Apple Streusel Muffins

One day not so long ago, I found myself awake at 5:30 am. For someone who works from home and is a complete night owl, this was incredibly odd—but unable to fall back asleep and with sunlight streaming in the window, I was left with little choice other than to rise and shine. And what does one do at ridiculous hours in the morning? Why, bake, of course!

These “good morning” muffins turned out incredibly if I do say so myself. Sweet and moist and definitely healthy, they made a nice batch for breakfasts and lunchtime snacks. Freeze half the muffins once cooked to preserve freshness, and reduce temptation.

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Edited: November 29th, 2010

Cranberry Nut Loaf

Health alert! This wonderful loaf is moistened with yoghurt, sweetened with honey and molasses, crunchy with walnuts, and has a whack of whole wheat goodness. Can you say, ‘yum’? Even better, this is the last recipe that I’ve been milking off of cooking Christmas in July, and is the result of one of my tips in the Art of Feast Cooking on how to use up ingredients that you have left over from a holiday meal. The ingredient? You guessed it—cranberry sauce!

Now, cranberry sauce doesn’t always need to be used up straight away. It doesn’t go off as quickly as other ingredients—if it’s in a jar and in the fridge, it can last several months after the fact (which is also why I got to doing this recipe only now). And whether you were using home made cranberry sauce or from a jar or can, it also freezes just fine, to be used for your next holiday meal. If you’ve already defrosted it once, though, it’s probably a good idea not to freeze & keep reusing it… you know, food safety and all that! So that’s where this recipe comes in.

This loaf reminded me a lot of one of my favourite muffin recipes, and its moist, dense interior is just so satisfying with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning. I was a bit surprised when I pulled it out of the oven to see how dark it was on the outside, and was thinking with a bit of dismay that I’d managed to burn the whole thing (and ruin my attempt at cleverly using up all our leftover ingredients). Fortunately, it was all a clever guise—once I cut into it to see that it was in fact done perfectly, I remembered that the more complex sugars (such as honey and molasses, which are used in this recipe), tend to darken much faster than normal white sugar. Think of it as a ‘caramelizing’! The edges of your loaf might look quite dark, but they will in fact taste just fine.

Alright, on with the show! See my notes at the bottom of the recipe for ingredient substitutions if need be.

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Edited: August 29th, 2010

The Basics of Bread

The weather is stinking hot here in Australia. Yesterday we had a day of 44 degrees above Celsius; the only way I can describe it was hot hot hot. I’m enjoying the heat, but if I were in Canada right now, I’d be in the midst of a snowy or rainy (or both) winter; it would be cold, and I’d be wanting to stay cozy inside with a book and the oven on. I still want to stay inside, but that’s more for the proximity to my air conditioner than anything else!

Bread is something my family makes on occasion, when someone has the time and is willing to put in the effort. Despite what you may think, bread is simple to make–it’s more time consuming than difficult, requiring a bit of patience and effort instead of complexity. While I was still in Canada, I spent some time in the kitchen with my parents and learned a few of their tips and tricks for certain recipes (and took some photos).

My parents’ bread recipe is a quarter recipe from when they were living in Kimberly, BC in 1979 working on their teaching practicums. They lived above a health food store, where my mum worked to help discount their rent. She made and sold this bread there, though it was a bit tricky because their oven at the time only fit four loaves for baking. Once, she took this bread to the Parson Fall Faire, a surprisingly large fair for such a small town (just south of Golden, BC, where I was born), and her bread won first prize! Check out the ribbon (right)–it’s still at the front of her cookbook.

If you’ve never made bread before but want to try, this is the recipe for you. I’ve written everything in great detail, so you know what needs to be done in which order. Enjoy!

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Edited: January 12th, 2010