Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

I tend to talk about the weather a lot on here.

But it seems to me that weather and food go hand-in-hand...don't you think?

Fresh lemonade = summer, 

warm applesauce = fall, 

hearty soup = winter, 

carrot cake = spring,

homemade bread = cold, rainy days,

and fresh, raw vegetables = hot, dry days.

Anyway, the weather's been a lot milder since my last post,

when I complained about informed you of the icy cold temperatures over here.

Although the temps have been milder, there's been a whole lot of grey outside.

So if you're experiencing some drab days too, you should make these.

Nothing like a fresh, warm muffin with soft bits of apple to cheer you up!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Makes 12 large muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark), packed + more for sprinkling

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and diced (I like big chunks!)

Preheat oven to 450.  Grease 12 muffin cups, or fill with cupcake liners.

Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and add sugars; beat until fluffy.  Mix in egg and yogurt.  Stir in dry ingredients until just combined and gently fold in apple chunks.

Divide batter evenly between muffin cups and sprinkle brown sugar on top (about 1/4 cup or less).  Bake for 10 minutes, turn oven down to 400, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes; until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie + 2 Confessions

I have two confessions.

Confession #1:

I bought a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner.

Yes, I actually purchased a store-made pie.

For Thanksgiving dinner, no less.

It's kind of against everything I was ever taught growing up.

See, my mom is a homemaker icon, not to mention pie contest winner,

my dad would give anything for an extra piece of her famous Strueberry Pie...

and I also have a few younger brothers who have probably made more piecrusts than I have.

I'm lucky they didn't disown me.

But let me explain myself here...

Honestly, I'm not really a pumpkin pie lover.  I just eat it out of tradition.

 Plus, this year I was also making

rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce,

while simultaneously doing the zombie shuffle in my kitchen due to a baby with recurring ear infections (& subsequent night wakings),

So I threw in the towel and 

Bought. A. Pumpkin. Pie.

Don't get me wrong, I loved making all those Thanksgiving dishes...I just didn't have the stamina for a pie too.

I did, however, make this pumpkin chocolate cheesecake pie a week before Thanksgiving for a potluck.

If you're a non-pumpkin-pie-lover like I am, 

OR if you just want something a little more fancy-shmancy than an old pumpkin pie,
you should make this.

Homemade pie crust,

cream cheese layer on bottom,

chocolate in the middle,

and a pumpkin layer on top....

"mmm" is all I have to say.

Confession #2?

Maybe I do like pumpkin pie, after all.  

That is, as long as you throw in some cream cheese and chocolate.  :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

From bhg.com

8 servings

1 deep dish pie crust (I used this one)

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup half-and-half

chopped chocolate for garnish

Preheat oven to 450.  Prepare and roll out deep dish pie crust and lay in a 9 1/2 to 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.  Trim the edge of the dough and flute it high.  Line the crust with double thickness of foil and bake 8 minutes.  Remove foil and bake until golden, about 6 more min.  Let cool and reduce oven temp to 375.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1 egg until smooth.  Spread onto cooled pie crust shell and sprinkle with chopped chocolate.

In a clean bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, and spice.  Add 4 eggs and gradually stir in half-and-half.  Carefully pour pumpkin mixture over chopped chocolate layer.  Cover edges of pie crust with foil to prevent from becoming too brown.  Bake 60-65 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove foil and let cool.  Cover and chill within two hours (let chill overnight for best flavor).  Garnish with additional chopped chocolate before serving.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin pie spice, 

for me,

is probably a once or twice a year necessity.

So it's not something I always keep on hand or like to spend precious dollars on,

and just for a measly little container of it too.

But recently, finding myself in need of it, and finding my little container smelling
not-so-pumpkin-y anymore, 

(it had been expired for over a year...or two),

I decided to make my own.

It was a tad overwhelming with how many different versions google dug up, 

but this one looked the best to me

mostly because I loooove cinnamon

and the ratio just kinda seemed right.

I guess there's no way to really know if it's good unless you bake somethin' up with it

and taste it.

Which is exactly what I did.

And it passed with flying colors.

And that will be my next post.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

From Joy the Baker

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg (freshly ground is best)

big pinch of cardamom (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.  Use in any recipe calling for pumpkin pie spice.

Hearty Chickpea Soup

I know Fall is not officially over yet, 

but because today is a beautiful fall day and

because my weather-man is forecasting snow for tomorrow,

I feel the need for a "Farewell to Fall" post.

It's impossible for me even think of the word "Fall" without thinking of my mother-in-law.

She is the Queen of Fall.

As soon as leaves begin to redden and crisp up,

you can walk into her house, and, without fail, be greeted by

a home-y cinnamon or pumpkin aroma.

You can walk out onto her deck and smile at

homegrown pumpkins and bright, beautiful mums.

After a crisp fall walk, she'll make you

a delicious, warm fall soup.

I've never met anyone who loved fall more.

On a recent, particularly crispy fall day,

I made one of her soups.

It's vegetarian, yet hearty and comforting.

The combination of cinnamon, turmeric, and ginger in this soup =

absolute genius.

And although it makes me think of fall, I guarantee it will grace our table this winter too!

...catchya later, Fall...

Hearty Chickpea Soup

From my mother-in-law

4 servings

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1 can (14.5-oz) diced or tomatoes (no salt added)

2 cups baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

lemon wedges, for garnish

In medium saucepan, heat oil on medium heat.  Saute celery, carrot, onion, and garlic 3-5 minutes.  Add cinnamon, turmeric, and ginger.  Cook 1-2 minutes longer.  Add broth, chickpeas, and tomatoes and simmer until vegetables are soft.  Add chopped spinach leaves and lemon wedges on top just before serving.

Chocolate Witches Hats

In an attempt to be festive & Halloween-y,

I made some simple witches hats...

(an idea I spotted on Pinterest)

At first I was a little disappointed at the blemishes & marks in the chocolate,

but quickly realized that it just gives the "hat" a more tattered look...

the more blemishes, the better!

Happy Halloween...a couple days late...  :)

Chocolate Witches Hats

Fudge-striped shortbread cookies

Chocolate kisses

Orange frosting (I used a simple buttercream frosting--next time I'll make my orange darker!)

Pipe orange frosting around the circle on the bottom side of the cookie (for piping the frosting, I used a ziploc bag and cut off the corner).  Place a chocolate kiss on top.

Fall Apple Dip

This is a classic autumn snack that I permit myself to make once a year.

One of those recipes where you mix crisp & crunchy local apples

with

sweet & creamy dip.

This was something else I brought to that baby shower recently helped with (sorry for the lame picture in a dark room!).

I used walnuts this year, but salted peanuts are my very favorite garnish for a sweet & salty yumminess!

Fall Apple Dip

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla

1/2 cup salted peanuts or walnuts (optional)

Beat all ingredients, except for nuts, together in a bowl.  Add nuts, if desired, and serve with apple slices.

Cinnamon Popcorn

 I grew up making homemade popcorn with my family for our weekend movie nights.  

My brothers and I had a very precise, two-man (kid) technique to pouring the melted butter over the freshly popped kernels (a dangerous mission if you ask me).

Man #1= the butter pourer

Man #2= the bowl spinner

..and Man #3 (a.k.a. my mom)...the rescuer, who always came to sprinkle the right amount of salt on and mix it all up perfectly and make the chaotic, popcorn-butter mess right again.

It was always such a treat to lay out the green picnic blanket in the family room, 

where we chomped on popcorn out of the designated orange "popcorn bowl," 

sipped homemade milkshakes--my dad's specialty--

and watched some quality Disney.

Always done in jammies, of course, and on Saturday nights, with sponge curlers in my hair for church the next day.

What more could a little girl ask for?  It was perfect.

Needless to say, homemade popcorn holds a place in my heart.

So when our neighbors gave us a Whirley-Pop Popcorn Maker for a wedding gift,

it was love at first sight.

Between me and the Whirley-Pop, I mean.

(you already know of the undying love between me and the boy next door :)

(This is now our designated popcorn bowl :)

Anyway, this recipe put our Whirley-Pop to good use...I think I am finally in the acceptance stage of the grieving process in my farewell to summer,

so I am now welcoming--even embracing--all things warm and cinnamon-y.

"Bring it on.

Boooooo-yaaaahahaha....wooo!"
(Name that Disney movie...here's a little hint.)

Cinnamon Popcorn
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen
6 servings
10 cups popped popcorn (about 6 tablespoons unpopped kernels)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 pinches salt, to taste

Pour popped popcorn into a large bowl and set aside.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon and stir until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Slowly pour mixture over popcorn and stir, using above two-man technique.  :)  Sprinkle on a couple pinches of salt, to taste.  Transfer popcorn to a large baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.
Cool before serving.

Healthy Banana Bread

Overripe bananas are hard to come by at our house. My husband and I eat them daily (as will my sweeter-than-ripe-bananas baby...soon!), plus, the minute they start to show brown specks, I usually slice 'em up and throw 'em in the freezer for a future smoothie.

Well, the other day, I was pleasantly surprised at three overripe bananas in our fruit basket.

Of course, banana bread is the no-brainer answer to overripe bananas!

Banana bread is usually very cake-like (in flavor (which is good) and in nutrition (not good)), and I always think you might as well just eat cake. But not this time. This time I've brought a healthy banana bread recipe to the table! It's crispy on top and moist inside.

*I also wanted to substitute applesauce for the canola oil, but I didn't have any...next time!

Healthy Banana Bread

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

2 eggs

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup very ripe bananas (I like 1 cup mashed and 1/2 cup sliced, for some chunks)

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 1/2 cups regular whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients up to the flour. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Pour batter into a large loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.