Recipe for Fun Friday - Alexandra's Carrot Muffins (Murder Most Fowl)

So, muffins: a convenient breakfast/snack, cake masquerading as breakfast, or the ugly stepsister of cupcakes? Personally, I absolutely love muffins and quick breads. I'm not really a fan of frosting, so cupcakes are pretty meh to me. Pretty to look at, but not a lot of substance. The only frosting I like is cream cheese frosting, which I love so much I could eat it with a spoon (which I have, leaning over the sink with shame).

Carrot cake has always been one of my favorite cakes, heavily spiced and topped with thick layers of cream cheese frosting. And since there's carrots in there, I can always pretend that it's actually healthy! Luckily, I don't have to do that with these muffins. Since these are meant to be breakfast, there's no cream cheese frosting (sadly), they are absolutely packed with carrots and very lightly sweetened with honey and not sugar.

These are fast and easy to put together, with a wonderful, moist texture. They make a quick grab-and-go breakfast, which I like to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea on the front steps while my dogs romp in the yard before work.

Despite how tasty these are, there are two changes for the next time I make these muffins: a tiny bit more sweetness (either by increasing the honey to 1/2 cup or adding raisins) and a lot more spices (probably 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cloves).

Enjoy!

Alexandra's Carrot Muffins
Mia's Note: I prefer using coconut oil in my baking, since it's tasty and healthy. Also, I never keep buttermilk around, preferring to mix a bit of vinegar with regular milk. Works like a charm. Lastly, I use Ultragrain All-Purpose Flour, which packs in the nutrition of whole grain flours while working like a regular all-purpose flour. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Makes one dozen. Use as many locally produced ingredients as possible.

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil (See Note)
1/4 cup buttermilk (See Note)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (See Note)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 4 medium)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Beat eggs light, and then mix in honey, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla In a large measuring cup, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt, and spices. Add dry ingredients, carrots, and nuts to the egg mixture, and mix lightly with a fork until just combined.

Bake in greased muffin pan for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top (mine only took 15 minutes).

Recipe for Fun Friday: Hannah Swensen's Cappucino Royales

I know that I bitch and moan about this series way too often, but this is legit my favorite recipe (that I've tried so far) from Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series. Every time I try one of her recipes, I complain about certain inaccuracies in the recipe and the lack of flavor in the finished bakes, which means I need to fuss with the recipe to get them right. However, this recipe is near perfect; I make very minor adjustments and the result is a huge heap of cookies that everyone loves. Enjoy!

So, so good

Hannah Swensen's Cappucino Royales

2 cups melted butter (4 sticks)

1/4 cup instant coffee powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons brandy or rum extract (I usually use all vanilla extract or sub actual rum for this)

3 cups sugar (she specifies white, I like to swap at least half with brown)

3 beaten eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups chocolate chips (she says milk, I prefer semi-sweet)

5 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at 3 minutes on HIGH, or melt it in a saucepan over low heat on the stovetop.

Mix in the instant coffee powder, vanilla and rum or brandy extract. Stir it until the coffee powder has dissolved (this could take a while).

Add the sugar, beaten eggs, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well.

Stir in the chocolate chips. Mix until they're evenly distributed.

Add the flour in one cup increments, stirring after each addition. Mix until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.

At this point, I like to chill the dough overnight to really let the flavor develop and make it easier to scoop and hold its shape. However, this is not included in the recipe, so I'm assuming you can go right ahead with the baking.

Form walnut-sized dough balls with your fingers (I use a medium-sized cookie scoop). Roll them in a small bowl with granulate sugar if you decided you wanted them sweeter (the cookies are already plenty sweet, so unless you've got a raging sweet tooth, I don't advise this).

Place the dough balls on greased cookie sheets, 12 to a standard-size sheet.

Flatten the dough balls with the back of a metal spatula, or with the palm of your impeccably clean hand (also unnecessary, but your choice).

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F, for 9 to 11 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Yield: 12 to 14 dozen cookies (according to Joanne Fluke, but I get about half that yield)

______________________________________________________________________

This recipe is probably in the top 5 of my favorite cookies. What's your favorite cookie recipe? Share it with me in the comments!

Recipe for Fun Friday - Zucchini Goodness!

For a site that bills itself as a Book/Baking blog, there has been a dearth of recipes lately. Not because I haven't been baking, but mostly because I was posting so many reviews. I posted one yesterday and another will be up either tomorrow or Sunday, but I decided to skip the review that was originally going to be posted here, simply because I gave up on the book. I tried and tried to finish it, but it just felt like a waste of time when I have so many other books in my TBR pile worthy of my attention. 

I used to feel super guilty about not finishing a book, and would usually push myself to finish, even if I didn't enjoy it. Now I have so much to do/read/write/etc that I've started to just cut my losses and move on.

Ah well, at the very least, that leaves time and space for me to post some yummy recipes! I probably should've posted these recipes in the heart of summer, when zucchini was cheap and plentiful, but I'm always a tad bit late to the party. Although the weather's getting cooler and Fall produce is starting to appear at the farmer's market, there's still plenty of zucchini to go around.

First up is a recipe from Laura Childs's Tea Shop Mystery series: Zucchini Quiche, featured in Devonshire Scream. It's fast, tasty, and easily adaptable. I love quiche, but I never make it because I hate making pastry. Love eating it, don't enjoy making it. This recipe circumvents all that with the simple addition of Bisquick mix in the batter. Sounds strange, but I love it!

The cast of characters

Nom Nom Nom

Zucchini Quiche 

1 cup onions, chopped

1 cup Bisquick

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup cheese, grated (recipe calls for Parmesan; I've used Parmesan, cheddar, dill havarti...all delicious)

1/4 tsp salt

3 to 3 1/2 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except zucchini in a bowl. Add zucchini last and stir gently. Pour into a buttered pie pan (recipe calls for 9 inch, I use a 10 inch). Bake about 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Yields 4 servings.

_______________________________________________________________________________

That was our savory selection, next up is sweet. This recipe is from Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series. I've said it a million times, but even though it's a flawed series with some flawed recipes, I do love using it as a template for some fun and creative recipes. 

These zucchini cookies are super tasty but need some work; their texture is rather cake-y, which is cool if you like that kind of thing, but I prefer chewy cookies. The original recipe didn't have you wring out the zucchini, and I'm sure all that excess moisture contributed to the texture. I also added a bit more flavoring, since her recipes are usually kind of bland. Also, this is gonna sound crazy, but I didn't care for the chocolate chips. I'm a big chocoholic, but I felt like with all the other flavors going on, the chocolate was unnecessary. Other than that, these cookies were great. They were like individual portions of zucchini bread, and I LOVE zucchini bread. Let me know if draining the zucchini works for you, or if you have any tips on how to make a cookie less cake-y.

Not pretty, but very tasty

Rose's Zucchini Cookies

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup softened butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs (beaten)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon (not in the original, but great addition)

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (peeling optional)

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

4 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Measure out the sugars into a large bowl. Add the softened butter and beat until the mixture is nice and fluffy.

Mix in the baking soda and make sure it's evenly distributed. Add the beaten eggs to the bowl, as well as the vanilla extract, and mix everything thoroughly.

Wring out the shredded zucchini to release as much liquid as possible. Measure out 1 1/2 cups zucchini, packed really well. Add it to the bowl and stir it in. 

Add the nuts and chocolate chips, if you're using them, and mix well.

Add the flour in one cup increments, stirring after each addition. When all the flour has been added stirred in, the resulting dough will be quite stiff (I mix everything up in my KitchenAid since it's way too thick to do by hand). 

I always refrigerate my dough for at least an hour (usually overnight), but the original recipe doesn't seem to think that's necessary. I like to let the flavors develop and the dough just sets better, since this is an especially soft dough.

Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake in a 350 F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for two minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: She says 8 dozen, I got 4 dozen. She must make really tiny cookies.

________________________________________________________________________________

Well, that's all for today! If you try either of these recipes, let me know how it goes. And if you have a favorite zucchini recipe, please share it in the comments. Enjoy your weekend!

Recipe for Fun Friday #3 - Soft Chewy Milk Chocolate Cookies by Joanne Fluke

I know I should probably be posting some sort of fancy cocktail after reading Rum Luck, but I've been too busy preparing for this conference to do much mixing. I decided instead to share a recipe that my students and co-workers love, from Joanne Fluke's Wedding Cake Murder.

I have a weird relationship with the Hannah Swensen series. I started off reading it with my mom so we'd have something to chat about, and I actually liked them in the beginning. But over time, I stopped enjoying them, but kept reading them. The weirdest thing about it is that I always buy the books when I spot one at Half Price Books (I refuse to pay full price for them), but really, what I want are the recipes. 

The recipes provided usually aren't great on their own; they need some tinkering to get it up to its full potential, otherwise, it's Bland City. But they are great templates and I love that they make huge batches. Since I bake every week for my students and co-workers, a dozen cookies doesn't cut it. I tend to bake a MINIMUM of 3 dozen cookies at a time, or a large sheet cake/bar cookie if I'm feeling lazy and don't want to deal with scooping out so many cookies.

I'll provide the recipe as it's written in the book, with my improvisations noted at the end.

Hannah Swensen's Soft Chewy Milk Chocolate Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, rack in the middle position

1 and 1/4 cups white (granulated) sugar
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup golden raisins
4 cups quick cooking oats
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. (You can also mix these by hand, but it's easier and quicker with a mixer)

Pour the softened butter on top of the sugar.

Mix the sugar and the butter until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Mix in the eggs and beat until it is well incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy.

Sprinkle in he baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix them in until they're incorporated.

Add the cinnamon cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and coffee. Mix well.

Add the golden raisins. mix them in thoroughly. 

Mix in the molasses and the light Karo syrup. Beat until everything is combined.

Add the oats. Mix thoroughly.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.

Take the bowl out of the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, scrape down the sides to make sure that none of the yummy cookie batter sticks to the sides, and stir in the milk chocolate chips by hand.

Set the bowl aside on the counter while you prepare your cookie sheets.

Spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper.

Drop your cookies by heaping large spoonful onto your prepared cookie sheets, no more than 9 large cookies to a standard-size sheet.

Bake your cookies at 350 degrees F, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are springy on top when touched lightly and quickly with a fingertip.

Let your cookies sit on the cookie sheets for at least 2 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the cookie sheets with a metal spatula (if you used parchment paper, just pull the whole sheet off) to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen large soft cookies that everyone will enjoy. 
(Mia's note: I actually have a beef with just about all of the yield sizes in the Hannah Swensen recipes. The recipe will say something outrageous like yields 7 dozen and it'll barely yield 4 or 5 dozen. How small are they making their cookies?)

Mia's changes: If I don't have molasses, I replace the white sugar with brown sugar, well-packed in the measuring cup. If you have a sweet tooth (despite all these ingredients, these cookies are only lightly sweetened), add an extra quarter cup of sugar. 

I usually don't have cardamom, so I just up the quantities of cinnamon. I also rarely carry golden raisins, but regular raisins work just fine. If you or whoever your baking for doesn't care for raisins, just replace it with another cup of chocolate chips. Extra chocolate is always better, in my book. 

Speaking of chocolate, I always use semi-sweet chips instead of milk chocolate, but that's just a personal preference. And finally, if you want to make these cookies extra special, use golden syrup instead of the Karo syrup. It's much harder to find, but places like Mariano's and World Market (or Amazon!) tend to carry it. It has so much more flavor than plain corn syrup.

Enjoy!

Recipe for Fun Friday #2 - Bruno's Truffle (Oil) Omelette

"All I can say is that we don't yet have any firm evidence, and so no obvious suspect," Bruno told them as he broke the dozen eggs, lit the grill for the steaks and threw a stick of unsalted butter into the frying pan. He began to slice the truffles very thin.
...
"He wasn't there this week. He forged a note from his dad saying he was sick," said Bruno, tossing the whipped eggs into the sizzling butter and the fresh garlic. As the base of the omelette began to cook, he threw in the sliced truffle and twirled the pan.
...
They fell into a silence, all eyes on Bruno as he lifted and tilted the heavy iron pan, gave two strategic pushes with his wood spoon and tossed the herbs into the runny mix before folding the giant omelette over onto itself. Without a word, they all trooped to the table and sat. The Baron poured the wine and Bruno served the perfect omelette, the earthy scent of the truffle just beginning to percolate as he divided this opening course onto six plates.

Thursday's Farmer's Market Bounty - Tuscan kale, flat-leaf parsley, peaches, cherries, truffle oil, and mango balsamic vinegar

Truffle oil omelette and demi-baguette

Seriously, how good does that sound? Yesterday, I posted the beginning of this scene with all the men pooling their weekly contributions. This a continuation of the scene, where Bruno cooks their repast, all while being grilled about a possible suspect to the brutal murder that had just occurred. 

I obviously can't afford real truffles (on a part-time language teacher's budget? Pshaw), but while cruising around the Daley Plaza Farmer's Market yesterday, I happened across an awesome booth with a wide selection of infused olive oils and gourmet vinegars. The minute I tasted the truffle oil drizzled on a chunk of baguette, I knew I just HAD to buy a bottle. And I knew exactly how I was going to use it...

Bruno doesn't have recipes, the way a culinary cozy would, but the author so lovingly describes the scenes where Bruno is cooking, that I used them as a rough guide to cobble together my own recipe. 

Try it and let me know what you think. And if you've got the budget for real truffles, go ahead and splurge!

________________________________________________________________________

Bruno's Truffle (Oil) Omelette

Notes: Bruno states that he brought flat-leaf parsley from his garden, so that's the herb I used, but you can switch it up as you like. I would recommend chives. As for the butter, he specifies unsalted, but I was too lazy to go to the store and salted was all I had. Also, I always scoff when I see a recipe call for just one clove of garlic, but I LOVE garlic, so keep that in mind. Lastly, truffle oil can be quite strong, so start with the smaller amount at first. Truffle oil is used as a finish, so if you'd like a stronger flavor, you could always drizzle on more.

2 eggs

1 tablespoon butter (see Note above)

1-2 tablespoon(s) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley or other herb (see Note above)

1-2 teaspoon(s) truffle oil

1-2 clove(s) minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the butter and garlic in a non-stick pan and set it over low to medium-low heat. Whip the eggs together in a bowl and you can either salt and pepper them now, or do it directly in the pan. Your choice.

As soon as the butter is melted (don't wait for it to brown!), pour in the eggs and start pulling them toward the center of the pan, gently, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. You don't want to scramble them, but you do want several large curds in the center.

When the top looks almost set, but still a bit runny, pull the pan off the heat (leave the stove on) and sprinkle on the herbs and truffle oil. Put it back on the heat. 

It's time to fold the omelette. You can either choose to fold it in half, or carefully roll it to the edge of the pan. Plate immediately. Sprinkle with more salt, pepper, and/or truffle oil, if desired. 

Serve with a good baguette and simple salad (not pictured because I'm a dummy and forgot to plate it before taking the picture).

Bon appetit! 

Recipe for Fun Friday #1 - Pet's Chili from The Big Chili by Julia Buckley

Happy Friday, everyone! Every Recipe for Fun Friday, I'll share a recipe from a book I'm currently reading (if the book lacks deliciousness, it'll be from a mystery I've previously read). This week, I reviewed The Big Chili by Julia Buckley (see here), so what better than a big ol' pot of Pet's Chili?

I'm not much for photography, but trust me when I say it made for some yummy meals. The recipe is a good template, but I highly encourage you to taste as you go along. I try to follow recipes exactly the first time I make them, but I couldn't help adding some garlic (love love love garlic) and upping the spices since I love a really flavorful chili. I'm a big fan of heat, so I also served it with extra Sriracha on the side. You could also serve it with some toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, lime, onions, tortilla chips, etc.

Freshly made, the peanut butter can be a little overpowering. I personally enjoyed that peanut-y taste, because it reminded me of one of my favorite Filipino dishes, kare-kare (offal and oxtail in a peanut sauce). If the peanut butter makes you wary, don't worry. The next day, I could barely taste it; it became just another pleasant background flavor. Plus, the leftovers actually taste better than freshly made! I highly recommend letting it simmer for a good long while (I let it cook over an hour), and if you can manage it, let it sit overnight to let the flavors meld.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Happy eating!

___________________________________________________________________

Pet's Chili (minus a certain ingredient, of course)

Imagined by Lilah Drake

Angelo's Gourmet Items:

1 8-ounce can Angelo's Gourmet tomato sauce

1 16-ounce can Angelo's gourmet diced tomatoes

1/2 cup Angelo's Gourmet organic peanut butter

2 tablespoons Angelo's Gourmet chili sauce

1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin

Other Items:

1 tablespoon butter

1 yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika

1 16-ounce can dark red kidney beans

1 16-ounce can light red kidney beans

Heat a tablespoon of real butter in a Dutch oven; when it is melted, add diced onions and peppers. Enjoy the aroma, and allow the vegetables to soften. Add ground beef and break up into pieces; allow to cook evenly. When it's brown, remove all excess grease with a  turkey baster.

          Now your meat is even leaner! Pour in the rest of the wet ingredients; sprinkle dry ingredients on top, and mix thoroughly. A wonderful smell should permeate the air. The longer it cooks, the better it will smell. Serve after the ingredients have simmered together for at least a half hour.