Cinnamon Crunch Raspberry Muffins

We had a visit from good friends yesterday. What a treat.

Clara and I thought it would be fun to make some pretty, raspberry studded, strusel topped muffins.

After a lot of Twister playing, tree climbing, dress up and chatter we all ate the muffins.

The kids loved them and because the recipe makes a lot, we all ate several.

Cinnamon Crunch Raspberry Muffins

(dairygoodness.ca)

Yield: 24 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used spelt flour)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter (I used olive oil)

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups fresh raspberries

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup rolled oats or spelt flakes

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice or orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 °Butter 12 nonstick muffin pans or line with paper liners.

In a bowl, combine sugar, oats, cinnamon and lemon juice; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all-purpose and whole wheat flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together sugar, egg, milk, butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Pour over dry ingredients and sprinkle with raspberries; stir just until moistened.

Spoon into prepared muffin pan, smoothing tops; sprinkle evenly with topping. Bake for 20-25 min or until tops are firm to the touch. Let cool in pan for 10 min. Transfer to rack to cool completely.

An Old Standby and A New Favourite

No Knead Dutch Oven Bread, that so many people rave about, deserves all the accolades.

It comes together with little effort and has wonderful texture and taste.

We have been eating it for breakfast toasted and buttered with scrambled eggs.

Toady I cut a slice to go with my favourite lunch of chickpea-lemon salad.

You'll need to plan ahead with this bread, it isn't instant but its very low-effort...

fun, even!...

Alicia, from the posy gets cozy blog, adds cinnamon and raisins to the dough. (I'm trying that next time.)

No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

(motherearthnews.com)

1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.

1 1/2 tsp salt

Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

P.S--Wasn't yesterday wonderful.

We spent a lot of time at the park, opened all the widows and savoured the warmth.

Olive Oil and Maple Granola

Today the kids were having grilled cheese on rye with grapes and vegetables.

I decided to top some amazing maple-walnut granola, made from this great recipe, with vanilla yogurt and chopped banana.

My usual granola has been made and loved and made and loved dozens of times.

I needed a little change.

This one is very similar to my standby but it has a few things that set it apart.

It is very crisp and bright in flavour.

I hate, break-your-teeth-hard granola...who wants that, seriously?

This is more of a potato chip crunchy. I love that...(no dental stress.)

Aside from it's great texture, it also tastes so good with all that maple in there.

Oh how I love maple...but that's another story.

Olive Oil and Maple Granola

(food52.com)

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled

1 cup raw sunflower seeds, hulled

1 cup unsweetened coconut chips

1 1/4 cup raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped (I used walnuts)

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

Coarse salt

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, syrup, olive oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined.

Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45 minutes.

Remove granola from oven and season with more salt to taste. Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Salsa-Lime Chicken and Rice

Before I tell you about this delicious chicken, I want to tell about this bizarre picture.

A few years ago, Jimmy and I went on a road trip to Savannah, Georgia.

We headed south along the East coast, camped on the Outerbanks, ate some great seafood and met some fascinating people.

On the way home, we collided with this place.

Being at South of the Boarder is a little like being in the twilight zone.

We were pretty sure we wouldn't make it out of there alive.

So we grabbed a sketchy chili dog, took a few creepy pictures and ran for our lives.

Anyway, somehow this chicken and rice dish reminded us of that experience.

This is such an easy one pot meal.

You could easily serve this to company along with some corn bread and a salad.

It would also transport well if you wanted to take it to a potluck dinner or an unwell friend.

I really love this combination of spicy tomato and sweet corn.

The spice level totally depends on the salsa you choose.

For all my clever friends that make salsa...oh, would this be a good application for some of that.

When you serve it up, top the rice with a few squeezes of lime and maybe some sour cream and grated cheddar.

Salsa Lime Chicken and Rice

(adapted from: Everyday Food magazine, Dec 2010)

3lb bone in chicken thighs (skin on if you choose, I removed it)
coarse salt and fresh pepper

2 tsp chicken seasoning (optional)

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green pepper, diced medium

1 lime zested and juiced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 C basmati or long grain white rice

3 cups frozen corn

1 cup salsa

2 1/2 C chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350*.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper or chicken seasoning.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot, heat oil over high heat.

Cook chicken, skin (flesh) side down until golden, about 6 mins. Flip chicken and cook bone side until browned, 6 mins. Transfer to a large plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic and bell pepper to pot.

Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits until onion is translucent, 4 mins.

Stir in lime zest and juice, oregano and rice, cook 1 minute.

Add corn, salsa, and broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange chicken on top of the rice. Bring to a boil, cover pot and place in oven.

Bake until liquid is absorbed and chicken is cooked through.

About 25 mins.

Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Top with sour cream, lime wedges and cheddar.

Apricot-Rye Crumble Bars

I love the cookbook Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce.

The cornflour crust tarts in this book, that I like to call summertime peach tarts, are some of my favourite things to eat.

This book really taught me how to bake with and appreicate the flavour of lots of different types of flours.

You are seriously limiting the flavour in your baking if you are only using all purpose white or whole wheat.

That said, we are going crazy over these bars.

We all love apricots but what really makes these special is the rich, buttery shortbread crust.

Now I'm sure you could use any flour in these but I would highly recommend making them exactly how Kim suggests.

Use rye flour.

My kids loved these.

You are going to want eat these for breakfast, snack and dessert.

Apricot Rye Crumble Bars

(Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours by Kim Boyce)

For the crust:

1/2 cup rye flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the crumble topping:

1 cup oats

3 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp rye flour or other whole-grain flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

3 oz (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling

1 1/2 cups apricot jam

Preheat oven to 275*. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

To make the crust, whisk together the flours, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and vanilla and stir until thoroughly combined. Using your hands, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the buttered pan. Put the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes while you make the topping.

Add all of the crumble ingredients except the melted butter to a bowl and mix. Add the melted butter and stir with your hands, squeezing the dough as you mix to create small crumbly bits. Set aside.

Bake the frozen crust until golden and firm when touched, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 350 degrees.

Spread the jam, fruit butter, or compote of your choice over the crust and top with the crumble, evenly sprinkling it over the surface. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through for even baking.

When the pan is cool enough to handle but still warm, run a sharp knife around the edge of the crumble bars to loosen any fruit that may have stuck to the pan while baking and remove the ring. Once cool, cut into wedges.

Peanut Butter Molasses Spice Cookies

There are few things cuter than a fat baby hand holding a cookie.

This little hand keeps sneaking cookies while I'm not looking.

I can't blame him.

These cookies are soft and molasses-y, they have peanut butter, they're a little spicy...

...and they're the perfect afternoon treat to accompany tea or a good book.

Peanut Butter Molasses Spice Cookies

(Eat Shrink and Be Merry)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice and salt

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon molasses

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Set oven to 350*.

Sift together flours, soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt.

Beat together sugar, peanut butter, butter, molasses, egg and vanilla.

Stir wet ingredients into dry with a wooden spoon. Mixture will be very thick.

Place 1 1/2 inch rolled balls onto a lined cookie sheet. Press down lightly with a fork.

Bake 7-8 mins.

Ducky

Rainy winter days always call for a lot of creativity.

Today we are making these footprint ducks.

The kids loved having their feet painted.

I love having something to remember how small their feet are, right now.