Freeform

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Variation

I'm a repeat offender right now; we're sticking close to some old favorites for comfort and ease- Peanut Sesame Noodles, Spaghetti Squash, Kitchen Sink Salads, and Miso soup.

However, this weekend I managed to squeeze out these muffins. I used my Cranberry & Buttermilk Muffin recipe with some variations: using a yogurt-milk mixture in place of the buttermilk, increasing the cranberries, and adding 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

These are a big hit with Ray, he likes these even more than the original batch. Could it be the chocolate? :-)

This guy looks like he's smiling, don't you think?

The little dish next to the muffin pan is my new companion in the kitchen. I am tired of dirtying my jewelry every day with flour and other ingredients, and this is a pretty solution.

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In Memorium

I started this blog to share my love of food with those close to me and anyone else who might be interested. I have tried to remain objective and keep it 'about the food,' but a little bit of personal life has trickled in more recently. And I'll say it: there are more important things in life than food.

I have come to realize that this separation of kitchen and life is nearly impossible at times. There are moments in life that send me into the kitchen, and others that drive me away; right now it's the latter. Stress and grief have removed my appetite and desire to create, and while it hurts not to post here, it's because I simply have nothing to say. All I can do is provide a heart-felt memorial to the childhood pet who is gone.

Marmi is in 'kitty heaven' as my friend C. put it, but that doesn't make it less crappy or painful. I can't bear the idea that I'll visit her house and she won't be there. She was an amazing animal, truly a member of the family. I left the house first, and was always jealous of time spent with her. Our whole family will miss her.

~meuwie, smarmi, smewman, marmilade.. marmi~

Because you Asked

The Best Rolls Ever

makes 8

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

4 Tbs butter cut into pieces

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp yeast

Place all ingredients in a bread machine pan and program for the Dough cycle OR mix with a dough hook in a kitchen mixer, than rise on the counter, covered, for 1 hour.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Divide the halves again, then again until you have 8 balls of dough. Shape them lightly into rounds and place on a baking pan. Sprinkle a few toasted sesame seeds on top, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. If the room is cold, let them rise a little longer.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Allow the rolls to cool completely before storing. Serve warm.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm

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The Best Rolls Ever

Can I interest you in the recipe for The Best Rolls Ever?

Spinach Rice with Parmesan

Try this next time you're looking for a jazzy side dish to serve beside a protein.

Rather than the usual pasta or plain rice, add some fresh spinach, egg, and parmesan cheese to some prepared grain and bake until golden. There were no leftovers here.

Spinach Rice with Parmesan

1 cup rice, cooked and cooled slightly

1 egg, beaten

1 handful baby spinach, stems trimmed

3 Tbs grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small baking dish or oven-proof bowl, toss the spinach with the warm rice. Add the egg and 2 Tbs of the parmesan and mix well. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbs parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

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Mom's Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

We all have a banana bread in our lives. This is mine.

I can see the appeal it might have for a busy young mom like mine- it's easy to throw together and provides a more nutritious sweet alternative. She would bake it in a 9x13 pan, and my brothers and I would devour it for a snack or dessert.

If you have some really ripe bananas, you're in business. The riper they are, the sweeter and more developed the banana flavor will be. As for shape, you pick. Mom favored a 9x13 sheet cake pan; today I'm baking for a birthday, so little cakes seemed appropriate. The pan did not hold all the batter, so the remainder made a small loaf.

Please don't fool yourself; this is still dessert. But banana, whole wheat flour, and nonfat yogurt give more nutritional value than, say, a vanilla cupcake with frosting. You can cut the butter by a little bit if you must, but if you're baking for a special someone (and I am, for a good friend) show your affection with a little butta.

I hope you love these- I do.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

6 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup very ripe mashed banana (2 large)

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease the pans you plan to use.

In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar and eggs well. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, then add the mashed bananas, yogurt, and vanilla. Fold together, adding the mini chocolate chips until combined.

Bake for:

1 large loaf- 1 hour

4 mini loaves- 40 minutes

9x13 cake pan- 28-30 minutes

12-cup muffin tin (which I used here)- 20 minutes

Cool slightly before eat, and completely before storing.

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Transformation

Bread, transformed to a muffin, transformed to a scone.

I get emails from King Arthur Flour with products and recipes, and this week I was intrigued by some Irish Soda Bread muffins. Bread in muffin form? Sounds like a great idea for breakfast.

With an Irish husband and St. Patrick's Day around the corner, I couldn't resist. The recipe isn't terribly authentic- traditional Irish soda bread only has flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk- so I felt free to add my own spin.

After mixing the dry ingredients, I realized I was missing the caraway seed in the original recipe. I added a bit of cinnamon for a spice (always love cinnamon) and decreased the amount of currants to better please my crowd.
The flavor is reminiscent of a scone, with the shape and texture of a muffin. Have you heard the term scuffin before? These are them. Delicious alone, or slather with a bit of butter.

Irish Soda Scuffins
makes 12

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup currants
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with baker's spray.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and currants in a bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and gently combine until just incorporated. The batter will be fairly stiff. Spoon into the muffin pan evenly.

Bake the scuffins for about 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack cool completely.

Serve plain or slathered in butter and jam.

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~oven ready, my baking assistant looking on~

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Ray's White Bread

Disclaimer:

no whole wheat here.

Mine is a very healthy home for the most part. I try to use and consume whole grains and vegetables wherever I can. However, Ray is very particular about the kind of bread he likes:
not whole wheat.

No whole wheat and no embellishment; he prefers fluffy, fresh, plain white bread.
Despite being simplicity itself, there are infinite versions to choose from. I have a short list of white bread recipes that I make for him, and this is the most recent.

This bread is for the person in your life with similar preferences.
It's made like a French bread and gets tenderness and flavor from some milk and butter.
Ray likes to slice off a chunk and warm it with butter, or as a tuna sandwich for lunch.

Vienna Bread
taken from The Bread Machine Cookbook

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 cups bread flour
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs gluten
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Add all ingredients to the bread machine pan in the order listed above. Set the crust to medium and program for the basic cycle. Press start. When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread and place on a rack to cool to room temperature before slicing.

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A Really Good Cookie

Here is a really good cookie for you.

You may have hit maximum capacity for chocolate/sweets this weekend, and might want to wait a few days to whip these up.
Just be forewarned: you may wish you had made them sooner.

This recipe comes courtesy of my friend C., who treated us to these on our Napa trip last weekend. She brought them in a Ziplock bag that was passed around in the car for snacking, and I thought they were amazing.
I'm generally amorous towards oatmeal, and the large amount in these cookies provide wonderful texture and flavor. I asked if she'd share the recipe with me and she kindly obliged.

I couldn't resist a few changes: I swapped all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry, tinkered with the amount of butterscotch and chocolate chips, and made them smaller.
The original recipe says 4 dozen cookies- I made 70! We like smaller cookies in this house, but if you want go ahead and make them bigger.

Pleasing to any crowd and easy to make- enjoy!

Oatmeal Scotch-Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pasty flour (or all-purpose)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 sticks butter, softened (1 cup)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp grated orange zest
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together. Add the eggs, orange zest, and combine, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture gradually, scraping down the bowl. Stir in the oats, butterscotch chips, and chocolate chips. Using a teaspoon or small cookie scoop, drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (or tablespoons for larger and fewer cookies) onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the cookies to cooling racks. Store in an airtight container.

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