Pumpkin Muffin Lovin'

Hello October! In addition to loving fall, I love, love, love the month of October!I've always been jealous of people with birthdays or occassions in this glorious month. I love it so much I feel as though it should be commerated with me receiving some sort of gift. Maybe I should just start giving myself gifts during October?? Ah the joys of being an adult...

Well, when not thinking about how to bestoy gifts upon myself, I'm working my way through my plethora of pumpkin recipes. Will I make it? It's impossible to know at this point. I was able to cross another one off the list last week though as we had a morning breakfast/baby shower at work. I'm not a huge shower person (I actually don't care for them at all...especially when they revolve around babies). I know what you're thinking, and yes, I'm dead on the inside (or at the very least am void of any sort of maternal gene).

Nonetheless, I eagerly volunteered to bring a baked good. I figure if I'm ever going to get through all these recipes, I can't be picky. And so, I whipped up a double batch of these bad boys and was given the praise I craved. This was my first time baking for my new teammates and I wanted nothing more out of the day than to have my creation be well received. It was, and I was thrilled. And, by doubling the recipe, I was able to pay my papa with the extras in exchange for serving as a bodyguard/accompanier when I ventured to the DMV. There's officially no place scarier, but at least I no longer have an Oklahoma license or, more importantly, have to fear not being able to obtain alcohol (my license was set to expire next month so I was forced to get my act together).

Even when not being used for bribery, these muffins are the perfect treat on a crisp autumn morning. Happy Fall!!

Pumpkin Oat Streusel Muffins

Ingredients
[Original from Mr. Quaker, although I made a few changes. Doubling recipe makes about 2 dozen]

STREUSEL

• 1/4 cup Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

MUFFINS

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup Pure Pumpkin
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with cooking spray
2. For streusel, combine all ingredients in small bowl; mix well. Set aside
3. For muffins, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda in large bowl; mix well. In medium bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, applesauce, and egg; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix)
4. Fill muffin cups almost full. Sprinkle with reserved streusel, patting gently
5. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool muffins in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm

Basil Pesto and Veggies

Sophomore year of college was the first time I was forced to start cooking for myself. I was living in my first apartment, sans any roommates (except my beloved Shepherd, then a mischevious puppy) and since I had neither the money nor the desire to eat out every night, I had to learn how to bring the food in my pantry and refridgerator to life. I can still remember the first meal I made on my own: parmesan pasta (from a package), broccoli, and sausage (the link kind sliced up, not the breakfast kind), with a glass of apple juice on the side. I was very proud, even taking a picture of it (as is my custom). It was a meal I'd had many times growing up (recall that Mother is very anti-cooking) and it reminded me of home. A lot has changed since that first meal (both in terms of skill level and taste), but my desire for comfort food every now and then still lives within me.


The other day, finding myself with some fresh veggies in need of use before going bad, I turned to a trusted favorite: basil pesto. I'll caveat this recipe by noting that I did not make the pesto from scratch (something that I've been wanting to do forever) but definitely will be doing so very soon as fresh basil runneth over this time of year.


I discovered basil pesto during my junior year of college, oddly enough, while dining with my aunt on a visit to the east coast, and have been hooked ever since. There are very few version of pesto that I don't care for (the ones I dislike usually involve olives) and since I no longer eating pasta that frequently, I sometimes forget just how much I love the substance! This recipe was an easy and quick post-work dish to whip up. And it was great fuel for my long run the following morning.

Basil Pesto and Veggies

Ingredients [makes 2 servings]

• 2 cups whole wheat thin spaghetti
• 1 cup fresh broccoli florets
• 1 grilled portobello mushroom, diced (I had one left over from our cookout over the weekend)
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 8-10 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 2-3 Tbsp basil pesto
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in frying pan, cook onions for 2-3 mins. Add in mushroom, cook until heated
2. Bring pot of water for pasta to a boil. Add in pasta, cook according to package
3. With 5-6 minutes remaining on pasta, add in broccoli
4. Once pasta and broccoli is cooked, drain (do not rinse) and return to pot
5. Stir in basil pesto, salt, and pepper until coated evenly. Add cooked onions, mushrooms, and tomato slices
6. Serve, topping with cheese if desired

I served mine with a slice of whole wheat bread, topped with fresh garlic powder 

[both acquired at the local Amish market over the weekend :)]

Blueberry Bonanza

Although I'm fully aware that I probably sound like a broken record at this point, I hate summer. When I was a kid I loved it, but I'm fairly certain that's because I didn't have to go to school for 3 months and could spend my days swimming and doing anything my little heart desired. As an adult, I detest it. I never go swimming and, not only do I have to spend my days cooped up in an office building, but I show up most mornings exasperated and sweat covered from trekking to the metro in my fancy clothes. Not fun. 


In an effort to keep my sanity while waiting for my beloved fall, I have been trying to focus on some of the positives of this time of year. The longer days are a delight. Bax dog and I can go for our morning and evening walks in the daylight (much better than the creepy winter mornings...thank goodness Bax is a trained assassin....not really, but she is very protective and if I gave the signal she'd cut a person) and the fruit and veggie choices abound!


Last weekend, I got a little excited about all the options while marketing and consequently now have a fridge filled with more fruit than anything else. I love fruit the most, so this excites me greatly. The only thing I love as much as fruit is being able to incorporate it into my baking. As luck would have it, my first weekend back in the District brought with it a little breakfast gathering among friends...and my discovery of a new blueberry muffin recipe!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

Adaptation based on this one

Topping

• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Muffins

• 3/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray or place paper baking cup in each muffin cup. In small bowl, stir together topping ingredients; set aside
2. In large bowl, beat milk, applesauce, honey, and egg with spoon until well blended 
3. Stir in flours, baking powder and salt just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries
4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (cups will be full). Sprinkle with topping
5. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and muffins are golden brown

Rock Climbing Fuel

Rock climbing has quickly become my new favorite activity. I dabbled in it for a time during high school, but viewed it more as a fun activity rather than something I strived to be good at. About two month ago, however, my interest in it was reborn and has been alive and well ever since.

It all started during a trip to OKC back in April. There are some old silos in downtown (yes, I know, shocking, there are silos in OK) that have been turned into an indoor rock climbing gym. For years (pretty much the whole time I was in school there) I wanted to give them a try but never could find anyone to accompany me.

Then one day a miracle happened, TF wanted to go climbing! I was estatic. We went the next time I was in town and were instantly hooked. It's really amazing how much better I've gotten in just a couple months (and I don't even get to go nearly as often as I'd like). I think, similar to yoga, my long limbs and natural flexibility make it something I take to naturally. This is something I'm thankful for because my upper body strength remains minimal at best despite my increased use of weights at the gym. Anyway, we loved climbing so much we even bought our own gear....and much to TF's dismay, matching shoes :)

Shoe twins

Inside one of the silos

Over Memorial Day weekend, I was in OKC yet again and TF and I made sure to plan multiple trips to the rock climbing gym into our itinerary. Before one such trip, we decided to make some pasta with a homemade sauce to help fuel us for our hours of climbing that lay ahead. The sauce we made is a standby favorite of ours. We've made several variations over the years, usually as part of our pre-race dinner before our half-marathons and it never fails to delight the tastebuds. We don't usually eat cheese pre-race, but for this version we decided to pick up some smoked gouda (a shared favorite for us) during our trip to Whole Foods (where we also shopped along side one of the Thunder players [Nick Collison])...highlight of my trip :)

Whole Wheat Pasta with Homemade Marinara

Ingredients

• 1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (we usually get the garlic and onion or basil one)
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (chopped)
• Olive oil (2-3 tbsp)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 package whole wheat pasta

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in skillet, added onion and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes (they'll continue to cook once combined with the tomatoes)
2. Combine tomatoes in large pot (we typically use a wok, but any large pot will work) and bring to a boil
3. Add onion and garlic to tomatoes, plus salt and pepper
4. Reduce heat slightly and continue to boil on medium-high for 30-45 minutes (or until reduced to desired consistency). We prefer a chunckier sauce, but the longer it cooks the more reduced the tomatoes will become, so it's just about preference
5. While sauce is reducing, cook pasta according to package directions
6. Once pasta and sauce are done, plate and serve!

Creative Comfort

Even though the month of May is just barely getting started, I am already finding myself with a slew of busy weekends ahead of me. Consequently, this was my only weekend actually staying put in the District. Usually,I like to make the most of my increasingly few free weekends by trying out some new and fun recipes, but I went into the weekend exhausted and with no desire to do anything that would require the use of my oven. Yes, on top of everything else, summer has started to rear its ugly head in the District (there is no time of year in DC that I hate more than summer...between the heat and the influx of tourists, all I want to do is hunker down in my air conditioned apartment and pray for the arrival of fall, and even better, winter). Unfortunately, any time I bake it doesn't take long for my full size oven to flood my tiny studio apartment with enough heat to make me feel like I'm cooking on the sun. While I was initially not in the mood for dealing with the influx of heat in exchange for cooking, Sunday brought with it a slight cool down in temperatures and with it, my desire to cook returned. 


During a little pinterest browsing the other day I discovered a little piece of gnocchi heaven. I'll admit, gnocchi and I haven't spent much time together over the years. I actually just discovered it a few years back during my early months in DC. Although it was love at first taste, I haven't really sought it out much in the years since, and have never made on my own. During my monthly trip to the suburbs a few weeks back, I was pillaging the local Wegmans when I stumbled upon a delightful surprise: whole wheat gnocchi. Of course, I had to get it. Unfortunately, my multiple weeks of travel resulted in me never getting to try it, until now. I'd picked up some fun cheese at Trader Joe's on my way home from work the other day and it was the perfect accompaniment to my Sunday funday meal. 

Whole Wheat Gnocchi Mac and Cheese

[Original version found here]

Ingredients

• 1 pound purchased or homemade gnocchi
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan-Gouda reduced fat cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano 
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Gnocchi cooked and topped with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, awaiting cheese :)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Top with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes
2. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes
3. Combine smoked gouda and parm-gouda, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful. Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper
4. Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top. Bake gnocchi until they puff and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving

Enjoy....and prepare for a very happy stomach! 

Comfort Breakfast Dinner

After spending the majority of the last two weeks away from DC, I was excited to get back into my normal routine this week. Unfortunately, life had other plans. Work was nothing short of treacherous this week and I found myself spending most days praying for daylight (and my freedom). The longer work days also cut into my time and desire to cook. On Wednesday, however, I was determined to make something good for dinner in an effort to cheer myself up. The one thing that always does the trick is pancakes (and wine). As you may recall, I have yet to master the art of pancake making, but I do love a good pancake puff! They're quick, easy, and rarely fail me (leaving me in a much better mood than when I attempt to cook actual pancakes). 


With a little help from my friends at google, I found a new and nutrient rich recipe to lift my spirits with. A few minutes later and I had the perfect cure all...or at least temporary spirit lifter. Yum, yum, yum. Definitely hit the spot and helped salvage my evening.

Whole Wheat Flaxseed Pancakes

Wonderful creation found here

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup flaxseeds, ground
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup fresh cut strawberries (for topping)
• 1/2 tsp powder sugar (for topping)

Preparation

1. Mix together dry ingredients
2. In a different bowl, mix wet ingredients
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened
4. Let sit for a few minutes
5. Cook with desired method 
6. Top with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Lemon Meets Blueberry

Yes, lemon is back! I warned you with my lemon cupcakes last week that lemon is not only my current obsession, but also that I acquired a bag of lemons at market and was more than a little excited to put each and every one of them to use. With the weekend on the horizon (actually, lets not pretend, it's Friday, I'm already in full weekend mode), I was tired of my bag of lemons staring at me from the top of the fridge and decided it was time for another lemon-infused recipe! 

I'm heading to Baltimore later today to spend Easter weekend with the family. At the age of 15, I proclaimed myself the favorite child of my parents (I have no shame sometimes). Sister was younger and weaker then and thus I wasn't challenged in assuming my position, which I went onto hold for many years. In recent years, however, Sister has gotten much stronger than me (terrifyingly so,as I have little to no upper body strength with which to adequately defend myself) and has begun a somewhat successful campaign to unseat me as favorite! I'm more than 90% certain that I'll always be my father's favorite, but Mother is more of a wild card. Sister and I have decided that she has days (she doesn't announce them, you can just tell if it's your day because you can do no wrong in her eyes and the other sister can do no right...for the record, she claims this doesn't happen, but we witness it every time the three of us are together), but I'm also certain that she favors Sister in general more than me. Sorry, for the long diatribe, that went on way longer than I thought it would! Nonetheless, I said all that to say that the last time Sister came to town (I wasn't there) I got word that she came bearing her famous chocolate chip cookies for Papa! I was irate! Now she's trying to win him over too?! That's where I draw the line. I've already all but ceded Mother to her, I'm not about to lose Papa too! Thus, I knew I could not show up empty handed this time around...enter the bag of lemons.

There are two baked goods that my dad loves above all others: blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies. Mother had been coaxing me to make the chocolate chip cookies I featured earlier in the week for him, but I knew they would just be compared to Sister's and wouldn't hold a candle to her's. Thus, I decided to pursue his other favorite treat. I'd found a recipe for blueberry lemon cupcakes a while back, but since I'm making a couple desserts for Easter, decided to take that idea but spin it into a muffin. Victory! 

Lemon Blueberry Flax Muffins

[Inspiration found here]

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup sugar (next time I want to try agave nectar here instead)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp grated lemon rind
• 1 cup blueberries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flaxseed and next 7 ingredients (flaxseed through nutmeg) in a medium bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal
3. Combine buttermilk, egg, and lemon rind; stir well with a whisk. Add to dry mixture; stir just until moist. Gently fold in blueberries
4. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray or muffin cups
5. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until the muffins spring back when lightly touched. Remove muffins from pans immediately, and place on a wire rack to cool

*Bax dog and I sampled one and it was delish, fingers crossed Papa thinks the same!

Snow Comes to the District

I love, love, love winter. I love running in the cold temperatures, accenting my outfits with scarves and boots, and sipping a hot beverage during my morning walks to the metro. My first winter on the east coast was the year of Snowmageddon, or as I like to call it, indoctrination by fire. While I was slightly traumatized by the feet of snow that seemed to never leave, part of me has spent the years since craving the return of such a wondrous display. So far, my dreams have not come true. In fact, most of the time this year I'm fairly certain I will never see winter. While I didn't have high expectations for this weekend's snowfall, awaking to a mini-winter wonderland still made me smile...and want to bake. 

In honor of spending the afternoon nestled inside with my Aussie, Bax, today's new recipe: apple banana oatmeal bread. Having gotten the opportunity to visit my beloved Costco last weekend, I had a plethora of both oats and apples that I was dying to incorporate into my cooking. After spending some time on the google, I found a recipe that, with some alterations, hit the spot. First loaf = major success!

Apple Banana Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats (I also used additional oats as a topping prior to baking)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped apple
• 2 mashed bananas

Pre-Baking

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl
3. Add eggs and milk, mix until well blended, mix in bananas
4. Fold in chopped apple
5. Coat loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, pour in batter, top with oats (and cinnamon if desired)
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes

Finished product!

And, in honor of this semi-snow day, some additional fun pictures completely unrelated to cooking

View from my apartment. By the time I thought to take a picture of my snow covered neighborhood it had sadly already started to melt 

While I was cooking, Bax chose to spend the day sleeping. She loves nothing more than to be warm and dry

I'm often jealous of her life

Happy Weekend!

Snowy Monday Soup

Mondays have, and likely always will be, my least favorite day of the week. This hatred has been diminished only slightly over the last few months by the fact that I work from home on Mondays, I've found it helps ease me back into the week. This particular Monday I decided to use my day at home to try out crock pot recipe numero dos. I hadn't planned to use my crock pot again so soon, or at least not to post about it, but I'm so in love with my latest creation that I just had to share. 


Today's recipe(s) du jour: black bean soup and whole wheat drop biscuits


First, a little background. For the last 5 years, instead of new year's resolutions (which I hate, but that's a separate rant), I have picked a "food of the year." This is a food that don't like, wish I did, and want to make myself like by year's end. It began easily enough, with tomatoes, but has increased in difficulty with each passing year. Year 2 was actually a two-food year because I conquered the first one (black beans) quicker than expected and then added avocados (thanks to this place) to my list. Oatmeal in year 3 was my hardest feat to date (I'm very particular about my food textures....as many who have dined with me can attest). Finally, last year, I went big--vegetarianism was appointed "food of the year." Although I was more giving up the few meats that I still ate (chicken and turkey....I'd given up pork and beef a few years prior) rather than learning to eat something new, I decided it would count as I still had to learn to alter my eating habits. And, for good measure I perfected my enjoyment of oatmeal during year 4 as well. It was the one food from years past that I still wasn't comfortable with (now I eat it every day at work). And that brings us to year 5. This year's food of the year is oysters. It shall be my greatest food challenge to date!


So, the "food of the year" story was told with the hope that you will better appreciate today's recipe. I used to hate all beans and not only have I come to love beans, but I'm now in love with a soup (another food that I have a love-hate relationship with depending on the season) made in large part with black beans! Thus, without further ado:


Crock Pot Black Bean Soup

Pre-slow cooking--ingredients: black beans, stewed tomatoes, veggies, seasoning

This recipe became even more exciting when I found out I was able to use another of my new Christmas toys--my stick blender!

Stick blender did not disappoint...and neither did this soup. I also made some easy whole wheat drop biscuits (another first).

It's a good thing I'm so in love with this recipe because it made a TON. If I can't convince TF to like it then I'm going to be eating it for the next week. For the time being, it definitely hit the spot on a cold, snowy Monday!

Black Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cans of black beans
• 1 can of stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken)
• 2 tbsp salsa
• 1 1/2 cups chopped vegetables

Preparation

* I made some modifications to the original recipe and just threw in the veggies I wanted to use and then diced them all at the end with the beans and tomatoes

1. Empty all cans into the crock pot insert. Do not rinse the beans or drain the tomatoes
2. Add broth and salsa
3. Mix with spoon
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6
5. Before serving, use an immersion blender to soupify the beans, tomatoes, and veggies
6. Serve with some shredded parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream (optional)

*Original recipe can be found here

Fluffy Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3/4 table salt
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (5 min)
• 2 tbsp melted butter for brushing biscuits [optional]

Preparation

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. 

2. Mix the lemon into the milk. set aside and allow to curdle, about 5 minutes. Milk mixture should be cold before mixing with butter. *This part can be omitted if buttermilk is used instead.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl.

4. Add melted butter to milk mixture; stir until butter forms small clumps.

5. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl forming a sticky ball. if batter feels too firm and dry bits are not gathering into a ball, sprinkle on more milk, about another tablespoon. Be careful not to overmix, as that will give you a less fluffy biscuit.

6. Spoon batter into approximately 1/4 cup portions and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops just begin to brown and become crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.

7. Brush biscuit tops with melted butter, if you like. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

*Original recipe can be found here

Stay Warm!