Grandma's Kitchen Table

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Blueberry Oat, and Yoghurt Muffins

      My eighty-sixth recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Blueberry, Oat, and Yoghurt Muffins, was chosen by Margaret,  and is found online here. 

      The ingredient list:  self-rising flour, superfine sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, Greek yoghurt, vanilla, rolled oats, and blueberries. 

      Mark likes muffins in the morning for breakfast so I was very happy to see this recipe as I'm always trying out new recipes for muffins.  He likes ones with fruit in them so this was a win-win.  

      The recipe is easy, fast, uncomplicated, and delicious.  After filling the muffin cups, the recipe states that one should scatter some of the rolled oats on the top along with some sugar.  I was afraid the sugar would make them too sweet, Mark doesn't like really sweet muffins, so I scattered just a little sugar and just a few oats, and it just added a tiny bit of sweetness and a little crunch to the top.  Overall, the muffin is not overly sweet, has a nice moist center due to the fruit collapsing down as it bakes (see photo of the open muffin), and the blueberries compliment the batter nicely.  Definitely a repeat. 

      Wonder what the others thought?  Gaye's post is here.  Margaret's post is here.  Chaya's post is here. Next week is Chaya's choice, Caramelized Onion and Potato Stacks, found online here. Join us and leave a link to your post, no commitment required.

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Creamy Spring Vegetable Soup

      My eighty-fifth recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Creamy Spring Vegetable Soup, was chosen by me,  and is found in Donna Hay's cookbook Modern Classics 1 on page 18 or online here. 

      The ingredient list:  butter, flour, milk, vegetable stock, cream, broccoli florets, zucchini, peas, asparagus, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. 

      It's no secret I love soup.  Left to my own devices, I would have soup or salad every single day and skip everything else...I grew up eating a lot of soup and I have always loved it.  There are endless varieties of soup and this recipe is a very good one.  Using spring veggies and cooking them just long enough to take the rawness out is delicious. 

      I made it two ways, I used her recipe as written for the first way (and I wouldn't change a thing about that recipe to enjoy this version over and over) and because I had veggies left over, I made it the second way to leave out the butter, cream, and milk, used olive oil for the butter and just the stock to replace the milk and cream measurements, just to make it a little more calorie-friendly.  The second way was also delicious:  two for the price of one! 

      If you like these vegetables (and you could sub in others as well) and want a fast, fresh, and easy lunch, this is the way to go, it's absolutely delicious.  Note:  DH recipes don't specify the amounts for salt and pepper so that you can season as you like, I like pepper so I did add a nice amount of pepper to this by tasting along the way until I got it just right for me.  I think I will use dill sometime as well, I'm eager to make it again. 

      Wonder what the others thought?  Gaye's post is here.  Margaret's post is here.  Chaya's post is here.  Next week is Margaret's choice, Blueberry, Oat, and Yoghurt Muffins, found online here.  Join us and leave a link to your post, no commitment required.

Wednesday with Donna Hay - Cinnamon Sugar-Coated Maple Apple Cakes

      My eighty-fourth recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Cinnamon Sugar-Coated Maple Apple Cakes, was chosen by Gaye, and is found in Donna Hay's cookbook Seasons on page 218 or online here. 

      The ingredient list:  self-rising flour, cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, apples, cinnamon, and also superfine sugar and cinnamon for the topping. 

      It's never a surprise in the group when I pick soup or Gaye picks cake because I love soup and Gaye loves to make cake.  She is known for her cakes.  At her place of employment, she gifts each person with a special birthday cake each year, and often marks other occasions with her cakes as well (a quick survey of her blog will net you any number of cakes to drool over).  The recipe this week is no exception, when I saw the photo, I was already anticipating a tasty fruity cake and I was not disappointed. 

      There is a nice caramel flavor with the syrup and brown sugar in the recipe, which goes just lovely with the apples.  I thought the cake would be dense and heavy with the brown sugar, syrup, apples, etc. but it wasn't at all, it was nice and light and airy, just sort of melted in my mouth with each bite. 

      It all goes together quite easily with ingredients you most often have on hand...if you don't have self-rising flour you can make your own:  1 cup all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, easy peasy.  

      I would definitely make these again, enjoyed by both of us and a perfect ending to a weeknight meal.  I had the little bundt pans that she suggested in the recipe, but Gaye didn't and simply made a full size bundt which worked out just fine.  Oh, and you only need half the amount of cinnamon sugar topping, I had twice as much as I actually needed for a generous topping.  Nice to know those sorts of things. 

      Wonder what the others thought?  Gaye's post is here.  Margaret's post is here. Chaya's post is here.  Sarah's post is here.  Next week is my choice, Creamy Spring Vegetable Soup, found in Donna Hay's cookbook Modern Classics 1 on page 18.  Join us and leave a link to your post, no commitment required.

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Baba Ghanoush

      My eighty-third recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Baba Ghanoush, was chosen by Sarah,and is found in Donna Hay's cookbook Modern Classics 1 on page 86. 

      The ingredient list:  eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

      For years I have avoided Baba Ghanoush.  I thought it had anchovies in it.  Turns out that I was confusing it with Bagna Cauda, which is definitely loaded with those little bitty salty fishies.  I will continue to avoid Bagna Cauda, but I am thinking now that Baba Ghanoush has definitely moved into the "okay" list of things to eat.  It's easy to make, others said the homemade version is superior to the one you can buy at the deli counter, and since the homemade version is so easy, I'm good with that option. 

      I did find that after giving it all a whirl in the food processor and tasting it, it seemed a tad bit bland.  Just a tad, as in maybe I should add a little extra flavor with just a few little bits of spicy red peppers and kick it up just that little bit.  So I did that.  And it was just what I was looking for in taste.  I will leave that for you to decide...once you have the basic recipe down, it's easy enough to add a few bits here and there to change it up...does that still make it Baba Ghanoush, I wonder.  You decide. This is a very nice dip/spread recipe...I tried it on veggies and crackers and it is delicious. Definitely a repeat...and I'm not telling Mark there is eggplant anywhere near it, just in case.

      Wonder what the others thought?  Gaye's post is here.  Margaret's post is here.  Sarah's post is here. Next week is  Gaye's choice, Cinnamon Sugar-Coated Maple Apple Cakes, found in Donna Hay's cookbook Seasons on page 218, and also online here.  Join us and leave a link to your post, no commitment required.

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Asian Mushroom Omelette

      My eighty-second recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Asian Mushroom Omelette, was chosen by Margaret,and is found online here. 

      The ingredient list: sesame oil, vegetable oil, red chili, fresh ginger, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, eggs, and oyster sauce. 

      The recipe itself is quick and simple, doesn't take long at all to make, and tastes pretty good.  It's more like a fritatta than an omelette as it just finishes baking flat in the pan in the oven. 

      I wasn't all that thrilled with this recipe for a couple of reasons, one personal, the other technical.  I'm sort of a purist when it comes to omelettes as I like the French versions best, i.e. butter, eggs, cheese, a little cream, salt, pepper, and maybe an herb or two tossed in.  When I read "Asian Mushroom Omelette," I was thinking Asian mushrooms (which indeed this did call for) and not that the whole omelette would taste like Asian ingredients.  With the oyster sauce and ginger definitely taking it in that direction, I wasn't all that excited.  It didn't taste bad, I just prefer my omelettes on the Frenchy side. 

      The technical issue I had with this recipe was that it calls for cooking the eggs at such a high temperature which makes them rather tough and rubbery (not my favorite).  Lower temperature may correct that so I would try that to get the fluffy soft egg texture we all love in an omelette. 

      All in all, it was nice to try the recipe, and I enjoyed part of it for lunch.  It isn't on my repeat list, but that doesn't mean you won't like it!  You won't know until you try it for yourself. 

      Wonder what the others thought?  Gaye's post is here.  Margaret's post is here.  Chaya's post is here.  Sarah's post is here.  Next week is Sarah's choice, Baba Ghanoush, found in Donna Hay's cookbook Modern Classics 1 on page 86.   Join us and leave a link to your post, no commitment required.