Not having baked anything in a while, I figured our first 80ºF+ day of the year was the perfect day to whip up a batch of muffins. I assure you, there is some logic in that sentence. Hot, humid weather gives me migraines. The kind of migraines that make me useless for desk work or going for a walk, even … Read more
Today was the first day I noticed the wild cherries blooming along the river. Whether you call them chokecherries, hackberries or birdcherries, they are beautiful in bloom and a produce a wonderful fruit for cooking. Read more …
I love sweet-and-salty granola bars, so I thought I’d try making my own using the dregs of my pretzel bag. Unlike my previous granola bar recipes, in which I used unsweetened dried coconut, I used sweetened coconut here to see if the bars would hold together better. They did! And though the bars were sweeter than I normally go for, … Read more
I recently went to visit Mindy Celeste for the Christmas holidays. Before leaving, I threw my unused half-and-half into the freezer, since it would have spoiled in the week I was gone. Alas, thawed half-and-half isn’t great in coffee. It tends to separate in the freezing process, so when you put it in your coffee you get a smattering of … Read more
I just got back from a trip and didn’t want to go grocery shopping, so if I wanted to eat I was stuck with what I could find in my freezer and pantry. Nor did I feel much like cooking, so I wanted something that could be prepared with minimum fuss. I considered eating nothing but the chocolates from my … Read more
These were really good. I ate the whole dozen of them in four days. Supplies measuring cups and spoons 1 mixing bowl blender muffin tin with 12 2½-inch cups cooling rack Ingredients 1½ cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour ½ cup natural unsweetened peanut butter, chilled ¼ cup vanilla whey protein powder (or use flour) ½ … Read more
It’s that pumpkin muffin time of year again! Since I’ve been experimenting with using protein powder in baking, I thought I’d try that with my pumpkin muffins. I loved how they turned out. One might expect the protein powder to give them a medicinal taste, but it doesn’t. They just taste like, well, lightly sweetened pumpkin muffins. Below I have … Read more
It’s cider season where I live. The half gallon sitting in my fridge prompted me to think of apple cider vinegar, which made me think of a chocolate vinegar cake I used to make all the time in high school. I pulled the long-neglected recipe card from my pre-internet recipe book and immediately decided not to follow it—well, not exactly. I used … Read more
Even if you’re not pulling 300-pound weights on a regular basis, you might be looking for easy ways to get more protein in your diet. Since I’m always looking up ways to use up the protein powder in my pantry, I’m here to help. This recipe uses protein powder, eggs, and whole grains to boost the protein content. I was pleased … Read more
This post is a continuation of Pear Scrap Vinegar in Progress. After sitting near the window for a couple weeks, my jars of pear scraps was making good progress toward vinegar. The liquid was bubbling and a layer of yeast and starches produced by vinegar bacteria was forming on the surface. It was time for the next step in the vinegar-making … Read more