Not Your Grandma's Pumpkin Muffins

Apparently, once upon a time, someone’s grandma made pumpkin muffins. Grandma played it pretty loose with her recipe though, because it somehow made it into my hands.  I’m sure her muffins were really tasty, but I felt they needed slight modification. 

I’ve had this recipe stuck to my fridge for nigh on a month now, and every weekend I think about making them, because I love hot, fresh muffins. Usually twice as much when I make them. So I fell out of bed this morning, later than usual because it’s cold, misty and overcast outside and the dogs had no idea it was way past time to eat breakfast without the sun to gauge the hour, and promptly set to mixing.

After I got all my dry ingredients sifted and mixed, I discovered I had no eggs. Argh!  So, I had to make a pit stop mid-bake to run and grab a dozen eggs from the corner store. Which worked out really well, because the corner store was actually closed, and I ended up at the drug store, who not only sells eggs but small, (yet delightful!) Christmas gifts.  Hello, two birds? Meet one stone.

While these muffins were baking I decided they needed to be frosted.  Grandma disagreed, but whatever, she’s not here and these are not really Grandma’s Pumpkin Muffins anymore, anyway. I think a light spread of cream cheese frosting will go a long way on these muffins.  Ok, so cream cheese frosting would go good on just about anything, really.

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp salt

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2/3 Unsweetened Applesauce

1 (generous) Cup Canned Pumpkin

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Large Egg

2 Egg Whites

2/3 cup Fat Free Milk

Preheat oven to 400. Coast a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray and/or line with cupcake wrappers if desired.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl;

Combine applesauce, pumpkin, sugar, eggs and milk in a medium bowl; mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Add applesauce mixture to flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.

Pour batter into muffins tins to each hole is about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Adventures of a Home Owner

When I bought my house in February 2009, I thought I did really well.  I got a decent deal on price, it was in a good location - all that. Boy was I mistaken.  Don't get me wrong, I love my house, but what I really bought was the money pit. When I had the house inspected, one of the things the inspector pointed out was that I should really invest in getting a new water heater because the amount of energy waste in that large of a tank for a single woman in a house by herself was going to be astronomical. The one in place was 82 gallons and, at one point in time, powered by a solar panel on the roof. That panel had long since stopped working, and the repair cost I was were given was in excess of 7 grand. Not feasible.

So, when I had the roof re-sealed – a roof, by the way, that they don’t make in Florida anymore, I had the roofers remove the panel and take it away. That was about six months ago, give or take.

I hadn’t replaced the tank because it was going to be expensive to hire a plumber (and turns out, probably an electrician) to put it in and take away the old one.  Then, by some happy chance, I met someone who volunteered to change it out for me when I mentioned the big dumb thing in conversation.

So yesterday, I got a new 30 gallon water heater.  I am so excited about it. 

All told, it took us 1 to trip the store to buy the tank, and 4 more trips to the hardware store over the course of the day to buy parts. Although, the final trip was to buy stuff we didn’t know we were going to need, when the wiring ampage was too low for the new tank.

As luck would also have it, while we were installing the new tank, a neighbor knocked in my door to ask what our intentions were with the old beast that was at the moment, sitting on the side of the house. I had really been worrying about what to do with it, because it seriously weighed like a hundred pounds and I had very real doubts that the garbage men would heave it up into their truck.  I had visions of having this thing in my yard for ages. It was a real concern. I could have hugged the 16 year old boy who asked if he and his mom could have it.

After we got the tank all hooked up, we discovered that we needed to create a new circuit because the old tank ran on a 120 and we needed 220. Luckily, Bob was working at the Home Depot yesterday.  I really like Bob when I have electrical stuff to do, because he seriously knows everything.  It turned out that we didn’t need to do nearly as much as we thought we did, except it also turned out that we needed to run the new wire from the laundry room where the tank was, to the breaker box, which is half way across the house and outside. I have some patchwork to complete in my family room now, and an orange wire to find a way to hide, but that’s ok.

This my new "cute" water heater.  White, not brown, and 1/3 the height. Those lines I drew in, demonstrate the height of the old monster, and copper that went all the way to the roof. You can also tell where the old one stood by the paint on the wall.  I did my best to reach around behind the old tank, but since I'm no Stretch Armstrong, it wasn't easy.

The old water heater was seriously obnoxious, and I am stoked about my new one.

Thanksgiving Day 5k

On Thanksgiving morning, my friend and I ran the 21^st Annual Seniors First Turkey Trot in downtown Orlando.  As the morning wore on, I was pretty sure, from the events that had so far transpired that I was going to find myself face first on the brick pavers before I hit mile 1. Luckily, I did not.

I had set my alarm the night before to go off at 5:30AM, so that I had ample time to get up, have a leisurely cup of coffee, feed the dogs, have breakfast, and then head out at 6:45. I was supposed to meet my friend at 7:15, and then we’d carpool to the race.  Instead, I got a text message at 6:34AM from my friend that woke me instead of the alarm clock. I blame this on poor planning, and not getting into bed before midnight because I was out having too much fun.  In a mad dash, I threw my clothes on, let the dogs out to pee, and ran out the door with a banana, and a tablespoon of peanut butter clenched between my teeth.

I had recently been downtown to visit a bank there, so on my way to find parking I remembered seeing parking spots on this little side street, not far from where we needed to go. It looked like no one else knew about this little street. Shortly after we parked, they blockaded the road, so luck was with me. This seemed like the better option than paying for the parking garage.  We scoured my car for coins to pay the meters, and had enough for 1 hour and 41 minutes.  Considering it was 45 minutes to race time, I thought we had enough in there, but it would be close.  After I paid the meter, and attached my number to the front of my shirt, I grabbed my house keys, iPod and phone off the top of my car.  No car keys.  Anywhere. I had locked us out, so much for luck.

Luckily, I had a spare that I actually knew the location of, so I phoned my mom, at 7:20 in the morning, to ask her to drive the 30 minutes to drop that off to me. I still haven’t found my original keys.

I was over dressed for the race.  I had a tank top underneath a long sleeved shirt.  When I took off the long sleeved shirt at the car it was freeeezing, so I put it back on. By the time we were ready to race, I was already well aware that the long sleeved shirt was a mistake.  I knew better.  Dress for 10 degrees warmer. I should have heeded that advice.

The race was fun, if not slightly harder than it needed to be due to my layering. I would have taken the shirt off if my number hadn’t been securely fastened to it. I ran solid for the first mile and a half, pacing with the crowd pretty well. There was a pair up ahead of me that had made a HUGE aluminum foil fork and spoon, and had strapped them to their bodies. I kept my eye on them for a while, but soon, they outran me.  I walked intermittently after that, slowing to a fast walk whenever my heart rate reached or exceeded 184. I was really irritated by having to walk because in our weekly running we can both do the 5k easily, but I guess we also stop after each mile (each lap) to get water, and I guess inadvertantly that also allows us to run the next mile.

When I finally saw the 3 mile marker, it was time to run like I meant it. I’d tried to pace it so that by the time I reached that point, I’d have my HR back down to a non-lethal rate. My friend and I agreed we had to run the last stretch, down the chute - no exceptions.  So I ran down along with everyone else, but I was spent, and it was harder than ever.  I wanted to slow to a fast walk with every step, but the people along the side of the street cheering us on kept me motivated enough to push through it. I soared through the finish at 33:44, my heart in my throat, on the verge of being violently ill. ‘Take deep breaths’ I told myself, as I walked along through the throng of people. ‘Don’t puke’ on repeat in my brain.

My friend came in behind me a minute and a half later, with the same mantra. After a minute or two of walking around in search of water and a banana we got the post-run high. And that's the whole point of the race, isn't it? 

There’s another run in 5 days.  Who’s in?

Spiced Applesauce Cake w Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I am on a major dessert kick.  Major. I’ve made something practically every other night for the last couple of weeks.  Most, however, have consisted of pumpkin.  While good, even pumpkin can get old day after day. So I was on a pretty good mission to find a dessert that was simple to squeeze in with a day of cooking Pho, and didn’t require me to make a grocery list of ingredients.

 

As luck would have it, I actually found a delicious looking cake recipe on Smitten Kitchen, but I don’t use a stick of butter in anything I cook anymore. Ok, I do – but only for Thanksgiving when I make Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes and I don’t eat those, everyone else does.

 

I modified the original recipe and was able to reduce the fat content down to a third of what it originally was just by making a few easy substitutions.  I used to be really afraid to mess with recipes, but then half the time, I'd mis-read the directions and screw it up anyway, so I started to be a little braver. Now I really get a kick out of the re-creation experiments.

In this particular recipe, I subbed out some of the white flour for whole wheat to up the nutrients and fiber content, used an egg white in place of a whole egg, and of course, practically omitted the butter. I also really love cinnamon, can you tell?

 

Also, on the frosting, I reduced the amount of butter, and opted for a reduced fat cream cheese. The end result was still a yummy, super moist cake.  If it hadn’t been nearly midnight by the time it was cooled and iced, I would have had it with a cup of coffee – but it went exceptionally well with a glass of milk, too. 

 

1-1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

3/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt

1/2  tsp Ground Ginger

1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
1 Cup Light brown sugar, packed

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Cups unsweetened applesauce (divided into 1/2 cup and 1-1/2 cups)

1 Large whole egg

1 Large egg white

1 Tbsp Butter, Unsalted

1/4 Cup chopped Walnuts (optional)

5 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon  unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 or 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper and spray it with Pam for ease in getting out of the pan.

 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, gloves, and ginger (if you’re using dry Vanilla like me, add it here with the dry ingredients – otherwise, add it in the next step as indicated).

 

In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup applesauce, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Beat in the remainder of the applesauce. At low speed, mix in dry ingredients until combined. Do not over beat.

 

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, ~ 40 minutes.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting,  beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high until fluffy.  Scrape sides as needed with a rubber spatula. Add confectioners sugar and cinnamon to mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake. Sprinkle walnuts on top, if desired.

If you're into small-to-moderate portion sizes like me, this cake will grant you 16 decent sized pieces. 

Now I'm stepping out this old brown shoe

When I was 14 years old, I had an embarrassing shoe experience.  It was the only time in what was probably my entire life, that I felt picked on.  I didn’t get bullied, I was pretty much friends with everyone, or completely neutral.  Hell, I didn't even go to school half of the time.

Her name was Vanessa, and she was at least one grade ahead of me, maybe two.  She always had braids down to about the middle of her back.  I saw her once, years later at the public library and she still had those same braids (and she still tried to intimidate me) .  It was so traumatizing that I remember minute details.  It was gym glass, and we were all seated on the floor, backs up against the bleachers.  I had just gotten new sneakers, and I was pretty proud of them.

For reasons unknown to me, Vanessa decided it was a good time to be the shoe inspector, and she went down the row, student by student, checking out their digs.  “Bobo” she’d say or “You cool” depending on what they had on. And then she got to me, seated, legs stretched out in front.  Careless.  Her eyes widened in mock horror as she looked at my sneakers, and then she proclaimed “Super bobo!” and everyone erupted into laughter.

That was the last day I ever wore those shoes. Ever.  I think I may have gone home, doused them in something flammable and easily accessible to a teenager, and then lit them on fire.  Or at least they went straight into the garbage.

You can imagine my dismay then, when I go to purchase new running shoes, and they bring out not one but TWO pairs of Asics. Two! My beloved Saucony model that I’d been wearing for nigh on three years is discontinued, and unfortunately the new model they have out was not comfortable at all. 

I have buyer’s remorse, big time, but that’s pretty much par for the course. I bought the second pair I tried on, and I even ran a little on the treadmill before purchase to make sure they were suitable.  The backs felt like they were sliding with every step, so the sales girl showed me something called a runner’s tie? It’s a weird way to tie the laces but it helped them not feel like they were going to come off my feet.  However, the place where the laces tie, at that bend on the top of your foot? I’m having a hard time finding a happy medium , because so far it’s too tight or too loose. My buyer’s remorse will fade in direct proportion to how fast I can solve that problem. 

In addition to my shoes, the sales girl pitched me and convinced me to buy an insert that is supposed to help my posture while I'm running.  I'm hoping  it will alleviate some of the back pain I often have after my Saturday morning trail runs.

I did knock out 6 miles in the new digs though after purchase.  I only started to have slight pain in the ball of my right foot on the last half mile, but I had zero pain in my toes, which was starting to become a real issue in my old shoes, so all in all...

Two more runs to break them in before their first race. They are much prettier than the old ones, too

Balsamic and Sesame Glazed Drumettes

I signed up for another race.  A “Turkey Trot” race held on Thanksgiving morning.  I figure this way, I’ll have a good 600 calorie head start going into dinner that night.  I actually did a practice run two days ago     I did awesome, and finished my 3.2 in just over 30 minutes, with a 10:41 pace.  Who knows if I can duplicate that but it’s good motivation. I just have to beat my own personal time from my September race, 36:21. It’d be so much cooler if I had a partner though.  Or someone to root me on from the sidelines.

I’m also motivated by the personal trainer that teaches his class at the park where I run.  I’ve seen him there every run, whipping his pupils into shape.  After several weeks, I finally said hello to him, and introduced myself. I was between laps at the time.  I stop after each lap to take a drink of water, since it’s awkward to run with a bottle of water in your hand.  He commented on seeing me (us) there pretty consistently, and I had this moment of panic when I realized he would notice if I failed to show up one day. Like he cares if I come to run or not. So, now I dare not skip a day, and then wouldn’t you know it, my next scheduled day to run after that, he isn’t there.

I have a love affair with Thai food.  Asian food in general, really. I make it a lot at my house. 

Tonight’s dish was Balsamic and Sesame Glazed Drumettes. Sounds tasty, right?  They were so good I wanted to suck on the bones caveman style. The glaze is mostly Balsamic Vinegar and Soy sauce, with some seasonings and hot sauce. I served it with steamed broccoli and a side of brown rice. I used the same ingredients in the rice as the glaze. I sauteed some scallions and my last home grown yellow pepper, with some garlic and a few pieces of slivered ginger. For a while there I was making Thai fried rice and adding coconut milk in to make it seem richer, so following that idea, I added some soy and balsamic to my liquid base for the rice to cook.  

And for dessert? 

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake, made using my homemade pumpkin puree that I still have left. I really had to play with the seasonings in this one, but I'm satisfied with the result.  I may use slightly less Allspice next time though, as that stuff is potent.

8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Pureed Pumpkin

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp  Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice

1/8  tsp Allspice

1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

1/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed

9 inch Graham Cracker Crust

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, cloves and brown sugar for a few minutes until smooth.  Spoon mixture into pie crust and chill for a few hours, until firm. Serve with cool whip or whipped cream.

Sweet Potato Pie

I ran a 6-miler this morning on a pretty haphazard trail that dead ended at a highway, and then picked back up a mile and a half down that same highway. If you’ve never run on the shoulder of a highway, I don’t recommend it.  I debated turning back several times, but I kept convincing myself not to, and eventually it was only logic that told me I was closer to the trail head now than if I turned back.  I spent the majority of that mile and a half on the grassy shoulder, watching for dips in the ground, and ant hills.  Admittedly, this section of the run was probably the most demanding physically, and while it was noisy and slightly scary to run right there, I can’t deny that it was great exercise for my legs.

The trail itself was actually really nice, and meandered through wooded areas, and over small creeks, and there were several bridges that if I had been on a stroll, would have been nice to stop at.  There was even one spot that struck me as the perfect picnic spot.  Not that I’ve had a picnic in about 20 years, or anything.

Speaking of picnics, this pie would be a great addition to any fall picnic basket.   Well, maybe not but it’d be a good addition to any dessert rotation already in place, especially if you need a “fall fix” during other times of the year.

I really don’t like sweet potatoes, I admit it.  But it’s not beyond me to make things I generally don’t like just for the sake of making them.  I don’t find them gross, they just aren’t my thing. I tried to make sweet potato bread that wasn’t at all what I wanted it to be in the end, so, determined not to let these potatoes best me in the kitchen, I made a pie.  It’s a little reminiscent of Pumpkin Pie, and is a good alternative if you’re not a fan of pumpkin.

 

2 sweet potatoes (~2 lbs)

2 tbsp light butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup Skim Milk

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Allspice

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 Graham Cracker pie crust (or one of your choosing)

Boil sweet potatoes whole in skin for about 50 minutes, or until soft. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin. Blend potatoes in a blender and pulse for about one minute to remove all fibers.

Place sweet potatoes in a bowl, add butter, and mix well. Using an electric mixer, mix in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for ~60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing.

Vegetable and Lentil Soup with Elbows

It’s dark when I get home from work now in the evenings, and it’s cold.  Cold to me.  So it makes me want comfort food.  Maybe my idea of comfort food is different than a lot of peoples, because when people say comfort food, they often talk about butter, sugar, and oil laden foods.  The foods that bring me comfort though are soups and chowders, and stews.  Foods that steam in their bowl . 

It's not going to be long at all before the only thing I want to do when I get home from work is curl up with a steaming mug of hot chocolate and hunker down under a blanket with a good book.

Did you know that Lentils are one of the best vegetable sources of iron?  Considering my being turned away recently from giving blood for having low iron, I wanted to find a natural way to get more iron into my diet, and these things are perfect. Once I figure out how to combine lentils and spinach in the same dish, I'll have my super food.

This is actually an inspired recipe. I wanted to make Lentils, but I had no idea how to use them or what to do with them as I’d never cooked them before.  I’m doubtful I’d ever had them before, honestly. This is a big batch of soup, too, so I’m hoping it freezes well, as that was my intention when I made it.

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium Spanish onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes (with Garlic & Onion)

1 pound lentils

8 cups chicken broth *

4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dried)

2/3 cup (2 oz) dried elbow pasta 

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, leek, parsnip, and celery and sauté until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and continue to sauté until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, and simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer on low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle 1-1/2 cups into a bowl and top with Romano Cheese.
Serves 9

*Use more broth if you want yours to be more ”soupy”. I like hearty soups that stick to your ribs, so this one is on the thick side.

Pumpkin Bread

In anticipation of Halloween I bought 2 big carving pumpkins and 3 little pumpkins that were labeled as “pie pumpkins”.  I had originally intended to carve all 5 of them.  I thought maybe to have a half moon, or a star, or something small and singular on the small pumpkins, to sit around the big pumpkins.  That didn’t happen.  I only carved the two large carving pumpkins.   Unsure what to do with the unused pumpkins, I ultimately cooked them down, and turned them into pumpkin puree.

With a boat load of fresh pumpkin puree, I had to find a way to use it, so I scoured the internet for ideas.  I found a recipe for “Pumpkin Banana Bread” but quite honestly, I didn’t like the sound of that.  I omitted the bananas, and subbed in enough additional pumpkin to compensate hoping that it wouldn't turn out too dry, or crumbly. I also didn't have any cloves on hand, and didn't want to buy them for just one recipe, so I subbed out a few of the spices for the Pumpkin Pie Spice, and I used powdered vanilla - not liquid vanilla extract.

To my delight, it turned out really good, and was super moist. I ate it as a dessert this evening with a glass of herbal tea (“Serendipitea”) that I picked up at the local farmer’s market this morning. I still have a couple cups of pumpkin left that I have to decided what to do with – maybe some kind of spread to put on the bread?

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1-1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg white
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg, egg white, pumpkin and vanilla, and beat at medium speed. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour mixture and blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake on the center rack for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the pan cool at least 20 minutes, bread should be room temperature before slicing.