Got Zucc? Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Even if your kids don’t like veggies, they cannot resist these insanely moist and chocolaty muffins.  Mudge said, “These taste like brownies, but they're healthy.”  Plus, the added bonus of cinnamon gives it a little Mexican hot chocolate flare.

Preheat Oven 325 degrees.

Bowl 1- Dry Goods

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

4 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

 Bowl 2

½ cup milk

¼ tsp white vinegar

Bowl 3- wet ingredients- Blend until smooth and airy; it looked like frosting!

½ cup butter

½ cup canola oil

1 ½ cups white sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Now add Bowl 2’s milk mixture until well combined.  

Then slowly add the dry ingredients from Bowl 1 to the wet mix.  Last fold in:

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chocolate chips

Scoop into paper lined (I prefer parchment liners) mini muffin tins.  Bake 18-20 minutes until the tooth pick comes out clean (unless of course you pierce a chocolate chip).  This batch will make 72 mini muffins.  My kids will eat 5-10 in a sitting depending on how hungry they are.  If you use a standard-sized muffin tin expect approximately 20-25 minutes for cooking.

Now I have to tell you that I didn’t make them as muffins this morning. I had to try them in the waffle maker.  But because this is such a moist product, getting the waffles out was a giant pain in the arse.  Spraying the waffle iron with non-stick worked but many of them broke apart during the removal process.  They cooled on the cookie rack and are now set in the freezer for easy breakfast pickings.  The flavor still rocked, but I wouldn’t do it again.  Okay.  I guess everything is not better as a waffle. Regardless, this recipe still makes killer muffins.  Give it try and let me know what you think….

Lemon Zucchini Waffle Bread or Everything is better as a waffle series

Lately I have been in a baking mood, especially after seeing so many great recipes on Facebook.  My most recent flavor expedition was the Lilluna for the Lemon ZucchiniBread.   I found it a little too sweet for my taste, and the cooking time and directions for the loaf size ended up being quite off, and I  had to cook for nearly 90 minutes while it oozed over the size.  But I REALLY liked the flavor combination.  So, I modified to my liking, and hope you like it too!

Bowl 1, combine below ingredients and set aside.

2 cups whole wheat white flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

In a mixer or second bowl, beat time smooth and creamy

½ cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk + 1/4 tsp of white vinegar

Next, add

The juice and zest of ½ large lemon (or a whole small)

1 cup shredded zucchini

Finally, add bowl 1 slowly to the wet ingredients. Mix gently till well incorporated.

Usually I would have made muffins, baking them at 350 for 20-25 minutes.   But I have been on a waffle kick. So I decided to try cooking the batter via Belgian waffle maker. 

Well, it worked and they came out quite tasty.  Almost like having the end piece in each bite.  Best thing was the speed at which they cooked.  2-5 minutes.  Spray with non-stick between each batch.  

That’s it.  For an added bonus, a drizzle of standard icing, made by mixing ½ cup confectioner’s sugar and 2 tbsp of lemon juice; it gave a little extra sweetness.

Overall, these were really good.  It’s a great way to use (not my) garden zucchini. Or save a little summer goodness by freezing them.  Then instead of the kids asking for the store bought frozen waffles, there is a tastier and healthier version waiting for them in the freezer.  Each batch used approximately 1 cup of batter, equating to 4 1/2 full waffles, but that may vary depending on the type of waffle maker you have.  You don't think that is a lot, but because they are a little heavier than your standard waffle, they can be great for breakfast, brunch, snack or dessert.

Try them out and let me know how it goes!

Recipe Review: 3 Ingredient Lemon Cookies AKA Facebook Fail

When I saw this post on Facebook for the 3 Ingredient Lemon Cookies from Somewhat Simple, I was like "Sign Me Up!"  I love lemon.   So do the kids.  The next time I went food shopping I picked up the Lemon Supreme Cake Mix, an 8 oz container of Whipped Topping, and the 1 egg (Ok, I had the egg).

The directions were simple.  Mix the three ingredients in the mixer and blend until smooth.  Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.  And let cool 10 minutes before enjoying.

I have to say, it was a great way to get my older son, Boog, to bake with me.  Often he just likes to reap the benefits, like the story of the Little Red Hen ~ Who will help me grind the wheat? Not I, said the dog…

Unfortunately, the cookies themselves were a little disappointing.  They LOOKED beautiful.  The batter looked so smooth, it reminded me of a meringue drop cookie.  But they were SO STICKY.  My KitchenAid was actually suffering as it churned the lemony concoction.

Once baked, I couldn't get them off the parchment paper.  To salvage them, I either folded them in half or stuck two together so I could at least store them without it becoming one giant sticky mess.  I also checked at the 10 minute mark, and decided they needed more time in the oven (but that may have just been my oven).  Also, they are very sweet.  I know, you might be saying, DUH! They are made with Cool Whip and cake batter.  But in my mind, I guess I expected something else.

So, I just wanted to share my experience of this Facebook Fail, so that you can be prepared in case you attempt these cookies. Super grease your cookie sheet.  Monitor your KitchenAid so it doesn't blow up.  But have fun making them.

Never Buy Pancake Mix Again!

I found a great recipe from Nigella Lawson one day when I ran out of the good ole' Aunt Jemima.  And it was completely worth it.  Not only did it create fluffy and delicious pancakes, I knew what went into them and could modify as I like, specifically using a whole wheat flour. And I haven't calculated it yet, but I am sure I am saving money instead of dishing out $4.29 a box.  I used a stand mixer to blend the dry ingredients to ensure good distribution, but you don't have to.

In a large bowl combine:
4 cups flour ( I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
3 tbsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar

Store in air tight container.  I happened to have a click-top lidded Sterilite.  Then, for easy reference, I taped on the instructions for how to make the pancakes so I don't have to look it up every time.

When ready to use:
Combine
1 cup dry mix
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup mini choc chips, dried fruit, or fresh fruit (optional)

Just with any pancakes, on a hot griddle or in my case Buzz Lightyear Pancake Maker (which apparently cannot be found anymore), scoop, pour, let mixture bubble, flip, and enjoy.  Each batch makes about 25 small pancakes, using a tablespoon as the scoop.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Breakfast Cookies

We struggle to get protein into the kids at breakfast.  They love nuts, for which we are lucky, but don't necessarily care for them first thing in the morning.  Usually, we make a weeks worth of Banana Chocolate Chip muffins but even that doesn't have much in the protein department.

I looked and looked for a recipe but didn't find what I wanted, so I created my own: Everything but the Kitchen Sink Breakfast Cookie

Preheat oven to 375.

Blend until smooth:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup organic unsalted, unsweetened creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

In second bowl combine:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.

Then Fold in:
1 cup chopped nut (whatever you like, I had pecans and almonds in the pantry)
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)

Place 1 ounce (I use a cookie scoop any time I make cookies but it is basically a heaping tablespoon) scoops onto a Parchment Paper Lined cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes. Then cool on rack.  Throw into an air tight container when cooled or freeze :)

Now, I don't know the calorie counts or exact nutritional value, but it has to be better than Eggo Waffles...

Mommy's Special Ice Cream....

I can honeslty say I don't drink much or often.  But when I do, I drink Dos Equis.  Just kidding. I like girly drinks.  Sangria, Coffee (or Hot Chocolate) with Bailey's, or some spiked cider. But when I went to a wedding, someone told me about pudding shots.

Really.

I know.

Sounds ridiculous.

Sounds like dessert to me.

So using her recipe, my adult, over the age of 21 friends, and I began an Adult Ice Cream Adventure.
We went to town, probably making about 12 batches over a 7 day vacation period.  Mind you, there were 10 adults....

Basically if you have ever tried the Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwich recipe with Cool Whip and the graham crackers, then you are half way there.

Kid Friendly Version....
Mix:
1 pkg favorite instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups of milk
Then fold in:
1 container of whipped topping (thawed)

Not-so-kid-friendly over 21 Version...
Mix:
1 pkg favorite instant pudding
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup desired liquor
Then fold in:
1 container of whipped topping (thawed)

Place mixture into the same whipped topping container.  But be forewarned, there may be just a little too much to fit it that you are just forced to eat it right away.  If you can manage to wait over night, you will reap wonderfully creamy benefits.  If not, it is still freakin' delicious.  And depending if you used skim milk, fat free and sugar free versions, it is a pretty low calorie/low fat dessert option (with or without the alcohol).

Some great combinations include:
Chocolate + Kahlua = Mudslide Flavor
Butterscotch + Kahlua = Werther's Original Flavor
Cookies and Cream + Cake Vodka = Cookies and Cream Flavor
Banana Cream + Cake Vodka = Banana Split Flavor
Coconut Cream Pie + Cake Vodka + Shaved Chocolate and Almonds = Almond (Oh) Joy Flavor
Chocolate + Ameretto = Chocolate covered cherry flavor
Pistacio + Cake Vodka + graham cracker crumbs = Old School Watergate Pie Flavor

If you come up with any good combinations, please feel free to let me know :)

Everything tastes better when goes around and around and....

I made the best $1 purchase at the Holiday Bazaar: a Tupperware Veggie Spiral Gadget.  Oh yeah.   I couldn't wait to use it.  I remember watching info-mercials when I was younger (sad I know) and I wanted one of these sooooo  badly.  I always thought how friggin' cool it was to be able to create a slinky with your food.  20+ years later, my (sad little) dream came true.  And now it was time to bring the boys into the act.

Boog watched me at first spiralize the mini purple potatoes.  And yes, you can find them in the grocery store as Green Giant Klondike Gourmet brand.  They are not dyed, they are cultivated.

Before long, he wanted to try his hands at it.  So I handed him a tuber and set him up to make his starchy screw.  He needed a little help, but other wise, the tool was safe for him to use.  It is made out of a sturdy plastic, no metal.  Of course we couldn't stop there.  So together we worked on a coiled cucumber concoction. 

Back to radial roots: I preheated the oven to 500, drizzled some olive oil and kosher salt, baking them till they got a little crispy, about 10-15 minutes (because my oven is electric and it sucks).  And they were good.  Boog wouldn't eat them, but Mudge had the Yukon spirals since "purple is a girl color." 

For something so simple, it is a fun little piece to add to the drawer.  The bad thing was I couldn't stop.   I coiled an apple.  I tried to circumvolve a carrot but that did not work; it was too hard.  And now I am trying to find out just what else I can curl, wind, and whorl.

Sweet Apples Galore

It was too beautiful out to not take advantage it.  Especially since every weekend the entire month of October is booked with birthdays, conferences, and Halloween festivities.  So after school, I took the boys to Barden Family Orchard in North Scituate, Rhode Island to do some apple picking.

Today's brisk and sunny visit was our first to this harvest zone.  Nestled in the back woods of nowhere, in the outskirts of the Apple Valley, Barden's hosts a variety of pick your own stuff including apples, peaches, and veggies.  They also have a lot of pumpkins to help you get your Halloween on.  But we were there for the apples.

For $15 per peck, or 2 for $25, we could find Galas, Macs, Macouns, Grannys, and other varieties.  Though they try to clearly mark the breed of tree, unfortunately most tags were off so we went by sight.

The boys and I had such a blast picking.  I swear Mudge found one as big as his head, which of course resulted in me carrying his bag because "It's too heavy, mom." And then, Boog was being so strong carrying the bag around, but visions of a peck of apples rolling down the hill towards the car made me take his as well.  Self preservation, I know.

But now that we are done, the question really is: What the heck to do I do now with two pecks of apples?

Apple crisp.  Because I don't need crust.
Apple streusel. MMM. Streusel.
Apple coffee cake.  Anything as a side with coffee.
Apple slices on PB sandwiches.  A new favorite of Boog's.
Pork Chops and Appleshauce. Peter Brady's favorite.

Suppose I should get to work on some recipes.....
Anyone got any????

Silly Sushi Supper Night. Or Attempt at Food Poisoning?

So my children have limited palates. Tonight to help broaden their epicurean taste buds I thought about sushi. Silly sushi.

I figured if we made a fun dessert, then it would motivate them to eat their pretend sushi.

So with fruit roll ups, rice crispy treats, and licorice ropes we created a pretty colorful rendition of the traditional wrap. And it sat there and waited.

Then onto dinner. Well, this was a food fail. Since the children will not eat seaweed, I had them flatten out bread with rolling pins. Then we put rice, sweet potato fries and a fish stick in. Odd combo I know. Frankly not sure what I was thinking. No. I take that back. I thought about the sweet potato rolls I have had in the past and thought of this make shift version. And the fish sticks were close enough to nuggets that i figured the kids wouldn't outright fight them.

And for the most part I was right. Amazingly Boog ate an entire roll. Mudget ate 1 potion. I ate them too. Then Kyle took a bite and spit it out. Silly sushi turned into Ghetto sushi. My husband decided it was a failed attempt at food poisoning. Which at first I started laughing at hysterically.  Then, I got pissed.  How dare he spit food out! We are always trying to get the boys to try something new.  Suck it up, buttercup and eat the friggin' roll.

Eventually the boys were able to eat the fruit (roll ups) of our labor. And eventually Kyle made his own dinner.  Maybe not so much a food fail, but a food draw: dinner 1, mom 1.

You scoop, I squash

Adventures with baking with a 3 year old.  I've been baking for as far back as I can remember.  I have fond memories of baking cookies, humantash, and granola with my grandmother.  Now I do the same with my boys.  I always found cooking fun and relaxing; by osmosis they do too.  Because they have cooked with me since their Baby Bjorn days, they know most of the ingredients to many of our recipes.  Mudge is continuously looking for a reason to use oil, salt, sugar and flour.  Boog enjoys measuring.

Today it was Mudge's turn for the epicurean adventure: Muffins
We adapted my mother's "Vava Muffins" to fit our morning school routine to ensure a decent breakfast before hitting the road.

Preheat oven to 350

• Cream 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 bananas

• In another bowl add 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon

• Gently add dry ingredients to the wet. Once incorporated, add 1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer the mini chips) and 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

• Using a 1 ounce cookie scoop, I scooped, and Mudge "squashed" the batter into lined mini muffin tins. Trust me, use the paper liners. It saves me tons of clean up time.

• Bake 18-21 minutes depending on your oven.  Makes approximately 48 mini muffins.

I freeze them, but usually they don't last that long :)

Besides my KitchenAid, the cookie scoop is probably one of my favorite tools in the kitchen.  Not only does it make perfect little ice cream scoops for those itty bitty cones, it comes in handy for the mini muffins as well as perfectly doling out the ultimate cookie.  I had a plastic one, that broke.  So I found a stainless steel model, at Stop and Shop for less than ten bucks.

Fresh Lemonade, A Therapeutic Analysis

Laboring over what to do today?  Try making fresh lemon-lime-ade.  Since I purchased the Tupperware Lemon Lime Press, Kyle has made it his goal to make fresh versions of the delicious and citrusy thirst quencher.

Basic Recipe:
1 cup freshly squeeze lemons/lime juice
Simple Syrup: 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar, heated until dissolved
4 cups ice water

Now, the benefits.
1. Your kitchen will smell lemon fresh for an hour, giving you a sense of cleanliness, even if your kitchen is not so....umm..... clean
2. The children will get a kick out of prepping the citrus by rolling and punching them prior to squeezing the hell out of them.  By doing so, the loosens the pulps cells allowing for more juice extraction.  And it is a great heavy work activity incorporating hand eye and bilateral coordination.
3. Hand squeezing with a juice is a great kitchen dynamometer, ie grip strength measurer.  You can test your strength and build upper body strength as you pulverize the yellow and green monsters.
4. You reap the benefits.  The lemon-lime-ade is insanely delicious.  The lime just adds a slightly sweeter and less intense flavor that compliments the lemon.  He has made just lemon, but we found to add a little extra ice water improves the experience.

Overall, if you have never made fresh lemon-lime-ade, try it.  Get the kids involved and enjoy a glass.  You might never want to go back to the powdered stuff again.

Bowling for Soup, Naaaahhhh We Bowl for Ice Cream....

The Ice Cream Ball...

It is probably one of the more fun inventions that makes ice cream worth its work.  Just fill one end with ice and salt.  The other end with your favorite things like coffee milk, chocolate milk, milk with sugar and vanilla, or even some yogurt.  Then shake, rattle and roll.  Or bowl, like we did.

 We have a couple of good hills in our yard, so I was able to give the boys a good work out running up and down the hill to create the frozen concoction of skim milk, chocolate chips, sugar and vanilla also known as chocolate chip ice cream.  They did this for 20 minutes, then I scraped the sides of the ice cream container and back to work they went bowling for ice cream for an additional 10.  Because of the low fat content of the skim milk, it tends to be a little loose.  So I throw it in the freezer for a few minutes to harden a little more.  But trust me, it tastes just as good if you don't wait.

I like the idea of an ice cream ball for a couple of reasons.  First, you know the ingredients you are putting into it so you can be as healthy, or not, as you would like.  Second, its a work out.  It is at least the weight of a 10 lb bowling ball when it is full with a mix and ice.  Third, it teaches them about the fruits of labor, science, and cooking.  And lastly, your end product is an empty bowl.  Yes I do have an electric ice cream maker, that I use to make my frozen favorites, but the ball is for the kids.

You can find them now all over the internet like Target, REI, LLBean, Amazon, and other stores usually for between $20 and $40  depending on size, 1 or 2 quart models.  Totally worth it, and lots of fun.

Yummy Breakfast Ideas!

Inspired by Rachel Ray's recipe for Individual French Toast Strata, here is my version for French Toast Muffins.  High in calories for growing boys!  Boog ate two this morning for breakfast without syrup to dip!


Preheat Oven 350
Beat Together in Bowl:
6 Eggs
3/4 cup fresh light cream (from Wright's Dairy of course)
3/4 cup skim milk
6 tbsp REAL maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
good pinch of salt


Toss:
4 cups Portuguese Sweet Bread diced into 1" cubes
2 tbsp melted butter


Divide bread cubes into 12 muffin tins (LINED WITH THE MUFFIN LINERS~ trust me even if you have the best non stick, it will still stick and you will spend an hour cleaning the damn pan)
Pour Mixture evenly into/over each muffin tin
Let bread cubes soak a few minutes before baking for 20-25 minutes, depending on oven


Serve:
Fresh fruit and a cup a Joe

Left over Bulgar Wheat from homemade Tabouli?


On a recommendation from Savoring the Thyme mommy blogger, I hit Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods website for some recipes and came across a Breakfast Tabouli.  I happened to have golden raisins instead of dried cherries and warmed them up the microwave with some OJ to plump them up.


Sweet Breakfast Tabouli

Ingredients 1/2 c dried sweet cherries or other fruit  1 T dried mint flakes  1 c boiling water  1/2 c Bulgur (ALA) from Hard Red Wheat  2 T fresh lemon juice  2 T honey

Directions

In a small casserole with tight-fitting lid, mix cherries and mint. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil and add bulgur. Return to a boil, then dump into cherry mixture and tightly cover. Let stand to steam for 10 minutes. Chill for later use, or use warm. In a small cup, stir together lemon and honey. Drizzle over bulgur and fluff to mix. Eat cold in summer, warm in winter. Makes 2 servings. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Serving Size: 1 Serving (232g) Calories 310, Calories from Fat 5, Total Fat 0.5g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 20mg, Total Carbohydrates 72g, Dietary Fiber 10g, Sugars 35g, Protein 7g.

One of the best parts of summer is the impromptu get togethers

Life moves quickly in these parts of the woods, even though it is hickville.  Places to go, people to see, things to do.  And of course, work gets in the way, as do the colds and viruses.  But now that summer is here, the level of leniency increases for the kids' bedtimes and routines.

 Normally, during the school year our schedule is pretty regimented.  Get home, eat supper, bath, and bed.  Kids are down by 7 pm.  No joke.  Not much you can do about that or we end up paying dearly in the morning.  Now that we've had 4 days of relaxed mornings, I have been able to keep them up to 8 pm.  It doesn't seem like much, but that extra hour has led to after supper pool time and more grilling time, which I love.

Yesterday was grilled pizzas (and grilled s'more pizza too for the boys).  Tonight was sirloin tips and chicken.  And I am itching to grill some squash.  What was so great, though, the fact that my girlfriend, my sister and brother in law, and all the niece and nephews ended up here and was basically a midweek grillin'  chillin' party in the backyard.  With the finale of swimming, Mudge of course in his underwear.

So now the boys are in bed, exhausted.  And I can only hope they start to sleep in a little bit; come on, it's my summer vacation too


S'More Pizza:
Store bought dough
Nutella
Mini Marshmallows

Let dough warm up on counter for a 1/2 hour or so before prepping
Get the grill hot, high flame while you are prepping
Coat small dough balls with olive oil and flatten into amoeba shape
Right before you put the dough on the grill, throw it on Low flame
Dough on, shut cover for a few minutes depending on crispiness desired
Flip
Lather Nutella and marshmallows
Close cover again until marshmallows start to expand and dough is crispy

Other Options:
Reese's Pizza: PB and Nutella
Elvis: PB and Banana Slices
Rocky Road: Nutella, Walnuts, and Marshmallows
Harvest: PB, Apple Slices and Walnuts