Before you throw that away...

...make muffins with it!

I just created my very first baking recipe and I'm thrilled to say that the end result was de-lish!

These, are sort of the casserole equivalent to a muffin. You know what I mean, there are always those meals that you try to use as many fresh ingredients that are about to sache their way into the trash or compost until you snag them mid jive rapido and make something with them and call it a "casserole." How on earth can you do that with muffins? Well, since you asked...

1 cup milled flaxseed/soy (either/or will work too)
1 cup whole wheat flour (either flour will work)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raw sugar (any kind of sugar will work-minus brown-raw sugar is not as sweet and has much less calories than white, also I had a ton of it that I'm trying to use in as many recipes as possible)
-Here's the fun part-
(I used these ingredients, you can use whatever you want)
-about 2 medium carrots (grated)
1 small pear (peeled, cored and chopped)
1 small apple (peeled, cored and chopped)
1/2 c soy milk
1/4 c oil (whatever you have)
1 tsp hazelnut extract (or vanilla or whatever extract you have)
1/2 cup nuts (I used almonds, you can use whatever you want or don't use them at all!)

Throw all of the ingredients in the mixer, no need to do dry first then wet ingredients. Just mix them all at the same time.

400 degrees and 20 minutes later you wind up with a yummy smelling house and about 18 muffins. If it's still cold at your house like it is at ours, these muffins are sure to warm you up!

enjoy.

Happy Birthdy Daddy!!

A couple of weeks ago my dad celebrated the big 5-0. I thought of some things I could get him, but thought it would be more meaningful if we surprised him with an impromptu birthday party. I couldn't come empty handed so I thought of something as equally surprising and meaningful to bring. A homemade cake, made by yours truly, in the shape of a guitar. The longest relationship he's ever had (excluding those with his brother/sister/mom&dad of course) is with his music. And for as long as I can remember music was not music without the strumming of a guitar.

It was a Thursday and we were leaving for Bend to pick up my brother and surprise my dad on Friday night. I had a whole day to get this cake whipped up. I started with making a homemade batter... turned out to be a beyond terrible idea. So, no big deal, I just ran to the store (I literally ran, the grocery store is like 40 steps from my front door) and bought a few boxes of cake mix... A few boxes too few, actually.
Here are the templates I free handed-ly cut out to fit into the baking pans. YES, the one on the left is a turkey baking pan.... I ended up needing 6 boxes of cake and 4 icing.. tubes.. containers.. jars? .. whatever they're called. The first layer was no problem. The second layer was a s-t-r-u-g-g-l-e. It worked out that I was the only one in the house because I couldn't hold back in the outbursts of frustration that came with lining up the second layer perfectly without breakage, etc.
First Layer.
Second Layer.
I made platforms out of cardboard and covered them in foil. Mostly because I didn't have platters that proved large enough to hold the massiveness.

After a ton of patience (this is why I enjoy cooking so much more, simply because it isn't a waiting game as much as baking is) and a cooled double layer cake it was time to cut.
i. was. so. scared.It ended up turning out ok! As luck would have it, the white chocolate chips that I added to the batter, acted as glue to firmly hold the batter together while I was cutting the guitar shape out. I just thought it would add to the flavor, whadyaknow?

Next step, icing. yikes. It didn't go well. At this point, the intent was all that mattered. I was okay with it being destroyed and ruined. It sort of turned from frustrating to a joke. Like, who on earth was I, to be attempting something like this?? really! But I thought if I heated the icing that I could just pour it over the cake instead of spreading it and getting a choppy ice job.
Just a teence better than I thought it was going to be.
Finished product.He enjoyed it, which ultimately was the goal.

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY, POPPA!!!
You Don't Look A Day Over 35!

Pastry Procrastination

PROCRASTINATION.

You're looking at 4 loaves of pumpkin bread, 2 loaves of banana/butterscotch bread, 2 loaves of gingerbread, 24 apple tartlets, 48 oatmeal/cranberry bars, and enough sugar cookie dough for 200 cookies. I started baking Wednesday and finished this morning. Why does this scream procrastination, you ask? Well, it may not be your definition, but for me this is about as last minute and delayed as it gets. I was asked several weeks ago to put together the dessert snacks for our churches' three services on Sunday (Halloween). I completely spaced calling people until last Wednesday and had about 3 of the 25 people I called agree to help out. I needed 12. I'm crossing my fingers that these loaves (coupled with what the volunteers and my wonderful friend Josie are making) will feed the 5000... Well, closer to 3000.

Blessed to Bake

I proposed the idea several weeks ago to the leadership at my church to start a baking group with the ladies who serve in the nursery at my church with me. With 200+ childcare volunteers it is hard to get to know everyone just by going to the gatherings. Last night was the very first baking evening. Only 2 ladies were able to make it, but it was so fun getting to know them! Jeremy and I have been getting to know a lot of people in our church by going to classes or multiple gatherings a week and by serving wherever the church needs us and I love this body that God has placed us in. It's not a country club of believers, it's not a religious meeting-doing our weekly religious duty-, everyone we've met is so real and open about their testimony which encourages us to do the same. It's truly changed our lives.

(I like much more crisp, than apple in my apple crisp)

The ladies and I baked apple crisp last night and it was YUMMY! I thought I would start off simple and would definitely take advantage of the apples on our tree that are about to be composted if we didn't use them for something. I had planned to also make some apple tartlets with the ladies but, I didn't thaw the puff pastry in time. Which actually worked perfectly because I was using a recipe that I'd never tried before (a brave move with guests, I know) so I gave the tartlets a try after the ladies left. They are so easy and sooooo delicious!After watching a youtube video on how to make tarts and studying the recipe I totally winged what I ended up baking and they ended up tasting wonderful!

The way I did these are terrible for you. Probably 500 or so calories per tartlet. I've given up sugar/sweets for a month or so and since then have had sugar head ache withdrawals and now am at a point, apparently, where if I have sweets it gives me a head ache. So, the leftovers are going to be a frequent visitor in Jeremy's lunch box.

For the Tartlets:

~Spray a muffin pan with non stick spray
~Cut Puff Pastry to fit each hole with a little over hang
~Cut about 5 medium apples into tiny pieces and reduce with a little water and mix in some cinnamon, a small handful of dark brown sugar and a pinch of flour
~After the apples are soft and the mixture has thickened, spoon into each puff pastry and fold the excess puff pastry over on each side
~Bake on 375 for 35-40 mins

To Top:
~Reduce any jam you'd think will taste good (apricot, plum, strawberry, etc)
~Brush onto baked tartlet
~In a double boiler cream together butterscotch and whipping cream to drizzle over top of cooled tartlet

Viola!!

I had half of one last night and they were sooo yummy. I haven't weighed myself this morning, but something tells me that numbers have increased for sure!

I can't wait to continue this idea and get to know more of the ladies!

Addiction. A scary word. Often a word that gets thrown around flagrantly with light hearted undertones. Whatever your experiences are with addictions, you know that once you've kicked an addiction the withdrawals and fiending are not far behind. Lurking in the shadows, serving as a punishment for your strong will to quit.

Ok... Enough, drama queen.



I am on a sugar and dairy strike. I was addicted! What?! I really was.

The dairy thing, bad news because I'm allergic, but would pop a lactaid and down a glass of milk coupled with a grilled cheese sandwich... No bueno. Sugar, on the other hand, and I have had a wonderful relationship throughout my 23 years on this earth. I have been a faithful and loyal consumer of all things that included sugar as an ingredient. In fact, as a child my parents would find me in the middle of the night with a face covered in sugar due to robbing the sugar bowl. My love for sweets started at a very young age. Ok, so every kid loves sweets. No need to alert the media. But into my adulthood, consuming entire boxes of donuts as a meal in the middle of the day and no where near "my time of the month" was not uncommon. I created a habit of "rewarding" myself upon completion of each meal with a cookie or brownie. Nightly I rewarded myself with the completion of the day with a bowl of ice cream (a double whamie-no-no, sweets and lactose). I classically conditioned myself to complete something (I'm being vague with the word "something" because I would literally wake up in the morning and think to reward myself with something sweet) and it would be followed by a sweet snack/meal. NOT OK. This probably sounds like I was depressed, I wasn't. I just have no self control. Not when it comes to sweet ingestables. And especially not if my metabolism is so darn fast that I didn't visually reap the consequences of my lack of self control.


SO, I've been without both dairy and sugar since Saturday. The headaches are enough to resort back to my unhealthy but delicious ways. But I won't! I want to create a healthy lifestyle for myself and my home and my future family.

I made some power muffins the other day and they sure are powerful! After tweeking the recipe several times, I think I've got it down.

Ingredients
1 ripened banana
2 tsp olive oil
1 organic brown egg
1/4 cup non-packed brown sugar
1/2 cup freshly ground flax seed
1/4 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats (the whole grain kind, looks like horse food)
1/2 tsp baking soda

This recipe is the base, from here you can add whatever you want. I added in some dried cranberries and some dried apricots. Nuts, dark chocolate chips, any dried fruit all would be great. They are a great way to start out your day!I'm crossing my fingers that I can keep this up!