My Wednesday Pantry-Quick Breads and Muffins

     

     Are these not completely gorgeous? These are my daughters  from scratch blueberry muffins. She uses oat flour, applesauce, and flax seed eggs, maple syrup for sweetness, and a whole lot of blueberry's. I tend do more quick breads than muffins, and admittedly I use cane and brown sugar for my sweetness. Sunday was a delicious oatmeal banana version. I had to make it oatmeal because I was a good 2/3rds cup short of flour, so added a heaping cup of quick oats. Let me tell you, the substitution was good. I too used flax eggs, partially as my daughter was coming over and DH had eaten the last of my eggs. I didn't skimp on  cinnamon and the result was a grainy robust tasty bread. 

I know I've shared time and time again, but my universal muffin/quick bread recipe, tweaked from time to time, is as follows:

• 3/4 cup of sugar (or sweetener of your choice)
• 1/2 cup fat (or apple sauce, or if making bananas, can just add more banana and skip fat)
• 1 3/4 cup flour of choice (or use 3/4 to 2/3rd less and add oatmeal-I always have quick oats so that is what I use
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1-2 tsps. cinnamon (and or add other spices to your taste)
• Fold in any other fruit, nuts chocolate, to get the version you want

     Wet ingredients get creamed together first, then the dry ingredients, mixed together well first to distribute the rising agents, gets stirred in next. If making banana or pumpkin, cream the with the  soft/wet ingredients.  I get 12 muffins or 2-3 small loafs. I love my mini loaf pans for quick breads. 

     Spray or use paper, bake at 350 for about 20 minute for muffins, 33 for  small loaves, inserting a utensil until clean to ensure fully done. 

     I'm a bit boring, but quick breads are a standard bring along for me to gatherings, weekends at the lake, or to go with soup, stew, or hotdish type suppers when I want something more. No one has complained to my face, and generally, I go home empty handed. Wrapped up in cellophane or if you can find cute paper liners, the breads make cute gifts. And I wonder why I've gained 11 pounds working from home! 

Tenner Week Day 6 and Rescuing a Flop

I'm holding strong and still have all my US converted currency for Tenner week.  Day six challenge is to go shopping using no money.  The strategy is to find bonus points, gift cards, rebates or any other tool that let's you purchase something with using very little money.  I honestly don't feel like shopping period today, and already have evening plans,so my little  stockpile will remain in place.  I was surprised at my rather impressive inventory should I decide to treat myself. 

Here's what I have:
3-Target gift cards totally $145  I ended up not purchasing a new work tote or tights having cleaned out my office and sock drawer and decided I needed neither.  The new lip and nail color I wanted as a new job reward was purchased so ridiculously low on 90% off clearance (three lip colors for $2.17 total, and three nail polish for $1.65 total, including tax) that I just figured it could be in the regular monthly purchases and not considered a splurge. All are all good neutral or soft colors, my style.  I even scored a black nail polish for DD#2 for  30 cents-not my style!

2- Green Mill Pizza and Pasta gift cards totaling $45 along with a $5 off coupon good until end of year towards any purchase.

1- $25 Panera Bread gift card.

4- $5 Caribou Coffee, received at Christmas through an offer of getting a free $5.00 for each 2 $10 cards purchased.  I bought 8 cards at Christmas for my staff and DD's extra curricular coaches and teachers.

1 free hot drink of choice card, also Caribou, from the Orthodontist.  I should save for DD as a treat when the braces come off next year. 

3- $5.00 Kohls reward points, each good towards a minimum $5.00 purchase.  These do expire tomorrow so I will need to see if I can get creative with a few items DD needs for spring clothes to maximize.  I would need to make separate purchases to max the discount. 

 I went over to my MIL's to give her house a good dusting and vacuuming before she gets back to Minnesota and thought about swinging through the Caribou drive-thru near her house.  Then I remember I had received a pound of Chocolate Brownie flavored coffee beans from some of my staff at Christmas and decided to give them a whirl in the grinder and make my own.  I still have so many bananas frozen, so also whipped up a batch of banana oat muffin's.  The coffee was delicious and the muffins looked divine.  However, in biting into one, I had a disappointing flavor in my mouth.  They had the banana flavor but dull with no sweetness.  Then it dawned on me I never added sugar to the batter!  I rarely look up a recipe for muffins-I have a universal one in my head I modify and the sugar part apparently was omitted from my brain today.  How I could salvage what other wise was a perfect dozen?  I wondered how raspberry jam might taste on one if I treated the muffins more like a biscuit, and what do  you know, they were delicious!  The raspberry with the banana was kind of tasty and with the chocolate coffee, maybe even foody trendy and worthy of a bohemian coffee house. The jam was also a gift, made by the wife of a dear colleague. 

Today has been pretty successful so far.  The weather is gorgeous so will be heading out for a long walk with pup after getting some laundry in the machine and some on the line. I'm looking forward to the improv night, and if pictures are allowed, hope to share a few. I hope your Saturday is a fine one.