Elvis Snack Mix

I used to love weekends. After having kids I look forward to weekdays and when my kids go back to school. I thought I was the only one until I decided to ask my husband, thinking maybe staying at home made my opinion slanted. Nope, my husband is the same way. While work maybe stressful and busy, it doesn't have two boys yelling in my husband's ear all day. It also doesn't have 1,000 errands to do like every weekend seems to, or the family obligations that always crop up. When my husband and I were first married weekends were a time to relax and sleep in. I haven't slept in on the weekend since I was 27, my weekend morning normally start at 5:30 am when my youngest wakes up and demands breakfast. Then my day involves errands, laundry and cleaning up after 3 males. By the time Monday roles around I'm exhausted and spend most of the day cleaning up the messes that didn't get finished the last two days. I love my kids dearly, but I also enjoy when they wave goodbye from the bus Monday morning.

I tend to make snacks in batches. For a few weeks I make various muffin recipes, then breads, cookies, etc then switch to a new batch of snacks. Last week was Chex Mix week. I made a number of recipe variations and then stored them in the cupboard in air tight containers. It's nice since they stay fresh for a decent amount of time. The following is a recipe for Elvis Snack Mix.

Recipe adapted from Redbook Magazine.

Elvis Snack Mix

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• salt to taste
• 4 cups Rice Chex
• 2 cups banana chips
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Over medium heat melt the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and salt.
4. Toss with cereal.
5. Spread cereal mixture evenly on the baking sheet.
6. Let bake 10 minutes, stirring once.
7. Toss with the banana chips, peanut, and dark chocolate chips.
8. Let cool and then break into pieces.

Tips: 

• The dark chocolate chips can be replaced with semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips depending on your preference. 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips and a 1/4 cup peanut butter chips would also be yummy. 
• The Rice Chex can be replaced with Corn Chex (or other corn or rice cereals such as Crispix). 
• My husband prefers this mix with 2 cups of peanuts and 1 cup of banana chips. He has never been a banana chip fan, so experiment until you find a combination that works for your family (everyone is different!). 

White Chocolate Pistachio Snack Mix

Both of my kids are in school this year. That should be a good thing, it turns out it has brought about a lot of drama. My oldest was officially diagnosed with ADHD this summer (after 6 months of testing, doctors etc.) which has brought about a lot of changes. Just when my oldest got everything under control (he has straight A's in school this year), my younger son started having severe separation anxiety. I'm not talking about a little crying at the bus. Last week he had a full meltdown and wouldn't even get on the bus, leading me to carrying him almost a mile to school. Who needs cross-fit when you can carry a 45 pound child a mile everyday. He has his good days and bad days. Some mornings he wakes up and is ready to go, other days start with an hour of crying and me crossing my fingers he will actually get on the bus. I love both of my kids, but I never knew how hard it can be to deal with emotional/health issues. Luckily the more I deal with my kids issues the better parent I am becoming. I just wish that kids came with a manual, it would make everything so much easier.

In addition to the separation anxiety issues my youngest is skinny. So skinny that if he loses anymore weight it will become a problem (he has always been below the 5th percentile for weight, but he hasn't gained much weight in the last year). My oldest also stays thin and eats all the time, so I keep a constant supply of snacks in my house. Snack mix is always popular and can be made in big batches, which is always nice. The following is a recipe for White Chocolate Pistachio Snack Mix.

Recipe adapted from Redbook Magazine.

White Chocolate Pistachio Chex Mix

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups rice Chex cereal
• 1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Melt butter, sugar, vanilla and kosher salt (to taste) over medium heat.
4. Pour mixture over rice cereal.
5. Toss to make sure cereal is evenly coated.
6. Place mixture on the baking sheet in an even layer.
7. Bake until golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.
8. Toss cereal mixture with pistachios, dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
9. Let cool and they break apart.

Tips: 

• This cereal mix can also be made with corn chex if you prefer. 
• The original recipe kept the chocolate chips whole at the end. My family loves it when the chocolate chips melt into the cereal and nuts. Either way works, so experiment to see which version you prefer. 
• I use salted pistachios, but if you prefer to reduce the sodium use unsalted nuts. 

Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

It seems food guilt is everywhere these days. Every month there is a new article meant to scare people about the dangers of various foods. You thought soy was good for you, wrong, same goes for eggs, butter, and almond flour. Then 6 months later the opposite. Oh wait, eggs aren't as bad as we thought, maybe agave syrup isn't as great as we stated 6 months earlier. Honestly, we all need to calm down a little. It seems that a constant state of panic is what many people thrive on today. Food companies and various interest groups have picked up on this panic and made millions of claims. We all want to live longer, but if you are constantly worrying about the foods that you eat your stress level will be higher, which is not a good thing. For me personally, I eat a small amount of everything. Over the years I have been a vegetarian, a vegan, and an anorexic. I gave into the hype in my 20's and my relationship with food was horrible. I spent so much time obsessing about what I should or should not eat that I didn't each much of anything. Currently I have a great relationship with food. I am thin, in great shape, and my cholesterol levels are as low as non-meat eaters. Most of all I don't limit any foods, I just don't overdo any of them either. I do have one piece of cake, not three, but the one piece of cake that I do have I enjoy every moment that I'm eating it. Food should be enjoyed, not obsessed over. None of us remembers the food we didn't eat, but almost all of us remember at least one great food memory.

Almond flour has had a bit of a controversy in the last 10 years. Some people love it, others have a list of reasons why it should be avoided. I'm not going to list either side here. I use it occasionally. If I buy a bag for a recipe I experiment with the remainder of the bag in baked goods. The texture is different than other gluten free flours and it can be a bit expensive, but you can make your own almond meal (flour) in a food processor and most recipes take less than a cup. My advice with anything gluten free is to try all the options and then pick the one that works best for you. None of us are the same and neither should our food choices. With that said, the following is a recipe for Almond Flour Banana Bread/Muffins.

Recipe adapted from Jan's Sushi Bar.

Almond Flour Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the almond flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with wet ingredients.
4. Beat until combined.
5. Pour into a 9 X 5 inch greased loaf pan.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.
7. Tent the top of the loaf during the last 15 minutes of baking if needed.

Tips: 

• You can add chocolate chips or walnuts if desired. 
• This recipe can also be made as muffins (as seen in my pictures above). Just make sure to decrease the baking time to 15-20 minutes of total time. Also muffin liners are best since the almond flour tends to stick a little without a liner. 
• If you don't eat butter, coconut oil can be used as a replacement. The same goes for the granulated sugar, date or coconut sugar would also work. 
• As with all bread recipes check the loaf after it has cooked for approximately 40 minutes. Tent the top with foil if it starts to over brown and check the middle of the loaf for doneness before taking out of the oven. The total cooking time can vary greatly based on a number of factors so don't be alarmed if your bread takes longer than the total stated time. 

Banana Muffins Made with Homemade Baking Mix

The men in my family can't seem to find the clothes basket or the trash can. When I wake up in the morning most of my first hour of the day is spent picking up dirty clothes from the living room and bedroom floors. I have tried training them and it lasts for about a week. Then they are back to leaving things throughout the house. It's almost like they are Hansel and Gretel and need a trail to find their way between the bathroom and their bedrooms. My husband isn't much better than my kids. He normally keeps his clothes in one pile, but he has pairs and pairs of shoes all over the house. Seriously the man changes his shoes 3-4 times a day. I tried charts to modify their behavior and honestly the charts became more of a chore than picking up the mess. Maybe I need to train myself to not pick up after them so they start doing it themselves. Realistically though I can only go a couple of hours before it would start to drive me nuts.

My kids run in the house every afternoon and ask what I made for their after school snack. They are always starving after school and will literally eat everything in the cupboard if I gave them the chance. I try to make foods that are easy to hold such as muffins, crackers, etc so they can do their homework while eating. Having a baking mix made up ahead of time is a nice way to save time, making it so I only have to spend less than a half an hour in the kitchen. This recipe for Banana Muffins is made using a Homemade Baking Mix that can also be used to make scones and biscuits (recipes to come).

Recipe Adapted from Martha Stewart Living. 

Homemade Baking Mix

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 sticks frozen unsalted butter, grated
• 6 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Cooking Directions

1. Combine sugar, baking powder, salt, and flour.
2. Stir in butter, making sure there aren't any large clumps.
3. Store in fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups homemade baking mix, room temp
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large egg, beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Combine baking mix, sugar and cinnamon.
2. Break up any large butter clumps with your fingers.
3. In another bowl combine milk, eggs, and bananas.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
5. Stir well until completely combined.
6. Divide batter into a greased (or paper lined) 12 muffin cup muffin pan.
7. Fill each cup about 3/4 of the way full.
8. Sprinkle each cup with granulated sugar.
9. Bake muffins in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 22-25 minutes.
10. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Tips: 

• This is a very versatile baking mix. You can also use it to make scones, biscuits, and pancakes. 
• If you want to add a little chocolate to your banana muffins this recipe would work well with dark chocolate chunks or with a few tablespoons of peanut butter. 

Banana Crumb Muffins

I seem to be having a string of bad luck. For the last three weeks my family has been fighting hand, foot, and mouth disease. My youngest had it first, then my husband, and today I had to pick up my oldest who seems to have come down with the high fever and sore throat that begins the illness. During these three weeks my father managed to fall and break his hip requiring surgery 2500 miles away. That's a whole other story for another day. To add to it all my oldest was formally diagnosed with ADHD this summer (after three months of appointments) so we have been adjusting our lives to deal with the diagnoses. I'm feeling a little burnout out and as most of you have probably noticed my blog has taken a back seat. I though that once my kids were both in school that I would have more time during the day, that has failed to come to fruition so far. I'm hoping that things will calm down soon and I will be able to go back to blogging more regularly.

When I'm stressed out I bake. I find baking to be almost therapeutic, it helps me to calm down and feel more like myself when life gets crazy. My kids love banana flavored anything so this week I made a new recipe for Banana Crumb Muffins. The recipe is as follows.

Adapted from Taste of Home.

Banana Crumb Muffins

An easy banana muffin recipe with a delicious butter crumb topping. Great way to use over ripened bananas.

Yield: 10 servings

Calories per serving: 243
Fat per serving: 9 grams

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Topping:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Cooking Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Mash bananas either with a fork or a blender/food processor (I prefer this method).
3. Add bananas to sugar, egg, and butter and mix well.
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined (do not over mix).
5. Grease a muffin pan.
6. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full.
7. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and flour for the topping.
8. Add butter and mix until crumbly.
9. Sprinkle topping mixture over the tops of the muffin batter.
10. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.
11. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.

Tips: 

• I have not tried making this muffins gluten free so I can't attest to whether they would turn out or not. 
• The butter may be substituted for canola or vegetable oil. 
• You could also experiment with using Greek yogurt instead of part of the butter to reduce the fat and increase the protein. I do this frequently with muffin recipes and it works well. 

Banana Crumb Muffins

Preparation Time: 0h, 15m

Cooking Time: 0h, 20m

Total Time: 0h, 35m

Toasty Whole Grain Orange Muffins

I hate to eat at restaurants. A food blogger that hates restaurant foods sounds strange, but it's very true. I can list the number of restaurants I have ever thought wow this is great on one hand. Five fingers, that's it. Half of the list has been in other countries, whether for the company, the food or both, I'll never be a hundred percent sure, but they still make my top five. I have a much, much longer list of restaurants I have really disliked. The same restaurants that people have told me are so great, you must try them. I have and they weren't that great. So much of food has to do with the experience, not just the food on the plate. It's hard for one person to have the same feelings for a restaurant as another. Some of my favorite memories are associated with the Thai restaurant growing-up that was near our house. While the food was decent, the memories of eating with my mother makes me remember the restaurant as great.

My kids are eating me out of house and home recently. I haven't had as much time online, but I have still been cooking and baking up a storm. Last week I tried a new recipe for Toasty Whole Grain Orange Muffins from the April 2014 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 50 minutes of total time, 35 minutes of which is active. I made two versions of the original recipe, one gluten free and one as written. For the gluten free recipe I used a homemade rice flour blend. For the wheat flour muffins I used all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour. I found that both sets of muffins worked better cooked at 350 for 25 minutes instead of the 400 degrees for 15 minutes suggested by the recipe. I hate cleaning muffin pans so I used muffin liners on both batches. The clean up is much easier and that way my kids can just grab an individual muffin off the counter.

Both types of these muffins turned out well. They were best re-heated with butter or marmalade if you ate them after the first day. Fresh out of the oven the gluten free muffins were perfect and had a great light taste. As with most gluten free baked goods if eaten after the first day they needed to be warmed in the microwave for approximately 15 seconds. My kids really liked the regular muffins and thought they were best with jam and butter.

For the recipe go to Toasty Whole Grain Orange Muffins. 

Homemade Smoked Almonds

Homemade Smoked Almonds

My oldest made his own sandwich today. While that might not seem like a big deal, it is in my household. I live with three males. Most days there are dirty socks, dishes and messes all around my house. I have been working with my kids to make them more responsible. When I am in the middle of ten different tasks it can be hard to drop everything to make my kids a glass of milk, a sandwich you name it. When my son came into the living room with a perfectly cut and made sandwich I was happy, but assumed I would walk into a mess in the kitchen. After walking into the kitchen I was more than a little surprised. The counters were wiped down, the bread and sandwich ingredients put away and the kitchen looked cleaner than I had left it. There are many moments during the day that I feel like I try teaching my kids and nothing sinks in. Then there are days like today where I know that I am at least doing something right.

I am a big snack eater. My kids have inherited this trait and we go through a ton of snacks every week. I try to keep the snacks I make healthy and with protein so my kids stay fuller and don't have sugar crashes. This week I tried a new recipe for Homemade Smoked Almonds from the Taste of Home website.

This recipe has six ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 9 servings. I followed this recipe pretty close to the original. The only changes I made were to add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke instead of a 1/2 teaspoon. My liquid smoke was a little old and had lost some of its flavor so I figured adding a larger amount would be a good idea. Make sure to stir the nuts every 10 minutes so they get evenly browned and salted.

While this recipe states the almonds are smoked, they are more flavored than smoked. The main flavor that comes through is garlic. They are still delicious and my boys and I ate the whole batch. If you want a stronger smoke flavor you might want to adjust the amount of liquid smoke and garlic powder. However, I liked the almonds as written, the garlic flavor was delicious and made for a nice salty afternoon snack.

For the recipe go to Homemade Smoked Almonds.

Nutty Grain and Oat Granola

Nutty Grain and Oat Granola

It's January in West Virginia. December was warmer than usual, we had a few days that were in the upper 70's. However, now it's January and the weather is going back to normal. When I first moved here I had experienced very few winter days that got below 20 degrees. Seattle gets snow and cooler weather, but not cold weather. The first winter I was here and it hit 5 degree with wind I froze. It only got worse when my oldest started school. Standing at the bus in 5 degree weather with two kids is horrible. There is no way to stay warm in that weather, even in layers. So for at least the next 2 1/2 months my heat will be blasting and I will be in sweaters and wool socks. I don't do winter, I can do 100 degree days in the summer much easier. Plus I cringe when I see my gas bills, heating a house in cold weather can be brutal on the checkbook. Maybe it would be easier if I was a bear and just went to bed for the entire winter. I would wake up warm and refreshed with no cold weather in sight.

I have been trying to keep healthier snacks around the house for my boys. If given the option they will grab a bowl of sugary cereal before anything else. While cereal is okay occasionally, my husband's idea of an entire box a day doesn't work for my mindset. This week I tried a new recipe for Nutty Grain and Oat Bars from the January 2014 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine.

Marshall Plane Crash Memorial Spring Hill Cemetery Huntington, WV

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 60 minutes of total time, 10 minutes of which is active and makes 16 servings. I did make a number of changes to the original recipe. First instead of amaranth I substituted sesame seeds. For the nuts I used almonds and increased the dates to 8 since mine were small. After making the bars and letting them cool they feel apart. I made sure to follow the recipe exactly and pack down the bars, but they still feel apart when cut. I decided to crumble the bars and add a small amount of honey and put them back in the oven for 15 minutes in order to make granola. After cooling I broke the pieces into granola size pieces.

Huntington, WV from Spring Hill Cemetery 

As bars this recipe didn't work out very well. When made into granola this recipe was perfect. My husband and I really liked the sweetness and taste from the dates and the granola made for a great afternoon snack. With the changes that I made to the original recipe this granola turned out well. A nice afternoon snack or breakfast served over Greek yogurt.

For the recipe go to Nutty Grain and Oat Bars.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

The stress of the holidays is almost over. As much as I love watching my kids faces during Christmas morning and spending time with my family I am always relieved when all the chaos is over. For what seems like 3 months all everyone talks and think about is Christmas. This year stores had their Christmas decorations out before Halloween, making the holiday seem even longer than normal. I personally love the day after Christmas. My kids have new toys to distract them and I can sit and relax with a cup of coffee. No more shopping, wrapping, or cooking. Things can go back to the way they are the other 9 months of the year. Plus the New Year brings new things to look forward to and the ability to leave the stress of the last year behind us. So as Christmas comes tomorrow, I will be happy. My kids will be ecstatic with all the gifts, while I will be happy that I can relax, I survived another Christmas.

Since we have been eating lots of fattening foods the last couple of weeks, I have been trying to have snacks that are healthier. Today I tried a new recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Bars from the January issue of All You Magazine.

Spring Hill Cemetery Huntington, WV

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, 5 minutes of which is active and makes 9 bars. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. First, I substituted pepitas for the sunflower seeds called for in the recipe. My family loves pumpkin seeds and I use them in snacks frequently. Second, I found that I had to allow the bars to cook an additional 5 minutes in order for them to fully brown and set.

Spring Hill Cemetery Huntington, WV

These bars taste more like baked oatmeal than they do raisin bars. I chose to pour maple syrup over two of the bars as a breakfast. I would suggest making a few changes to the original recipe. First, I would replace the raisins with fresh fruit. Fresh blueberries would be much lower in sugar and higher in vitamins than raisins. Second, I would add maple syrup to the bars in order to make them sweeter. As originally written the bars are a little on the not sweet side of things. I would suggest either adding maple syrup to the batter or eating the bars in a bowl with maple syrup drizzled over them. With a few modifications, these could be a great snack!

For the recipe go to Oatmeal Raisin Bars. 

Soft Baked Pretzels

Homemade Soft Baked Pretzels

I'm debating sending out Christmas cards this year. When I was younger I hand printed over 50 cards every year and loved doing it. However, as the years have gone by I receive fewer and fewer cards in return and some of the joy of the whole process has depleted. I think when my mother was alive and before I had kids I enjoyed spending the time personalizing every card and receiving personalized cards in return. However, with the rise of social media and email more and more people are interacting online and less are sending out cards. In some ways it's a little sad, books have become ebooks and cards have become Facebook posts. It takes a lot of the personalization out of keeping in contact, but I may follow suit this year and not send out cards. Then again, maybe I will hold out one more year.

My two boys are currently eating me out of house and home. I don't even want to imagine how much they will eat as teenagers, I might as well starting raising my own cows and pigs, it would be cheaper. A couple of weeks back I tried a new recipe for Soft Baked Pretzels from the October 2013 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Huntington Museum of Art

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 2 hours and 5 minutes of total time, 55 minutes of which is active. I only made minimal changes to the original recipe. For the milk I used 2 percent, it's what I normally have on hand for my coffee. The major modification I made was to simmer the water and baking soda and then add the pretzels for 15 seconds on each side. This allows for a better flavor after baking, it's what gives the pretzels that great salty taste. The recipe uses an electric mixer, but I almost always prepare my bread and baked goods from scratch. I find that I prefer the texture when hand kneaded.

Fall Leaves

My husband and two boys loved this recipe. The pretzels come out perfectly and by boiling the pretzels in the baking soda before baking they come out perfectly on the outside. I turned my pans halfway through the baking time in order to ensure even baking and browning. This is a recipe I plan to continue using in the future, it's great!

For the recipe go to Soft Baked Pretzels.

Soft Baked Pretzels

Recipe Type: Snacks

Summary:

A delicious homemade soft baked pretzels recipe. Perfect with mustard or made sweet with cinnamon/sugar.

Preparation Time: 0h, 55m

Total Time: 2h, 5m

Yield: Serves 8

Apple Pie Mini Muffins

Apple Pie Muffins

My family doesn't have cable, we don't watch live television and we gave up our home phone years ago. We used to have cable. In graduate school my husband and I would watch horrible cable television while working on papers into the early hours of the morning. Then like a lot of people in our generation we graduated and were struck with the cold reality of a bad economy, aka no jobs. The jobs we did find were in retail, my husband woke up at 3 in the morning to help unload the truck at a toy store. So we did what needed to be done, we moved to a cheaper apartment, cancelled cable and switched to cell phones only. Our friends couldn't fathom not having cable, especially since we only received 3 channels through the regular television. We survived and eventually bought an Apple TV and Roku, which made regular television pretty much useless. The last time we watched live television was so far back I don't remember when it happened. Instead we watch Netflix and Hulu plus, use our computers and save the 130 dollars we paid on cable when we were younger. None of us miss it, we can watch pretty much anything we want between our Apple TV and computer and it gives us more time outside the house enjoying family time. It's also one of the numerous ways that I save money in order to stay at home with my kids.

I have two active and growing boys that eat more food than I would think possible. I shudder to think how much food they will eat as teenagers. I try to keep a variety of after school snacks that they can eat while I prepare dinner. Today I tried a new recipe for Apple Pie Mini Muffins from the November 2013 issue of Parents Magazine.

Apple Pie Muffins

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 36 mini muffins. I made a number of changes to the original recipe. The most obvious being that I made full size muffins instead of mini muffins. I ended up with a total of 12 regular sized muffins and one jumbo muffin I baked in a custard cup. Instead of using a food processor I mixed the muffin topping by hand. I also toasted my own pumpkin seeds since the ones I could find at the store where raw. I found that my total cooking time was slightly increased by approximately 5 minutes. Additionally I rotated the pan halfway through the baking time.

Haunted Tunnel Ironton Ohio

I like that these muffins have pumpkin seeds, oats and apples. It's a nice way to sneak a little nutrition into my kids diets. The batter will be very, very thick when it's prepared. Don't add more liquid, they will cook up fine without it. I did find that the amount of topping was a little short with full sized muffins. You might wanted to double the amount of topping used.

For the recipe go to Apple Pie Mini Muffins. (registration required)

Pumpkin Spiced Pecans from Southern Living

Pumpkin Spiced Pecans

Before I had kids I never lost anything. Now it seems that every time I turn around something disappears in my house. This evening it was a 30 dollar library book. I have looked everywhere and can't find it. While in most people's houses it could be hiding behind a bookcase etc. Not in my house. I thrive on organization and could tell you exactly where everything is, everything except the library book. During the book search my husband did find an old iPhone under the seat of our car. We bought it last January used. It had 15,000 miles on it and was a rental car. I have cleaned that car top to bottom every week, but apparently the phone was stuck right up next to the under part of the seat. So my husband got to make a man's day by finding his email on the phone and telling him that his long lost phone was found. I still can't find the library book, but I'm hoping by my husband helping someone else find something lost that the universe can see fit for me to find the lost book. If not at least the day ended up with a good deed, even if it does remind me that I can't seem to find anything even if I have cleaned the same spot for almost a year. I also end the day knowing that I married a man that is sweet enough to spend two hours tracking down someone to return their lost phone. All in all the day is ending on a good note. My food posts have been a little sparse the last couple of weeks due to offline life. I'm hoping to get back into the blogging grove soon. This week I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Pecans from the September 2013 issue of Southern Living.

Harris Riverfront Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 6 ingredients. It takes 55 minutes of total time, 5 minutes of which is active and makes 1 1/2 cups of nuts. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First instead of apple pie spice I used pumpkin pie spice. I didn't want to have to buy a spice that I don't use, so I substituted the pumpkin pie spice that I already had. I did not add the ground red pepper since my two boys aren't big fans. Make sure to stir the pecans frequently or they will burn. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes after they are done cooking to let them get fully crunchy.

View from Harris Riverfront Park, Huntington, WV

These pecans turned out great. My whole family enjoyed them and they were the perfect blend of crunchy and spiced. I would suggest at least doubling the recipe, the 1 1/2 cups didn't last long at all. These would be a nice party snack or just a fall treat.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Spiced Pecans.

Regional Food Trends: Kentucky Beer Cheese

Kentucky Beer Cheese

Each state has at least one signature food. West Virginia is the home of the pepperoni roll. If you have never had one, they are delicious. A sweet, yeasty roll with pepperoni and sometimes mozzarella or pepper jack cheese. Growing up in Seattle everything revolved around salmon and pan-Asian food. I learned to make sushi when I was 9 and still love it to this day. Where you grow up has a large influence on the types of food you eat and what you learn to cook. When I moved to West Virginia I had no idea how to cook southern food. I had never made a biscuit in my life and I had only made gravy from a can. After meeting and marrying my husband I turned to my mother-in-law for help. Over the past 10 years I have learned to make all the foods my husband loves. My husband's side of the family lives in Kentucky and he is obsessed with Kentucky foods. He is obsessed to the point he stocks up on Ale 8 when we go to the grocery store on the other side of the river. One of his favorite regional foods is Kentucky Beer Cheese, so I tried a new recipe for it this week.

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 16 servings. My husband made the majority of this recipe and he made a few changes. I had to help him use the blender since I don't think he had ever used it before. He was a fast learner though. For the cheddar he used extra sharp cheddar, PBR beer, 3 cloves of garlic, Tabasco and a slight amount of horseradish. When I blended the cheese in the blender I added it in batches, putting the beer in first. After the cheese was blended I let it sit overnight in the fridge for the taste to mellow.

The first day this cheese is made it's pretty strong. However, by the second day it's perfect. I would suggest cutting the garlic down to only 2 cloves and my husband thinks that it would be better with Yuengling beer. It is great served with crackers or spread on a toasted baguette.

Does your region have a food that it is known for? (I love finding out about regional foods!).

For the recipe go to Kentucky Beer Cheese. 

Turn Off the Oven in the Heat: Trail Mix Treasures

Trail Mix Treasures

The story of when I decided to learn to bake is sad-funny. As I have discussed before I learned to bake from cookbooks, what I haven't talked about is when or why I started baking in the first place. It's a story that goes back to my great-grandmother's funeral. My mother was the oldest of 12 kids and was always close to her grandparents. We went up to visit every summer and my mom spoke to them on the phone a lot. After my great-grandfather passed away I was lucky to be given one of the metal donkeys that he crafted out of old bolts and screws. I still have it and my children have heard exactly where it came from and that one day it will be theirs. When my great-grandmother was in her 90's my mother decided that I should go and spend some time with her for the summer. I was 12 and she lived in a very small town in Eastern WA. So for a week I spent time with my 93 year old great-grandmother. She taught me to spin wool on a wheel, to weave with an old fashioned weaving board and to write. One of the most important things she taught me was that I should remember everything by writing it down. She gave me a journal to write all about my stay, and I did. I took pictures of her, I drew and I wrote. Not long after my trip she passed away. I was one of the last people to spend a lot of time with her and I cherish the memory. At her funeral there was a beautiful cake. It was a beautiful day and that cake was gorgeous. Until I took a bite, it tasted like rose water. Not a little bit, but entirely like rose water. My mother took a bite and burst out laughing. It was disgusting. We both decided that my great-grandmother would have hated it and would have probably said something sarcastic. She was very opinionated (something that I am glad to say I inherited). It was then and there that I decided I would learn to bake. Not a cake that tasted like rose water, but an actual cake. And so I did. Now days I bake for my kids. I tell them stories about the strong women in my mom's family (great-grandmother, grandmother, and my mom) that they will never be able to meet. I hope that through me they will learn a little bit about how to low to bake and cook and to love the family that they came from. Today I tried a new recipe for Trail Mix Treasures from the Ocean Spray website.

This recipe has 6 ingredients. I followed the recipe pretty closely to how it was written. Instead of using semi-sweet chocolate I used all natural dark chocolate chips. I prefer using dark chocolate in baking, especially if the recipe is already sweet. I sprayed the pan with non-stick spray in order for it to stop from sticking.

Since I was unable to find gluten free rice krispies at my local store, this became a treat for everyone, but me in the house. I did eat a number of chocolate chips out of the bag, I have a bad habit with that. While the dark chocolate chips were good, I think this recipe would also be great with white chocolate chips. White chocolate chips and dried cranberries seem to go hand in hand. I cut big pieces so I ended up with 12 pieces in total. My oldest son was not a big fan of the roasted pumpkin seeds, but my youngest disagreed. If your kids don't like pumpkin seeds roasted almonds or cashews would be great substitutes.

For the recipe go to Trail Mix Treasures.

Overrippened Bananas Strike Again: Time for Banana Crumb Muffins

Gluten Free Banana Crumb Muffins

I have been shopping our pantry and freezer the last couple of weeks. Every 2 or 3 months I notice all the food bits that we have leftover such as half packages of pasta, condiments, half jars of olives etc. Then I make an effort to use as much as I can of everything before doing another large grocery trip. My pantry and freezer have had enough 'bits' of things to last me two weeks with another week or more of meals to go. We routinely eat leftovers, but the little portions of things I have to make an effort to go back and use every couple of months. So I have had a number of recipe experiments, most of which have gone well, a few not so much. Today my youngest son really wanted to eat the bananas he found at the store last weekend, but the heat had already gotten to them and they had turned brown. So it was muffin time again. Today I made a new recipe for Banana Crumb Muffins from Allrecipes.com.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 35 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 10 muffins. I actually made two versions of this muffin, one gluten free and one as written. The major change that I made to the recipe was to puree my bananas in my blender before adding them to the wet ingredients. I'm not a fan of lumpy bananas, so this step eliminated that problem. For the topping I let the butter sit at room temperature and then rubbed the warm butter into the sugar mixture with my hands. This allowed for larger chunks of crumb on the muffins, which is what I prefer. My muffins took the entire 20 minutes of baking time to fully set.

The tops on these muffins are the best part. The muffins themselves are a little soft, I might suggest switching the butter to canola oil and adding a small amount of cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter. This would help with the flavor and texture of the finished muffins. My youngest son ate the tops off a number of the muffins, since that was his favorite part. The muffins are on the sweet side due to the topping, so if you are looking for a less sweet muffin you might want to leave off the topping.

For the recipe go to Banana Crumb Muffins.