Tag Archives: In the Kitchen

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in In the Kitchen

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IMG_0867I’ve had a couple of recipe requests for the muffins made last Tuesday, two of which I wrapped and added to a snack basket filled with fresh pears and crispy apples and bags of crackers and I don’t know what else… but healthy and tasty in-between meal snacks I knew my two daughters would enjoy during their hospital stay.

Well…let’s just say that basket of goodies and muffins were a bigger hit than expected.  And hence… this post… which makes a record two in one week.  When was the last time I achieved this, I wonder?

Anyway…. I always bake these muffins in the autumn.  I guess it’s the pumpkin that makes me think autumn, though in truth, they would be good anytime of year.  The leftovers (if any) freeze beautifully.  I just store them in a gallon freezer bag… and whenever I wish to eat or serve one, it’s easy:  The muffins go straight from freezer to microwave to table… taking a quick 20 to 30 second (per muffin) reheat in the microwave.

We were serving some of the leftovers tonight after dinner, when Kara asked… “Are there any more of these… or is this it?”  To which, being the savvy mother that I am, I replied, “Oh, I’m planning on making another batch this weekend.”  So… tomorrow morning, after serving breakfast to Kara and family, made up of fresh blueberry pancakes and sausage and Mother’s hash browns.. I’ll whisk up another batch of muffins.  These to bake at Kara’s home rather than mine.. because they make the house smell so nice… long after the baking is over.

I serve these muffins for breakfast, in-between meal snacks… and for dessert, since they have a consistency more like cake than muffins… the latter I top with cream cheese frosting.

I’ve nothing else to say about this lovely autumn-time treat — but they’ll speak for themselves if you give them a chance.  I hope you do.  And that you will share them with a good friend or two.  Or if you’re lucky like me, a daughter.  Or two.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Makes 1 dozen  Preheat oven to 350

Bowl One Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp  baking powder
Bowl Two Ingredients
1/2 of a 15 oz. can of solid-pack pumpkin (freeze leftovers or double the batch)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Topping Ingredients:  1 tsp cinnamon mixed with 1 Tbsp of sugar

In small bowl, whisk flour and baking powder together.

In large bowl, whisk together all other ingredients (listed for bowl two) until smooth. Add flour mixture until just combined.

Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.  Divide batter evenly —  all 12 muffin cups should be about three-fourth’s full.  Sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture and place in oven.

Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, until wooden toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a rack for a few minutes before transferring muffins from pan to rack for cooling.  Leftovers freeze and reheat beautifully.  (20 to 30 in microwave on high setting.)

A Late Bloomer

01 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by in Life at Home

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IMG_0521It’s a late bloomer, this Christmas Cactus of mine.  But I can’t mind too awful much.  I may be its downfall, for making its everyday life too sweet for a more timely blooming.

You see, only in December did I learn, when others were blooming and mine was not, that a Christmas Cactus sometimes requires a little taste of drought and darkness to bring it to its blooming senses.  Mine had never suffered such harsh realities — no, it did not.  Instead, it was a sunbathing fool, living it up next to my kitchen sink.  Why, with all that abundant light and delicious water it received during its first year in its new home, my little cactus child must have sensed it would grow up fat and happy and live forever, without need of producing a single bloom… either to reproduce its own species … or share its own particular brand of beauty with the world…

Thank God, it’s never too late to learn important life lessons.  And good it is, that everyday life seems ever ready to serve up just-in-time lessons:  Live and learn; Learn and live.  Yes, woe to me…if I don’t live and learn lessons from my little Lenten cactus.   After going on a water and sunshine diet for most of January, my wilderness teacher offered up s single perfect bloom this week, all creamy white and long with a hot pink stamen.

Gorgeous in its solitude.  Gorgeous for its solitude.

And by the looks of it, a lonely-only bloomer it may stay; a single short parable maybe all this late boomer will produce this month.

But I don’t mind.  Even though it’s bloomin’ late, my single-bloom cactus leaves me with enough lessons to ponder this liturgical season.

Lost and Found

24 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Life at Home

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IMG_0428It’s been months since I shared a recipe.  But having lost this bit of cooking treasure for a few hours last month, I’m posting it here for you and for me and for posterity, too.  There are some recipes I don’t want to think about losing. This is one of them.

Part of our lives since the mid-nineties, it came to us out of the glossy pages of a recipe magazine, the sort stacked in wire racks near cash registers, that I once picked up during busy career days…to peruse to pass away minutes till time to check out my cart full of groceries.  In one of those odd life ironies, now that I have more free time, I no longer shop at Walmart…which means I rarely stand in grocery lines.

We prepare this recipe along with a skillet of fried potatoes to serve as sides with grilled or broiled bratwurst, which makes a nice winter meal.  In summertime, it becomes a tasty relish for brats (or hot dogs) on buns.

When I say ‘we,’ it’s a way of saying that it’s my better half that’s in charge of preparation.  He makes the kraut and brats and I get out the buns and potato chips 🙂  Or fry the potatoes… just like Mother did more suppers than not, all those years ago when I was growing up.

With my husband entering retirement next week — how can this be??? — maybe we’ll team up in the kitchen more often.  I hope so.  Having that chemistry background, he likes to experiment with new recipes where I tend to love the same old things.  Like this recipe lost and found.

Sweet German Sauerkraut

1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1 16 oz can sauerkraut, well-drained.
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp caraway seed

Heal oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add sugar.  Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture turns a light caramel color — about 10 minutes.  Add onion, sauerkraut and salt (some sugar will harden, but will eventually melt while cooking).  Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add vinegar and caraway seed and simmer for 30 minutes.  Serve warm.  Leftovers freeze nicely.

Serve warm.  Leftovers can be frozen.