While waiting for class to start, I put up a Facebook status asking what I should bake with extremely ripe bananas. I got plenty of responses and most people asked me to bring them whatever I end up baking. Well, I came to the conclusion of making mini muffins. They are great bite sized and there is more result which means breakfast for more mornings. One suggestion was banana nut muffins, which you could say that I did an interpretation of, but I'm not a huge fan of nuts so I decided to make candied almond slivers to put on top.
I also made plain banana muffins because I didn't have very many almonds and I can't let batter go to waste.
Needless to say, these are probably the best banana muffins I've ever made. I don't like to toot my own horn, but sometimes I truly surprise myself about how great I am at baking.
Ingredients
Original recipe makes 12 muffins, or 48 mini muffins
Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love the crisp air, the cute clothes, and of course it's football season! But above all else, fall food is comfort food. My favorite fall meal is my mother's potato soup, it's creamy and delicious and warms my belly.
On Monday, it was cold and rainy and it had been quite a long day, so i decided to put on some sweats and bake for a while. I decided to go with a classic during fall, Pumpkin Bread. I love everything pumpkin; the seeds, jackolanters, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, and the list goes on. My original plan was to try a new recipe and make pumpkin bread in the crockpot, but the bread pan was too big, so I just decided to make it in the oven.
I found a great, easy recipe that made two loaves on one of the blogs I follow called: My Baking Addiction.
Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 4 eggs 1 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup water 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups sugar (I used light brown sugar) 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons pumpkin spice (I used 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp nutmeg)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8.5 x 4 x 2.5 inch loaf pans. 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended. 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined. 4. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour batter into the prepared pans. 5. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
The best way to eat the bread is warm with a little smear of butter!
I have found a new favorite snack: roasted garbanzo beans, commonly known as chick peas. I found a couple recipes Pinterest for some great flavors for this crunchy snack. I have a major sweet tooth (isn't that obvious) so I decided to try the honey cinnamon glaze recipe. NOM
Not only are these golden brown garbanzo beans quite tasty, but they made my apartment smell phenomenal! The other options were sesame soy, garlic parmesan, and smoky spice blend. I'm curious about how the sesame soy recipe is like.
Ingredients
2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or about 4 cups cooked chickpeas from dried beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
seasonings of your choice (see below for suggestions)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare the beans for roasting by draining and rinsing them, then letting them dry on a towel until most of the excess moisture is absorbed. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roast the chickpeas in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until the beans are crunchy throughout (just test one- if they are still mostly soft on the inside and there’s no crunch, keep baking).
Immediately (while beans are still hot), toss with olive oil and seasonings. Serve hot or at room temperature. They are best the first day, but can be kept in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Honey Cinnamon- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 2 tablespoons honey (you can throw these back in the oven for 10-15 minutes to carmelize if you like)
The recipe comes from the site Mindful Parents, Messy Kids
...and I'm not referencing Star Wars. I was baking sugar cookies and looked in my fridge and saw a box of Franzia. Classy, I know, but it made for some amazing cookies. I had some friends over and they deamed the tasty treat "wookies" aka wine cookies.
These cookies might be the best I've every made which is saying a lot. I substituted white wine for vanilla extract which was brilliant. The cookies turned out so fluffy and they melted in my mouth. I've decided I can't really go wrong when I'm baking with alcohol. It's extremely fun and results have always been great!
