November 6, 2010
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
My new favorite thing is food blogs. If someone makes a recipe and cares enough to share it, it must be good. Most of blogs I've been perusing are by busy moms, so I know the food has to be easy, somewhat healthy, and taste good. I've discovered that trolling the internet mindlessly is the perfect way to unwind from a long weekday, so that's how I spent my Thursday night. I was so enthralled with one blog that I read almost the entire thing (over a year worth of posts) in one night. It's really made me realize that I need to start cooking more. I haven't even baked anything from scratch in months..until today.
This is how our week goes. Saturday is recuperation day. Sunday is church, shopping, and depression because Monday is right around the corner. Monday is the longest day ever and sometimes I don't make it to Friday before it's time to go out for dinner. This past week, we went out for sushi on Wednesday (Wednesday was field trip day and those are the longest days of all). Last week, we made it to Friday before it was time to call The Great Alaska Pizza Company for dinner.
But I'm determined to start cooking more. And I do cook. We really don't eat out that much. Maybe once every 10 days? And it's usually because we're invited out or are with other people. (However, we do take advantage of Papa John's being 1/2 a mile away.)
Today, after making lunch from scratch (Guiltless Alfredo Sauce), I decided it was time to use up the can of pumpkin in the cupboard. I made Linda's (Scott's mom) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. Her recipe uses whole-wheat flour, but I use regular because I always forget to buy whole-wheat. I also created my own Cream Cheese Rum Icing to go along with the muffins. It started as a cream cheese icing, but as I was looking for a tupperware container for the icing, I came across the rum. It must have been fate. (Note: The muffins, of course, are fine the way they are. However, I like putting butter or something on muffins, and butter doesn't seem to go well with these. That's why I came up with the icing.)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Dry ingredients: 3 1/3 c. flour 2 T. pumpkin pie spice 2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt
Mix together and set aside
Wet ingredients: 2 eggs 1 can pumpkin 1/2 c. oil 1 1/2 c. sugar
Blend the wet ingredients with a mixer and add the dry ingredients in 3 batches. You can use up to 1/2 c. of milk to thin the batter if necessary. It should be thick when it's all mixed together.
Add 1 c. of mini chocolate chips. Stir and spoon into a muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Cream Cheese Rum Icing
4 oz. cheese cheese (I used light) 2 cups powdered sugar 1 t. vanilla 1 t. rum
As much milk as needed to get the consistency you'd like
Blend all together with mixer. You definitely won't need more than this amount of icing for one recipe of the muffins.
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Hey Kristen,
ReplyDeleteFind a grocery store that does rotisserie chicken and pick one up on the way home from school once a week or so.
After dinner, take the leftover chicken off the bone and store for sandwiches, chicken salad, etc. The next day (or that same night) put the carcass, skin and all, in the big pot, cover with water, add bay leaf, celery, parsley, onion, garlic, and bring to a slow boil, then SIMMER for an hour or two. Don't let it come to a boil or your soup will be cloudy.
Strain and return the broth to the pot adding fresh chopped celery, carrots, whatever you like in your chicken soup. Some of the leftover chicken too. Simmer this until your veggies are soft. Boil some noodles on the side. Make this for the weekend, or on Sunday afternoon for dinner and to fill your thermos for lunch during the week.
You can do this if you're roasting your own chicken too, just don't use stuffing--those bread bits will cloud your stock too. Put some celery and onion inside the bird instead. Discard those and use more to start over. Use the drippings to start your stock too.
Here's a cooking blog for Scott:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/75/Turkey-or-Chicken-Stock