Mmmmmmuffins

Every first Saturday of the month, I host a little playgroup at my house for moms with nursing toddlers. I always try to have healthy and yummy snacks, and with the holidays, I'm having trouble keeping it healthy. ;) Yummy is no problem though!

This is a "low fat" recipe... if you follow it as it says. ;) This time, I added pumpkin egg nog in place of buttermilk, flax seed instead of eggs (1tbsp flax meal with 3tbsp water per egg to be replaced), a cup of chopped cranberries, and half a bag of white chocolate chips.

Both texture and taste were divine, and they were gone so quickly! I only got to taste one because my 2 year old shared a bite.

Because they disappeared before I could find my camera, I didn't get a final picture! If you bake these, please share your pictures! :)

-Melanie

DIY Picture Frames

Moving into our new house has catapulted me into decorating mode. I'm finally able to do the crafts that I started forever ago, but never finished because I couldn't actually use them in our rentals.

I found these cheap wooden frames at IKEA (3 pack for $2.99!) four years ago, and even though I had plans for them, it never seemed to get finished.

Now that I have somewhere to hang them, and I'm allowed to do it (because it's MY house, bitch!), those frames are getting crafted!

I painted them all with acrylic paints (2 coats) in colors pulled from my couch pillows, and printed up 30 of my favorite pictures in all black and white.

I eyeballed the placement using two existing screws, which I took down. Using string taped to the wall gave me rough measurements for placing the frames in between. They're not all perfect, but I think it's adorable!

I got that little saying from an online store that gives out codes making their items free, you just pay shipping. Stay tuned for my review of the decals, plus a giveaway of one of their other phrases!

I think the frames fit perfectly in the dining room, and I can't wait to get my chairs recovered so it all comes together!

-Melanie

Tuesday Tip: Taste Everything

That's it. Just taste everything as you're adding anything, after it's been simmering for a while, or before you bake it.

If it doesn't taste right, think of what would make it better. Sugar? Salt? Maybe some cumin in a Mexican dish?

Use common sense and get to know your kitchen and pantry. You'll be tossing things in like a pro in no time.

Good luck!
-Amanda and Melanie

Soft Pretzel Recipe

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•  
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• Coarse Salt. Or cinnamon and sugar

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let sit until frothy, I usually wait about 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center of flour and add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, and elastic,  about 7 to 8 minutes. Oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into equal pieces. 

Roll each piece into a rope 

and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, 

dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

Rub Butter onto pretzels and sprinkle salt on top, if you would rather have cinnamon and sugar pretzels add that after the butter instead.

We decided to enjoy our pretzels both ways! We had the salted ones with some cheddar cheese soup that I had in the pantry, it was perfect! These are so simple and way cheaper to make than to buy from the mall!

Side Dish : Fried Green Tomatoes

I was looking for something to do with the rest of the tomatoes left in my garden that aren't turning red because of the weather now. I came up with the perfect idea, Fried Green tomatoes! This is a traditional southern dish that is so easy to make and yet so delicious. 

Ingredients:
Green tomatoes
Fish seasoning
Eggs
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Corn Meal

Chop tomatoes into 1/2 in thick slices

Beat eggs
Mix corn meal and fish seasoning in bowl











coat tomatoes in eggs and then coat in corn meal batter

 submerge in hot oil and cook on each side for about 5 min each










This is so quick and easy it doesn't need much preparation and the cook time is very minimal. Bon Appétit!

Perfect Pork Roast

Pork pot roast:

Brown the roast on all sides in a pan with olive oil or butter.

Ingredients: lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, s&p, red wine vinegar, olive oil
rosemary, garlic, onions, potatoes (I used Yukon golds), carrots, Brussels sprouts

Layer ingredients in Crock Pot- I like to put potatoes on the bottom and onions and garlic cloves on top... With a healthy sprinkling of salt and pepper over every layer. Make the sauce to taste using red wine vinegar, Worcestershire, olive oil, chopped rosemary, crushed garlic, and s& p. You don't want the sauce to be too acidic, with just the right amount of sweetness. Have the juices come up to just barely above the meat.

My uncooked roast, ready to go.

Cook on high for 6-8 hours (check temp!), keep warm till plating.

Optional- make a gravy from the juices to put on the meat and veggies by taking some juice and flour, and shaking them together vigorously (in something similar to a martini shaker) and then adding back to the rest of the juice. Keep the heat on until the gravy is nice and thick, repeating the above step until yo reach desired consistency.

Serve with a slice of freshly baked bread and a glass of Pinot Noir.

Cheers!
-Melanie

Tuesday tip: Making and Storing Pumpkin Puree

I absolutely could not think of a better post to do the day after Halloween than this one! Everyone has left over pumpkins right? Instead of throwing them away you could turn them into pumpkin puree and save it to make pies (or whatever your little heart desires) for the holidays!
Making Pumpkin Puree is so simple and not very time consuming at all. You only need a few materials even the most simple of kitchens comes equipped with.

Materials:
Left over jack o' lantern (or new pumpkin)
Aluminum foil
Pan
Knife
Potato Masher (or spoon or food processor or mixer)
Ziploc Bag

Preheat oven to 350
First, rinse out your pumpkin, make sure it's clean inside, then chop it into several chunks about the size in the below picture.

Cover a cookie pan with aluminum foil and place the pumpkins on it and put into the oven for about 45min-1 hour

They will be soft and mash-able like potatoes.

Next you can peel the skin off the flesh of the pumpkin and then mash or mix them until they are smooth. Now you are all finished with your puree! You can use it now or store it for later.

To store pumpkin puree measure 1 to 2 cups of the puree into a Ziploc bag and place them flat (for better storage). Write the date and the contents on your package and you are all set! Your frozen puree will stay good for up to a year! It's perfect to save it up for those Thanksgiving pies!

I'm really excited to hear how many of you did this and what you plan to do with your pumpkin puree.


-Amanda