Strawberry Season

 It is Strawberry season in Wisconsin! I was so excited they ripened in time to take our cousins when they visited two weeks ago. We had a lovely time. Sine there was so many of us we got a bit carried away and ended up picking 28 quarts! 

 I could of stayed all day in the strawberry patch! 

 Needless to say, we have gotten our fill of strawberries. (Enough to give me hives several times! Ha!) Including strawberry shortcake, strawberries and cream, plenty of plain strawberries and strawberry muffins! I used my favorite muffin recipe, omitting the cinnamon and adding chopped strawberries and vanilla extract. Strawberries and vanilla go so well together!

We also made 28 pints of strawberry jam! 

What is your favorite way to eat Strawberries? Have you ever picked your own?

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Apple Buckwheat Muffins

 Do you like buckwheat? It is a stronger flavored flour and is usually the overwhelming flavor in baked good. But oh, it makes fluffy muffins and pancakes!

I think it was sister Becky, that first introduced me to buckwheat via a vintage recipe for Buckwheat Griddlecakes (pancakes). Mandy and I love to make thick fluffy buckwheat pancakes, but we still haven't gotten the hang of getting them to not stick to the pan. Part of the problem is that we are also making them dairy free with water and coconut oil. Anyway, the house always ends up smelling like a greasy diner and burnt oil.

So, I thought buckwheat muffins would solve the problem nicely. A quick search online and nothing. Nothing that met my critia (dairy-free, but not gluten free and easy). I did a quick look through my vintage cookbook collection, nothing. A look through the "modern" cookbooks, nothing. I decided, fine, I will just add a bit of buckwheat to one of my favorite recipes. The first try was not good and I didn't get around to another go....

Then last week while looking for an oatmeal cookie recipe, I grabbed Mandy's Betty Crocker Country Cooking off the shelf and came across several lovely muffins recipes. Including Apple Buckwheat Muffins!

I was focused on oatmeal cookies at the moment. But after an unfortunate egg incident (Have you ever had an egg explode when you cracked it open?!?) in which I used up all the raisins, I thought muffins might sooth my nerves. Oh my! These are some of the best muffins! Soft, moist, flavorful, satisfying.....

 I am not really sure if I should be posting the recipe (It always seems like a gray area to me. Most recipes are variations, so should they really be copyrighted?), but it is too good not to share!

Apple Buckwheat Muffins (dairy-free version)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup apple juice or water

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 egg

1 large tart apple, grated

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, buckwheat flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in grated apple until well coated with flour mixture. Beat together egg, water or apple juice and coconut oil in a small bowl. Add to flour apple mixture, stir until just blended. Spoon into 18 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Tip muffins up on edge in pan to cool.

Maybe this is my recipe now that I have tweaked it a bit.(?) If you don't have/like coconut oil, I am sure another veggie oil will work fine too.

AS you can see, they didn't last long!

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3 Varieties of Apple Muffins

Muffins of all kinds have been top on my baking list this year. They are quick and satisfy my cravings for comfort food and baked goods. I even have time in the morning (if I don't get too distracted!) to whip up a batch before leaving for work. Perfect start to the day!

 I dug this recipe out of the recipe basket last night and remembered how good it was. It has been around a long time. Written across the card is "Double it!" in large letters. When the brothers were at home, twelve muffins didn't go far!

Cran-Apple Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup veg.oil

In large bowl combine above ingredients. Fold in 1 cup shredded or chopped peeled tart apple. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Use 1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce to top muffin batter(about 1 tablespoon on each muffin) Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar with 1 tablespoon orange juice for icing. Drizzle over cooled muffins. Makes 12 muffins.

I am sure once the weather is a bit colder I will make the Cranberry version. But for now I am all about apples! So I chopped my apples kind of chunky, used apple cider instead of milk (to make it dairy-free) and threw in raisins in half the muffins (orange liners- apple. purple liners- apple raisin). I found an apple and raisin bread recipe online that looked good, but the tried and true was simpler.

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Dairy-Free Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

 I have been addicted to muffins! Just about every week this past month I have made some sort of muffin. Usually these Dairy-Free Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins. 

I don't know what it is about the combination of blueberries, cinnamon and whole wheat that make these so scrumptious, but we can't get enough of them!

Muffins are so easy and quick to whip up. I can crank out a batch almost before my eyes are fully awake in the morning. And I think I have passed the muffin love on to the family, yesterday I had several inquiries of "Isn't there more blueberry muffins?" 

Here is my tweaked version. 

Dairy-Free Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoonful baking powder

1 teaspoonful cinnamon

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup water or milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl. Toss the blueberries until lightly coated in the flour mixture. Add the egg, water and oil and mix just until blended. Do not over mix; too much mixing causes "tunnels". Spoon into 12 muffin cups or a grease muffin pan. Bake at 350 until done.

We don't use a lot of whole wheat flour usually, but I decided to give King Arthur Whole Wheat a try. I love the nutty flavor! It compliments the blueberries so nicely. I have been thinking of substituting the veggie oil for melted coconut oil, but it would add an extra step. Liquid oil is so convenient, I just have to pour it in!

Off to the grocery store for more flour! Can't run out of muffins!

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Cherry Breakfast Muffins

I am still celebrating Cherries! Today, I have a recipe that is not only cherry, but from a vintage cookbook! When I looked in past posts, I realized I had not shared the little Spry cookbook pamphlet this recipe is from, so stayed tuned for it in a later post.

The cherry muffin idea all started with a recipe I saw on Pinterest for Cherry Danish Muffins which looked delicious. But once I read the recipe I realized it was make with pre-packaged dough, not really my idea of  baking. So I took the idea and set out to find a muffin recipe. 

They turned out very well. A little different then we are normally use to in a muffin recipe. Instead of being almost cake like, they are a bit more egg-y with not as fine as a texture. I reminds me of a popover without the crisp outside. Which in my opinion makes a great breakfast muffin!

The muffins are in a vintage silver wire basket I found last fall. It has become my favorite thing to serve muffins and scones in!

I followed the recipe just like it is written except to substitute water for milk to make them dairy-free. Then I added 2 cups thawed cherries to the batter. Once the muffins tins were filled pushed a little chunk of cream cheese in the middle and spooned cherry jam on top. (When I make them again I would mix the cream cheese with a little sugar and milk so it was softer.) Or you can always skip that part and just make cherry muffins!

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WIAW (2) & Food Firsts (1)

I have a few different lists of goals. I have  a life list, which I have not put online, but it's been there for a while and I am slowly chipping things off and probably more rapidly adding things to it. It is a work in progress.

I also have a Project 52 list, which I made because of Karen's suggesting it. I also have not put this one online, as a lot of the things on my list are private, things I want to do for me. BUT. One of my goals for myself recently was to try a new recipe once a month. I have been pinning recipes, as well as just going and buying stuff and throwing it together on my own accord. I love doing that; it's like an experiment or a game. You win if it tastes good. You try again if it doesn't.

I have blown my goal out of the water. So far, I have probably made a new recipe at least once a week. Here is one I made recently that I liked! They are not too sweet, which I like, but if you have a sweet tooth, you may want to add a little sugar. Also, I will probably add more cinnamon next time! These make a great breakfast muffin or a nutritious snack. They have approximately 100 calories per muffin.

Low-fat Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 20 minutes / Total Time: 30 minutes (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups apple, peeled and shredded

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick oats

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup fat-free milk (I used unsweetened Almond milk)

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup plain fat-free yogurt

2 egg whites (I used one whole egg)

1. Combine wet and dry ingredients separately. 

2. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir. 

3. Put batter into lined or greased muffin tin. **NOTE: I used papers, and the muffins got stuck to the paper, so I ended up eating half muffin, half paper. I would suggest a greased tin or better papers than the ones I have! Darn it Martha!

I only filled mine about half full, since I would rather have more smaller muffins rather than less bigger ones. The recipe suggests 12 muffins, but I made 24 (obviously, if you only make 12, they will have approximately 200 calories per muffin instead!)

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 

5. Eat three two one (see, I am glad I made them smaller!)

For more recipes I am thinking of trying, or to find me on Pinterest, go HERE. Also, since it is Wednesday, here's WIAW, part deux, hosted by Jenn at Peas and Crayons.

Breakfast: 

Steel Cut Oats with Apple / Pumpkin Seed / Sunflower Seed / Almond Milk

Spinach & Egg Muffin with Yellow Bell Pepper

Gummy Vitamins (yum)

Lunch/Dinner:

Mixed Bean Soup

Corned Beef

Chicken Breast

Snacks:

2 Apple Oat muffins

Strawberries with Cottage Cheese

Carrots and Hummus

Greenish Drink (Almond milk / Spinach / Frozen Peaches / Flax seed)

What I learned? I did not eat very much green stuff on this day! Also, I use the little light blue bowl a lot. Also, I need to work on my food photography. Katrina, over at Capture Your 365, suggests reading this article for some food photo tips.

Do you try new recipes often? Do you have a new favorite? Are you good at taking food photos?

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An Apple a Day Monday: III

Remember last week when I made the Apple Cake? Now I had buttermilk left over, as well as still having plenty of apples. I didn’t yet know what I wanted to make with these items. I contemplated buttermilk biscuits or buttermilk apple muffins.

(Check out Apple a Day I and Apple A Day II.)

Then, I got the prize in the mail that I won from Corey! Flaxseed Meal! I have never used it before, but have been putting it in oatmeal, on cereal and now in baking…and its great! I used the recipe that was on the back of the bag and amended it a bit to fit what I had on hand. And…they turned out great! Like a nutty, yummy, bran muffin…without the bran! For those of you who are gluten free, flaxseed is GF, so all you need is some GF flour (can sub for oats as well) and you are all set!

Bran Flax Muffins

(aka Oat Apple Nut Buttermilk Flax Muffins [and Squares])

1½ cups flour

¾ cup flaxseed

¾ cup oat bran (I used stone ground oats)

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ cup carrots, shredded

2 apples, peeled and shredded

½ cup raisins (I used craisins instead)

1 cup nuts, chopped (I used walnuts)

¾ cup milk (I used buttermilk instead)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients (first 7 on the list). 

In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the (wet) ingredients. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Do not over stir. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Pour into greased muffin tin. Fill cups approximately ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Yields 15 medium sized muffins**

**NOTES: I ended up filling 12 cups ¾ full and still having a lot left over, so I used a bread pan and 2 mini bread pans to use up the rest. You could also easily cook these in a 9x13 baking dish and just cut them into squares. 

Next up: The apple craze continues! What else can one make with an apple? Don’t forget to check back next Monday to find out...and for another edition of “An Apple a Day”, which will be a feature each Monday in November.

Have you ever used flaxseed meal? Have you ever made your own oat bars?

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