I was in the mood for some muffins this past Saturday morning and as I was pulling out all my stuff, remembered that since moving, I only have access to a little 6-muffin tin! I didn't want to run out to the store to buy a bigger one and I definitely didn't want to hang out in front of my oven all morning swapping out batches of muffins. What to do???
At just the right moment, I remembered an email my sister sent me about 6 months ago about a blog entry that a friend of hers posted, detailing how she and her family make muffin batter, freeze the batter in muffin cups and then pop out just as many as they need to bake on any given morning. I hunted down the email and gave it a try.
I whipped up a batch of the Buttermilk Spice Muffins and added in some shredded zucchini and pecans. I baked 6 muffins in the tin and when they had come out and the tin had cooled, filled up another 6 muffin cups with a paper liner and batter and then froze them. It did take a few swaps, but the batter only took about a 1/2 hour to get firm in my freezer so it still went fairly quickly. (And as it is still summer, it is much more pleasant to hang out in front of the freezer as opposed to the oven!)
I tried out a couple of the frozen muffins on Sunday morning and it worked beautifully!! Interestingly enough, the muffins that has been cooked from frozen batter had a much better consistency. The usual sink-hole that I get in the middle with gluten-free muffins wasn't there. A little weird, but I am not complaining!
Most of you probably have access to a regular size muffin tin, BUT, if you are single and like me, don't need to be left alone during the week with a whole batch of muffins to tempt you or if you like the idea of having warm, fresh muffins every morning with your coffee (or most mornings or just on snowy mornings or whatever your little heart desires...), here's the scoop:
- Make a batch of your favorite muffin mix.
- If you have the silicon muffin "tins" you can fill them right up with batter and then pop them out later. Otherwise, use the paper liners or some plastic wrap. Fill the muffin cups 1/2 way with batter and freeze for at least 30 minutes or until the batter is frozen.
- Put your little frozen muffin batter discs into a freezer ziplock bag and label with type and cooking instructions.
- When you are ready, pull out only as many as you want to cook. Fill any unused muffins cups in the tin about 1/2 way with water.
- Add an extra 5 minutes of cooking time and voila!! Warm, fresh muffins ready with your coffee!
Just so you know, this makes me really happy!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Vermont Maple Peach Pie
Both my mom and I love to cook. As my adult years have progressed and she and I have shared more recipes, we joke about certain recipes just being better when the other one makes it. This falls mostly on her side. I have multiple recipes that just are never as good when I make them as hers are when she makes the same dish. Do you think that is a psychological phenomenon? Is "mom's cooking" just always going to be the best?
I guess that might be another discussion... Despite the true excellence of my mom's cooking, we have two recipes that somehow turn out better when I make them. One of them is this recipe. My mom complains that her Vermont Maple Peach Pie always turns out runny. For some reason, mine thicken beautifully and it just might be my favorite summer fruit pie. I made one for Jeff and I last weekend over Labor Day, sent 2/3 of it home with him, and then regretted it terribly the next day when I wanted more! If he didn't live on the WAY other side of town, I might have snuck over and taken some of it back.
As we speak, I have 6 lovely peaches sitting in my kitchen tempting me to make one more and keep at least 1/2 of it for myself... We'll see if the peaches or my own tenuous sense of self-control wins out...
But since most of you probably don't fall into a category of "wow-I-ate-way-too-much-dessert-in-the-last-two-weeks", I highly recommend you run out to the store or farmer's market, grab some of the last peaches of the season and try this one out. Consider it a celebration of summertime as the season starts to drift away...
Vermont Maple Peach Pie
Crust:
(Make 2 of the recipe below. Add 1/3 of one of them to the other. Use the larger recipe for the bottom crust. Roll out the small one and use it for the top crust)
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp sugar
¾ tsp salt
½ cup oil
2 Tbs milk
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in pie pan. In separate container, mix oil and milk. Add to flour mixture in pie pan; pat around sides and then bottom of pie pan.
*This is the Dieter-family standard pie crust. Feel free to use your own favorite crust recipe in place of this one.
Peach Filling:
6 large peaches (approx. 2-3/4 lbs)
¼ cup real maple syrup
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs cornstarch or tapioca starch (tapioca starch/flour is my preference as a thickening agent)
*Mix these together and add peaches – let sit 5 minutes and mix again
2 Tbs butter, cut into ½” pieces
1 tsp cinnamon & 1Tbsp sugar (mixed)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut unpeeled peaches into ½’ slices. Toss in a large bowl with the maple syrup, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cornstarch/tapioca starch.
- Pour filling into the crust, scraping in the juices and any undissolved sugar. If using, distribute the butter pieces evenly over the filling.
- Invert top crust onto top of filling. Brush the pastry with softened butter and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Poke in several places with a fork/knife to let steam release.
- Bake in the lower third of the over for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from over and let cool for 1 hour.
Above is the formal recipe. I don't usually add the butter to the pie filling. In general, I am a firm believer that butter makes almost anything better, but in this instance, if you want to lean toward being a little more health-conscious, feel free to leave it out. The pie is wonderful without it.
I also don't usually brush the top crust with butter or do the cinnamon sugar. I feel like the pie is sweet enough on its own. But it does make it look a little prettier so feel free if you want it!
Enjoy :)
I guess that might be another discussion... Despite the true excellence of my mom's cooking, we have two recipes that somehow turn out better when I make them. One of them is this recipe. My mom complains that her Vermont Maple Peach Pie always turns out runny. For some reason, mine thicken beautifully and it just might be my favorite summer fruit pie. I made one for Jeff and I last weekend over Labor Day, sent 2/3 of it home with him, and then regretted it terribly the next day when I wanted more! If he didn't live on the WAY other side of town, I might have snuck over and taken some of it back.
As we speak, I have 6 lovely peaches sitting in my kitchen tempting me to make one more and keep at least 1/2 of it for myself... We'll see if the peaches or my own tenuous sense of self-control wins out...
But since most of you probably don't fall into a category of "wow-I-ate-way-too-much-dessert-in-the-last-two-weeks", I highly recommend you run out to the store or farmer's market, grab some of the last peaches of the season and try this one out. Consider it a celebration of summertime as the season starts to drift away...
Vermont Maple Peach Pie
Crust:
(Make 2 of the recipe below. Add 1/3 of one of them to the other. Use the larger recipe for the bottom crust. Roll out the small one and use it for the top crust)
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp sugar
¾ tsp salt
½ cup oil
2 Tbs milk
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in pie pan. In separate container, mix oil and milk. Add to flour mixture in pie pan; pat around sides and then bottom of pie pan.
*This is the Dieter-family standard pie crust. Feel free to use your own favorite crust recipe in place of this one.
Peach Filling:
6 large peaches (approx. 2-3/4 lbs)
¼ cup real maple syrup
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs cornstarch or tapioca starch (tapioca starch/flour is my preference as a thickening agent)
*Mix these together and add peaches – let sit 5 minutes and mix again
2 Tbs butter, cut into ½” pieces
1 tsp cinnamon & 1Tbsp sugar (mixed)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut unpeeled peaches into ½’ slices. Toss in a large bowl with the maple syrup, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cornstarch/tapioca starch.
- Pour filling into the crust, scraping in the juices and any undissolved sugar. If using, distribute the butter pieces evenly over the filling.
- Invert top crust onto top of filling. Brush the pastry with softened butter and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Poke in several places with a fork/knife to let steam release.
- Bake in the lower third of the over for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from over and let cool for 1 hour.
Above is the formal recipe. I don't usually add the butter to the pie filling. In general, I am a firm believer that butter makes almost anything better, but in this instance, if you want to lean toward being a little more health-conscious, feel free to leave it out. The pie is wonderful without it.
I also don't usually brush the top crust with butter or do the cinnamon sugar. I feel like the pie is sweet enough on its own. But it does make it look a little prettier so feel free if you want it!
Enjoy :)
Saturday, September 4, 2010
August 30, 2010
Well... This entry will have nothing to do with food. But since most of the people that read this are my good friends, I have decided to share anyway. Just a little over a month ago, I turned 29 years old. I already have a nostalgic, introspective bent, but it kicked into high gear as I began this last year of my 20's. Almost none of the past decade has included the things that I always expected out of my 20's. I am sort of in awe of people who plan out their lives and then actually find themselves living in those plans. Perhaps their goal-setting is better than mine has been. Or perhaps the Lord has just had a different plan for my life than what I expected. Either way, my 20's have been full of surprises and unexpected turns!
If I am honest, I have often not received those surprises graciously and have struggled at times with disappointment and discontent and fear of the future. That said, as I turned 29 and essentially began my 30th year of life, some clarity has come and I am newly aware of the fact that my life is wonderful. I am so much happier being "Jenny" than I was 10 years ago at nineteen. It sounds a bit trite, but I have SO much to be thankful for and so many sources of joy.
In light of all these reflections, I have decided to declare "29" a "birthday year." I am a firm believer in "birthday week" (ie: why limit the celebration to just one day?) and occasionally "birthday month" (ie: I had a belated birthday breakfast with a friend just this morning, 9/4). But I decided that I want to end my 20's being intentional about cultivating gratefulness and celebrating what is good in life.
To help me do that, I will be holding a small and mostly like private celebration of something good in my life every month on the 30th up until my 30th birthday. I will most likely not write about all of them here, but I do want to write about my first one because it was just so lovely!
August 30th was this past Monday and I happen to have Mondays off of work. For the last several years, since my first hike up Stanley canyon to the lake, I have wanted to hike up there on a weekday, when no one is around and go swimming. I have a weird attraction to water that I can't explain. But few things make me feel happier or more peaceful. Usually Stanley reservoir is full of fishermen and I can just imagine the dirty looks I would get if I was romping around in the water and scaring away all their fish! So Monday, I hiked up the canyon with my swimsuit and a towel and a book and it worked out perfectly!! There were people hiking down when I was going up. And there were people hiking up as I was walking down. But for about an hour and a half while I was at the lake, there wasn't a soul in sight!! I swam around the lake and then laid myself out on a rock and baked like a lizard. Surrounded by pine trees and blue sky, alone at a lovely little mountain lake, it was not difficult to call up gratitude and joy over the fact that the Lord has planted me in a place that is full of so much beauty. I can remember being very young, living in Southern California with all its smog and traffic and congestion and longing for open and pretty places. Living in just such a place now is a precious gift from a God who saw that part of my heart all those years ago and didn't scorn the desire as trivial, but answered it. I love that about Him!
Thats all... I just returned from the store with ingredients for a Vermont Maple Peach Pie, which is one of my very favorites and seemed like an appropriate way to usher out the summer. The recipe will be making an appearance here soon!
If I am honest, I have often not received those surprises graciously and have struggled at times with disappointment and discontent and fear of the future. That said, as I turned 29 and essentially began my 30th year of life, some clarity has come and I am newly aware of the fact that my life is wonderful. I am so much happier being "Jenny" than I was 10 years ago at nineteen. It sounds a bit trite, but I have SO much to be thankful for and so many sources of joy.
In light of all these reflections, I have decided to declare "29" a "birthday year." I am a firm believer in "birthday week" (ie: why limit the celebration to just one day?) and occasionally "birthday month" (ie: I had a belated birthday breakfast with a friend just this morning, 9/4). But I decided that I want to end my 20's being intentional about cultivating gratefulness and celebrating what is good in life.
To help me do that, I will be holding a small and mostly like private celebration of something good in my life every month on the 30th up until my 30th birthday. I will most likely not write about all of them here, but I do want to write about my first one because it was just so lovely!
August 30th was this past Monday and I happen to have Mondays off of work. For the last several years, since my first hike up Stanley canyon to the lake, I have wanted to hike up there on a weekday, when no one is around and go swimming. I have a weird attraction to water that I can't explain. But few things make me feel happier or more peaceful. Usually Stanley reservoir is full of fishermen and I can just imagine the dirty looks I would get if I was romping around in the water and scaring away all their fish! So Monday, I hiked up the canyon with my swimsuit and a towel and a book and it worked out perfectly!! There were people hiking down when I was going up. And there were people hiking up as I was walking down. But for about an hour and a half while I was at the lake, there wasn't a soul in sight!! I swam around the lake and then laid myself out on a rock and baked like a lizard. Surrounded by pine trees and blue sky, alone at a lovely little mountain lake, it was not difficult to call up gratitude and joy over the fact that the Lord has planted me in a place that is full of so much beauty. I can remember being very young, living in Southern California with all its smog and traffic and congestion and longing for open and pretty places. Living in just such a place now is a precious gift from a God who saw that part of my heart all those years ago and didn't scorn the desire as trivial, but answered it. I love that about Him!
Thats all... I just returned from the store with ingredients for a Vermont Maple Peach Pie, which is one of my very favorites and seemed like an appropriate way to usher out the summer. The recipe will be making an appearance here soon!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Playing with my food...
I have vivid memories of being somewhere around 5 years old and having irresistible urges to do strange things to my PB&J sandwiches. I would take off the crust and pinch down all the edges to make a little pouch. Or I would squeeze the middle and make different shapes. Once I clamped my fist around the whole thing so the sandwhich actually squeezed out through my fingers! To all of my this, my poor exasperated mother would protest, "Stop playing with your food!!!" I never understood this. I had every intention of eating the mutilated sandwich when I was done and just couldn't understand why I was not allowed to play a little bit first...
Fast forward 25 years. I no longer feel the need to mutilate my sandwiches, but I still REALLY like to play with my food. Except now it just takes on a different form.
Today I got home from work at 6pm, starving and not feeling super enthusiastic about any of my dinner options. I knew I had a raw chicken breast in the fridge that needed to be eaten and I also had a basket of lettuce, beans and herbs from the garden. After a little thought, I decided to try taking some of the flavors from that Brie Cheese appetizer I made last weekend. Here's the result:
I cut the chicken breast in 1/2, lengthwise so that I had two thin cutlets. I dredged them in a tiny bit of flour and then cooked them on a high heat in some olive oil until they were brown and crisp on the outside and just slightly under-done on the inside (sprinkled on a little salt and fresh, ground garlic pepper too). I transferred them to a plate and made a little foil tent so they could hang out and finish cooking the rest of the way.
Back in the hot pan, I added about a teaspoon of butter, a few splashes of white cooking wine, roughly a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh, chopped rosemary and about 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. At the last minute, I added tiny bit of minced garlic too (because isn't anything better with garlic?). The pan was still pretty hot so I just swirled this all around for about a minute and then turned off the heat. I drizzled a tiny bit of honey over the top and let it sit there for a few minutes while I microwave-steamed my garden green beans. Then the glazed nuts went on top of my chicken breast and voila!! It was really yummy! I had no idea if the wine and the honey would work together or if the wine and walnuts would work or if the honey and garlic would be weird. But the whole thing worked beautifully!
I think I should ignore my recipe book and just "play" with my food more often!
Fast forward 25 years. I no longer feel the need to mutilate my sandwiches, but I still REALLY like to play with my food. Except now it just takes on a different form.
Today I got home from work at 6pm, starving and not feeling super enthusiastic about any of my dinner options. I knew I had a raw chicken breast in the fridge that needed to be eaten and I also had a basket of lettuce, beans and herbs from the garden. After a little thought, I decided to try taking some of the flavors from that Brie Cheese appetizer I made last weekend. Here's the result:
I cut the chicken breast in 1/2, lengthwise so that I had two thin cutlets. I dredged them in a tiny bit of flour and then cooked them on a high heat in some olive oil until they were brown and crisp on the outside and just slightly under-done on the inside (sprinkled on a little salt and fresh, ground garlic pepper too). I transferred them to a plate and made a little foil tent so they could hang out and finish cooking the rest of the way.
Back in the hot pan, I added about a teaspoon of butter, a few splashes of white cooking wine, roughly a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh, chopped rosemary and about 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. At the last minute, I added tiny bit of minced garlic too (because isn't anything better with garlic?). The pan was still pretty hot so I just swirled this all around for about a minute and then turned off the heat. I drizzled a tiny bit of honey over the top and let it sit there for a few minutes while I microwave-steamed my garden green beans. Then the glazed nuts went on top of my chicken breast and voila!! It was really yummy! I had no idea if the wine and the honey would work together or if the wine and walnuts would work or if the honey and garlic would be weird. But the whole thing worked beautifully!
I think I should ignore my recipe book and just "play" with my food more often!
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