The Beautiful Letdown » Recipe

M-m-m-muffins

Casey — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:26:01 +0000

Last week when we were menu planning, I got the urge to make some muffins. This fall, I have been LOVING anything with pumpkin in it. When I was trying to decide what muffins to make, I thought about making banana muffins which are our regular around here. Then, I remembered my friend Erin telling me about these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins she had found on Money Saving Mom’s blog. I decided to make those, but I also remembered Erin saying that she had found them to be a little oily, so I decided to make some changes. Some turned into many, and here is the result.

The original recipe (my changes in bold)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

4 eggs
2 cups sugar (I changed this to honey, and I reduced it to 1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp of honey**)
1 (16 oz.) can pureed pumpkin (Because of my change from sugar to honey, I took out 6 Tbsp of pumpkin)
1 1/2 cups oil (I used 3/4c. apple sauce, 1/4 c. oil, and a banana)
3 cups flour (I used half all purpose and half whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 package chocolate chips (I used 1/2 package of chocolate chips and a handful of raisins)

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips (and raisins). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 16–20 minutes (I found about 17 1/2 minutes to work the best for our oven)at 400 degrees. Makes 24–30 muffins.

**One website I found said to add a pinch of baking powder to neutralize the acidity of the honey. Since I was already adding it, I didn’t add anymore. I’m sure I could have though.

Results:

They turned out really well especially considering what I did to them. I think next time the only changes I would make are taking out all the oil and using the pumpkin instead. I also found them to be plenty sweet, so I might experiment with less sugar and more flour. My kids really enjoyed them, and even though they are gone, I am still getting “mumpkin puffin” (according to A) requests.

I LOVE Lentil Soup, but..

Casey — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:03:49 +0000

I cannot find a good recipe! If anyone has a great (vegetarian) lentil soup recipe, please let me know. Tonight, I made Deborah Madison’s Hearty Lentil Soup, and it was alright, but it wasn’t great. I have made a couple other recipes in the past, and I find it is missing a depth in taste. Any leads, suggestions, or ideas are appreciated.

Searching for the perfect hummus recipe

Casey — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:09:31 +0000

For some time now, I’ve been looking for a fabulous recipe for hummus. I’ve found a few that are fine. I found one that was decent. I also found one that was not good at all. I just haven’t found one that is great, though.

I really like the hummus from the store. It’s so expensive though for such a little container. I should be able to make my own for a fraction of the price, right? Well, I can make my own, but it’s missing…something. Mine seems to have a bland taste and not be rich and deep like the flavor of the store bought hummus.

My recipes are all pretty similar. They all contain chickpeas/garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and salt. I just vary the proportions of each ingredient, but I just can’t get it right! Heather! Do you have any gourmet magic? Anyone else? Even sitting here, I’m getting a craving now for some really good hummus. Too bad the stuff I made on Sunday is just okay.