Julie, Julia and Plum Muffins

I finally saw the movie Julia and Julia this past weekend. I loooved it! It was funny, clever, inspiring and an overall feel-good movie.

My friend Andrea originally lent me the book, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, which chronicles her attempt to cook all 524 recipes from Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. We were both very excited when we learned they were making a movie! The movie was very true to the book, which I always appreciate. Meryl Streep was (of course) amazing as Julia Child. The voice, posture and mannerisms were dead on. However, we couldn't figure out how they made her look so tall? (short actors perhaps?). The movie did a very good job of contrasting Julia Child's attempt to master the art of French Cooking herself in the 1940's and then her quest to publish her now-famous cookbook of the same name with Julie Powell's attempt to master Julia's cookbook while pursuing her dream to become a writer. The parallels were much more evident in the movie than the book- probably because Julie herself didn't realize just how similar their stories were. Overall, the movie was very well done.

After the movie, we left the theater hungry and inspired to cook something! In the car, Andrea immediately pulled out her phone and began searching the internet for a boef bourguignon recipe (a significant dish in the movie) while I plotted what to do with the pint of delicious plums I bought at the farmer's market earlier that morning. I dropped her off directly at the grocery store and then headed home to bake these delicious Plum Muffins:


I searched the internet for a good recipe and found this recipe for Plum Yogurt Muffins. I made a few adaptations to the recipe and the result was perfect! I made a tin of mini muffins and a tin of regular muffins. These muffins are very moist, fluffy and healthy to boot!

Plum Muffins

In a large bowl, mix:

• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T ground flax seeds
• 3 T orange juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup safflower oil
• 2 T unsweetened natural apple sauce
  

Add each of the following dry ingredients to the bowl (stir to combine after each ingredient):

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup all purpose white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 3 T wheat bran (or wheat germ)
  

Fill muffin tins half way and then add a few pieces of diced plum to each. Top off each tin with another tablespoon or so of batter. Top with thinly sliced plums. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes if making mini-muffins or about 15 minutes if making large muffins.


While I won't be picking up a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking anytime soon (waaay too much meat involved; I do not think I could eat, let alone de-bone, a duck). However, the movie reinforces the message of pursuing your dreams. It encouraged me to get back in the kitchen and to write more. You never know what can happen unless you start doing something, anything, even if it is just writing a blog that no one reads except your mother!

Holiday Brunch

We hosted a Holiday Brunch for our friends this past weekend. We had a buffet brunch, including a champagne bar (mimosas and bellinis), and then our annual cookie exchange and secret santa gift exchange. It was a perfect afternoon celebrating the holidays with friends!

Menu

Champagne Bar
Coffee
Egg Puff Casserole
French Toast Casserole
Spiral Glazed Ham
Biscuits
Citrus Fruit Salad (oranges, pineapple and pomegranate seeds)
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Assorted Donuts

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

adapted from Food Network TV, Paula Deen's Home Cooking

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces) (I used Challah Bread)
8 large eggs 2 cups half-and-half 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows

Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 or 3 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Either pour mixture over the bread slices, or dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture making sure all slices are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. I dipped each slice individually to ensure the dish wasn’t too soggy. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and in between each of the bread slices. Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 cup chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.

Banana Bread

Our family dog Shadow recently passed away. He was 13 years old and lived a great life. However, that doesn't make it any easier. We all loved him and he was a member of our family. So I decided to make a Banana Bread for my parents and mail it up to them. However, my first attempt failed miserably. I used a recipe from Joy of Cooking and it came out terribly. Maybe it was because I used frozen bananas? Either way, my second attempt: I went to my tried and true Martha Stewart for a recipe. This one came out great!

Comforting Banana Bread

from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Blueberry Buckle

(adapted from http://www.marthastewart.com/)

What is a buckle? Well, not only is it delicious but it was a perfect solution for the heaping pile of blueberries in my fridge. It is also basically the same thing as a crumb cake. It was excellent! The blueberries stayed plump and the cake was moist and not at all soggy.

Ingredients

1 9X9 inch pan
10 tablespoons (about 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon zest
4 cups blueberries
Streusel Topping

Streusel Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until fine crumbs form. Using hands, squeeze together most of the mixture to form large clumps.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter baking pan, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar and lemon zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add egg and vanilla, beating until fully combined. 6. With mixer running at low speed, gradually add in flour mixture; beat until flour is incorporated, about 20 seconds.

6. Remove bowl from mixer. Using a rubber spatula gently fold in blueberries.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan.

8. Sprinkle streusel topping over cake.

9. Bake until toothpick comes out batter-free, about 60 minutes.

10. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

11. Remove from pan; cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Mango Oatmeal

I recently ordered the most amazing thing for breakfast- mango oatmeal. I couldn’t resist the description on the menu and the dish fully lived up to all of my expectations. I have developed a strong love for oatmeal over the years and this was a take on the oats that I never considered. I’ve been dreaming of it ever since… So, when Tony brought home a canister of steel cut oats AND a jar of mangoes from Trader Joe’s I knew exactly what to do! I’ve never made steel cut oatmeal before so that was a challenge. I am a fan of Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (and believe me, I’ve tried many brands). For my first try I think the oats came out well. However, I did burn the bottom of the pot so I lost a good portion of the oats… Steel cut oatmeal takes A LOT longer than regular oats. I usually make my Quaker Oats in the microwave for 1 minute and 33 seconds (exactly) plus a half cup of water. Simple. Steel cut oats are very demanding and require a lot of attention and stirring (lest they burn!). The result is definitely worth it- but it’s a commitment.

I didn’t follow any particular recipe- I just added a number of ingredients to taste.

I started with a ½ cup of steel cut oats and cooked them on the stove following the directions on the can. Once cooked, I added pieces of mango and cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Perfect!

Pancakes!!

My mom’s secret recipe…. (although I suppose it’s not so secret now). She has been making these for us since we were kids and they are the best pancakes ever. However, no matter how many times I make them (ok, not that many) they never taste as good as when she makes them! But isn’t that always the case...

Anyway my sister was in town this past weekend and Tony suggested we have pancakes. Great idea! So I slaved away in the kitchen while they played Battleship at the dining room table! No worries though, I left him a huge mess to clean up in the kitchen afterwards :)

Ingredients

2 cups flour (1 white; 1 whole wheat)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Salt (a dash)
3 eggs
2 ¼ cups milk
1/3 cup melted butter

Directions

Heat the skillet first (sprinkle water on the pan and if it beads the pan is ready). In a large bowl sift together the first six ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and then stir in the melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat with a fork until the batter is smooth. Melt a slice of butter on the skillet (no cooking spray allowed!). Spoon approximately two tablespoons of batter on the pan. Fit as many as you can. Flip pancakes with a spatula when the sides begin to firm up and bubble. And of course, you have test one pancake yourself first! Serve with hot syrup and butter and jam. Yumm……

Quinoa Muffins

adapted from Everyday Foods (Martha Stewart)

I've been intrigued by quinoa (pronounced "KEEN-wah") for some time. It is a grain similar to rice or couscous, but with lot of protein and vitamins. It's one of the new healthy "power foods." I saw Martha Stewart make these muffins on her show and decided this was the best recipe to try quinoa for the first time. You can buy it at most grocery stores (I bought mine at Giant). It comes in a box like rice or couscous. I doubled the raisins and added cinnamon. I would probably add more cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg next time. And maybe some dried cranberries too....

Ingredients

Makes 12

1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used 2 tablespoons plus water)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins (I used 1 cup)
3/4 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon (I added)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days (they really don’t last much longer).

Cheese Puff Egg Casserole

This is an old recipe from my mom! Perfect for a New Year's Day brunch with friends.


Ingredients
10-12 servings

10 eggs, beaten to blend
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese (3/4 lb.= 4 cups cheese)
2 cups cottage cheese
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Lightly butter 9X13 inch oven-proof glass baking dish. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Pour egg mixture into prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned and tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Serve immediatey.