Carrot Muffins

I finally made the recipe I talked about last week. I hope it works out. I'm not sure I will use Greek yogurt again. It was so thick, maybe I will put some honey in next time.

Recipe:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda*
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
4 Tablepoons melted butter, cooled.
1 large egg
2 cups of shredded carrots

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or line a cup cake pan.

In a large bowl add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon, whisk to combine and make a well in the bottom. In a small bowl combine yogurt, butter and egg. Pour into well of flour mixture. Mix until just combined add carrots. Again mix until combined then scoop batter into cupcake wells. Bake for 30 minutes.

It did not work out! Plus they didn't brown, I'm thinking Baker's error! *I first forgot to add baking soda. Then I didn't see that the recipe called for banana which would have given it more body with the Greek yogurt. I added more yogurt but I'm thinking my honey idea will work. When I was mixing the batter it was like sand. So I added more yogurt and that resulted in over mixing which is a no-no in muffin batter. I hope that you have better luck than I did. Here's the Pin I used.

Panettone...I made it!!

Panettone is probably one of the top three items on my husbands favorite food list - he can eat an entire one himself and still ask me if I have more.  So every year I wait for it to be available and buy a few.  This year we were going to a Christmas Party and I offered to bring one for the party, but then I couldn't find them anywhere!!  So two days before the party I finally decided to see what it would take to make my own - I had no delusions that I would be able to make it taste as good as the real thing, but maybe it would still be tasty...

The first Panettone recipe I found seemed easy - a little too easy - but I thought why not?  So I threw it together the night before...it was beautiful, it looked good and had the fluffy flaky consistency I was hoping for...

 

...and it tasted like ham.  No joke - it really tasted like ham - what the ?!  Well - it was still warm, maybe that would make a difference - nope, it still tasted like ham several hours later.  I did add a bunch of different fruit instead of just the raisins (like the recipe called for) - maybe I made a bad combination?  I blamed it on the dried apricots, but it turned out it wasn't them (see below)...

Instead of giving up I decided to go ahead and make the second Panettone recipe, which called for a biga (where the yeast rises overnight - similar to a sourdough starter but not as developed).  I set the biga to rise overnight and then completed the recipe the next day.  This one was much better - it was close to the correct taste, but not as fluffy and flaky as the original Panettone would be.  I'm pretty sure that it was my fault because I forgot to add the additional yeast until the very end of the kneeding, so it didn't rise as well as I think it could have.  I will definitely be making it and continuing to tweak it until I get it right - especially since Eric knows I can make it any time of the year now!! 

I also made a second batch of the first recipe (you know - the one that tasted like ham...).  This time I just used the golden raisins the recipe called for and it still tasted like ham - I have no idea what the problem is!!

Luckily, I also finally found the store Panettone on Saturday morning and I bought three...One for the party and two for Eric.

Here is a comparison:

The one on the left is the one that tasted more like the real thing, but see how much smaller it is.  The middle one is the one that tasted like ham, I give up on that one.  The one on the right is the store bought one.  I think I will try to find the wrappers to make itrise taller, my pans just aren't made to let it get that tall, so hopefully next time I can get the right consistency!

Here is my last thought on it: If you like to bake and experiment - definitely give this recipe a try!  There are so many variations, and it is easy - it just requires time to rise a few times.

Have a great day!
Beth

Veggie Macaroni and Cheese

Here's a quick stove top macaroni and cheese. I added peas and carrots too! I don't normally use recipes from Alton Brown. They always seem complicated. Now I can't say that any more. I found this Pin and decided to give it a try.

Recipe:

8 oz elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen peas and diced carrots
6 oz evoprated milk
Siracha sauce to your liking
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch of salt
Pepper to your liking
10 oz cheddar cheese shredded

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni cook as directed. My peas and carrots took 5 min so I added those in with the pasta and added a minute to the timer so that in can get back up to a boil. Mix milk, seasonings and hot sauce together set aside. Drain pasta and veggies. Turn heat down to low pour milk mixture and in little bunches add the cheese and stir until melted. Serve and enjoy!

I noticed I didn't add butter (I know I'm as shocked as you are) after draining but it worked with out it. If you want you can add 4 tablespoons of butter after you drain (per original recipe) the pasta and veggies.

Have a great Monday!

What's my deal!

I don't know what my deal is lately! I have forgotten to post here a couple times now. I had an idea to make carrot breakfast muffins. I think I will leave that for next Monday. My day got away from me today. I have been dealing with some stuff that makes my mind wander. Head in the skies! We found out a wonderful lady that works at my son's therapist office is leaving for a new job. We would see her smiling face every time we came in. She shared a love of baking with me. Among other things I have started driving Xander to school and picking him up. Having him ride the bus gave me a big chunk of time during the day. I don't mind one bit, we get to talk and sing back and forth. Plus there's enough time for lunch now. I'm learning to make quick work of my time! It's definetly keeping me on my toes!

Tonight we are to have a crazy storm. I'm hoping it doesn't leave much damage (knock on wood.) I say this because we have an appointment in the morning for ABA therapy. We are having to say goodby, at least for a little bit, to Xander's BI (behavioral interventionist,) she is going on maternity leave to have a little boy of her own. We've grown attached to her. Tomorrow will be sad and fun. We are going to make sugar cookies and laugh and cry..a lot! She has been with us for almost a year now. My son has improved so much with her help. We'll miss you Ms V!

I'm hoping to update here with pictures of our decorated cookies!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

It's Officially Christmas

I have been working on some fun things for Christmas - unfortunately I can't share any of them since I am using them for a few future posts with the other Peas - and there may be a few christmas presents mixed in too.  I don't want to ruin the surprise!! 

Since I have been focusing on those projects I don't have anything fun to share except this...

  

This probably isn't as exciting for you as it is for me - it is the first time since we bought our house that we have gotten our big tree out to decorate!!  I am so excited!!  One of the things I have been working on this week is making ornaments - we got the tree out of the black hole, but the decorations may be lost forever...

 

I can't wait to get it all decked out - maybe tonight?!

 

Have a great day!

Beth

 

p.s. The top is all smooshed so the angel will fit - it looks funny but it's temporary. :)