Raspberry Muffins

Today I bring you Leslie’s raspberry muffins… maybe we’ll call this “what’s cookin’ with Leslie”!  As you may know, I am not a baker.  I’m terrified of yeast dough’s and all my cookies turn out flat no matter what secret trick I use.  Leslie is known for her famous raspberry muffins and after eating one warm from the oven I now know why.  Her muffins are dense and not too sweet, just the way I like them.  I’m not sure why I thought making homemade muffins would be difficult because they’re actually really simple.  Though the list of steps is fairly long, each step is quite simple.  It’s important to follow the steps exactly or else the texture of the muffins could be compromised.  You don’t want to overwork the batter!  Something I found interesting is that she doesn't sift her flour or level off her measuring cups.  I guess baking doesn't always have to be totally exact as the muffins turned out quite delicious.  She uses a large muffin cup tin yielding six huge muffins, but you could use any kind you like.  Just adjust the bake time accordingly.       

What You Need

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

2 large eggs, room temp

1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 packages fresh raspberries, about 2 ½ cups

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup milk, Leslie uses 1% (not pictured, we forgot!)

Nutmeg (Leslie uses freshly grated)

Cooking spray

What To Do

Preheat oven to 375° and grease muffin tin.

Rinse raspberries in cool water.

Divide in half and smash with your hands or a potato masher.

Beat butter beat until creamy.

Add sugar and beat until fluffy.

Beat eggs in one at a time.

Beat in vanilla.

Mix in baking powder.

Mix in salt.

Mix in mashed berries.

Fold in half of the flour with a spatula.

Fold in half the milk.

Repeat for the rest of the flour and milk.  It should look like this after mixing.

Fold the whole berries in gently.

The batter is ready for muffin cups.  Using a ladle, divide batter evenly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.   Test muffins with a toothpick.  If it comes out clean, they're done.  Let muffins cool in tin before taking out.

Sprinkle with sugar and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg.

Print this recipe!


**Edited to add: Here are the nutritional stats for 6 & 12 muffins.**

For 6 muffins, each one looks like this...

For 12 muffins, each one looks like this...

Bon Appétit!

Mary (& Leslie)

P.S. We also made pizza dough that afternoon.  Looking forward to sharing that with you soon!  I think I may finally be over my “fear of yeast”.  

Smoked Ham Frittata with Caramelized Onion & Potato

Who doesn’t love ‘breakfast for dinner’? Simple, easy, delicious. The frittata I made today has a very short ingredient list, proving once again that flavor doesn’t require complexity. The smoky ham and the sweet, caramelized onions pair beautifully with the creamy Yukon gold potato. Top that off with goat cheese and you’ve got pure perfection. You may be thinking: “What is a frittata? I’ve heard that word, but not sure what it is.” A frittata is basically the Italian version of an omelet that’s cooked over a low heat in a skillet until the edges have solidified, finished in the oven or under the broiler. The ingredient list usually includes: eggs, meat, cheese, vegetables or pasta and often includes herbs. The ham I use here is fully cooked, so if you wanted to, you could dice it up and throw it in without the browning step. I love however to get a bit of caramelization on it and really develop those flavors. Since you’re already taking the time to make caramelized onions, you may as well brown up the ham while you wait If you’d like to lighten it up a bit, feel free to use all egg whites and reduce the amount of cheese. Also, if you’re not a fan of goat cheese, you can use any kind you like here. Serve with hot sauce and a green salad.

What You Need:

6 large eggs (or 1 ½ cups egg white)
6 oz smoked ham, diced
1 large onion
1 medium Yukon gold potato
4 oz crumbled goat cheese

¼ tsp salt and pepper, divided (or to taste)
1 Tbs olive oil, plus 1 tsp (divided)
Medium sized oven safe skillet (10”)

What To Do:

Pierce your potato with a fork several times and cook in the microwave on high for about 8 minutes or until fork tender. Cook times may vary here as it depends on how large your potato is (mine was 11 oz). Set aside and allow to cool a bit while you work on the rest of the ingredients.

Thinly slice your onion while you heat 1Tbs oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, carefully add onion to the pan and reduce heat to medium low. Season the onions with 1/8 tsp salt and pepper.

Cook onions over medium low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often. When the onions have about 5 minutes to go, heat up your broiler.

While the onions cook, heat 1 tsp oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the diced ham and reduce heat to medium. Cook the ham for about 8 minutes or until well browned, then set aside.

Next you’ll want to cut your potato up into bite sized chunks and set aside.

Season your eggs with 1/8 tsp salt and pepper and beat with a fork or whisk in a small bowl.

Combine potato, browned ham and caramelized onion in the skillet you used for the onions and gently mix so that all the ingredients are well distributed.

Pour your seasoned eggs evenly over the meat and vegetable mixture and top with cheese.

Allow the frittata to cook most of the way on the burner over medium low heat. This will take about 10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the edges begin to look cooked, but the center is runny.









Transfer the frittata to the broiler to finish cooking. This will only take about 4 minutes, so don’t go far because you’ll want to watch it so the top doesn’t burn. Serve with hot sauce and a green salad.




Serves 4-6

Print this recipe !

**Edited to add: here are the nutritional stats for 1/6 of the recipe.**

Bon Appétit!
Mary

Aloha Granola

Take me to the islands for breakfast! This tropical granola takes me back to the time I got to travel to Hawaii with my Dad in high school. Such great memories every time I pour a bowl of this granola. Sweet coconut and pineapple balance out the salty creaminess of the macadamia nuts. If you can’t find macadamia nuts, feel free to substitute cashews in their place. Use this granola as a topping for yogurt or oatmeal, but just as tasty in a bowl with milk.

What You Need:

 

4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 cup dried pineapple
1 cup roasted macadamia nuts (or cashews), chopped
½ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbs coconut oil (vegetable or canola oil would work)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp kosher salt

What To Do:

Combine oats, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Combine syrup, vanilla and oil in a small bowl.

Add maple mixture to the oat mixture and, using your hands, coat the oats with the syrup mixture forming clumps. Spread the granola onto a lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 325*, stirring half way though. Once granola has cooled slightly, add the shredded coconut, macadamia nuts and pineapple.











Makes 12 Serving



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Maple Walnut Granola

I love making homemade granola, but somehow got into the habit of buying it from the store. This morning as I was making my shopping list and noticed we needed granola, I decided that today was the day I’d stop that silly habit and get back in the kitchen and make my own! Our favorite flavor of granola is maple, so I quickly got to work. I chose to leave the walnuts out during the baking process, adding them at the end with the dried fruit, because we prefer raw walnuts to toasted. Feel free to add the nuts into the oat mixture before baking if you prefer it that way. I used a mixture of dried blueberries, mango and cranberries, but you could use any dried fruit you have on hand or leave it out completely. Eat this granola with milk, sprinkled on yogurt or straight out of the container as a snack.

What You Need:

4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup raw walnut pieces (or any type you like)
1 cup dried fruit, cut into small pieces
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbs coconut oil (canola or vegetable would work here)
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp kosher salt

What To Do:

Combine oats, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Combine syrup, vanilla and oil in a small bowl.

Add maple mixture to the oat mixture and, using your hands, coat the oats with the syrup mixture forming clumps. Spread the granola onto a lined baking sheet coated with cooking.

Bake for 40 minutes at 325*, stirring half way though. Once granola has cooled slightly, add the nuts and fruit.













Makes 12 Servings



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Chocolate Almond Green Monster

One of the warmest mornings we’ve had all summer had me craving something cool for breakfast today. I made this shake with milk since I had already had my coffee for the morning, but I think using chilled coffee or espresso here would be divine. I wanted this to be extra chocolaty so I added some dark unsweetened cocoa powder. Since cocoa is supposed to be good for your circulatory system, all the more reason to add some to your chocolate protein shakes, right ? If you’re wondering what those weird little blackish seeds are in the bowl… those are chia seeds. I wanted to take a picture of them so you could see what they look like. Feel free to substitute frozen fruit for the ice and enjoy after a workout or for breakfast!

What You Need:

¾ cup milk
½ frozen banana
3 cups baby spinach, packed
1 serving chocolate protein powder
1-2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa (optional or to taste)
¼ tsp almond extract
2 Tbs chia seeds
5 ice cubes
1 Tbs natural peanut or almond butter (optional)

What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.



Serves 1



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Green Mocha

As you can see, I’m obsessed with putting spinach in my protein shakes. This girl can’t resist getting a few servings of greens in! For this shake, I used chocolate almond milk to intensify the chocolate flavor, because I love chocolate. Feel free to use which ever milk you like. If you really like coffee, add 5 tsp of the extract or start with 3 tsp and then go from there.  In hind sight, I wished I'd added a few more ice cubes for a thicker shake.

What You Need:

1 ¾ cup milk

2 scoops chocolate protein powder

2 frozen bananas

6 ice cubes

4 cups raw spinach

3-5 tsp coffee extract, to taste

Optional: 2 Tbs chia seeds, 2 scoops green super food

What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Serves 2

Bottoms Up!
Mary