Cupcakes.

Some may say cupcakes are over done these days, but really can there ever be enough tiny little cakes running around this world? I made two of my favorite cupcake recipes for my sisters baby shower....lemon rosemary cupcakes and black bottom cherry cupcakes. So cute and so fun to eat!

Rosemary Lemon Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter softened

2eggs

.let eggs sit out for half an hour before making cupcakes

13/4 cups cake flour

2teaspoon rosemary(finely chopped)

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1cup sugar

11/2 teaspoons lemon extract

2/3 cup milk

2teaspoons lemon peel

3 Tablespoon lemon juice

-mix dry ingredients

-beat butter for 30 seconds. add lemon extract, and sugar beat until fluffy(2min). add eggs one at a time beating well.

-alternately add milk and flour mixture to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in in lemon peel and juice.

bake in pan with liners at 350 for -min. Let cool and ice.(1 cup powdered sugar-enough lemon juice to allow for a spreading consistancy-1/2lemon peel)

Black Bottom Cupcakes

-Mix 8oz of cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/3 cup of sugar until fluffy. Stir in 1 cup chocolatechips. set aside.

-Mix 11/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

-Mix 1/3 cup oil, 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup water.

-mix flour and oil mixtures together. Fill lined cupcake pans 1/3 the way full with batter then top off with 1 Tablespoon cream cheese mixture.

bake at 350 for 25-30 min. For cherry black bottoms. add 4 Tablesoons marchino cherry juice to cream cheese mixture. place a marschino cherry in the top of each cupcake, cover stems with a strip of foil to prevent burning.

Chocolate Spice Zucchini Bread

I modified the original recipe with extra spices, candied ginger, and chocolate. The end result was amazing. It reminded me of the holidays.

I large zucchini grated

1 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs

11/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2t cinnamon, 1t nutmeg, 1/4 t ginger, 1/2t cloves, 3/4 t salt

1/2 cup candied ginger chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

6oz(half the bag) chocolate chips ground in the food processor.

mix dry ingredients. mix wet ingredients. mix together. Stir in candied ginger, zucchini, walnuts, and chocolate. put in a greased and floured bread pan. bake at 350 for 45-55 min. cool in pan for 10 min

Zucchini Parmesan Bread

Zucchini Parmesan Bread

In a quest for an alternative to the normal zucchini bread recipe, I came across this little treasure on marthastewart.com. It's a great accompaniment to soup, or a pot of beans. It is baby and husband approved!

1/3 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
dash of salt and pepper(I added a bit more of the pepper and it gave it a good bite)
1 cup grated Parmesan

2cups grated zucchini.

Whisk oil, eggs, and milk together. Mix dry ingredients including cheese. Mix both together and stir in zucchini. (batter will be thick). put in a greased bread pan. Bake at 375 for -70 minutes. tent with foil if the bread starts to brown. cool in pan for 15 minutes. Then yummy yummy yummy you have bread in your tummy!

watermelon juice

My garden took off this year and I've ended up with a bit more than we can eat. Most of the extra I'll be passing on to others or freezing. My watermelon plants are no exception and really when it comes down to it how many 10lb+ watermelons can one family eat? Thus was born my brilliant idea watermelon juice. It was delicious! I think it would be good mixed with fresh lemonaid or sparkling water.

Tempeh sandwich

I first discovered tempeh at a small cafe in the back of a health food store. They served as a "tempeh ruben". It's a great substatute for meat in various dishes. For those of you who don't know, Tempeh is fermented soybeans. This is my recipe, but there really is alot you can do with it.

Tempeh veggie sandwich

I get tempeh from Trader Joes(next to the meats, top shelf, by the soy cheese. ;))

.cut tempeh loaf in half and then again long ways

. soak each peice on a plate with soy/tamari sauce(don't worry about too much sauce, the tempeh doesn't absorb very much)

.season with salt and pepper

.fry in a pan with a little bit of oil

I usually complete the sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and avocado.

Apple Pumkin Muffins (and variation)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 Tablespoon pumkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumkin (or mashed banana, cooked sweet potato, yam ect)

1/2 vegetable oil(if you wish to leave out oil, add an extra cup of the above ingredient)

2 cups grated apple( zuccini, carrot, ect)

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

In bowl mix first 5 ingredients. In another bowl mix eggs, pumkin(or?), and oil. stir into dry ingredients just until moist. fold in apple(or?), raisins, walnuts. Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 or more.

bake at 350 for 30 min . cool 5 min in pan.

The picture (above) is of the banana, carrot, zuccini variation. heavenly delicious.

Drink up

At our saturday farmers market here in town there's a guy who sells fabulous vegetarian greek fare at an outragous cost. It's good but I think I'd rather spend the extra 20 on produce not one lunch. However he does sell some of the most fabulous homemade lemonade you will ever taste. He's really a genuis when it comes to this brew. Each week the lemonade has a differant essence. Last week it was orange plum lemonade. Hints of ripe plums, and orange. Who would have thought. He's added the likes of lavendar, passion fruit, mango, basil, oregano, strawberry.

I decided to blend my own mix and being absent of lemons. I sqeezed oranges, added sliced strawberrys, and basil. Mix with ice, sugar, and desired amount of water it was so refreshing.

see picture bellow.

Today I made fresh limeade, with mint and sliced cucumber from the garden. With a hint of pineapple juice. Wow.

When I need a little more than baking

I love my kitchen. I love baking. I love the smell of fresh grated lemon peel, and pumkin pie spice. I bake when it's hot. When it's cold. I bake when I'm happy. I bake when I'm sad.(Sorry, I seem to be borrowing Dr. suesses writing style). It's my go to when I need to take the edge off. My prozac, bubble bath, chamomile tea.

But although baking seems to be my escape(well that and facebook, but don't tell anyone...its so not cool to admit to), I've needed a bit more as of late. Maybe a good book perhaps. Or maybe I should actually write in my blog!

The reasons why I suck at blogging... I have a hard time tieing myself down to one spot, Peter likes to type over the top of me, I'm not much for grammer or spelling, and finally I get moody and reclusive not wanting to talk to or at anyone not included in my safe circle.(the circle I'm afraid includes only those living with me..my husband, son, and dog.)

I also filter too much of my thinking...wondering who I'm going to affend with my raw thoughts. Recipes are safe, but opionions on life, parenting, religion, and politics can get a bit messy. I hate messy. I hate dealing with peoples rediculous emotions on matters that no one is forcing them to accept...just ponder.

I go so long between blog postings that I forget my password. So for sanitys sake, I want to blog a little....even when I don't feel like it.