Great-tasting Healthy Chocolate Muffins

My kids love muffins. It doesn't really matter what they are made of, I think it's the portable size and makes them think of cupcakes.

If you thought my veggie muffins weren't dessert-y enough, have no fear. Take 2 of the sneaky baking genius! (cue evil laughter). I'd like to present: Irresistible Double Chocolate Muffins Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Here is the recipe with the modifications I made & notes

I doubled the original.

2 cups white flour

1.5 cups ground flax seed

1 cup quick oats

2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp baking powder

1 cup cocoa powder

chocolate chips (don't skimp, it makes sweetness & chocolaty-ness)

2 cups orange juice (to keep it dairy free, didn't really taste)

1 can (1.5 cups) pumpkin puree

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsps vanilla extract.

We did the dump and stir, I can see how it would have been easier to follow the directions and mix the dry and wet separately and then combine, but I was cooking with little helpers, and couldn't be bothered to use more than one bowl. :)

Fill the cupcake pans, liners, at least 3/4 full as they don't rise so much, but will get a nice little dome on top.

Bake 350 degrees F for 25mins.

Made 42 muffins. (small-medium sized)

They will definitely be made again!! Now I'll be serving these to guests tonight and will not mention their healthy alter egos.

UPDATE: These should have been refrigerated or frozen right away as I found the remaining half dozen with spots of mold this afternoon. They've been wrapped in foil for 4 days. Next time I'll plan ahead better.

My kids love muffins. It doesn't really matter what they are made of, I think it's the portable size and makes them think of cupcakes.

If you thought my veggie muffins weren't dessert-y enough, have no fear. Take 2 of the sneaky baking genius! (cue evil laughter). I'd like to present: Irresistible Double Chocolate Muffins Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Here is the recipe with the modifications I made & notes

I doubled the original.

2 cups white flour

1.5 cups ground flax seed

1 cup quick oats

2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp baking powder

1 cup cocoa powder

chocolate chips (don't skimp, it makes sweetness & chocolaty-ness)

2 cups orange juice (to keep it dairy free, didn't really taste)

1 can (1.5 cups) pumpkin puree

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsps vanilla extract.

We did the dump and stir, I can see how it would have been easier to follow the directions and mix the dry and wet separately and then combine, but I was cooking with little helpers, and couldn't be bothered to use more than one bowl. :)

Fill the cupcake pans, liners, at least 3/4 full as they don't rise so much, but will get a nice little dome on top.

Bake 350 degrees F for 25mins.

Made 42 muffins. (small-medium sized)

They will definitely be made again!! Now I'll be serving these to guests tonight and will not mention their healthy alter egos.

UPDATE: These should have been refrigerated or frozen right away as I found the remaining half dozen with spots of mold this afternoon. They've been wrapped in foil for 4 days. Next time I'll plan ahead better.

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More Wheat less white: Oatmeal bread

I've fallen in love with the Oatmeal Bread from the More with less cookbook. It's a delight to knead once you get over the pale pasty color. It tastes delicious!

Here is how I make it:

In a large bowl combine:

1 cup quick oats (regular work fine in a pinch)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp salt

2 T Smart Balance margarine

Stir in:

2 cups boiling water

Dissolve:

3 T yeast into

1/2 cup warm water

When the batter has cooled and is just warm, add the yeast/water mix and stir.

Add

4 cups whole wheat flour

1-2 cups white flour until dough is no longer sticky

Knead 10 mins.

Set to rise in covered, oiled bowl.

Punch down and shape into 4-5 loaves, braids, twists, what have you. Brush with egg & top with oatmeal & flaxseed. Bake at 350F for 25-30 mins.

I've fallen in love with the Oatmeal Bread from the More with less cookbook. It's a delight to knead once you get over the pale pasty color. It tastes delicious!

Here is how I make it:

In a large bowl combine:

1 cup quick oats (regular work fine in a pinch)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp salt

2 T Smart Balance margarine

Stir in:

2 cups boiling water

Dissolve:

3 T yeast into

1/2 cup warm water

When the batter has cooled and is just warm, add the yeast/water mix and stir.

Add

4 cups whole wheat flour

1-2 cups white flour until dough is no longer sticky

Knead 10 mins.

Set to rise in covered, oiled bowl.

Punch down and shape into 4-5 loaves, braids, twists, what have you. Brush with egg & top with oatmeal & flaxseed. Bake at 350F for 25-30 mins.

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Foodie Flops: When things go wrong

I just finished reading this article over at The Kitchn:

Unexpected Results: 5 Reasons Why A Recipe Might Fail | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

I can definitely think of many mismeasured, half doubled, forgotten burnt, substitution errors, missing ingredients, and faulty equipment errors in all my years of cooking. But something I can't figure out is my homemade bread.

As long as I've been married I've been baking bread. When we lived over seas and I had to content with foreign ingredients, measurements and equipment in a rented apartment, I found a recipe that worked and stuck to it. Bubbie Irma's challah recipe came out wonderful every time. Occasionally I'd by from the delicious, cheap bakery in the local market, but more often I'd bake.

We had three and a half years of wedded, doughy bliss. Then we moved back to America. We lived with my parents while hubsters did the job hunt and I got to make use of my mother's superior kitchen and American grocery stores to show off my culinary prowess. Except not. Each batch was a flop. Didn't rise, didn't taste good, didn't cook through, or burnt. I gave up and switched back to store bought, blaming the water, the inferiority of American ingredients, whatever. Rhodes Dough was cheap, tasty, and easy, It tasted good even if it didn't rise.

I tried again when we moved to the East coast with similar results. Back to the Rhodes frozen Dough. Then we learned about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and made a point to cut it out wherever we could. I spoke about both the ease of Rhodes dough and our healthy diet to anyone with a modicum of interest until one day a friend sheepishly told me that Rhodes dough had HFCS in it! I was flabbergasted, why the heck would frozen dough need it?? I went cold turkey, leaving the last few frozen loaves to languish in prime freezer real estate and went back to baking.

And the loaves were good.

What had changed? Only my determination to bake from scratch! Here we are two years after surrendering to fresh bread-less America, I have triumphed! I've even branched out to a new favorite recipe, the Oatmeal bread from the cookbook More with Less. It's delicious and I've even been brave enough to tinker with it successfully, increasing the ratio of white to whole wheat.

Why does a recipe flop? Sometimes for the same reason a recipe works, regardless of our best (or worst) efforts!

I just finished reading this article over at The Kitchn:

Unexpected Results: 5 Reasons Why A Recipe Might Fail | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

I can definitely think of many mismeasured, half doubled, forgotten burnt, substitution errors, missing ingredients, and faulty equipment errors in all my years of cooking. But something I can't figure out is my homemade bread.

As long as I've been married I've been baking bread. When we lived over seas and I had to content with foreign ingredients, measurements and equipment in a rented apartment, I found a recipe that worked and stuck to it. Bubbie Irma's challah recipe came out wonderful every time. Occasionally I'd by from the delicious, cheap bakery in the local market, but more often I'd bake.

We had three and a half years of wedded, doughy bliss. Then we moved back to America. We lived with my parents while hubsters did the job hunt and I got to make use of my mother's superior kitchen and American grocery stores to show off my culinary prowess. Except not. Each batch was a flop. Didn't rise, didn't taste good, didn't cook through, or burnt. I gave up and switched back to store bought, blaming the water, the inferiority of American ingredients, whatever. Rhodes Dough was cheap, tasty, and easy, It tasted good even if it didn't rise.

I tried again when we moved to the East coast with similar results. Back to the Rhodes frozen Dough. Then we learned about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and made a point to cut it out wherever we could. I spoke about both the ease of Rhodes dough and our healthy diet to anyone with a modicum of interest until one day a friend sheepishly told me that Rhodes dough had HFCS in it! I was flabbergasted, why the heck would frozen dough need it?? I went cold turkey, leaving the last few frozen loaves to languish in prime freezer real estate and went back to baking.

And the loaves were good.

What had changed? Only my determination to bake from scratch! Here we are two years after surrendering to fresh bread-less America, I have triumphed! I've even branched out to a new favorite recipe, the Oatmeal bread from the cookbook More with Less. It's delicious and I've even been brave enough to tinker with it successfully, increasing the ratio of white to whole wheat.

Why does a recipe flop? Sometimes for the same reason a recipe works, regardless of our best (or worst) efforts!

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Mad for Matbucha: A dip recipe

Other possible titles included: I dip, you dip, we dip.

Also called Turkish salad, Moroccan salsa (I made that one up), or tomato chutney, this stewed dish is great for topping fish, bread, pita, and spoons. Yum! It's also a great way to use up wilty, pathetic looking tomatoes and peppers!

As with all my cooking, I started by searching Google "matbucha recipe," looked at a few for ideas, then winged it (wung it?). I have tried to estimate measurements where possible, but live dangerously and ignore them!

MATBUCHA

dash of oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 red pepper diced

1/4 cup Sofrito

1 cup tomato sauce, optional (I used Trader Joes Marinara)

Heat oil in a non-copper pot. Sauté onions until soft, add garlic. When both are translucent add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally until tomatoes burst from skins, probably close to 30mins. Serve warm or cold.

I now double the recipe because it's so delicious it disappears!

Other possible titles included: I dip, you dip, we dip.

Also called Turkish salad, Moroccan salsa (I made that one up), or tomato chutney, this stewed dish is great for topping fish, bread, pita, and spoons. Yum! It's also a great way to use up wilty, pathetic looking tomatoes and peppers!

As with all my cooking, I started by searching Google "matbucha recipe," looked at a few for ideas, then winged it (wung it?). I have tried to estimate measurements where possible, but live dangerously and ignore them!

MATBUCHA

dash of oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 red pepper diced

1/4 cup Sofrito

1 cup tomato sauce, optional (I used Trader Joes Marinara)

Heat oil in a non-copper pot. Sauté onions until soft, add garlic. When both are translucent add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally until tomatoes burst from skins, probably close to 30mins. Serve warm or cold.

I now double the recipe because it's so delicious it disappears!

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What are basic skills needed in the kitchen?

I read and interesting article over at theKitchn.com by Emma Christensen about what basic skills all cooks should have, with Anthony Bourdain's POV from his book Medium Raw. Personally I can do all of the tasks with varying degrees of success, apart from cleaning a fish, something I've never learned to do. Here's his list (from theKitchn.com) :

• Chopping an onion
• Making an omelet
• Roasting a chicken
• The correct way to grill and rest a steak
• Cooking vegetables to desired doneness
• Making a vinaigrette
• Shop for fresh produce
• Buying a fish, cleaning it, and making it
• Roasting meat
• Roasting and mashing potatoes
• Braising meats and vegetables
• What to do with bones (a.k.a. How to make stock)

Emma adds baking cookies, bread, and a birthday cake, which I heartily agree should be basic. It's quite often I hear people claim the can cook but not bake. Some things are just basic skills, just like English Majors need some small proficiency in math to graduate. Other commentators mentioned adjusting the list for regional and dietary needs. This made me think more about what the basic skills I use day to day as a mother in a kosher kitchen. Living in Israel taught me some things I hadn't done in America, and I know my "basics" are more complicated for it. I'd add:

• make homemade pasta sauce
• eyeball portion size before and after cooking
• Read a recipe
• keep laws of Kashrus (Jewish dietary laws)
• cook in a crockpot
• make at least one vegetarian main dish
• make a balanced, nutritious menu
• fry an egg, over easy
• cook dried grains or beans (from the comments at theKitchn.com)
• use common cooking & spice substitutions

My grandmother would lament my inability to cut a whole chicken up, something considered basic in her day, while my mother-in-law is appalled that I can't make a good cuppa (tea that is) or kasher my own meat by salting.

On the other side, I've met people who subsist on instant food of all types and was recently in line at Target between two different families with carts piled high with microwave dinners.

What cooking skills do you think are necessary in general, or for your lifestyle?

I read and interesting article over at theKitchn.com by Emma Christensen about what basic skills all cooks should have, with Anthony Bourdain's POV from his book Medium Raw. Personally I can do all of the tasks with varying degrees of success, apart from cleaning a fish, something I've never learned to do. Here's his list (from theKitchn.com) :

• Chopping an onion
• Making an omelet
• Roasting a chicken
• The correct way to grill and rest a steak
• Cooking vegetables to desired doneness
• Making a vinaigrette
• Shop for fresh produce
• Buying a fish, cleaning it, and making it
• Roasting meat
• Roasting and mashing potatoes
• Braising meats and vegetables
• What to do with bones (a.k.a. How to make stock)

Emma adds baking cookies, bread, and a birthday cake, which I heartily agree should be basic. It's quite often I hear people claim the can cook but not bake. Some things are just basic skills, just like English Majors need some small proficiency in math to graduate. Other commentators mentioned adjusting the list for regional and dietary needs. This made me think more about what the basic skills I use day to day as a mother in a kosher kitchen. Living in Israel taught me some things I hadn't done in America, and I know my "basics" are more complicated for it. I'd add:

• make homemade pasta sauce
• eyeball portion size before and after cooking
• Read a recipe
• keep laws of Kashrus (Jewish dietary laws)
• cook in a crockpot
• make at least one vegetarian main dish
• make a balanced, nutritious menu
• fry an egg, over easy
• cook dried grains or beans (from the comments at theKitchn.com)
• use common cooking & spice substitutions

My grandmother would lament my inability to cut a whole chicken up, something considered basic in her day, while my mother-in-law is appalled that I can't make a good cuppa (tea that is) or kasher my own meat by salting.

On the other side, I've met people who subsist on instant food of all types and was recently in line at Target between two different families with carts piled high with microwave dinners.

What cooking skills do you think are necessary in general, or for your lifestyle?

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