Strawberry Muffins

So April was a really busy month for us here.

We had a 5K run that both the girls did...

We had BMX races...

Friends that we visited...

We went fishing...

And finally we went strawberry picking and that's what this post is about!  Strawberries...

And we picked a lot of strawberries.  I made cake (post to come on that one), strawberry puree for ice cream and finally I made strawberry muffins.

I made strawberry muffins many, many times.  You know why?  The recipe that I found was awesome.  Simple, no mixer and all ingredients that you have on hand...

Strawberry Muffins (Taste of Home)

preheat oven to 375°

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt (I used papaya flavored yogurt because that's what I had on hand and it was delicious so use what you have...)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the first four ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in strawberries.
• Fill muffin cups coated with cooking spray or lined with paper liners two-thirds full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

These were good.  I mean really, really good.  So good that I made them for a friends birthday and I frosted them with cream cheese frosting.  Everyone liked them...

Strawberry Lemon Quick Bread

I’ve said it before a million times that I am so blessed to live in Florida in the winter time…summer time not so much, and this year doubly so.  With our mild temperatures all of our food crops did amazingly well.  I found that I had an abundance of things that I love.  Two of them being lemons and strawberries.
This year the strawberry and lemon crops have been so plentiful that I had so many lemons and strawberries that I just had no way of getting them used up unless I made something with them.  I searched high and low for a recipe for that used both strawberries and lemons. Weird huh?  Not many out there.  So I adapted a strawberry bread recipe from Union Street Eats and it turned out perfect!

Strawberry and Lemon Quick Bread (adapted from Union Street Eats)
Preheat oven to 375F

Grease and flour a 9X5 inch bread pan

Ingredients:
2 Cups fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
zest of one lemon
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 Cup vegetable oil
1/4 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Place chopped strawberries in a large strainer or colander and sprinkle with a couple of Tbsp of sugar.  Let sit for about 15 minutes
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, lemon zest, both sugars, cinnamon, baking soda and salt
• In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, vanilla, oil and lemon juice.
• Stir in the strawberries.
• Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Do not over-mix.
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan.

**This is a moist and delicious bread.  It was gone in no time and I’m looking for another sale on strawberries to make it again!
I also want to give a quick shout out to the folks at The Food Channel.  They featured my blog in “Thing We Love”  So honored…Head on over and check them out.  They have some great stuff on their site (besides me!! LOL)

Finally my computer is back to normal and “healthy” banana bread!

I have had some major issues going on with my computer and the bank for the past week.  My computer was attacked by a virus and then my bank account was compromised so they cancelled my access…been a fun week trying to get everything back to normal but at least my computer is up and working!!! 

Most of you know that I have been trying to eat healthier and lose some pounds that have been steadily creeping up. Well, I am proud to say that I am now down almost 20 lbs from what I was at the beginning of the year!!!  Feeling much better and liking the way that my body feels and looks!  One of the things I have been doing is not baking so much but when I do to substitute some of the fat for apple sauce, bananas or pumpkin puree.  So the other day when I had some oldish bananas I set to work…

Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 medium sized bananas)
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour (next time I will try 1/2 of it whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks (I used semi-sweet but you can use what you like)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F

• In a mixing bowl mix the apple sauce and sugar.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each one.
• Add the banana and the milk.
• In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt and add to the wet mixture until just blended.
• Using a spoon mix in the strawberries and chocolate chips
• Pour into a greased 9X5X3 inch loaf pan and bake in your preheated 350 degree over for about 1 hr and 10 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
• cool for 10 minutes in pan then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.

***Based on 16 slices from the loaf of quick bread this is 3 WW Points

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Have you noticed that pretty much the only things I do right now are things that are quick and easy?  Sad but true.  I am busy…

I went searching yesterday for a quick and easy recipe to make some pumpkin muffins.  I wanted something that used no appliances and I could whip out in a matter of minutes with minimal mess.  These were perfect and fit my criteria flawlessly!

See the crunchy cinnamon/sugar coating on top?  It absolutely made these muffins!!!

Pumpkin Muffins (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups White Whole Wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Makes 12 muffins

Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, and brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth.  In another bowl whish together the flour, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until until just combined.  Be careful to not over mix .

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

So it’s been a while.  I can give you a million reasons why I haven’t posted since last month but I won’t.  Hopefully this is the end of the dry spell.

I had 4 small bananas that were past the eating date according to everyone in my family.  I knew I needed to make something with them but couldn’t decide on anything.  I was going to make a banana cake with cream cheese frosting but getting out the mixer seemed like a lot of work while I was trying to do laundry and clean.  Banana bread rarely gets finished here for some reason.  Everyone starts gung ho on it and then I end up throwing out the last 3 slices.  I was going to make banana snicker doodles but once again sounded like too much work.

Finally I came across a recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins from the Epicurious  website.  I love this site because of the honest reviews that people leave on the recipes.  How can you go wrong when 275 people have left comments for you!!!

These muffins were delicious.  Light and fluffy, full of bananas and chocolate chips.  Definitely yummy my taste testers just confirmed! 

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins (Epicurious.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners.
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl.
• Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in medium bowl.
• Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix).
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
• Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 32 minutes.
• Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

Banana Bread with Brown Butter and Caramel

This is the third recipe I have written using the caramel sauce from the DB Caramel Cake. If you love the flavor of caramel you simply have to make some to have on hand at all times. It’s easy enough to make and then any time that you want to add a wonderful caramel flavor to anything you have some in your fridge already!

CARAMEL SYRUP (Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater)

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)
In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.
When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.
Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}
Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Alright now that you have the caramel sauce at your disposal you HAVE GOT TO MAKE THIS BANANA BREAD!!!!!!

I had some bananas on hand that were definitely passed the comfortable eating stage but were not to the trash stage…yet. So I asked the girls what they wanted. Banana bread, banana cake, banana cookies etc…

They decided on banana bread so banana bread it was. Only this time I still had that caramel sauce in my head. And during the week Elle from Elle’s New England Kitchen had posted a recipe for Browned Butter Blueberry Maple Muffins. While her muffins looked great the browned butter thing was what stuck in my mind.

And that folks was the inspiration behind this wonderful banana bread!!!

Banana Bread (all recipes.com)

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp caramel sauce (see above)
2-1/3 cup bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 pecans, chopped

1. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Melt the butter in a small pan, letting it boil until it starts to brown and smell nutty. Don’t let it burn. Stop it when it gets a deep brown color.There will be sediment at the bottom of the pan, so pour the butter through a wire mesh strainer and set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the browned butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas vanilla, and pecans until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

This bread was delicious and I will be making this again and again!!! I cut it as soon as it was cooled and it tasted great but the real flavor came through the next day!!!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Pumpkin Bread with Dried Cranberries

Not sure if all of you know this but we are out of town all this week. We did a marathon “Road Trip” and drove from Southwest Florida straight through to the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania. My Father-in-Law’s cancer has returned and he has been going through a rough time with the treatment and all so we decided that this Spring Break would be best spent hanging out with the family in PA.

Dakota making snow angels for us! LOL!

So far this has been a great trip. We have been able to lend a hand, a bit of moral support, and help feed the masses! Seems there is always an extra mouth for dinner. How fun is that?

Today I made chili for dinner but also wanted to make sure there was a snack ready for whoever walked in or came to eat dinner with us. There was a half used can of Pumpkin puree in the fridge so it was going to be pumpkin bread and based on all of the other ingredients I found this was the best recipe I could come up with. Turned out really good too, definitely a keeper! Loved the dried cranberries in this!

Pumpkin Bread with Dried Cranberries (adapted from About.com)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups pumpkin pureé (15 oz can)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Preparation:

• Combine flour, spice, baking powder, and salt in bowl; stir to blend the dry ingredients well.
• Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a mixing bowl, beating until smooth.
• Stir in flour mixture, then stir in cranberries. Spoon into a greased and floured 9x5x2-inch loaf pan.
• Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

The Royal Foodie Joust for September!

Yummm...Ginger/Orange Quick Bread with an Oatmeal Crumb Topping

After missing out on doing the Royal Foodie Joust for last month I was suffering a huge amount of guilt and no matter what happened I was going to get it done this month. Well life happens and tends to get in the way of things and I didn't get it done as early in the month as I would have liked but I did get it done!!!

The Royal Foodie Joust is a monthly challenge that is hosted by my friend Jenn-The Left-over Queen. Every month the winner from the previous month is allowed to choose the 3 ingredients that must be used in the up coming challenge. Sounds like fun huh?

Last month's winner was Kittie from Kittens in the Kitchen.

Kittie's Picks:

Whole Grains (or at least they have to be whole at the start of the recipe!)
Ginger (in any form)
Citrus (any, in any form!)

As usual for me my days are too short and I have not nearly enough time in them to get everything that I wanted to get done done. My entry this month is a quick bread. And was it ever quick and simple to make!


Ginger/Orange Quick Bread with an Oatmeal Crumb Topping

GINGER/ORANGE BREAD:

1 1/2 Cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp zested orange rind
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 Cup milk
3 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, ginger and orange rind. Set aside. In a medium bowl and with a mixer, cream butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating after each. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, stirring until blended. Stir in the orange juice.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

CRUMB TOPPING:

2 Cups uncooked oatmeal
1/2 Cups brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick of butter, softened

Grind oatmeal in your food processor until finely ground. Add and all other ingredients and pulse until the mixture is a coarse meal.

Sprinkle the crumb topping on the batter and bake at 325 degrees for about 55 to 60 minutes.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack and remove from pan and allow to cool completely before serving.

This turned out delicious and I would love to make it again using fresh ginger and more crumb topping!!! Thanks again Kittie for great ingredient choices!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread!

See the moist pieces of strawberry and the nice dark chocolate all mixed into the banana bread? Pretty yummy let me tell ya!!!

I was feeling a little peckish after cleaning up the house so I went to my fridge and stood there. For some reason (youngest daughter) placed a half eaten banana in there and I also found a tub of sliced up strawberries. That with some chocolate syrup on top was my delicious snack.

While I was eating it though it hit me that those flavors would make a delicious quick bread! We love quick breads here. Me, because they are quick and simple to make and are relatively healthy and the rest of the family because it is CAKE!!!

Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 medium sized bananas)
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour (next time I will try 1/2 of it whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks (I used bittersweet but you can use what you like)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350

• In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each one.
• Add the banana and the milk.
• In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt and add to the creamed mixture until just blended.
• Using a spoon mix in the strawberries and chocolate chips
• Pour into a greased 9X5X3 inch loaf pan and bake in your preheated 350 degree over for about 1 hr and 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
• cool for 10 minutes in pan then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.

The whole family loved this one!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com