Apple Carrot Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Topping

Happy Valentine's Day! I went shopping at Value Village the other day and found a heart shaped muffin tin. Only set me back $4. Was feeling festive and domestic so I made muffin hearts for the roomies. Found this recipe on Taste Spotting. It is AMAZING. I was afraid I over baked them but the shredded apples and carrots kept them super moist. The crumbly topping is like icing on the cake. AWESOME RECIPE.




3/4 cup sifted whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons mac nut oil (or canola, olive)

1/2 cup grated carrots (one medium carrot)
1/2 cup grated apples with skins (one medium apple)
3 tablespoons cranberries (or raisins)

Topping
2 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
3 tablespoons rolled oats (quick cooking or regular)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Makes 6 muffins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease muffin tin or line with muffin papers.

Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the grated carrots, apples and berries.
For the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter and the other ingredients together until you get a crumbly mixture.
Fill the muffin batter into the muffin tin. Top each one with a tablespoon of the topping mixture. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Acorn Squarsh with Cranberries & Walnuts

I've made this a lot lately. It's a great fall/winter side dish or snack. Sweet and salty, crunchy and smooth, satisfies all cravings. Caramelized sugar and melted butter...can't go wrong.

acorn squash
olive oil
walnuts
cranberries
salt and pepper
brown sugar
butter

Cut the squash into fourths, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Roast in 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. In a saucepan melt 2-3 tbsp butter and cook chopped walnuts and cranberries. Spoon over squash quarters. Eat.

Typical Food

Here are a few culinary highlights from my trip to Costa Rica earlier this month...

Chocolate Bread Pudding

This is an utterly dangerous dessert. It's impossible to eat in small servings. I feasted on these leftovers all Thanksgiving break.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Dean

• 1 (1-pound) loaf French or Italian bread , cubed
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated
• Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and place the bread in the dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur. Using another bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder and mix well. Add the sugar mixture to the milk mixture and mix well. Add the vanilla and almond extract, and cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture to the milk mixture and mix well.
Stir the grated chocolate into the mixture. Pour the mixture over the cubed bread in the pan. Let the mixture stand, stirring occasionally for approximately 20 minutes or until bread absorbs most of the milk mixture. Bake pudding for 1 hour or until set. Check pudding by inserting a knife through the middle and it should come out clean.
Serve the pudding warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled with whipped cream if desired.

I used an assortment of breads for this recipe. I bought a small loaf of day old Ciabatta and a fresh loaf from a local deli. I cut these loafs into large cubes. For filler bread I used a light French loaf from the bakery cut into smaller cubes. For the coffee liquor I used Kahlua.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I made this as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt Sharon's house. This is by far my favorite thing I've cooked lately. It has the perfect blend of seasonings and fall flavors. It's slightly spicy but doesn't overpower the butternut, only amplifies its flavor. This soup would be great a big sour dough bread bowl. No pictures unfortunately--got eaten too quickly!

Ingredients:

3 pounds butternut squash (about 2 medium squash), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
5 large whole sage leaves
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Crispy sage leaves or toasted pepitas for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Combine squash, olive oil, garam masala, ginger, salt and pepper in large bowl and mix until squash is well-coated. Arrange squash in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft and tender.

2. While squash is roasting, set a large pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic and sage, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion just turns golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the sage leaves and discard. Add the stock and roasted squash to the soup pot and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor and return it to the pot. Stir in the cream and reheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with crispy sage leaves and/or toasted pepitas.

Serves 8 as a first course.

I couldn't find garam masala in the grocery store so I googled this substituted:
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp crumbled bay leaves
1/8 tsp ground cloves

If you don't have a food possessor no biggy. You could serve this soup minus the processing step for a hardier texture.