Grandma's Kitchen Table

MSC Club: Halloween Cupcakes

It's time for another cupcake adventure this month from the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book.  This one is a bonus selection, a free choice in cupcake flavor with a decorated Halloween theme. 

 

We all know how creative I am NOT.  I looked at probably a thousand different pictures of decorated cupcakes for Halloween and didn't feel moved to duplicate any of them.  Maybe I'm just not that into Halloween, not sure, could be.   

 

One of my fellow bakers said, "Just close your eyes and think of all the things you have seen and read lately and what is the most frightening thing you can think of for Halloween, like a costume or something?"  I closed my eyes and responded, "The most frightening costume I can think of would be Thomas Jefferson dressed up as a Federalist."  Groans from my friend, "Be serious."  "Okay, the only other thing that is coming to mind would be John C. Calhoun and John Quincy Adams having a good old boy embrace over cocktails in Braintree (Quincy)."  More groans.  I guess she didn't realize that all I have been reading and seeing lately are books on Jacksonian-era politics.  Maybe she had something different in mind, like maybe Andrew Jackson exiting the First National Bank with a big smile, checkbook in one hand, and free gifts for opening a new savings account in the other, maybe something along those lines.  

 

I have never liked the ghoulishness of the whole Halloween season, so I am not sure why I thought I would do this bonus recipe, except that it would give me a chance to make another of the cupcake recipes in the book.  Cathy has been raving about the One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes (p. 152) and since the guys did not get a chocolate dessert this week, I figured this would be a good time to try out the recipe.   

 

Results:  they loved the cupcakes and enjoyed the chocolate frosting (p. 302) with accompanying sprinkles.  Matt, for instance, returned home, saw a plate of three and said, "Are these for me?  Great, thanks!" He downed all three within three minutes.  Guess swim practice must have been tough tonight.  

 

Since I am not a chocolate fan (at all), I figured this chocolate/chocolate/chocolate concoction was frightening enough just as it was.  And then it hit me:  "This is IT! This is absolutely the most horrible, dark, sinister, unpleasant thing I could ever have thought of:  Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing and Chocolate Sprinkles!"  I did it...I came up with a scary theme for Halloween!  And it was there all the time, on pages 152 and 302!   

 

Okay, you aren't buying that (even though it is totally legit), so Cathy agreed to let me borrow her witches, straight out of the MSC book, see photo left.  While I was busy hemming and hawing about how to possibly decorate some Halloween cupcakes for the bonus blog along, Cathy (who is not a member of the group but who has baked a far greater number of the recipes in the book than anyone I know), got busy and created the little witch cupcakes shown in the book for her children and their friends.  She wasn't going to get a chance to blog them (I can't imagine why not since she is a full-time wife and mother, has three children ages 7 and under, is a lawyer, and runs marathons), and my blog was going to be pretty dull, so we worked out a deal where her witches could guest star over here and ghoul things up a bit.  Aren't they frighteningly cute?   

 

After you finish admiring Cathy's little witches, go check in with the other participants on the blogroll to see just what Halloween creativity is all about!      

Next month's pick is from Karen at Karen's Cookies, Cakes, & More, who chose Candied Sweet Potato Cupcakes, found on  243.   Blogroll and Schedule found here.

CEiMB: Pumpkin Pie Muffins

The recipe chosen this week for

CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave:  Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life, was selected by Oddball Oven Mitt  and is Pumpkin Pie Muffins, found on page 21.  

 

Yep, they taste just like Pumpkin Pie, which is to say, they were an extra big hit with Mark as he is the Pumpkin Pie lover around here.  They disappeared very quickly, all dozen of them, as we thought they tasted wonderful. 

 

I had one straight from the oven and it was warm and moist and delicious.  That was the only one I had, so I can only go by the guys' recommendations that they were great room temperature also...my recommendation is to eat one straight out of the oven all warm and toasty.   

 

Muffins are a very popular item around here as they are what we refer to as "portable food," i.e. they can be taken in hand out the door on the way to swim practice, school, or work.  With teens that is sometimes the only kind of food that works on occasion. 

 

A great recipe, definitely a keeper, and you just need to buy this book and cook from it as it has such great recipes with a very nice selection and variety.   

 

 

Next week:  Linguini with Shrimp, found on pages 160-61.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte

Oh, no, I'm a slacker this week.  I meant to make the Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte yesterday, but one thing led to another, and it was all very important, and well, no TWD. I might get a chance to make it later in the week, but if not, see you next week! 

Friday's Favorites Fare

READING: Julie & Julia by Julie Powell.  I am probably the only person who has not seen this in movie version yet.  The book was interesting and a very fast read.  Daniel Webster is patiently waiting for me. 

LISTENING TO:  Moody Blues, every once in awhile I give them a twirl for old times sake

COOKING BYTES:  There is a French restaurant in Denver which bills itself as "affordable French food" and is called Le Central, you can click on the name and view their site, their menus, and other interesting tidbits.  Each month on the Third Tuesday, they host a Wine Dinner which is several courses, each paired with a wine, so that one can go and learn about both French food and French wine.  It's a great deal for $35 a person.  For the past three months, the Wine Dinner menus have been a salute to Julia Child's recipes and her book Mastering The Art of French Cooking.  I excitedly tune in each month when they post the new recipes to read what the menu is going to be, what the wine selection is going to be, and think which of those dishes I can make at home from the book.  It's almost November, so I am eager to see the new menu and see if the Julia recipes continue.  It's been fun following along.   

FAV NEW FIND:  Apples:  I bought an apple variety at the store that was new to me:  Honeycrisp.  I have never had them before but the description sounded nice, so I figured Mark would enjoy an apple pie (always a given).  They are crisp and juicy, and to me they have a little bit of a wine taste.  Very delicious for just eating out of hand.  I was a little worried when I saw how juicy they were that they would make the pie soggy, but they did not.  They tasted lovely in the pie. 

FAV THING TODAY:  Taking Matt to meet the bus for the retreat weekend.  The Knights of the Holy Temple have a retreat each fall for two days down in lovely Brown County at the CYO camp.  Gorgeous leaves, wonderful weather, just a fun time for them.  Matt is the President of the Indiana group this year so it was his responsibility to help get it all planned and executed.  He has been working for a couple of months on this and it was fun today to see him greeting the boys and directing how things were going to go, etc.  It was also great to see the other boys, many familiar faces, and chat with parents dropping their sons off.  Had a wonderful time seeing Marshall's mom, Lisa, a lovely friend, and we sat and chatted long after the boys and the bus had driven off. 

GOING TO:  It's been Fall Break, so we have had a nice time ambling about doing this and that and enjoying time together.  Matt had the retreat this weekend, Alex had to work at his job and a trip to the movies with friends.  Mark and I had things to attend to around the house, watching ballgames, etc.  Sunday more of the same, with museum factored in there for Mark and I. The leaves are absolutely gorgeous this weekend, today turned warmer and sunny...can't we have Autumn for 5 months and winter for 1 month?  Please???

PRAYING FOR:  All the High School boys at the retreat this weekend, please join me. 

CEiMB: Easy Chicken Quesadillas

The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave:  Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life, was selected by Marthe at Culinary Delights and is Easy Chicken Mushroom Quesadillas, found on the web, link here. 

 

These were delicious and a great place to use that leftover chicken from the Poulet Roti I made earlier this week.  Inside the whole wheat tortillas is a mixture of chicken breast, mushrooms, onions, spinach, salt & pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and cheese.  It is quick to pull together, especially since the ingredients all fairly common players at our house. 

 

We loved it just the way it is, but of course the guys had to add sour cream and salsa, which the recipe recommended, to make it a complete success. The recipe is on the web, so there is really no excuse for you not to pop over there, get the recipe and make your own.  You won't be sorry! 

 

Next week:  Pumpkin Pie Muffins, page 21.

Whisk Wednesdays: Poulet Roti (Roast Chicken)

In case you didn't know, Whisk Wednesdays is changing a bit.  The group formed in June of 2008 after I saw a note on Shari's blog that she was cooking her way through the Basic Cuisine Course of Le Cordon Bleu with an online version of the curriculum.  She was more than halfway through the course at this point, and I sent her an email saying that I would love to join in, but I did not have the experience and didn't want to embarrass myself each week.  She had not had anyone else ask about joining her, so she encouraged me to just jump in and do what I wanted when I wanted.  We chit chatted back and forth and before we knew it, the group was formed and others joined us. 

 

This past month Shari completed ALL of the Basic Cuisine course and the question arose as to the future of Whisk Wednesdays.  (A few of us have grown quite close cooking and learning together, and we didn't want to see it end.)  That said, however, Shari is now actually enrolled in the Le Cordon Blue Cooking School in Ottawa and furthering her French cooking knowledge and skills there.

 

Due to limited time, she decided that she would continue Whisk Wednesdays and go forth with the Intermediate Cuisine course for us, but only twice a month.  So, for those two times a month, there will be a schedule we can follow doing the curriculum for Intermediate Cuisine. 

 

The remaining weeks of the month will be Free Choice by each member, selecting a recipe of their own choosing from Le Cordon Bleu at Home, the book we have been using for Whisk.  This way each person can choose a recipe that fits family tastes and family budgets for those weeks.  If you have been a reader here and thought you might like to join in, or own the book and want to actually start using it, now is the time, contact Shari at her site!  

 

For myself, I have decided that I am going to go back to the beginning of the book and start with Chapter 1, proceeding forward each week, to cook/bake the recipes that were not included in the Basic Cuisine Course we used, or ones for one reason or another, I did not get time to complete.  (Each week Shari would try to select a recipe from our book that matched one in the course, so as a result we skipped all over the book, beginning to end, leaving hundreds of recipes untouched.) 

 

This week I chose Poulet Roti (Roast Chicken) on pages 6-7 of the book.  The recipe was simple to follow and I found the technique interesting.  Instead of just sticking the trussed and seasoned chicken in the oven to bake, the chicken was first placed on one of its sides to cook 20 minutes, then on the other side to cook for 20 minutes, then on it's back to cook for 30 minutes.  Easy enough to do, and it results in a chicken that is browned nicely all over with a crispy skin.

 

After letting the chicken sit under a foil tent for 15 minutes so the juices could redistribute nicely, I carved it, immediately seeing how moist and tender the chicken was cooked this way.  Raves all around from the guys.  This is my new way to roast a chicken. 

 

There are wonderful directions and the ingredient list for the spicing, rubbing, etc. in the book.  I still need work on trussing a chicken, I thought I had the string nice and tight, but by the time I moved the chicken this way and that, it all started coming off and getting rearranged so by the end it wasn't tight at all.  Sigh.  I also need to figure out how to turn the chicken from its side so that the skin does not stick to the pan and pull off when turning (you can see this in the photo on the chicken legs).  All in all, however, I was very happy with my first attempt and I know I can practice as we love roast chicken and have it at least twice a month. 

 

I'm excited to start at the beginning and work my way through the book page by page as I have come to appreciate and love cooking from this book for the past 16 months.  I am also happy that I can choose recipes that will be seasonally available (or available at all at times), items that are on special of a week at the market, and recipes that I know my family will enjoy.  My affair with this book has just begun! 

 

If you would like to see how the other Whisk Wednesday members fared, click here, and then on the Whisk Wednesdays connect to individual bloggers, and as always, Shari has a lot of interesting and great recipes on her site.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Sweet Potato Biscuits

Thanks to Erin of Prudence Pennywise for her Tuesdays with Dorie pick this week of Sweet Potato Biscuits, found on page 26 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook. 

 

Homemade bread products around here are always greatly appreciated.  These are wonderfully flavored little dinner biscuits and the guys were popping them right and left before dinner even started.  With or without butter. 

 

I made them twice actually as the first time I wasn't happy with the rise (height) of the biscuit and I thought the little 2.5 inch size was much too small for the guys with such large hands.  The second time I made them, I got a new can of baking powder, hoping that would fix the problem with the low rise, but sadly, it did not, still much flatter than I would have liked to see.  Either way, the flavor was the same.  They were delightful in taste, but I have just not worked out the logistics of baking them more attractively yet. 

 

Next week:  April of Short + Rose picked Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte, pages 284-285.  TWD blogroll found here.

Cooking Italy: Sliced Potatoes Baked with Porcini and Fresh Cultivated Mushrooms, Riviera Style

This recipe for the Cooking Italy group was Sliced Potatoes Baked with Porcini and Fresh Cultivated Mushrooms, Riviera Style, found on page 522 of the cookbook we are using:  Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. 

 

The recipe itself is quite easy:  peel and slice potatoes into quarter inch slices, slice mushrooms likewise, re-hydrate dried porcini mushrooms and cook in their liquid until liquid is absorbed, mince the garlic, chop fresh parsley, add salt & pepper, add olive oil, mix, place into baking dish, and bake. 

 

I have to say that it does not look as fancy as I would have liked, but it tasted marvelous.   The only thing I would change when I make it next time, is that I would use less oil.  The taste of the potatoes and mushrooms together is really great, but the oil is a little too much, so I would decrease that by two-thirds next time for my family's personal taste.  I like oil to be a subtle flavor, not a predominant one. 

 

We all liked the potatoes and mushrooms cooked together like this, so will definitely make it again sometime.

BBA Challenge: English Muffins and English Muffin Bread

The twelfth Bread Baker's Apprentice challenge (from the book by the same name authored by Peter Reinhart) is English Muffins (or English Muffin Bread Loaf), and is found on pages 157-158.   

 

I decided to make both.  The recipe makes six English Muffins, or one loaf, and I figured as long as I was in it, I might as well do both as 6 English Muffins or 1 loaf would not last long here at all with the guys. 

 

I am never buying English Muffins at the store again as these were so wonderful, no comparison.  The recipe is easy, who knew you could make English Muffins at home this easily?  They even split with a fork nicely. 

 

I toasted one up right away for Mark and I, so we shared this one with the strawberry jam on it.  A big hit.  Neither of us could get over how tasty these are freshly made like this.
  The English Muffin Bread Loaf, likewise, was absolutely delicious, especially toasted, which is how I like to eat it best.   

 

This is sometimes difficult to find in the stores and bakeries, so I am thrilled to be able to make this one at home now.  And I will.  Buy the book, have at it, you will love these homemade English Muffins and loaves.  

 

Nancy, Cathy, Audrey, Jessica, Melissa, Sarah, Di, Leslie, Margaret and I are baking and posting every other week to better fit into our schedules.  If you would like to see their English Muffins, click on their names and visit their sites in the next few days, or you can visit the main group and marvel how they are so far ahead of us.  We'll get there...Slow and Steady.

 

Our next challenge:  Focaccia, found on pages 159-167, there are several photos and variations shown in the book, including a pizza style.  It will be posted here in two weeks.

Nancy's Notions: Simple Milk Loaf

A while ago

Nancy found a recipe from Dan Lepard (one of our favorite bread bakers) for a sandwich bread called Simple Milk Loaf, well, actually her husband found the recipe while looking through the recipe book and suggested she make it.  

 

She made it, they loved it, and she proceeded to rave about it to the rest of us who bake on Twitter together each week.  She kept raving about it.  And raving about it.  So, finally, just so that I could say I made it, I tried it. 

 

That was a couple of months ago and it is now the definitive bread in our house.  I have made probably 50 loaves of this bread, and also used it countless times to form into pans of dinner rolls.  We all love it. 

 

It is great for eating out of hand, sandwiches, toast, and very nice for grilled cheese, the real test of a good bread around here with teens.  Okay, I admit it, me, too.  I cannot remember the last time I actually bought a loaf of bread at the store.  This recipe is so easy and is so good that no one here wants to go near the bread aisle at the store anymore.  

 

If you would like the recipe, click here for Nancy's post on it all, including the recipe link.  Her photos are way better than mine.  I hope you try it...then you can rave about it to all your friends and soon hardly anyone will be buying bread in the stores anymore...thanks, Nancy!

Friday's Favorites Fare

READING: The Henry Clay book was 800 pages of very tiny print, so took a break this week before venturing on with Daniel Webster to read this book: My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme.  It was a very delightful read actually, enjoyed it immensely.

LISTENING TO:  Cantiques and learning about Jean-Denis Daulé

COOKING BYTES:  This section is going to change in character.  It seems a bit redundant to list the books I am cooking from and the recipes scheduled when I also usually include them in the posts for that group when I cook with them that week.  So in this section each week I am just going to share something from that week of cooking rather than all the listings of upcoming recipes for each group.  This week I am planning on going into detail with my Whisk Wednesdays post about the future of the Whisk Chicks since the first part of the curriculum has ended, so that will appear on Wednesday.  

FAV NEW FIND:  Alex has a job!  Seriously, Alex has a new job at a fast food restaurant and seems to be enjoying it.  This was his second week. 

FAV THING TODAY:  Friday was extra nice subbing at Guerin as it was a history class.  The teacher had set aside the movie Swing Kids for the students to watch.  I had never seen this, or even really heard about it in all my readings of history and Nazi Germany, so am in the process of learning a little more about it.  If you watch the movie, have Kleenex at hand.

GOING TO:  Work around swim meet this weekend.  First meet of the short course season, so always nice to see The Swimmers back in the water for competition to see what the year has brought as far as swim times...usually drop in the swims they don't consider "their swims" and stay about even for the first meet in the swims they do consider "their swims," so just a chance to get wet and compete. 

PRAYING FOR:  Deb O, just discovered Stage 4 breast cancer, please join me in praying for Deb and her family.  I hope there are no typos in that sentence because I cannot bear to go back and read it again, it was hard enough just writing it.

Two for One Day: CEiMB Tuscan Soup and MSC Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

 

Thursdays are CEiMB posts usually.  The 15th of the Month is the MSC Cupcake post usually.  So, today there are two posts, one following the other, as it is both Thursday and the 15th of the Month.  If you have to choose just one to make: go for the soup.  Yep, it's that good!

CEiMB: Tuscan Vegetable Soup

The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave:  Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life, was selected by Lobster and Fishsticks and is Tuscan Vegetable Soup, found on page 85. 

 

Okay, it's soup, stop yawning as this is really excellent soup.  The flavors are wonderful together, it gets even better when it sits for a day or two and you heat it up again, and on these cold/rainy/getting-darker-earlier-than-usual days, it's just the thing to make you feel all warm and snuggly. 

 

As usual with Ellie, all nutrition all the time, no fake ingredients, and easy, easy, easy to make.  I made it exactly as she had written the recipe, but I did not add the additional parmigiano on the top as I only like cheese on top of soup when it is French Onion Soup, all else pales by comparison.  Highly recommend making this soon, it was a big hit here. 

 

Next week:  Easy Chicken Mushroom Quesadillas, found on the web, link here.

MSC Club: Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

It's time for another cupcake adventure this month from the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book.  The selection was chosen by Kim at What The Whisk, and was Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes, found on page 236 of the book, with the accompanying Cream Cheese Frosting, found on page 303. 

Kim is one of the bloggers at TWD that I tune into each week to see what's baking in her kitchen, and all the other newsy bits she includes, so it is always fun to get to bake a choice by one of your favorite bloggers.  I knew she would pick a great recipe, seasonal or not, and we were not disappointed. 

I first must say that this is a Pumpkin-Tolerant Household, meaning that we like pumpkin okay, never bake/cook with it out of season, i.e. November, and left to our own devices, probably wouldn't miss it even then.  The one exception would be Mark and Pumpkin Pie at Thanksgiving as it would not be the holiday for him without it.  I have made maybe one pumpkin pie in my life as there are those who relish the occasion.  So, I made the Pumpkin Cupcakes with some skepticism. 

They disappeared within two days, the whole dozen of them.  Gone.   Was it the Cream Cheese Frosting?  Was it the change of tastebuds that now people DO like pumpkin more than originally thought?  Who can say.  I had one and even I enjoyed it very much (but it could very possibly have been the cream cheese frosting).  I did like the inclusion of buttermilk in the recipe and that little special tang that comes with it, so the recipe ended up being a big hit.   

With the extra canned pumpkin, I made Mark a Pumpkin Pie (in October!) using the King Arthur recipe in their latest catalog.  I even had a little of that and it was great.  So, I am thinking, that just possibly, pumpkin is something that will be seeing a little more playing time around here...everyone ate it and enjoyed it.

    

Next month's pick is from Karen at Karen's Cookies, Cakes, & More, who chose Candied Sweet Potato Cupcakes, found on  243.   Blogroll and Schedule found here.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Allspice Crumb Muffins

Well, the Big Day is finally here:  I got to be the one to select the TWD recipe for the week!  In case you haven't been the one to choose a recipe yet, let me just say there is a lot of pressure going into this honor.  First, you have to actually select a recipe that has yet to be chosen out of this huge book of recipes and get over the fact that someone may frown at you for your choice (a really hard thing for me); Second, you have to be willing to visit ALL the blogs and comment on as many of the posts as you can (a huge time commitment, but also a fun one); and Third, you have to answer the Questionnaire they send to you so that you can share with the world your most intimate secrets for them to post on the TWD site that week.  YIKES, a lot more goes into this than meets the eye. 

 

I knew I wanted something simple as I am all about simplicity on a daily basis, something that would appeal to a good portion of the bakers, something that didn't cost a lot as sometimes recipes can get a little pricey, and better even if everyone did not have to run to the store or search around town for hard to find ingredients, something seasonal that would make the house smell like fall or get one in the mood for the upcoming holiday season, something that would be kid friendly (I have a couple of those and all), something I might possibly make again and again and be delighted that I found a wonderful repeat recipe, something NOT chocolate, but perhaps with some lemon or at least the possibility of lemon in there somewhere, and something that didn't take a lot of time or use up lots of pots/pans/utensils/dishes in the making.  So, with all of that in mind, I set out to find the definitive recipe that would fulfill all those wishes. 

 

How did I do?   At my house, I did very well...this is a great recipe that definitely met all my criteria and expectations (yes, I added the optional lemon zest from one full lemon).  I always follow the recipe as closely as possible the first time I make it, without any add-ins or changes, so I followed this one exactly and it was perfect as written.  Perfect.  Did you get that?  Perfect!  We loved the muffins even more than I thought we would.They are tender, moist, flavorful, easy, and melt in your mouth!  It made 12...I told the guys it only made 10.  Yep, I ate TWO, one warm straight out of the oven, and one a little later (I had to know if they were good at room temperature, right?) and both were absolutely delightful. 

 

Each week, the hostess/host gets to post the chosen recipe on her/his site.  Dorie Greenspan has graciously and generously specifically indicated that the recipe can be posted on the site of the person who chooses the recipe that week.  So, without further adieu, thanks to the author herself, here is the recipe for Allspice Crumb Muffins from the cookbook Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, found on pages 16-17. 

Allspice Crumb Muffins

 

For the Streusel:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 

For the Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional) 

Getting ready:  Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper cups.  Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan which needs neither greasing nor paper cups.  Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet. 

To Make the Streusel:  Put the flour, brown sugar and allspice in a small bowl and sift them through your fingers to blend.  Add the bits of cold butter and toss to get irregularly shaped crumbs.  Set aside in the refrigerator for the moment.  (You can make the crumbs up to 3 days ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator.) 

To Make the Muffins:  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice and salt.  Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps.  In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract together until well combined.  Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend.  Don't worry about being thorough--the batter will be lumpy, and that is just the way it should be.  Stir in the lemon zest, if you're using it. 

 

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.  Sprinkle some streusel over each muffin, then use your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter. 

 

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.  Next week:  Erin of Prudence Pennywise picked Sweet Potato Biscuits, page 26. 

 

TWD blogroll found here.

BTW

     Am not home in my kitchen this week, did not manage to cook/bake/churn ahead, so I will see you all next week. 

    Hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall!

Matt & Ali at Homecoming: The Couple That Isn't

   The Couple That Isn't.  Homecoming dating isn't what it was in my day.  In my day, you had a date for Homecoming, or you sat home.   Now, with the swimmers at least, they all tend to go informal, and go in one large group.  At the dance, they dance with everyone. 

 

Oh, sure, there are a few couples, like Beth and John, who are an automatic assumption when it comes to dating and events like Homecoming, etc., but by and large, there aren't a lot of couples in Matt's group of friends. 

 

Ali and Matt have been friends for years and years.  They swim together with CSC, they grew up through the years in ICC/IYC choir, have done countless swim meets, sang in countless musical performances, traveled in Italy together with the choir, etc., and there is just a certain amount of closeness that develops from those shared interests and times together. 

 

They are like an old married couple together.  One looks out for the other, each having their own ways of just motoring about together.  So it was that Matt took Ali to Homecoming...literally:  he picked her up, took her to the party, took her to the dance, took her to Stephanie's party afterward, and then took her home.  But it wasn't a date.  They weren't going to Homecoming together.  It was just Ali and Matt motoring about in their usual style.   

 

A nicer friend Matt could not find.  Are they dating?  Absolutely not.  Are they secretly hoping to date?  Absolutely not.  They are The Couple That Isn't.  They are just Matt and Ali.  And they had a great time at Homecoming!

 

Trying to get a photo of the two at Margaret's party...both on their cell phones chatting away with others, Ali trying to get her mom to hurry up and get to the party to take photos, etc., and Matt trying to talk Taylor into coming along to the party and having a good time.  Taylor had plans with girlfriends, but Laurie I did get to see.

 

CHS Homecoming

High School Homecoming this past weekend.  Are you ready?  Back Row (L-R): Harrison, Jonathan, Ryan, Jimmy, Ariana, Nik, Matt, Kiernan, Alexis, Cameron, ?, ?, Jack; Johnny, Robbie, Rhea, Amy, ?, Carly, Sam, Colleen, Marissa, Devon, Katie, Alicia, Stephanie, Caroline, Ali, Rebecca, Beth, John; Front Row:  Taylor, Erika, Margaret (the Hostess), Lacey, Emily, Lucy.  Good luck, the middle two rows are rather jumbled due to heights of swimmers. The swimmers gathered in force, missing about half of them, but a good turnout nonetheless. 
A bit of a stag line:  Johny, Matt F., Jack, Cameron, Kiernan, Nik, Matt, Cheffy in front of Matt, Jonathon, Harrison, and Mike.

 

This year, the lovely Margaret hosted the pre-party (with a pre-pre party at Ali's house for some to gather and get ready there, which Matt attended and got to spend a portion chatting with Mr. P, always a favorite). 
Nik, Matt, Jonathan, Harrison.

 

Margaret has a lovely home and lovely parents (her grandparents were also there, very fun to meet them), and her home is ideal for hosting hundreds of people on a given Saturday night. 
Margaret herself looked absolutely lovely in her white dress against those long dark locks of hers and although she has always been a tiny little girl, the boys for some reason have always called her "Large Marge," because they are, after all, boys and none of them ever realized Large Marge was going to grow up and be such a stunning beauty. 
The Juniors:  Harrison, John, Kiernan, Mike, Matt, Carly in back; Beth, Marissa, Ali, Devon, Caroline, and Cameron in front.

 

They ate, they chatted, they posed for photos, they all had a great time before heading off to the dance.  After the dance, they all went to Stephanie's house for more eating, chatting, and having a good time just being together.  

 

A nice photo of Lauren J. and Matt (she is the girl Matt took to homecoming their freshmen year and a good friend).  Lauren is on crutches so couldn't dance this year.

 

It is always amazing to me that these kids spend almost every single day together at swim practice and meets and yet when there is a non-swimming occasion, their first thoughts are always to get together and have a good time.  We have watched all these young ladies and gentleman grow up day by day over the years, this being our 11th year of swimming together.  It's hard to look at the photos of them all without a few tears...just two more years together before they all go their own ways...better enjoy it all an awful lot right now.  Photos from the evening (as all the kids will be checking the blog to see them today).

BBA Challenge: Cranberry-(Not Walnut) Celebration Bread

The eleventh Bread Baker's Apprentice challenge (from the book by the same name authored by Peter Reinhart) is Cranberry-Walnut Celebration Bread, and is found on pages 154-156.  My version of this recipe is just Cranberry Celebration Bread as it would be no celebration around here if I put nuts IN it, so this one is sans the walnuts. 
The recipe was easy, ingredients were reminiscent of Thanksgiving with the Cranberry Orange Relish that accompanies dinner, and it was very nice as we all enjoy that.  In the book the bread is suggested as a braid or a loaf and I chose a loaf as I knew we would all want to toast it and eat it as grilled cheese somehow, so I figured a loaf would be a better shape. 

 

We enjoyed just eating a slice of it, it was very nice toasted, and it makes a great grilled cheese sandwich with roasted turkey and a slice of cheddar inside.  I will be making this one again, a great find.   

 

Nancy, Cathy, Audrey, Jessica, Melissa, Sarah, Di, Leslie, Margaret and I are baking and posting every other week to better fit into our schedules.  If you would like to see their Cranberry-Walnut Celebration Bread, click on their names and visit their sites in the next few days, or you can visit the main group and marvel how they are so far ahead of us.  We'll get there...Slow and Steady.

 

Our next challenge:  English Muffins, found on pages 157-158.  It will be posted here in two weeks.

Nancy's Notions: Chocolate Custard Muffins

A year ago Nancy found a recipe from Dan Lepard (one of our favorite bread bakers) for a Chocolate Custard Muffin that she was hoping to make one day.  Thursday was the day, and she and I baked together in one of our Twitter bake alongs. 
The recipe is fairly easy and quick, not as quick as a standard muffin, but not bad with all the custard making and the chocolate chopping and all.  (I have become quicker at making things now that I have had a bit of experience these past two years in the baking groups, I will say that.)   

 

Into the oven for 25 minutes and out came 12 pretty perfect looking muffins:  I love their crackly tops.  The guys all loved them, and unlike the experiment of putting nuts IN those banana-pecan cupcakes, well, they disappeared like magic.  Banana-pecan cupcakes with nuts IN them are still sitting here.  So much for experimentation. 

 

The Chocolate Custard Muffins were a big hit and I am not losing this recipe anytime soon as I figure I will have need for it again and again.  Click here for the recipe. 

Friday's Favorites Fare

READING:

Still reading 800 pages of:  Henry Clay:  Statesman for the Union by Robert V. Remini...going for all three: Clay, Calhoun, and Webster this fall, someone has to do it, and since you didn't want to, I guess it will be me. Finished Calhoun already but this one on Clay is huge.

LISTENING TO:  Neil Young

COOKING THROUGH:  Le Cordon Bleu at Home (Le Cordon Bleu School of Cooking), this week's assignment is Beignets aux Pommes, Sauce Abricot (Apple Fritters with Apricot Sauce) pages 160-161; Baking:  From My Home to Yours (Dorie Greenspan), this week's recipe is Split Level Pudding on pages 384-385; The Bread Baker's Apprentice (Peter Reinhart), this week's recipe is English Muffins on pages 157-158; The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (Marcella Hazan), this week's recipes are Pan Roasted Lamb with Juniper Berries, page 411 and Sliced Potatoes Baked with Porcini and fresh Cultivated Mushrooms, Riviera Style, page 522; Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Julia Child), I think Carottes a la Concierge, page 480 will be my choice; The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger, this week's recipe is Chicken Chop Suey, page 207.  You can cook/bake along, too!

FAV NEW FIND:  University of Iowa is getting a brand spanking new competition swimming pool scheduled to open for next year's college swimming season.  I'm just saying, that due to the pool currently in play, we had not even put them on the list of visits.  When they built that pool in the 1920's, it was the largest competitive swimming pool in the world.  In the 1930's the butterfly stroke was created in that pool at the U of Iowa, so it has had it's day in the headlines for sure, but as far as modern swimming, the attractions of so many years ago were not a heavy draw.  I'm just saying....

FAV THING TODAY:  Since I am running a little late this week, and it is actually Sunday as I write this, my favorite things on Sunday are watching the CBS Sunday Morning show; fixing a big breakfast for the guys afterward, having a whole day with the family around, and today is a gorgeous sunny day already.  Matt has choir rehearsal all afternoon and Alex has family time all to himself, not sure what he will choose for us today.

GOING TO:  It's Homecoming week, so game, parties, dance, etc. with all of that; take in all the potted plants, go through the flower beds, etc. to winterize (yikes I don't like the sound of that word); watch Big Ten football games; hopefully get a lot of reading time.

PRAYING FOR:  Lauren J who missed all week of school with knee problems, is on crutches, had to miss the homecoming dance (but not a little of the party before), and is possibly looking at surgery which will jeopardize her swimming for this year...Lauren is a Senior National Swimmer and the best backstroker on the CSC girls team...this is serious business, please join me.

PHOTO:  Alex planted morning glories along the back fence this year.  They are so beautiful, really have enjoyed them, hope he plants them again next year!

MTAofFC: Petit Pois au Beurre (Peas in Butter...and with mint)

La Cuisine Helene put forth her desire to cook a bit in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I and Vol. II, and invited those so inclined to cook along with her each week, selecting a recipe of their own choosing, and posting on Fridays whenever we so desired. 

 

This week I picked Petits Pois Etuves au Beurre (Buttered Peas II, and this version has mint in it), on pages 463-464 in Vol. I.  (I have decided that a good focus for me for the coming weeks will be to concentrate on learning how to make side dishes from MTAofFC as at Whisk Wednesdays I learned quite a few main meat/chicken/fish courses, so now I need some things to go with them.) 

 

Side dishes can get quite boring if you cook the same veggies in the same way all the time, so am hoping to learn a few new tricks and techniques for advancing the veggies around here.  We all love vegetables, my family will eat almost any vegetable dish that I want to make and serve.  Currently I have very few ways to prepare peas as they don't lend themselves to long cooking times or roasting, etc.  In fact, no one will eat peas overdone here. 

 

The recipe this week used simple ingredients: peas, a little sugar, salt & pepper, butter, and some fresh mint leaves.  It didn't take long to prepare and the result was tasty and refreshing.  The mint really adds something to the peas and gives them a delightful newness in taste.  I have lots of mint growing, so I will take advantage of this recipe until the snow buries it all.  Have no fear, mint is one of those things you cannot possibly kill off, no matter how hard you try, so it will all be back again in the spring in time for the crop of new spring peas. 

 

Recipe:  Delicious: a winner and a keeper.

CEiMB: New York Breakfast (in Little Italy)

The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave:  Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life, was selected by Sara from imafoodblog and is New York Breakfast, found on page 24-25. 

 

New York Breakfast, as you probably already know, is thinly sliced smoked salmon on toasted pumpernickel with a smear of cream cheese, a couple of cucumber slices, some tomato, thinly sliced red onion, and a few snips of fresh chives to top it all off. 

 

I had everything in house except the smoked salmon.  Three choices:  1) Be happy with prepackaged supermarket smoked salmon, drive to the store and get that; 2) Drive downtown Indy, 13 miles each way to get some really good fresh smoked salmon; or 3) Sub in the prosciutto that I had already on hand.  I subbed the prosciutto. 

 

So, I present to you:  New York Breakfast in Little Italy, my version of this week's recipe.  And how did it work out?  I made it, I took photos for the blog, I turned my back to put down the camera, Matt walked in, thought it was for him, he ate it, and said, "This is great, do you have any more of these?"  Apparently so as I wasn't going to get to eat that one.  I'm going to miss him when he goes off to college, no doubt about it. 

 

Next week:  Chicken Chop Suey, found on page 207.