Brighten Up Your Morning with Orange Cranberry Muffins

Sprinkle...pour....sprinkle...pour
The sound of the rain falling in San Diego. It's going to be a gorgeously green spring!  After dealing with the drought I am ecstatic about the rain, and truly it doesn't seem to stop me or my labs as we hit the trails. Just put some shampoo on them before we hit the trails and they come out washed! ;o)
This morning I am whipped up a batch of Orange Cranberry Muffins adapted from my favorite muffin cookbook by Williams Sonoma. I doubled the recipe so I could freeze some for a later day.

Orange Cranberry Muffins (adapted from Williams Sonoma Muffins Cookbook)
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or just use 2 cps white flour in place of both flours)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 orange, zested
1 large egg
4 Tbsp butter, melted (I used 1/2 butter and 1/2 canola oil)
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
1/2 cup pecans (I toasted mine in a skillet)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*F. Toss together flours, sugars, baking powder, salt, and zest in a large bowl.  Melt butter in a liquid measuring cup (should measure 1/4 cup) in the microwave.  Add in 1/2 cup milk to measuring cup.  Make a "well" in the dry ingredients and pour milk/butter mixture into well.  Add in egg, orange juice, cranberries, and nuts and mix until moistened--you NEVER over mix quick breads (aka make it smooth). Spray muffin cups with cooking spray and fill pan 2/3's full. Makes 10-12 muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes. I have a convection oven; thus, it only took 20 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Zucchini Bread--One of my classics!

If you were to ask my former students they would all remember me for a certain recipe. The first day of every semester I would demonstrate cooking with my favorite recipe: Zucchini Bread! Majority of the students would have perceptions that zucchini is a vegetable and not meant to be in a sweet bread, some would abhor the taste of zucchini, and others were open minded to try anything as long as they could eat. My rules:

1. No talking or making disgusted faces--this influences others' responses

2. Must try everything--even if just a bite

3. Rate the food you try

I do not have a memory of any one student disliking this recipe, and often I would receive calls from parents asking how I got their child to eat a vegetable. Still to this day I receive emails from my former students asking for this recipe, and today was no different so I thought I'd share with my readers my favorite Zucchini Bread recipe. I have adapted the recipe from Williams Sonoma Muffins Cookbook recipe.

Wendy’s Summer Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
1 ½ cp Flour, All Purpose
¾ cp Sugar
2 ts. Baking Powder
¼ ts. Baking Soda
½ ts. Cinnamon
¼ ts. Salt
2 eggs
1/3 cp Olive Oil or Canola Oil

1/3 cp Orange Marmalade
2 sm. zucchinis, grated and strained (Squish in a paper towel to get rid of liquid)
½ cp dried cherries, or orange cranberries (I like a mix of ranier and bing)
½ cp walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven. To 375*F. Grease a bread pan.
Stir together flour through salt. In another bowl, mix liquids (eggs through zucchini). Add liquids to dry ingredients, do not over mix. Fold in nuts and cherries. Pour into pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Recipe can be doubled.
Enjoy!

A Texas-Inspired Meal with Some Flair! Venison, too!

Brace yourself...One of my all time favorite meals is chicken fried steak, greens, & beer bread! Of course all of the added fat, grease, and gristle does not make it a favorite of my stomach or heart! So, how can I make it healthier and still tasty?

Looking through my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box I saw Swiss Chard and decided that it would be a perfect stand in for my greens. Next, I pulled out Venison Round Steaks (Thank you Steve & Robyn!!!), panko bread crumbs, and beef base (the makings of beef broth). Lastly, I pulled out some fresh herbs and a bottle of beer to whip up some of my favorite bread! Hands down this was 5-stars! My husband placed it up there with his top 5 dishes! I hope you give it a try! And yes, the Chicken Fried Steak was crunchy and delicious!

First things first--get the bread started!

Beer Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour, all purpose

1 Tb. baking powder

3 Tb. sugar

1 ts. salt

1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used dill tonight)

1 bottle of beer

1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 375*F. Spray a bread pan with cooking spray. In a bowl whisk together dry ingredients. Add beer & butter and stir just until combined--don't overmix quick breads! Pour into bread pan and bake for 35-45 minutes.

A Spin on Chicken Fried Steak

Ingredients:

2 thin round steaks, venison or beef

1/4 cup whole wheat flour--you can use white, too

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, this makes it so don't substitute

1 Tb. olive oil

Directions:

Place flour on one plate and panko crumbs on another. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet (I prefer cast iron). Dip steaks into flour, and then place on panko plate and press into meat. Place meat into hot skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Place meat onto a serving platter. Don't season with S&P, because the gravy takes over for it!

Peppercorn Brown Gravy

In meat skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of white flour. Whisk until light brown color. Pour 2 cups of beef broth into pan and stir until thickened. Add 1 ts of cracked pepper and stir. Serve over meat!

Now for the greens...

Sauteéd Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

1 Tb. olive oil

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bunch of swiss chard, washed

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

salt to taste

Directions:

In a skillet, sauté onion and garlic for 3 minutes over medium high heat. Meanwhile prepare swiss chard. Chop stalks and set aside. Chop leaves and set aside. Add stalks to onion mixture and sauté for 4 minutes. Add leaves and cover for 3 minutes, stir, and repeat. Once the mixture begins to wilt add lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and serve!

Simple Is Oh So Sweet This Season!

Often we give the gift of food to those we love and cherish most. Humans have a sense to nurture, and what better way to nuture a person's mind, body, and soul than with food? I'm a little bias in my response. This holiday season choose to be simple in your food selections. Make a bold, yet simple, statement with some of these homemade (made with love) gift ideas:

1. Fresh fruit baskets
2. Fruit breads
3. Toasted nuts or trail mixes

4. Granola or granola bars

5. Hot cocoa mix

6. Candied citrus zest

7. Stuffed date "cookies" (simply stuff with a nut of choice and dust with sugar) Reminds me of my grandfather!

8. Favorite dark chocolate bar paired with wine, port, or stout beer

9. Dried citrus zest

10. Citrus & champagne or wine vinaigrettes

This season, save your pennies, show your love, and share the gift of food with your friends & family!

Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe:

Heat oven to 350*F. In a mixing bowl, add together 2 cp. flour, 1 cp. sugar, 1 1/2 ts. baking powder, 1/2 ts. baking soda, 1 cp. dried cranberries, 1 Tb. orange zest, & 1/2 cp. pecans. In another bowl, mix together 1 egg, 2 Tb. Smart Balance Spread, 3/4 cp. orange juice, & 1/2 ts. salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until blended (avoid over mixing quick breads!) Pour into muffin cups or a cooking oil sprayed bread pan. Bake muffins for 12-15 minutes and bread for about 30 -40 minutes or until done in the center. Enjoy!