Strawberry Blueberry muffins

I know my summer vacation has officially started when I spend my day cleaning, organizing and baking.

We went strawberry picking on the weekend at Strawberry Creek Farms. Much to our surprise (and slight disappointment) they did not have a good year and the basket of strawberries that we picked was free. Part of me thought I should go back and pick some more since it was free, but the other part of me realized that there really wasn't much to pick and it took quite awhile to fill the little basket we had.

Thanks to my husband we were able to enjoy some delicious strawberry-banana shakes and I had just enough left over to make muffins this morning. The recipes I've tried in the past never really made much of an impression. I needed something better for my little one who started in a new room at daycare today (and was not very happy about it). I wanted a delicious treat waiting for us when we got home. 

I took to my trusty friend Google and found a recipe by Ina Garten I knew would be amazing (as her recipes tend to be). I didn't have enough strawberries, so I added some blueberries. These muffins turned out so amazing. They had a nice crust on the top but were so moist in the center. My husband must have polished off 4 within the first 30 minutes. My little one could have had two or three as well. They are just that delicious. I'd say we finished off half the muffins just this afternoon. 

So here is the recipe (made with real Canadian fruit!)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1-1/4 cups milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups diced fresh berries

(I used 1-1/2 cups strawberries and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, rinsed)

1-1/2 cups sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Stir with your hand to be sure the ingredients are well-combined.

3. In a large mixing glass (2 cup) combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, pour the wet mixture into the well, and stir until just combined. There will be some lumps, but don't overmix the batter. Add the berries and sugar and stir gently to combine (fold them in gently).

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins with a tablespoon.  Fill the liners.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the tops are nicely browned.

Makes 24 delicious muffins.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

I love baking banana bread or muffins. It's pretty fast and easy to come together, makes a great snack, and I almost always have a couple of bananas that I have left too long and don't care to eat anymore.

All these reasons gave way to my decision bake them for work. To be honest, I had almost forgotten I signed up for this week's snacks and was kind of scrambling (I also needed to do groceries but it was hubby's soccer night so I wasn't going anywhere!).

I pulled up my go to recipe to make sure I had everything (you can find it here: Banana muffins ) and got on my way. As it turned out, I didn't have enough yogurt but I did have a little bit of sour cream so I used both in place of the yogurt; I think it was a bit more than I normally use (of course I didn't measure!). I also was craving chocolate so I added 3-4 tbsp of cocoa (which I also didn't measure but went till it looked chocolate-y enough for me). 

The result: really moist and delicious banana muffins. They seemed more moist than I remembered (now this could be because they really were OR because I hadn't had a gluten muffin in so long that I truly forgot how amazing and moist baked goods can be!) and the cocoa was a great addition. They were a ht at work and with my hubby and child!

I literally just tweaked a couple of things from my original post (Banana Muffins), but here is the recipe in its entirety. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup plain (Greek) yogurt
3/4 cup sour cream
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3-4 tbsp cocoa (Dutch, unprocessed)
3 bananas, mashed
1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Directions:

1. Mix oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, yogurt and sour cream in a large bowl.  Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and soda, and cocoa.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. (At this point, if it doesn't look chocolate-y enough, add another tablespoon of cocoa.)

3.  Add the mashed bananas and fold in.  Add the chocolate chips.

4.  Place the batter in lined (or greased) muffin tins, about 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated 365F oven for 20 minutes.

Makes 24 muffins.

Italian Easter Bread - Pane do Pasqua

I've always wanted to make a traditional Easter bread so this year I actually did it. I had a lot of fun decorating the eggs with my little one and we had a blast making the dough as well. While I didn't taste my own bread (still trying gluten free) it smelled amazing as I baked it and I got positive feedback at Easter lunch!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp. 

1/2 cup milk

2-1/2 tsp yeast

1/2 cup warm water

3 eggs, room temp. 

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Zest of one lemon

4-1/2 - 5 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp ground anise seed

1 tsp salt

6 hard boiled eggs (optional, don't have to be hard boiled)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter just until the butter melts. Set aside to cool. 

2. Add 1 tbsp sugar to the warm water and stir to mix. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and set aside for 5 minutes. 

3. In a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar until combined. Add the butter/milk mixture, yeast mixture, vanilla, zest and anise. Mix together until all the wet ingredients are combined. 

4. Switch to the dough hook and add in 4-1/2 cups flour and salt; mix until a soft dough forms. Gradually add more flour to make a smooth and slightly sticky dough. 

5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few more minutes until very smooth. Shape into a ball. 

6. Grease the bowl with oil and return the dough, turning to cover in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1-1/2 hours until it has doubled in volume. 

7. Line a very large baking sheet (or 2 sheets) with parchment paper and lightly grease. 

8. When the dough is ready, punch it down on a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. 

9. Roll each piece into a rope about 22" long. Lay two ropes side by side and loosely braid them together. 

10.  Lift the braid onto the baking sheet and pinch the ends to seal into a circle. Place 3 eggs in each circle lengthwise, tucking them between the ropes. (I used hardboiled eggs, but you can put them in uncooked and they will cook as the bread does.)

11. Repeat this process with the other two braids. 

12. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes until doubled. 

13. Brush the tops with egg wash (and sprinkle with sprinkles if you desire). Bake them for 30 minutes in a 350F oven until golden and cooked through. (The bread should sound hollow when tapped.)

14. Let cool then slice and serve. 

This picture is deceiving.  These are not small individual buns, but two large breads.

Gluten Free Apple Cake

Having a sweet tooth and a bag of apples normally meant lots of baking: apple crumble, apple pie, apple crumble pie, and so on.    Now this baking doesn't come so easily if I want to enjoy it.  I went on the search for a gluten free apple cake, thinking this would probably be easier than trying to make a gluten-free crust for a pie.  Most of the recipes I found called for xantham gum, which I didn't have in my kitchen (and probably won't ever have because of its cost and "synthetic" nature).

I found a recipe that I was able to tweak, and the end result was really quite good - and baked much faster than the recipe called for.  While I didn't try it, I believe this could easily be made dairy free as well if you substituted almond milk (or your go to milk) in place of the milk and your own butter substitute (or coconut oil).

The cake is really moist and tasted delicious warm.  It was a little crumbly - I'm not sure if that is because of the ingredients or the fact that we ate it warm. It doesn't rise very much, so next time I might consider baking it in a square pan and longer if necessary.  I may also add in some more apples to increase the flavour.  Overall though, it has a nice taste and definitely satisfied my cake craving.  I wouldn't guess it was gluten-free if I hadn't baked it myself.



Ingredients:
3/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp chia seeds (or flax seeds or half of each)
1.5 tsp boiling water
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups apples, peeled, cored and shredded (I used 3 small empire apples)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9" round springform pan with butter or coconut oil and dust with rice flour.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.

3. In a small bowl combine chia seeds and boiling water to create a gel; set aside.

4. Cream the butter with your mixer until it is softened and pale yellow. (I used about 1 tbsp less butter and added that amount in coconut oil.)  Add both the white and brown sugar and beat until well combined.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.  Blend in the milk (I used regular milk, but you could use almond or any substitute), vanilla and the chia seed gel, beating well after each one.

6. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in two batches, beating well after each addition until it is well absorbed.

7.  Gently fold in the shredded apples.

8. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes (the original recipe called for 40-45 mins but my cake was already browning in 30) or until the cake pulls away from the edge of the pan and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

9.  Serve warm or cooled.  If serving warm, cool in the pan at least 10 minutes before removing.

10.  Dust lightly with icing sugar if you like.

Pork Chops & Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy

This recipe can be made as follows, or turned into a gluten free recipe by substituting the flour for your regular flour substitute (or cornstarch to thicken the gravy).

Ingredients:

5 boneless pork chops (I used the centre cut that are quite thick)

salt and pepper 

2 tbsp all-purpose flour (or your gluten free substitute)

2 tbsp olive oil and coconut oil (I used half and half)

butter

2.5 portobello mushroom caps, chopped

1-2 onions, chopped (I used 1 large, 1 small)

2 (large) cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 cup red wine

1-2 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp sour cream

Directions:

Sautéing the onions

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and coat all sides with flour.  Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chops (working in batches if you need to) and cook until golden, about 3-4  minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

2. Add some butter and add the onions.  Sauté for a couple of minutes and add the garlic; sauté another minute. Season with salt and add some more butter and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.  

Returning the pork chops to the
pan with the onions and mushrooms.

3.  Turn up the heat and add the red wine, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom.  Stir constantly until it starts to thicken.  Add 1 tbsp flour (or a gluten free substitute like cornstarch) and cook, stirring for another 3 minutes.  

4. Return the pork chops to the pan, placing them on top of the onion-mushroom mixture.  Pour enough chicken broth to just barely reach the top of the pork chops.  Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cover.  Cook for another 20-25 minutes.

5.  Remove pork and add 2 tbsp of flour (or substitute) and stir for a minute to thicken sauce.  Make sure the flour does not clump up.  Add the sour cream and stir to thicken the sauce.  Place the pork chops back in the pot, covering with the sauce and to heat through (if necessary).

6.  Serve with mashed potatoes, covering both in the mushroom gravy.

Quick shot of the chops and mashed
potatoes covered in gravy.

The final product - in all it's gravy!

Mashed Potatoes

Pair your favourite mashed potatoes with the dish for the perfect combo.

I boil my potatoes over medium heat for at least an hour until they are soft.  I drain off the water and return the potatoes to the pot.  I mash them with my masher, periodically adding butter and milk to smooth out the potatoes to the consistency I like (not clumpy, quite smooth).  I also season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  If I have it on hand, I add 1 tbsp cream cheese and 1 tbsp sour cream towards the end and stir in for that extra creaminess.

Spinach & Artichoke Spaghetti Squash

We take turns at work bringing in munchies on Fridays.  This week was my turn and I wanted something that was meatless (as it would be a Friday in Lent) and gluten free, as well as easy to make as my Thursday night was turning out to be quite busy.

I found the perfect recipe that had all things I love in it, and it tasted so good that everyone was interested in the recipe - there were no leftovers!

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, seeded (about 2 lbs)

3 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup (light) sour cream

1/2 pkg (250g) cream cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3 cups packed baby spinach (about 3 large handfuls)

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3/4 - 1 cup marble cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Place the spaghetti squash in a microwave safe dish, cut side up.  Fill up the dish halfway with water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave about 10 minutes, until soft.  Remove and cool slightly.  (Alternately, you can roast the squash in a 350F oven cut side down for about 40 minutes.  Brush the cut sides with olive oil or butter before roasting).

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a pan.  Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about another minute.  Add in sour cream, cream cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan.  Stir until the cream cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the spinach and artichoke hearts and cook until the spinach has wilted.

3. Scrape up the strings of the squash with a fork and add it to the pan.  Stir together to combine.

4. Pour into a rectangular dish.  Top with the grated cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.  

5. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I let it cool slightly and covered my dish, brought it to work the next day and people microwaved it as they needed.  It turned out so yummy!  And it was really quite filling.

The final product just before broiling the cheese.

Tomato & Beef Polenta Casserole

My husband went and bought ground beef in bulk, so I went on the search for a new recipe to use some of it. I came across a southern style recipe that used cornmeal to create a polenta crust - gluten free!  I was very excited to make it and it turned out really well! And it tastes even better warmed up the next day for lunch!

Ingredients:
1 tsp salt
1 cup plain yellow cornmeal
1 tsp Montreal steak spice
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 portobello mushroom caps, chopped  **these veggies are optional and can be changed up 
1 medium zucchini, sliced                                 with whatever you have in the fridge.**
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, strained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Bring 3 cups water and 1 tsp salt to a boil in a (2 qt) saucepan over medium-high heat.  Whisk in cornmeal; reduce heat to low, and simmer, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat, and stir in steak seasoning and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.  Spread the cornmeal mixture into a lightly greased large baking dish.

2. Brown ground beef in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and transfer to a bowl.

3. Sauté onion for a few minutes in hot oil over medium heat until softened.  Add the other vegetables and sauté for another 5 minutes.  Stir in beef, tomatoes and tomato paste; simmer, stirring often for about 10 minutes.  Pour beef mixture over cornmeal crust.  Cover with remaining cheese.

4. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Polenta crust

Sautéed beef with veggies 

The final product