Hearty Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

I read somewhere that cupcakes are just an edible utencil for eating frosting. And if that's true than muffins are edible utencils for streusel. I *heart* streusel. More than homemade frosting. I've been tweaking this recipe for a few weeks and I think I have it to the point where I can confidently share it. I've added quite a few nutrition boosters to make this delicious treat a bit healthier food option.

 Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1/4 cup Salted Butter

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 can of Pumpkin Puree

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

2 Eggs

2 tbs Black Strap Molassas

2 cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Cinamon

Pinch of All Spice

Pinch of Nutmeg

2tbs Raw Wheat Germ

2tbs freshly ground Flax Seed

Topping Ingredients (mix these all up)

2/3 cup Flour

1/4  cup Brown Sugar (or Raw Sugar)

1/2 cup Grain Mix*

1 tbs Wheat Germ

2tbs Salted Butter

*I used Bob's Redmill 5 grain oatmeal mix but you can use whatever mix or just plain non-quick cook oats

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Cream the butter and both sugars together. Mix in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Add pumpkin and everything else wet, mix for thirty seconds. Add dry and mix well. Fill lined muffin tins 3/4 full. Add a tablespoon of topping to each and pat it down a bit to stick into the batter. Cook for 20-25 min until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool completely before removing liner. Maxkes 2 dozen muffins.

You can substitute regular molassas for the black strap and omit the flax and wheat germ if you like but those few ingredients will boost the health value of your muffins. My kids gobble these up (as do I and Rob) and the 2 dozen doesn't last but a day. Enjoy!

Popcorn Procurement

We like popcorn. Nay, we love popcorn. Trouble is, store bought micro-bag popcorn isn't anything to write home about. It isn't anything to write about anywhere, even here. Dispell the myth that you can't get inexpensive curl-you-toes scrumptious popped snacks in your own home without a lot of fuss. I guarentee with a little patience you can make the worlds best corn in your kitchen for under a buck a bucket and less than 10 minutes. You'll never buy it premade or ready to pop in a bag again.

First off you need something other than a microwave to pop your corn. We have both an air popper and a Whirly popper. You can also use a pot on the stove but I don't know how to do that...yet.

We stuck with the air popper for a long while as it was our first out of the bag experience popping corn. We didn't even mind dodging the nuclear hot kernel missles of the afterpops. The boxed bags of corn abruptly stopped finding their way in the house. I think I actually gave the last of it to our neighbor.

A few weeks ago I picked up the Whirly pop at Northern Tool for $8.50 on sale. Then a week later found one for $2 at the thrift store. They're out there. Cheap. Ask around someone probably got one for a holiday gift and hates it. They don't know what they're missing. I wanted this because it can be used without electricity. I'm looking at getting natural gas or propane in the farm house and want to use it during power outages. It can also be used in an RV or camping! I haven't used the air popper since.

For popping corn I prefer this brand off Amazon. The corn has a nutty flavor but it's light. It also has few old maid kernels left when it's all said and done. Experiment with brands and flavors and find what you like. There is so much more to popcorn than the plain flavorless white corn used in those silly little bags.

The top is a full batch, about 6 cups of popped corn, made in the Whirly Pop with 2tbs Olive Oil. I added 2Tbs salted butter, melted. Tossed it up to coat and then generously sprinkled with Nutritional Yeast. It gives it a nutty/cheesy taste which is uber-yummy.

The bottom photo is homemade kettle corn. The difference between Kettle and Caramel popcorn is basically the addition of salt. Kettle corn is sweet and salt. Caramel is just sweet (but by no means any less yummy!)

To make Kettle corn heat 1/3 cup brown sugar with 2tbs oil and 2tbs water to boiling. Stir and let it boil for 3 minutes. Make sure the corn is already popped because it hardens when it cools. Pour over the popcorn and stir with a wooden spoon to coat. Remember to sprinkle the salt on while you're stirring! I use coarse Sea Salt instead of regular table salt. To me it has a shaper salt flavor plus some added minerals.

I've tried out coconut oil, olive oil -both light and dark- and vegetable oil in the Whirly. I prefer the dark Olive Oil. Basically, any oil will work and will slightly lend it's flavor to the popped corn.

So, go forth ye corny fool and fire up the poppers!

I'd make Bill Cosby proud

We've all had those 2-in-1 desserts; Apple Pie Ice Cream, Cheesecake Brownies, Cookie Brownies, Ice Cream Cake, and the like. For some reason, people have a compulsion to add a desert perfectly delicious on its very own to yet another singularly delicious desert therefore creating a sugary black hole of euphoric bliss. I think it's added a thousand pounds to my hips  teriffic.

While recipe hunting on http://www.tastykitchen.com/ I found yet another double-your-pleasure caloric wonderland dessert: Pudding Cookies by fellow blogger Double Dipped Life. O.M.G. Here they are fresh from the oven. Perfection.

I tend to get all worked up over desserts which is good because I need to expend much energy to counteract all the scrumptiousness I consume. That I can, in fact, actually bake worth a darn is both a blessing and a curse when a delight of a recipe, like the pudding cookie, falls into my slightly-sweets-padded lap. Easy to make, simple ingredients, quick bake time; we have a winner folks.

And just to make you drool a little more...

Limes are really sour but educational

I had two junior chefs helping me make desserts for a New Year's Day barbeque, Cordelia and Olivia. It had been requested we bring a Key Lime Pie and Cheesecake. I got crafty and threw in a homeschool lesson. Junior Chefing (yes, it's a verb...at least with the little ones) is actually a whole section in our curriculum. It falls under Home Economics and resides under that topic with things like Sewing (remember those Tooth Fairy Pillows?) and Gardening.

Things get made mostly from scratch in our house...especially desserts. We crunched graham crackers. And tried some limes.

Cordi is on the left, Livi on the right

I went over measurements and why they're important. Had the girls dig out the right equiptment. We discussed the differences between a Key Lime and a regular Lime. And tried more limes.

We talked about geography of where limes can be grown while little ones spread on the homemade whipped cream. The egg yolk vs. white discussion got a little sex ed. so I steered them back by giving them another lime. After about ten minutes -which is all it takes to make a homemade Key Lime- of "trying" the limes things got a little silly. Maybe the citrus got to their brains.

I'm slowly getting myself out of the learning-from-a-book-is-the-only-way-to-really-learn-and-therefore-homeschool mentality. It's hard. Especially since I excelled at busy work and book work when I went to Public School. I'm getting there though and might just have to make a whole lot more Key Lime Pies along the way. I suffer, I really do.

I scream, You scream, I made ice cream!

I'm totally digging this KitchenAid ice cream maker! Bought it at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. Came to roughly $65, three trips for 6 people to Coldstone approx $57 plus gas to get there. Once we get our family cow buying milk will be a thing of the past and will futher minimize our cost on making this delicious treat!

I'm reminded by hubby that ice cream is not healthy. Yes, I get that. BUT (and ice cream does contribute to big butts) making it at home is not only fun but a better treat option, as the ingredients are fresh and there are no additives (well, unless you add them). I could also use over ripe fruit to make sorbets and can use this machine to make butter (again something we'll be doing when that cow gets here).

I use the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Book to make my base. I prefer sweet cream base #1 but they give you three to choose from so you can play around with background flavors and ingredients.

I make some of my own ice creams using ingredient lists from others I've had. The two that I've come up with are a mix between a Ben & Jerry's and a Coldstone flavor mix. I hope you enjoy!

Coffee Toffee Caramel Crunch

Start with sweet cream #1 base from the B&J ice cream book.

When you're mixing the base add in some instant coffee (I use decaf as ice cream is usually a before bed treat). I use the Nescafe Tasters Choice because it comes in 6 single cup packets and costs $1. This way you can add more or less coffee and easily save what isn't used or don't have a whole can left over when you're done. I make ice cream every 5-6 weeks so this makes sense for me as I don't drink decaf otherwise.

After, the now, coffee base has been put through the ice cream maker for about 25 min add in three heath bars (frozen and crushed up while in package works best) and a bunch of nuts. I prefer raw pecans but walnuts or almonds would be yummy too. Mix it up for a minute.

I use the Ikea 365 red lidded square containers to hold one batch of ice cream. They have see through lids which makes identifying ice cream flavors easy and are freezer and dishwasher safe. They're also fantastically affordable. Before you dump in the semi-firm ice cream add a drizzle of caramel over the top and swirl it into the ice cream as you scoop, this way you'll have ripples of caramel throughout instead of a part ofthe base flavor. Makes a difference, trust me.

Freeze for a few hours and enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Cherry

This is a little something close to Cherry Garcia but uniquely my own. I used to get the gang at Coldstone to make this for me but they discontinued carrying marichino cherries. Alas! What self respecting Ice Cream joint dosen't carry these iconic disturbingly red orbs?? They even have them in the ice cream accessory section at the grocery store and Target, making one believe that this is not just common but slated for use exclusively with ice cream! But, I digress, let's get back to making it ourselves, shall we?

Again, I started with B&J's sweet cream base #1. Just mix this up and run it through the machine for about 22-25 min. the firmer it is the more evenly distributed.

Drain a jar of cherries (the more cherries you drain, well, the more cherries in the ice cream unless your "helpers" are sneaking them) and chop 'em up (again the more you chop them, the more will be distributed. You like big chunks here and there, leave 'em more whole; some in every bite, chop 'em smaller.)

Add these (sometimes I also add the juice to give the base a cherry flavor) and a few handfuls of mini chocolate chips and let it whirl for a minute or so.

Then do the same thing with some chocolate syrup or fudge syrup as I explained in the other recipe above. Put it on top, "ripple" it while you transfer it by scooping to another container.

Yummy Yummy.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and are inspired to make your own ice cream at home! If you happen to try out any of the above, post a comment and let me know how it went!