One night a couple of years ago, I was trying to be in two places at once (which, by the way, doesn't work, in case you were wondering.  I keep trying to do this and it just doesn't ever work out).  I had typed in the location of the birthday party I was trying to attend prior to getting in my car.  It was in an edgy part of town and I was traveling on the interstate.  I was confused because my map wasn't tracking me, or I wasn't tracking it.  I was off course.  I realized that something had gone wrong.  So, I flipped to "route" and started following its lead.  It took me into an area of town that I wasn't expecting to enter and was a little reticent.  I then realized that while I needed to just pull over and figure this out, I wasn't comfortable doing that in this shady area.   I looked at the phone which stated that the estimated time for travel was 25 minutes.  "OH NO!!!!!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD! WHERE AM I? WHY DID I TRUST THIS DEVICE?!"  I called my husband at that point (who is ridiculously directionally skilled) and had him talk me through getting to my destination.  I was so grateful.

When I looked more closely on my phone, after reaching my destination, I realized that there were options at the top of the screen: car, bus, and walking.  I had somehow, in my flustered moment tapped the walking button by accident and that's where it all went wrong.  I clearly have some issues.

Well, back to Portland and my love for new foods...

I started my meals off well by meeting a couple of students and a colleague at a bakery just a few blocks away, for muffins and coffee (Pazzoria) the first morning.  It was a cute little cafe attached to a restaurant.

the home of the muffin - photo,  thanks to Becca

my out of focus photo I took of the muffin
to help me remember...

When making the difficult decision about which muffin I would enjoy with my coffee, the employee gave me a rundown on the options.  When he described this muffin: lemon cranberry, made with a cornmeal base,  I knew it was the one for me. SOLD! Yummy flavors, fun texture, and unique.  I was excited.  And it didn't disappoint.

I then thought about the muffin for the next two days. Their hours and my schedule didn't work for me to visit again until the morning we were leaving the city.  I decided that before we left town, I could walk up to the bakery and get another one!  So, on the day of our departure, I left my packed bags in the lobby of the hotel with our people who were gathering there to head to the airport, and ventured out to quickly secure a couple of these dreamed-about muffins.

a Portland sign

The only problem was that I got turned around when I swiftly exited the downtown hotel, where there are multiple entrances, and the "turn left to go to the muffin shop" tape in my mind wasn't true.  I didn't realize this until I had power-walked several blocks and began to realize that none of these landmarks were the correct ones for the muffin path.  DARN! Now, I have to have enough time to backtrack the 4 blocks towards the hotel and then travel the other (correct) direction to get to my destination.  Would I make it? Was this insane?  Is a muffin worth it? And what if they didn't have the muffin once I arrived? I decided to jog and try to make it.   I ran in the door, asked for the cornmeal based muffins.  They had a blueberry and cranberry.  I got one of each, to share with my muffin-loving friend, Jenny.  I ran back in time to rush with our group to the bus stop to then stand and wait 20 minutes for our lift to the airport.

We ate the muffins.  We liked the cranberry better because it had a lemon component and the blueberry didn't.  Which I hadn't realized was so essential to the greatness of the muffin.

I came home and started working on my version of the "Portland Muffin". (I decided the "Pazzoria muffin" didn't have as much connection for me as the "Portland Muffin").  I tried 3 different recipes that I found in cookbooks and online and tweaked a little here and there.   I never found a recipe for this specific combo of lemon, cornmeal and cranberries.  My neighbor, Sumner, was my taste tester. She was always willing and thankful to test another muffin on another morning.

This recipe is my best attempt so far, but I feel like it's still not exact.  Maybe they used fattier ingredients than I do.  I would love to know.  But it is tasty and unique and reminds me of a lovely food experience in a fun city.

The texture of the cornmeal (I LOVE lots of texture) and the zip of the lemon (I LOVE zip), and the sweet of the Craisins are a lovely combination.  I will say, these muffins are far better on day one, as they tend to become dry by day 2.  I experimented with white and yellow cornmeal and with varying amounts.  You can alter it depending on how gritty you like it.

If you have ideas, I would love your input.  It's a work in progress.

The Portland Muffin

(Lemon/Cranberry/Cornmeal Muffin)

1 ½ cups flour (all purpose, white wheat, whole wheat/white combination….your choice)

½ cup fine-ground cornmeal

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. kosher salt

Juice of one lemon (approx. 3 Tbsp.)

Zest of one lemon

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

6 Tbsp. butter, melted [or for a lighter muffin 4 Tbsp. melted butter and 2 Tbsp. low-fat vanilla yogurt]

1 cup dried Cranberries

Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

In bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended.  Whisk in the milk and butter (and yogurt if using it). Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until moistened.  Fold in the cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about ¾ full.  Sprinkle Turbinado sugar all over the top.

Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean, 15-18 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. 

this lemon tea towel inspires me to sing about lovely lemons
(muffins, round 3- this time I made a few w/o Craisins
as per my kids' request)

So, here's to knowing your deficits, having friends that are skilled in those areas (on which you can lean), and replicating terrific treats that you discover on your travels! 

Bran Muffins (Dirt & Stick Muffins)

If I had to choose one baked good to make, it would be muffins.  They are so easy, versatile and tasty. Since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, I love that they are a main-course baked good! I appreciate creative, unique muffins and simple classic ones as well.  It's great when you find a quality, basic muffin recipe that you can then add to and tweak depending on your mood.  Furthermore, I think muffins are a great treat to share with people:
with my kids' teachers at school to start their day,
with my college students to offer some homemade goodness,
with my neighbors on a saturday morning to celebrate the weekend,
or a new parent who's been up all night,
or struggling friend who needs some kindness and nourishment,
or a child, because they are so fun to eat!

My former student, Amy, who is now in Colorado in grad school, sent me this NPR article about showing compassion through the gift of food.  If you have a couple of minutes, you should read it. It's inspiring! Thanks, Amy, for thinking of me!
(Speaking of my college students, my student Becca, surprised our 9:30 class this week with a gift of very special pumpkin cream cheese streusel muffins.  They were deliciously fall!  I ate one at class and another for lunch.  Here's the recipe.)

the Bran. You can find it in the health
food aisle of the grocery

Muffins come in all flavors and sizes.  I love a cupcake-like muffin, I mean, how could I not?  It's like a license to eat cake for breakfast! But bran muffins are at the top of my list.  When I'm reaching for a muffin at a bakery, I usually go for a bran muffin.  This bran muffin recipe is my favorite for a hearty, whole grain, rusky muffin.  Dave calls them my "dirt and stick muffins" because they have real wheat bran in them and they feel healthy (though still moist and yummy)!

I have some history with bran muffins.  My mom raised us on raisin bran muffins, which are really tasty, easy to make, and are perfect for those reluctant-to-eat-bran people.  They are fluffy and sweet (lots of sugar in this recipe) and light in their color and texture. If that is the bran muffin that sounds appealing to you, here is the recipe.

If you are more of a hearty, denser, healthier muffin, this one is for you.

In both recipes, the batter is able to be kept in the fridge up to a few weeks, so that you can bake a few of them fresh each day.   (The Raisin Bran ones actually require refrigeration for 6 hours prior to baking them – which for me just means that I mix the batter at night and let it refrigerate for the 6 hours I sleep and it's ready when I wake up; the Hearty Bran don't require refrigeration before baking).

I have tried many mix-ins with these: craisins, blueberries, raisins, apples, pears, walnuts, pecans, peaches, you name it.  A local favorite coffee shop, The Frothy Monkey, has daily muffins and they usually have a bran of some creative variety – i've had mango pineapple bran, blueberry bran, prune bran, and last week they had apricot almond bran.

[I have posted several muffin recipes on this blog, click on THIS ONE that has my tricks and tips that I have learned along the way to help with your muffin-baking pursuit]

Hearty Bran Muffins

1 cup bran soaking in hot water

the batter

3 cups Unprocessed Wheat Bran

1 cup boiling water

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup butter, softened (or I sometimes use ¼ cup vanilla yogurt; ¼ cup butter)

2 ½ cups All-purpose flour (or I sometimes use 1 cup whole wheat/ 1 ½ cups white wheat)

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup honey

Any "mix-ins" you would like (craisins, blueberries, nuts, etc)

Mix 1 cup of wheat bran with 1 cup boiling water; stir and let water absorb into bran.  
In a bowl, blend sugar and butter.  
Measure and combine flour, baking soda and salt.  
Combine the moist bran with the beaten eggs, the remaining 2 cups of bran, buttermilk, blended sugar/butter mixture, and the dry ingredient mixture.  
Stir until well blended.  
Add ¼ cup honey and any “mix-ins” you would like.
Place in refrigerator for future use, OR bake at once - (If you are going to wait to make the muffins until later, I think it is best to omit the mix-ins until the time you are baking them).

batter in the fridge for whenever you want to bake them

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  
Stir batter and scoop into greased muffin tins. I like to sprinkle some turbinado sugar (coarse raw sugar) on top before baking.  If I used a "mix-in", I sprinkle some of those ingredients on top to indicate what's inside, and because it's so pretty!  
Bake 15 minutes, or until done.  


Keep remaining mixture in airtight container for 2 to 4 weeks.  Makes about 2 dozen muffins.

Happy Friday muffins for teachers

How Ripe is A Perfectly Ripe Banana?

Banana Ripeness.  That's what we're here to talk about today.  I am taking a poll about when a banana is perfectly ripe for eating. There is some debate on this topic.  If fact, in our family there is some disagreement on this matter (which actually comes in handy since there are only 1 or 2 days that each of us deem the bananas "perfectly ripe", so there is usually an eater for each day of the week that bananas are in our fruit bowl.)  I tend to like my bananas a with a touch of green still on the peeling.  My sister has always teased me about liking green bananas, which is a slight exaggeration, as I don't want them too green to be able to peel, or too bitter tasting. However, I do not like them to be spotted at all! (Unless they are mashed up inside of a banana muffin!). My grandmother used to eat them so ripe - the stem was black and shriveled, the skin streaked and spotted brown and the inside was mushy.   But she didn't mind.  She was not picky at all. What about you? 

The great thing about over-ripe bananas is that you can make banana bread and muffins!  In fact, I see a few over-ripe bananas hanging out in my fruit bowl as an invitation to make some banana muffins.   Banana muffins are as simple as you can get, but are a crowd pleaser.

My friend, Connie, gave me this recipe a couple of years ago and I have been making them a lot lately.  It is made with all whole wheat flour (though you can use all-purpose) and because of the bananas, the whole wheat is not evident in look, texture or taste.  The recipe is so easy and healthy.  They are a little salty and have a nice crust and tender crumb.  I have been dusting the tops with turbinado sugar lately and I think it must be the salty/sweet combo and the crystalized sugar on top that take them up a notch...I'm not quite sure but several times lately people have asked for the recipe.  I figured if they want it, you might too.

You can mix in different things: chocolate chips (I like to use the mini ones- not as overpowering and messy), pecans, walnuts, or dried fruit. (You know how much I love varying recipes and customizing them to one's liking.  This week, I got wild and added pecans and dates after talking to my friend Sara Beth about the tastiness and under-utilization of dates in recipes.)  When sending them to the kids' teachers this morning, I stuck with pecan and plain...just to be safe.

Banana Muffins
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 medium sized, ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup nuts, mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. (optional)
turbinado sugar for tops (optional)

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla together.  Add flour, salt and baking soda.  Blend well.  Add mashed bananas and optional mix-ins.  Scoop into greased or lined muffin tin.  Sprinkle tops with turbinado sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack for a few minutes.
(I told you it was simple!)

the mashing

A tip:  The recipe calls for 3 ripe bananas, if you only have 1 or 2, you can always peel and slice the bananas and place them in a zipped bag in the freezer until you have enough to make the bread.  (You will just need to thaw them on the counter, in the fridge or defrost in the microwave to get them softened before using them in the recipe.)

And a new trick I learned from The Muffin Lady cookbook, which I recently read, is to use parchment paper, cut into squares for lining the muffin tin. The first time I tried it they were a little lop-sided as the bottoms were strangely shaped.  But this time I tried using something to shove the paper down into the tin to form a flat "base".  I tried a few items and found that this water bottle of Lucy's worked well.  I just cut a stack of 5 inch X 5 inch squares of parchment paper, placed each square over the tin, shoved the bottle down to form it, and then lightly sprayed it with cooking spray (so that you don't lose any muffin when you eat it!) I used my scoop to scoop the batter in.  I think they are fun and festive looking and so much cheaper than buying paper muffin liners!  I think I will get my kids to help me cut some out with fun-edged scissors (scalloped, pinking shears, etc) and see how those look.

making parchment muffin liners

For more extensive tips on muffin-making hop on over to THIS PAGE where I share other tips I've learned along the way.

So what do you think?  What is your definition of the "perfectly ripe banana" and what is your mix-in of choice in a banana muffin?

a variety of banana muffin happiness

Beets and Kale

A student of mine, Kelsey, was telling me that she tries to buy one thing at the grocery each visit, that is not on her list, as a treat to herself.  Sometimes it's an indulgence while other times it's an ingredient to use in a new recipe. I love that idea! I have been buying a challenge ingredient when shopping in order to try new things.  This week was bean sprouts (I'm working on that recipe and will unveil it soon).  A few weeks ago I bought beets and kale.  They have been on my mind recently.  Lately I have heard people talking about them, I have read people's blogs about them, yet I never buy them. I decided that if I put them in my shopping basket and brought them to my house, I might just prepare and eat them!

A bunch of parents at our school have cute green bumper stickers that boldly proclaim "EAT MORE KALE" on the rear of their cars.  When I see them I think to myself, "Yes, good idea!" Yet I can't authentically sport this exhortation on my vehicle since I never cook with Kale.  "EAT MORE APPLES!" or "EAT MORE GRANOLA!" or perhaps, "EAT MORE MUFFINS", yes, I could promote those themes and not be a hypocrite!  But I'm working on it.  I have taken their challenge to heart.

Pink Radio Cake (made with beets)

And Beets.  Beets have been on my mind because Fido, the local restaurant I mentioned recently (the place that taught me to love Oatmeal), has several baked goods in their case that incorporate beets.  Their fabulous baker, Lisa, uses them for the color (Pink Radio Cake), nutrition (Beet it Muffin) and oomph.  I have been inspired.  I just don't typically think about beets.

When I was in graduate school there was a little Vegetarian dive that my classmates and I would frequent. I always ordered this great salad with julienned carrots and beets on top of a bed of lettuce, along with sprouts and other tasty items.  I remember being a fan of the texture, color and juiciness.  Alas, my beet eating ceased when that place closed a decade ago.

Several weeks ago, my produce-loving, recipe-trying, inventive friend, Claire, sent me this recipe for Chocolate Beet Muffins and I was inspired.  I made them and they were fabulous! I am a fan.  I couldn't wait to share them with you!  I mean, add semi-sweet chocolate chips to anything and how can you go wrong?

So, here are my recent adventures with Beets- (Kale Adventures will have to wait for another post).

I roasted beets and sliced some for salads and pureed some for muffins.  (Muffins are, by the way, my favorite food to bake- for tips I've learned along the way, go HERE).

Roasting Beets:

(If you need to use canned beets you can, but fresh roasted ones are preferred)

Cut the stems off of the beets, rub them in olive oil, wrap them in a foil packet on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 or 400 degrees (depending on how hot your oven is) and let them roast for an hour.  Peel skins off.  

stems removed

ready for the oven

roasted and sliced

Salad with  Feta, Avocado, Berries & Beets

Chocolate Beet Muffins

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1- 2 Tbsp flax seed (optional)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp kosher salt

½ cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (chopped)

4 Tbsp. butter

2/3 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup beet puree

2/3 cup low fat buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease the cups of 12 muffin liners, placed in the muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients until well combined.  Stir in the half cup chocolate chips and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the other 2/3 cup chocolate and butter over very low heat.  Stir to combine and set aside to cool. 

In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, beet puree, buttermilk, vanilla and melted chocolate.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.  Don’t over mix. Immediately spoon batter into 12 lightly greased paper lined muffin cups.




Batter should completely fill the cups. Sprinkle tops with Turbinado sugar if you want.

I wish they kept their red color when baked...so vibrant!

Place muffin pan in oven preheated to 375 degrees and bake for 18 minutes or until done- don’t overbake.

Let muffins cool on wire rack.

The post-it that came home from Lainey's teacher,
and our reply back!

YUMMY! They are so good.
I shared one with my kids' teachers and this was the post-it note I got from Lainey's teacher in her school folder.  I'm telling you- they are delicious!

Now if you are like my mother and are asking, "Why would you mess up a chocolate muffin by adding beets?" I would tell you, "because beets offer protection against coronary artery disease and stroke, lower cholesterol levels, have anti-aging effects and are a natural cleanser, removing toxins from the body and nourishing the bloodstream, " or something like that!

So take the challenge- add something daring to your grocery basket and see what adventures await you in the kitchen!