Kids In The Kitchen

Kids with sharp knives??? 

This might bring terror to their moms.

But with instruction and supervision they can be good to go.

Little Sister is 11 and is plenty old enough to use one.

Rest easy...I was supervising the entire time.

Everyone needs good knife skills unless they plan to eat out forever. 

 Little Sister and I worked on slicing and chopping techniques over the weekend.

Our favorite pasta salad was a great place to start.

With so many vegetables to slice and dice, she got plenty of practice.

Then it was quick and simple to stir the vegetables, pasta and dressing together.

Cooking is also a good way to teach about caring.

To teach about being helpful. About being a kind, thoughtful human.

Taking food to someone is one of our favorite ways to say "I care."

Over the weekend my kitchen was also a science lab.

Little Sister is studying plant and animal cells.

And these cakes that she baked by herself represent the cells.

And all the candy and frosting made up the call components.

When the "cells" were done, she labeled all the parts

–nucleus, ribosome, mitochondria, etc.—

and made a video presentation for her class about the project.

Baby Girl had her turn in the kitchen, too, and baked banana muffins. Sadly there are no photos because I was her baking coach. She did all the measuring and even used a hand mixer all by herself and filled the muffin tin. She is still small enough that she has to stand on a stool to cook. When the muffins were done, they were packed and delivered, too. 

You've probably seen these recipes here before. They are both tried and true. But I'm sharing them again. Who knows when your house will be the one full of grandchildren who want to cook? 

GARDEN PASTA SALAD

1 (16-oz) box of pasta -- rotini, bowtie, or penne 

5 cups of chopped fresh vegetables*

fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

1 (15-oz) bottle Italian salad dressing (my fav is the Wishbone brand)

3-4 tablespoons McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water. Drain well. Put pasta and vegetables and parsley into a large bowl. Add salad dressing and Salad Supreme Seasoning. Toss gently until mixed well. Cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until ready to serve. I like to make it a day ahead.

*We used carrot, red pepper, yellow pepper, corn, broccoli, red onion, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. It doesn't take much of each veggie. 

This recipe fills a 5-quart plastic container.

BANANA MUFFS

2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)

Preheat oven to 400º.

Combine baking mix, sugar, butter and egg. Beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Fold in bananas.

Evenly divide between 12 greased (or line with cupcake papers) muffin cups. Bake 15-18 minutes. until lightly browned.

While warm, you can drizzle with Thin Icing and sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired. (The girls like them better without the nuts.)

Thin Icing: Blend 1 cup confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons water until smooth.

Sometimes I make 36 mini muffins instead. Bake those for 12-15 minutes. 

Video Cooking Class

BANANA MUFFS

I haven't seen the little granddaughters in so long it hurts. But the pandemic has kept us apart. We, of course, have done FaceTime visits, but that's not the same. Then Mommy had a brain storm. One thing they love to do when they are here with me is to cook. So we cooked together this week. Together apart. It was the closest thing to being in the same space that we've had in months.

Because we planned this ahead I had time to order a tripod for my iPhone. Back in the day, I did cooking demos on the local television station as part of my job. This reminded me of the setting up we did. Except they used real cameras and had real cameramen. But the "think it through" process was the same. I made sure everything was set out. And Mommy made sure the little girls had the same ingredients and tools set out and ready.

We still used FaceTime but this was more interactive. They used an iPad. See it propped up on a box? They could watch me and I could see them. Baby Girl made banana muffins. The recipe is an old one and it's called Banana Muffs. Because they are a healthy eating family, Mommy liked this one because it only uses 1/4 cup sugar. And it's delicious.

We talked about the different kinds of measuring cups and what each is for. We learned how to properly measure. Squishing the bananas was the most fun! This was such a good set up. They could ask questions as we cooked and I could see what they were doing.

Seriously. This was the most fun. If you have any thoughts of doing this with your hobby—whatever your hobby is—spend the $30 for the tripod. I don't think it would have worked without it. I could easily tilt the camera down so that they could see into the  bowl and then move it back up so I could talk to them.

And because we had a Daddy-O handy, he could capture what was going on. He used his phone to get a few pictures and thankfully a little video. I think he was fascinated that this all worked. This video clip is only 4 seconds. See us in action!

Cheese Omelet

Some serious thought went into the recipes we chose. We wanted something suitable for their skill level. And we got lucky that these two foods worked together. Baby Girl (who just finished kindergarten) made the muffins. When she slid them in the oven (with mom's help,) Little Sister and I started the cheese omelets. No written recipe for us. Just a demonstration. I would do a step. She would copy me. It was a miracle. The timing was perfect. The 15 minutes baking time was just right to have a omelet lesson. And they had a complete breakfast. J-Daddy got the first plate and he gave it a two thumbs up. 

And after making two more omelets, the girls got to enjoy their own breakfast. I snapped a quick photo of them. I was still watching. Licking the plate clean is about the best compliment any cook could get. Baby Girl was licking the omelet plate and Little Sister got every crumb off the muffin paper. They make quite a team.

Mommy taught kindergarten for several years. And the teacher in her made this a real learning project. After we cooked, she had each of the girls write their recipes. I dictated the recipe and Baby Girl wrote it down. In her own way. Can you read it? If you are not fluent in kindergarten writing, the recipe (in an easier to read version) is below.

BANANA MUFFS

2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)

Preheat oven to 400º.

Combine baking mix, sugar, butter and egg. Beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Fold in bananas.

Fill 12 greased (or line with cupcake papers) muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 15-18 minutes. until lightly browned.

While warm, you can drizzle with Thin Icing and sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired. (The girls decided they liked them better plain.)

Thin Icing: Blend 1 cup confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons water until smooth.

Sometimes I made 36 mini muffins instead. Bake them for 12-15 minutes. 

I'm not sure we will ever come up with two foods that work so well together, both in the timing and the food pairing. But I do think we will try this again. I really had a good time. I'm pretty sure they did, too. And Mommy got a few minutes to herself for a change. It was good every way we looked at it.

Oh Happy Day—This Worked!

Remember when I made "TV dinners" a couple of weeks ago? I promised to let you know how well they thawed out. Yesterday I pulled two of the Salisbury steak dinners out of the freezer right after I got up in the morning. Then I didn't think about making dinner for the rest of the day.

It was one of those "clean up/put things away" days. All the knitting needles left out after projects were finished are now back where they belong. The birthday presents for this weekend are sitting out with the gift wrap, ready for me to wrap today. The mermaid's flower headband is sewn back on. (That was a Mimi job request from Baby Girl.)  There is no dust under the furniture. The laundry is all done...even folded and put away.

Then 12 hours after I moved the frozen dinners from the freezer to the refrigerator, it was time to see if they passed the test. Would they be as good as I hoped? (I had tasted the frozen dinners from Meals On Wheels years ago when they were delivered to my mother-in-law. I wanted mine to be better than those.) They were so close to being thawed, but there were still ice crystals in the food.   I heated them, one at a time. About 3 minutes on DEFROST to finish the thawing process. Then I heated mine for 1 minute at the regular setting.

 Oh happy day! This was as good as the first time. The rice was perfect. (I always sprinkle a few drops of water over rice before I reheat it.) The vegetables were fine. The meat had a cool spot right in the center, so I broke the patty up and put some of the hot rice on top of it. That's all it needed. Another time I would add a few seconds to the heating.

But this really worked. I freeze foods all the time, but not combinations of food in such small portions. That's the part I wasn't sure about. I think it would be better if I had taken the dinners out of the freezer the night before. Safety reminder:  Always thaw in the refrigerator—not on the countertop. But that last bit of thawing in the microwave worked. Good to know.

For our household of two, making these dinners is a way to deal with leftovers. Now the challenge is to use these dinners up and not let them sit forgotten in the freezer for months. These bright blue containers are so eye-catching that I hope none get pushed to the back. And I really hope that the other food combinations thaw out as well as this one did.

Since I knew I'd have no supper clean up, I baked a treat for us in the afternoon. This was also part of my cleaning out...using up pantry items with an expiration date that was getting close. This recipe was the very first one I posted on this blog way back in 2011. We still enjoy making them.

PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS

1 box spice cake mix
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water

    TOPPING:
    1/2 all-purpose flour
    1/2 brown sugar, packed (I used dark brown sugar) 
    1/2 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake papers in a 12-cup muffin tin. Mix cake mix, pumpkin and water until well blended. Using an electric hand mixer is the easiest way to do it. Spoon batter into muffin tins. 

Mix flour and sugar. Cut butter in until crumbly. Sprinkle topping generously over muffin batter, pressing in lightly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until done. (My oven took 30 minutes.) Test with a toothpick. It should come out clean when done.

We have made these muffins with yellow cake mix and chocolate cake mix, too. They are all good. But we all like the spice cake mix best. Try them all and decide which is your favorite.


If you live where it's easy to go out for dinner, or where there are plenty of options to pick up to-do meals, or have delivery options, this may not be a big deal for you. But for us, living on a farm in a rural area, these easy dinners are so helpful. I  will keep trying different combinations for individual dinners.

Long Weekend With The Littles

This long holiday weekend has been a real "grandmother gig" for few days. As I write, I'm looking at my kitchen table covered with construction paper, felt, blunt tip scissors and glue sticks. And I'm watching small hands "creating" and "crafting" (her words) things for the dollhouse. "I've never crafted in the morning before. I'm still in my nightgown." I've let the smallest grandchild work on her own, with minimal supervision. Yep. Scissors. Glue. Markers. I can clean up when the house is quiet and empty. The girls will "clean" up the big things. I'll finish up later.

It's a grandmother privilege to let them make a huge mess. Understand I'm talking about a creative kind of mess. I keep a good supply of markers and crayons, paper, tape, glue sticks fabric scraps and leftover yarn stashed where they can reach it. And this weekend we've learned to look for things we usually throw away, like bottle caps, and see that upside down, it looks like a dollhouse bowl. For two days we've been on a hunt for tiny trash that can be converted into treasure.

This dollhouse and the critters who inhabit it belonged to their mommy. Who would have thought that 30 years later children are still playing with it? Saturday we made knitting things for the dollhouse mother. All houses have knitting sitting around, don't they? Toothpicks, leftover sock yarn and LOTS of patience and an hour later, we had actual knitting and a knitting basket for the mama bear.

When the dollhouse critters needed to rest, we baked. Both little girls have kitchen skills. This time it was Baby Girl who helped me bake while Little Sister was out on the tractor. Little Sister gets her turn in the kitchen later today helping Mommy bake cookies to leave a treat for Daddy-O when they head home tomorrow.

For generations, our family have been good deed doers. My mother was the best to take food when there was a need. And to make sure no child was cold in the winter. And to make sure people knew someone cared. These little girls are learning to carry on that tradition. Yesterday after church we delivered muffins and a get-well picture to a friend who is home with her foot propped up as it heals.

Applesauce Muffins

Here is this recipe again. These are among our favorite muffins to make. The recipe makes plenty to share. Or, to freeze for later. It's simple enough for little hands to help. The smallest hands can put paper liners in the muffin tins. As they grow, the "help" increases. Baby Girl likes to pour in ingredients. Little Sister can crack an egg like a pro. So far, no one loves cleaning up afterwards. 😊

APPLESAUCE MUFFINS (2 dozen)

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups applesauce

4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup of your favorite add-in...diced apple, raisins, or chopped nuts (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in applesauce. Combine flour, baking soda and spices. Stir into creamed mixture. Fold in add-in, if using. 

Fill greased muffin cups about 3/4 full. (Or use paper liners.) Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Cool for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack. 

Makes 24 muffins.  Pop some in the freezer for later. 

It is going to be very loud silence here when everyone is back at home tomorrow. No more little girls crawling into our laps in the morning. Sleepy eyes and messy hair and little bodies still warm from the bedcovers. Daddy-O gets one girl in his lap. I get the other. I'll miss having the little girls crawl into my bed at night, one on each side of me, to hear bedtime stories before they head to their own beds. Yes, the house will cleaner and quieter. But goodness, it's going to feel empty.

Mimi Camp Muffins

Sour Cream Blueberry Banana Muffins

Here is the muffin recipe that I promised. The one that Little Sister made during Mimi Camp. We chose this recipe because I had all of the ingredients here. No extra trip to the store required. And we chose it because smashing bananas is great fun when you're six!

The texture of these muffins is a little different than other muffins I've made. You can see that the tops are flat, not rounded as you might expect. But the taste? I ate three of them for breakfast two mornings in a row. (They were little, y'all. Don't judge.)

I saw the recipe on online. The pictures from the original source were thin, flat muffins, so it wasn't our mixing that made the difference. It's just how this recipe is supposed to be. Whatever the shape, we were happy with the flavor.

In the process of making these, Little Sister learned she had to wash her hands before she started and after cracking the eggs. She learned about measuring and leveling with the back of a knife. But when we got to the two bowls—one for the banana mixture and one for the flour—she exclaimed, "Oh! We're going to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients." Pioneer Woman and Trisha Yearwood (her favorite TV cooks) should be proud.

SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY BANANA MUFFINS

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, use a mixer on low speed to combine butter, sugar, eggs, bananas, sour cream and vanilla.
In another bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda to combine. Gradually add the flour to the banana mixture and mix until combined.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Grease muffin tins, or use paper liners. Spoon batter into cups (about 1/4 cup each) into tins.
Bake at 350 degrees for 17-22 minutes, or until golden brown.

The recipe said it made 24 muffins. We got 22 muffins.


Our batter was almost a liquid instead of a thick batter. I went back and found the online recipe post and asked the author how she measured her flour. I am in the "gently scoop into measuring cup and level." But she said she just scooped it up out of the canister. That would give you a little more flour and a thicker batter. Next time I'll do it that way. And one day I'm measuring one cup of flour both ways and will weigh each cup to see how much difference there is. Yep, I'm a kitchen nerd like that.

A Sweet Goodbye

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

One of the best parts of this grandmother gig is getting to babysit every now and then. They don't live close enough for routine babysitting, but I'm happy to drive down to help out when I'm needed. It makes life much easier for Mommy when she doesn't have to take the littlest one along when she has a dentist or doctor appointment.

This past weekend we had a blast of winter weather. Now, you dear readers who live way north of us would laugh at our Southern snow storms. It doesn't take much to throw us in a tizzy. We cancel everything---schools, offices, churches. There isn't much snow removal resources except for the main highways. So we wait for it to melt. Driving down the interstate wasn't bad at all, but when I made the turn onto their hilly street, it was pretty icy.

Since there was no school because of the snow, the two little sisters and I had a good time together. We played Candyland (by their rules) and Go Fish and the newest game, Sneaky Snacky Squirrel (which is a great game for the really young ones.) There was dancing and singing and dollhouse play, too.

During nap times I was happy to sit down and add a few rounds to my pair of socks. (Knitting is such a wonderfully portable hobby.) These socks are for Mommy. It would have been nice if I could have finished them before I came home today but I have half a sock to go. It was 11 degrees one night while I was there. And it is supposed to be in the 70s this coming weekend. We will be back in flipflops.

This morning all the girls did have to go to school---three schools, three drop off times, three dismissal times. I had to leave before even the preschool dismissed, so I decided I would leave them a treat. It's hard to leave them when they ask, "Mimi, can you live here forever?" Or, "Can I come with you and live at the farm." Okay. That's the two little ones. The high school sister has moved on, as she should. Her focus is on her friends and keeping up with AP classes. And I know that all too soon, these precious little girls will expand their world, too. So I'm soaking up all the Mimi love while it lasts. But I hope this sweet surprise helped with the goodbye sadness.

I left these pumpkin spice muffins ready for them to find when they got home from school. And maybe a muffin will find its way into a lunch box or two tomorrow. This recipe was the very first one I posted on this blog all those years ago. Back then we used it because it didn't have any eggs or soy in it. At that point Big Sister was dealing with some food sensitivities that thankfully, she has outgrown. But this recipe stands on its own. We've made it many times since then just because it's easy and it's delicious. If you have a young baker in your house, this a a terrific recipe for them to make, too.

PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS

1 box Duncan Hines spice cake mix
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water

    TOPPING:
    1/2 all-purpose flour
    1/2 brown sugar, packed
    1/2 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake papers in a 12-cup muffin tin. Mix cake mix, pumpkin and water until well blended. Using a hand mixer is the easiest way to do it. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Add topping.

Mix flour and sugar. Cut butter in until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over muffin batter, pressing in lightly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until done. Test with a toothpick. It should come out clean when done.

We have made these muffins with yellow cake mix and chocolate cake mix, too. They are all good. But we all like the spice cake mix best. Try them all and decide which is your favorite.

Tastes Like Fall

There is a huge apple festival this weekend, just over the state line. We aren't going, but the coverage on the news reminds me that fall is nearly here and apples are in season. I know that Jessica often makes a trip in the fall to the Georgia mountains to get apples and she usually brings us back apple butter.

We love apple butter, whether it's from an orchard in the mountains or it's a jar of Smuckers from the grocery store. It's all good. When Little Sister is here, she gets a few "grandmother privileges." One is to eat breakfast while watching Doc McStuffins. (That does not happen at her house.) A not-too-messy breakfast for her is a plate of toasted Pepperidge Farm cinnamon bread, cut into sticks, served along with a tiny cup of apple butter for dipping.

Quite some time ago, I printed out this recipe and lo and behold, I found it this week. Even though the recipe has been printed out and in my stack of recipes for almost a year, this was the first time I've made it. Oh my goodness, the house smelled so good! And the muffins were delicious. I asked Daddy-O, "What's the verdict?" after he had his first one. He said, "Let me see. I think I need a couple more before I say." That's his sneaky way of saying "These are really really good."

Think about making these for lunchbox treats. (Mini muffins?) And for breakfast. We almost made coffee to go with them, but figured we might not sleep since I had baked these muffins after supper. I might sprinkle a little sugar over the tops before baking when I make these again. Just to be different.

APPLE BUTTER MUFFINS
     —from Eat At Home

2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (that's 4 tablespoons)
1 cup apple butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or use paper liners.
Stir flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, melt butter in microwave. With a fork or whisk, stir apple butter, milk and egg into melted butter until well combined.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes.


When I was at Mommy's last week, we were talking about making pumpkin bread, one of her favorites. She said she often measured out the dry ingredients for a second batch while she had everything out—a cup of sugar in the bowl, a cup of sugar in a bag for later, etc. Then the next time, she only had to add the wet ingredients. I think this recipe definitely would be a candidate for her method.

Grandmother tip:  I was well into making this recipe when I discovered there was no milk in the refrigerator. Bummer. But I did have a can of evaporated milk in the pantry. Mix evaporated milk with water in equal amounts. And it works fine for baking. Now, I need to replace that can, or I really WILL be out of milk.

It's Berry Berry Good

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. Mostly, now I'm not very fond of it. There are too many political articles from questionable sources. Too many unfiltered comments that are hateful and ugly. Too many advertisements for things I don't plan to buy. Too many ridiculous videos. But mixed in with all of that stuff I zip past, I can also see who had a new baby, who died, and who is moving to a new house. So, I can't give Facebook up completely.

And then there are the Facebook recipes. There are so, so many of those that they only get a glance. But I am happy that this one caught my eye. Could be because I still had nearly a half gallon of fresh berries left from our berry picking morning last week.

I had never heard of Jordan Marsh, but evidently it was a famous department store in Boston back in the day. I grew up in a very small Southern town. The closest thing we had to a department store was Reimer's, which was basically two stores connected by a doorway. Womens' clothing on one side and mens' on the other side. As a teenager I worked weekends across the street at Hall's 5 & 10. Once I started getting a paycheck (I think it was about $7 a week) I bought my own clothes at Reimer's. Thank goodness for lay-away, because one paycheck wasn't enough for a dress.

Anyway, our little store wasn't big enough to serve treats. For that, you walked next door to the corner drugstore for an ice cream cone.  I'm glad Jordan Marshall's was a huge store with a bakery. And I'm glad that this recipe has been passed around for ages since they closed. This one came from a NY Times Facebook post. If you google the recipe, you'll find other variations from other sources. I'm pretty sure they are all good.

Because my muffin pans are approaching antique age, I think they are slightly smaller than the current regular size ones.  (I have an even older one that is a little smaller than these.) This recipe made 18 muffins for me. And they cooked a little faster. Eighteen muffins meant I had plenty to share. So I packed up a half dozen and delivered them to my favorite older (than us) couple. He's 93 and she's 88. They are both on walkers now, but sharp as a tack. We should all age so well! We had the best visit.

So here is the famous recipe. I will certainly make these muffins again. And again. And again.

JORDAN MARSH'S BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries (washed, drained, picked over)
3 teaspoons sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter and 1-1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. (I just used a whisk to mix the dry ingredients.) Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.

Crush 1/2 cup of berries with a fork and mix into batter. Fold in remaining whole berries.

Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners, and fill with batter. Sprinkle the 3 teaspoons of sugar over tops of muffins. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. (Check after 25 minutes.)

Remove muffins from tins and cool for at least 30 minutes. Store, uncovered, or the muffins will be too moist the second day.

Because I was baking in the morning, I fixed my favorite summer lunch yesterday—a tomato sandwich and fresh cantaloupe. The tomatoes and cantaloupe were just hours off the vines. This is the ultimate summer meal. In fact, it was so good, that we did a repeat for supper.

And having sandwiches again last night (I could only get away with this on the day the first tomatoes are picked) gave me time to bake a blueberry pie at supper time.  Mommy made one last week at the lake. And I couldn't think of a better way to use the very last of the fresh berries.

I was glad to get to the end of the 2 gallons of berries, but now I'm thinking maybe we should pick just one gallon more. Hmmmm.....

Making Muffins In The Morning

Applesauce Muffins

Yes, I really found time to make muffins while the little ones were still here. The trick was to start early--before the baby woke up and get as much as possible done before Little Sister figured out what I was doing and wanted to help. She came into the kitchen in time to stir. That was about the right amount of help. My timing was perfect. The muffins were coming out of the oven when Baby Girl woke up. Daddy-O fed her some of the leftover applesauce for her breakfast.

I made these muffins for the first time last summer when Little Sister was here. (It was easier with only one little one in the house.) And I've made them several times since. But it's a recipe worth posting again. This time I'm rewriting it with measurements to make 2 dozen muffins. I'll put about half in the freezer. I like to put four muffins in a quart Ziploc freezer bag. That's the right amount for me and Daddy-O to pull out for a snack. They are great with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.

APPLESAUCE MUFFINS (2 dozen)

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups applesauce

4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup of your favorite add-in...diced apple, raisins, or chopped nuts (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in applesauce. Combine flour, baking soda and spices. Stir into creamed mixture. Fold in add-in, if using. 

Fill greased muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Cool for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack. 

Makes 24 muffins.  Pop some in the freezer for later. 

For this batch, I added in diced apple (pretty good size pieces) and I think maybe this is my favorite. Daddy-O pulled a little 4-pack out of our freezer last night. A muffin with a cup of tea was a perfect bedtime treat. And this morning, we each had one with a mug of coffee for breakfast.  These really do freeze well.

When I pulled up this photo that I made a couple of weeks ago, I am reminded how much we miss these little girls now.

What To Do With All That Zucchini

Another friend is helping me out here while we are still in full babysitting mode. Talley and I went to college together and then both worked as home economists for the same Agricultural Extension Service.

This time of year zucchini is plentiful. If you don't have a garden, it's often easy to find someone who is trying to give their extra zucchini away.

Thanks to Talley for sharing these recipes. She even included a gluten-free recipe!

 

ZUCCHINI MUFFINS — Gluten Free

         By Talley

3    Eggs

¼   Cup Oil

1    Cup applesauce

½  Cup Agave light  (sweetener)

1    Teaspoon Vanilla

2    Cups Grated Zucchini

3    Cups Gluten Free Flour (Whole grain Brown rice flour)

½   Cup Flax seed meal

1    Teaspoon Salt

2    Teaspoons Cinnamon

1    Teaspoon Baking Soda

¼   Teaspoon Baking Powder

       Blueberries  (Optional)

       Nuts (Optional)

2   Bananas mashed (optional) (adds moisture)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit

Beat eggs until light.  Add oil, applesauce, Agave light , vanilla, and zucchini

Mix dry ingredients together

Add dry ingredients to wet in small amounts mixing

Add water if needed till mixture will stir easily

Bake in greased muffin tins

at 350 deg. Fahrenheit  for 20 min.

Makes approx. 24 muffins

Muffins freeze well

And if you don't need gluten-free.....

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3    Eggs

1    Cup Oil

2    Cups Sugar

2    Cups Grated Zucchini

2    Teaspoons Cinnamon

1    Teaspoon Vanilla

3    Cups Flour

1    Teaspoon Salt

1    Teaspoon Baking Soda

¼   Teaspoon Baking Powder

Nuts (Optional)

Beat eggs until light.  Add oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients

Bake in 2  9X15” pans, at 350 deg. Fahrenheit  for 1 hour

Making Muffins This Morning

While I was out with grandchildren last week, Little Sister asked if we could make muffins. She loves to bake (which mostly means she likes to stir.) But time ran out before we got to do that. We would have made the applesauce muffins (recipe here) that she loves. So this morning, back here at home, I made muffins because it made me think of her. Not the applesauce muffins that I would have baked last week, though.

I pulled a recipe out of my old, old, handwritten recipe book. I think this recipe was added to my book in the late 1970s—back before coffee mugs had completley replaced cups and saucers. You know it's an old recipe when it says to serve with "butter curls." I'm pretty sure this was a "healthy" recipe from some magazine way back then.

The recipe only makes six muffins, but there are times when you only want a small batch. The hardest part of this recipe is blending the peanut butter with the egg and water. I used a small whisk to mix. And it still took a couple or three minutes. With any muffin or quick bread recipe, you should always stir the wet and dry ingredients together only until dry ingredients are moistened. Don't over stir.

These are not the cupcake-like muffins you get at your coffee shop. They are not overly sweet and the texture is more like a corn muffin. You can taste the peanut butter, but that is not the predominant flavor. They were just perfect with my coffee this morning.

WHEAT GERM MUFFINS

2/3 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup sugar

1 slightly beaten egg
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl, stir together biscuit mix, wheat germ and sugar.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the egg, water, peanut butter and vanilla. Beat egg mixture until smooth.
Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix.)
Spoon batter into greased muffin tins.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve with butter curls, if desired.

Makes 6 muffins

I liked these muffins better without the butter. (Big surprise.)