in the spirit of getting a hobby

i tried a new recipe yesterday: Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins. I've been looking for something to do with my canned pumpkin! These actually turned out spectacularly. I took a recipe from all recipes and modified it slightly (used wheat flour, halved the sugar, added more pumpkin and apple and some plain yogurt, and used egg beaters instead of eggs...if i had had it on hand, i would have used applesauce in place of the oil too!). I wanted to post the recipe here because they were just sooo delicious AND gorgeous and my husband loved them. I also made 12 big muffins instead of 18 regular-sized ones and had some leftover batter that i spooned into my tiny, top-tier cake pan. it made a scrumptious little cake that we enjoyed for dinner along with some apples and cheddar and pumpernickel bread and butter. yummy. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins:

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin (or apple) pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (or 1/2 C egg beaters)
  
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple
• 2 tablespoons wheat flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons butter
• (you could add nuts to the topping too. i think i will next time)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffin batter.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

i am DEFINITELY going to enter these into the fair muffin competition this year!
now i just have to think of something to make after i clean the house on saturday, before the boys from the band some over to make flyers!

at the fair

this week has been a very busy one...so far i've been to the state fair 5 times! the first time was on saturday when t and i dropped off produce, the second time was later that night after al's grad party (just for fun, and we met up with al and kati there), the third time was to drop off oatmeal blueberry cookies for the blueberry contest on wednesday with my mom, and the 4th and 5th times were yesterday to drop off other baked goods with my sis and then i came back at night with the hubby to stroll around in the rain (it was super romantic). i love sitting around and watching the horse shows and strolling the tents and buildings. it's nice to go to the fair and not be able to do the rides or the beer tent, because i can take more time to really look at everything else that the fair is all about!
unfortuantely, i still haven't cracked the "top 3" in ANY category that i've entered! the only baked good that even placed this year was the chocolate bourbon pecan pie, which looked like a dream, and received an honorable mention in the pie category. now i have another "4th place" ribbon and a reason to try even harder next year! ted tells me to stop thinking like ricky bobby ("if you ain't first, you're last") but i think it's easier said than done...i mean, that's pretty much my life's mantra!
however, t's produce won accolades in the ag building! he got blue ribbons (excellent) for his cherry tomatoes, mint, and habenero peppers, and red ribbons (very good) for plum tomatoes and (my) potatoes. so he'll be picking up plenty of ribbons (and some cash too) on sunday...our last baby-less trip to the fair!
around the homefront, i'm working on the more "intensive" cleaning tasks, like scrubbing the grout between the bathroom tiles, cleaning out corners, and sanitizing dog toys (because unfortunately you just cannot keep little mouths away from dog toys, and dog and baby toys are pretty much interchangable). this will keep me occupied until my little lady decides to show up, which should be soon! i have less than 3 weeks left til d-day, but as everyone keeps telling me, she could very well show up at any time now. i'm leaving some other chores, liek changing the crib bedding and the changing table cover, until i go into labor, lest they be covered with cat hair before we make it home from the hopsital!
but for now my bag is packed, the car seat is in my car, and i'm ready to go when she is!

a lovely mother's day

we had a such a nice mother's day around here. hubby and i went to church (his mom joined us!) and then over to his parents' house for breakfast and to see his little brother, who is graduating from college on friday and moving back home. then we stopped at my mom's for a few minutes, and my dad showed me the arbor/swing he is building for baby and me for mother's day/my birthday (which is rapidly approaching...i feel like i should have accomplished more in this quarter century than i have!). it is adorable, and we'll put it down by the apple trees on the lake, and hopefully train the grapes to grow up the sides. THEN we came home, cleaned up, did a little prep and had a nice BBQ for my mom. My mom and dad, two uncles and and aunt, my sister, her boyfriend, and his mother were all inattendance. dh made AMAZING burgers and manned the grill for most of the day. I had made some banana bread (which no one touched beacuse there was too much food...i sent people home with it!) and miniature cheesecakes for dessert, both tried and true recipes that are hard to mess up! however, i do make very low-fat banana bread (usually the people in my family are diametrically opposed to low fat foods), and no one seems to notice! there was SOOOO much food that i can live on leftovers all week! that won't be too bad, as it will be quite the busy week with the graduation on friday, and hubby & i are going away for the weekend and don't know quite what we're doing when we come back just yet. ooh, and i have lots of planting to do later on in the week as it froze last night and may freeze again tonight, so we have most of the plants huddled under the picnic table (which is covered in a tarp) and in the brown room...i don't know just what we'll do when the baby actually needs a place to sleep!

going to take this blog a new direction

as lots of things are changing in my life right now, i think i'll take this blog in a new sort of direction. i'd like to talk a little more about my cooking/baking pursuits, as the state fair is rapidly approaching and this year i'd like to enter a few things in the home ec. classes and maybe take home a few blue ribbons instead of only honorable mentions. i've been trying out new recipes weekly, so i'll give updates on what works, what doesn't, and what the hubby likes (i'd say "or doesn't," but he doesn't complain much about baked goods).
also, i'm about 23 weeks pregnant, praise God, and with no real complications so far. dh and i feel very, very blessed and are currently looking north and west for farms within a few hours of home. we may put our house on the market or even rent it out as it is in a good location for commuters (as both of us once were; i'm blessed to be out on disability and debating whether or not to return to work in the end of October...right now I'm leaning towards staying home full time, as I've always wanted to). with a little one on the way, we need more room to grow, both literally and figuratively. we'd like a small farm on which we can do some sustainable organic gardening and have a few chickens, a cow or two and some horses. every little girl needs horses. also, at home here we have no real yard, only a small vegetable garden, a steep hill, and the lake (which is not so pretty this time of year). every kid needs a place to run around and right now we just don't have that. i feel guilty even having the dog here sometimes! but, we'll see where life take us in the next few months. i really don't want to think about packing up my whole life right now, and it is convenient (and also pretty nice) to be around friends and family at this point in my life.
anyway, back to the topic at hand: this baking thing. yesterday, i made a "fruit swirl coffee cake." the recipe was actually from the betty crocker cake mix cook book, and i was trying it out for the class in which a cake mix must be a main recipe ingredient. it also called for one can of any type of pie filling; i used key lime, which didn't make for a nicely colored finished product (it was a very light green, almost yellow/white so there was no real contrast between the cake and the filling), unfortunately, but was tasty and rather unique, i think. the cake itself was sort of flat, made in a jelly-roll pan with the dough first spread out over the pan, followed by the pie filling spread over top of that, with approx. 1 cup of the dough then heaped in tablespoons on top, with a vanilla glaze poured over the cake after baking. the heaps of dough didn't spread as i'd have liked, and the finished product would perhaps have been prettier had i used smaller spoonfuls and maybe spread them out or swirled them a bit. the dough mixture itself called for few add-ins, but i think the sour cream added to taste and texture. perhaps lemon or orange zest would have been nice for color and flavor, though. all in all it was tasty but i was rather disappointed by the appearance. dh suggested that i use cherry pie filling, apple pie filling, and blueberry pie filling next time on 1/3 each, for a beautiful red, white and blue cake that i'm sure would be just as tasty but maybe more aesthetically pleasing. i'll try it maybe for the 4th of july or flag day.
i don't know what i'll try next. if i can't get reservations for tomorrow night (mother's day), hubby and i will be having my family over for a bbq, and i need something special that mom would like (that mean no lime or anything remotely exotic, or orange as she is allergic), but that is "eat-outside" friendly. i'll start scouring the cookbooks in a few minutes.
anyway, that's all for now. if anyone reads this ting, please let me know if you have any recipe suggestions! i would greatly appreciate it!

a lovely weekend, but now back to the grind

dh and i had a lovely weekend. after a bit of arguing on friday evening (i think i was just overtired and cranky after my first week back at work), dh and i went to a friend's movie theater and saw julie and julia, despite the fact that my husband says that seeing movies with meryl streep in them is in direct violation of man code. when we left the theater though he said he liked it but told me not to tell anyone (but i think that this is ok to say here since it's semi-anonymous). i really enjoyed it, but kept thinking throughout the entire movie, "who the hell really lives in queens? ick." i just like movies about food i guess, and julia child seems like a pisser. i never thought that she was like that i guess, though foodies are always a little "off." after that we hit a few bars and got some wings and beers and whatnot. it was nice because you could still smoke in one of the bars (which is something that i was never of legal age to do in nj before they changed the law, and it's lovely), and it had a wii so i did some fencing and bowling and everything, despite the fact that i am not so good at wii sports. the next day ted worked, i visited my mom and grandma, and we both stayed inside for the remainder of the evening to avoid the heat. on sunday we saw district 9, which was a good overall scifi choice but i have to admit i felt a little nauseous and uneasy after the movie was over, and i couldn't (and still can't) pinpoint just why. anyway, i'd have to say that neither of them made great date movies, but that didn't spoil our time at all. julia and julia is the kind of movie you go to with girlfriends or moms, and district 9 maybe with your scifi geek buddies. i am waiting for a few other movies to come out, namely
inglorious basterds, the final destination, and the new halloween movie (i'm kind of hoping to catch the final destination and halloween at a drivein double feature, but we'll see)...i'd have liked to see 500 days of summer, but i guess now i'll wait for a few months until they play it on one of the HBOs like a thousand times.

here's the recipe i've been promising to post for a while now:

spicy zucchini muffins

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup white sugar (use less if you'd like)
1 egg (or egg replacement)
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce, preferably with no sugar added
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons apple pie spice (or other spice blend)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a bowl, beat together the zucchini, sugar, egg, and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; stir in the remainder of ingredients. Stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just until blended. Pour the cupcake liners in muffin tins, until about 2/3 full. Bake 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven (watch these carefully).

weekly menus

I come from a family where dinner wasn't even guaranteed, much less planned. Some nights because of mom's crazy work schedule, and between girl scouts, softball or field hockey, riding lessons, and family or church events, we really had to fend for ourselves (which is why today I can make just about any meal from just about anything that we have in the pantry, and why my sister would live off of hot pockets and ramen noodles if she had the choice). So when I got married and we had little to live off of, I learned the importance of a well-stocked pantry and a little advance planning. Now, I don't pretend to be perfect as far as this goes...sometimes the pantry's missing a few key items, and most of the time I don't plan meals too far in advance, but I do try to keep some staples on hand at all times. Some of these include:

• frozen chicken tenderloins
• frozen fish fillets
• flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, yeast
• cake mix (you can make just about anything from cake mix, from cookies and cakes to desserts)
• jello and pudding mix
• bisquick
• rice
• various pastas
• chicken stock
• dried and fresh herbs and spices
• frozen veggies (broccoli, spinach, mixed veggies, asparagus) and fruits (blueberries, strawberries, papaya pulp, and anything that'll keep well frozen)
• beer (not for drinking, but for beer bread, marinating, sauces, etc.)
• wine (for cooking, as above, and enjoying with meals)
• salsa
• margarine and butter
• soymilk (dh won't drink regular milk, but I keep the powdered for emergencies)
• coffee, tea, water
• Fat free half and half
• fresh carrots, potatoes, peppers, onions, bananas, apples, oranges, and occasionally snap or snow peas
• tortillas (flour), and tortilla chips
• cheese (cheddar and mozzarella)
• quick oats
• peanut butter and jams, jellies and marmalade
• various juices (apple, orange, cranberry, etc.)
• canned pasta sauce, beans and veggies, for moments of laziness, emergencies, or the apocalypse

These are just the things that I like to ALWAYS keep in the house. From this I can make a variety of full, nutritious meals, anything from smoothies to pierogies with onions, to arroz con pollo, to chicken pot pie, to quesadillas, to stir fry or just plain mac and cheese, which is always better from scratch anyway.

On occasion, I'll buy a whole chicken and make roast chicken, then use the leftovers for stock and soup, or perhaps I'll pick up a roast on sale but we usually don't eat too much red meat. But having a well-stocked pantry and a back-up freezer in the basement means that I usually am blessed enough to have quite a few staples that I can use to plan menus in advance when I've got the time and ambition. Since dh and I are still recovering from Las Vegas this weekend, there are several shows coming up in the next two weeks, and I've got a ton of spring cleaning left to do, a little planning may go a long way in reducing time spent food shopping and in the kitchen (that could be spent elsewhere).

For dinners this week I'm thinking:

• Monday- Leftover chicken noodle soup with toast and salad (since dh has a meeting in the city until late and I need to hit the gym, get a haircut and pick up the dog)
• Tuesday- Black bean soup with beer bread (then dh has early band practice)
• Wednesday-Spinach raviolis in homemade veggie sauce, with broccoli and some good wine
• Thursday-Quick but filling fruit smoothies with bananas, strawberries, blueberries and cranberry juice, with 1/2 PB&J (before show in Manhattan, load time 6)
• Friday-Cajun catfish, jambalaya
• Saturday-Sweet & Sour chicken stir fry over brown rice, orange segments
• Sunday-Chicken quesadillas, salad, sorbet

Now, this will probably change over the course of the week, but we need to plan for fish & no dessert on Friday (Lent), and quick meals for nights when there is band practice or a show, and most importantly, for not having to pick anything up at the grocery store last minute-it can really be a waste of money!

Two other, more important menus that need some planning are the Easter menu and the menu for my parents' vow renewal, which I'll be catering. Easter is easier to plan (and harder to carry out) because we do a traditional Ukrainian/Polish meal with homemade babka and pierogi, Easter ham, blueberry cake, and an assortment of pies, cakes, pastries, breads, and vegetables. I'm a little at a loss as far as what to make for the vow renewal, as I'll have limited kitchen space in the rented shore house, little time, and an incredibly limited budget to stretch to feed 40-50 people. Right now I'm thinking trays of antipasta with mozzarella, Italian deli meats, marinated mushrooms and artichokes, breads with spinach and artichoke dips and things like that as far as appetizers, and then trays of ziti, shrimp scampi over linguine, eggplant rollatini...and that's where it stops, because I have no idea where to go from there. As far as dessert, there'll be wedding cake (my aunt is having her friend make a replica of the original cake from the wedding in 1984), but I don't even know what else to serve it with, except maybe some nice fresh fruit salad. Any suggestions would be more than welcome at this point!

a good white bread recipe, from allrecipes.com

good, easy recipe for simple white bread. my husband loves it, and it makes the entire neighborhood smell great! taken from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
3 teaspoons sugar
2 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees F), divided
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1.
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/4 cup water; let stand for 10 minutes. Combine salt, remaining sugar and water; add to yeast mixture. Add 3 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; shape into two loaves. Place in two 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans that have coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.