Pumpkin muffins!

One of the things I miss about living in St. Louis is that we don't really have seasons here. We just have hot and less hot. Part of the fun of the changing seasons was the different foods and flavors that came with it. Pumpkin is probably hands down my favorite fall flavor. When I was little I used to be able to eat an entire pumpkin pie by myself and it wouldn't really be a Thanksgiving if I didn't.
Another of my favorite things from St. Louis was the Bread Company (Panera). Their pumpkin muffins were always something I loved to eat every fall. Sadly I haven't been able to have a good pumpkin muffin for a long time. I was really excited when one of my friends suggested a pumpkin muffin recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I decided to give it a try this weekend when my craving for pumpkin had reached its peak this weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted really close to the Panera pumpkin muffins. I think next time I make it I'll try topping it with a little bit of sifted powdered sugar to make it that much closer to the real thing.


Pumpkin Muffins


Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cup flour
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
For topping: 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Put muffin cups into the muffin pan.
Place the pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until combined. Add in the flour and whisk until it is just combined.
In a small bowl mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the muffins.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife/skewer comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Justin started nightfloat on Labor and Delivery last night which has left me pretty bored during the nights. This weekend I was trying to figure out what I could make that he could take with him, not need to be refrigerated, and could be eaten quickly. I decided on some muffins because those seem to hold up well and are less prone to being squished in a lunch box.

I've been craving lemons lately so I decided to try my hand at lemon poppy seed muffins. They've always been my favorite muffin, but I've never actually made them before. A while back I found a recipe for them from a cookbook my mom got me for either my birthday or Christmas. I had all the ingredients so I figured I might as well make them for breakfast!

I did a little twist on the lemon poppyseed muffins and added jam in the middle. Justin has been craving blueberry jam all week and this was the easiest/non-messy way of incorporating jam into his nightfloat lunch box. Since I was experimenting I decided to only make some of the muffins this way. It turned out to be amazing and I'd recommend filling all of the muffins with jam. We used raspberry jam (for mine) and blueberry jam (for Justin's). I used the different colored muffin cups to help me remember which ones had which jams in them.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2/3 cup sugar

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick butter melted and cooled
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
Raspberry or blueberry jam/preserves

For the lemon glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 ˚F. Line a 12 mold muffin tray with muffin cups (color coding if you are using different types of jam).
In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and lemon zest with your fingers. Make sure all of the lemon zest is incorporated and the sugar smells like lemons. Mix in the flour mixture.
In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, butter, and lemon juice. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and fold together quickly. Mix in the poppy seeds.
Fill the muffin cups halfway with batter. Then put 1-2 tsp of jam in the middle of the muffins. Cover them with more batter.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a knife/toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Make sure they are cool before topping them with glaze.

To make the glaze: Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Mix in 1 1/2 Tbsp of lemon juice. Then keep adding small amounts of lemon juice until the glaze can drizzle off the edge of the spoon. Pour glaze over the muffins.

Guilty Pleasures

It was another rainy day in New Orleans. I was super productive this morning so I figured it was okay for me to veg out on TV for the rest of the afternoon. I ended up spending a huge amount of time watching Mad Men on Netflix. It's probably one of my guiltiest pleasures (next to watching Frasier marathons on Hallmark). It makes me want to channel my own inner Joan and dress in fantastic outfits that highlight my curves. Unfortunately we don't have the funds for me to revamp my entire wardrobe so I guess I'll have to wait until I become an amazing Pathologist.
Of course I had to pair it with another one of my guilty pleasures- baking chocolate chip cookies. I found a recipe last week for what seemed like the best cookie idea ever. The recipe was for chocolate chip stuffed cookies by What's Gaby Cooking. You basically take chocolate chip cookie dough and make a small little pocket. You fill the pocket with chocolate chips and then cover it with another piece of dough. It ends up melting a small little pocket of chocolate chips in the middle of the cookie. My husband described it as a "chocolate surprise". It is probably one of the best chocolate cookie recipes I've made in a while!

Chocolate Chip Surprise Cookies
Adapted from What's Gaby Cooking
2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups plus 4 tbsp of chocolate chips

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.
In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually add in the flour. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 350˚F.
Using a tablespoon scoop out the cookies onto the baking sheet. Using your thumb or the back of the tablespoon indent the ball of cookie. Fill the ball of cookie with chocolate chips and then cover it with a second piece of cookie dough. Make sure to seal the edges so that the chocolate chips can't escape.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Transfer the cookies to the cooling rack.

Eat warm with a cold glass of milk.

Tropical Storm Lee

Well it looks like Justin and I will be spending this Labor Day weekend indoors. Tropical storm Lee decided to put a damper on our weekend by sitting on top of New Orleans for a couple of days. Thankfully we haven't had too much flooding yet. We're just waiting for it all to pass at this point. Hopefully the power won't go out, but we're prepared for pretty much anything.

Of course I did what any normal person would do when faced with the impending doom of a tropical storm. I made M&M cookies. I had plenty of M&Ms on hand and a hungry husband. Normally my experiments in the realm of sugar cookies goes horribly awry. They end up too dry, too under-baked, or too sweet. This time I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Justin was also very pleased with them. He rarely enjoys sweets, but this time he ate 4 cookies before I had even put the second batch in the oven! (Please excuse the super saturated photo- we have no natural lighting at this time).

Tropical Storm M&M Cookies
Adapted from What's Gaby Cooking

2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Half a bag of M&Ms

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl.
Cream together butter and both sugars. Next add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Turn mixer down to low and gradually mix in the flour mixture. Stir in the M&Ms.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Using a tablespoon scrape out the dough and form into balls. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Only put 6 balls per baking sheet because they will spread out a lot while baking.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. Take the cookies out when the edges are golden brown and the middle looks slightly undercooked. Leave them on the baking sheet for about 8-10 minutes until they have cooled slightly. Transfer them to a cooling rack or plate.

Zucchini and Pea Risotto

One thing I miss the most about my Dad is his cooking. He always had a knack for making the most amazing Italian dishes. Some of my most favorite memories were sitting in the kitchen with him watching him cook. One of my Dad's favorite dishes to make was risotto. Without fail, he would always make it with pancetta and peas. He knew I hated peas so he'd always serve me mine before he added the peas.
Risotto itself isn't a very healthy dish, especially with pancetta in it so I was excited to find a delicious healthier alternative. Zucchini has just the right texture to pair with the soft arborio rice. I found that this dish went well with a fresh salad and a nice glass of Chardonnay.

Zucchini and Pea Risotto
Adapted from Everyday Food and my Dad's recipe
1 can of low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp butter
1 Zucchini
1/2 white onion chopped finely
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup of peas
1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano

Peal and chop the zucchini into small cubes.
Heat up broth with 1 cup of water in a saucepan on low heat.
Heat up a medium size saucepan on medium heat. Melt the butter. Add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Stir the zucchini until it is golden brown. After the zucchini is cooked, transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onion. Cook until translucent and soft. Raise the heat back to medium. Add rice. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the rice is translucent around the edges. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed.
Add a ladle of broth to the rice and stir until it is absorbed. Repeat this step until the rice is soft and tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Add the zucchini. Turn off heat. Stir in parmesan. Then mix in some of the remaining broth to help thicken the rice. Serve up the risotto to anyone who doesn't like peas. Add the peas and cook for about 2 minutes. Serve hot with a bit of parmesan on top.

Step 2 and lemon cookies

Sorry for not updating this past week! I was studying for my medical boards all last week (Step 2 CK to be exact). I finally took it on Thursday and I'm so thrilled to be done. That means I can focus on more important things like baking.
Over the past week I've become obsessed with summer flavors. Lemon is one of my favorite ingredients to work with and I feel like it is the quintessential summer flavor. That's why I was so excited when I saw a recipe for toasted almond lemon meringue cookies! I decided that I had to make it when my friends were coming over last night to watch Mad Men. All in all it ended up tasting amazing. I had a few hiccups along the way, such as mistakengly using a super old pastry bag, from the 1970s, and having it explode all over myself and the kitchen. They might not have looked as pretty as I was going for, but they definitely tasted amazing. I loved the rich flavors of the toasted almonds paired with the zesty tang of the lemon.



Toasted Almond Lemon Meringue Cookies
Adapted from Joy the Baker

1/4 cup finely ground almonds
1 Tbsp cornstartch
2 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of lemon zest
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 200 F˚. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Grind 1/2 cup of almonds in a food processor. Measure out 1/4 cup and spread them out on a baking sheet. Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes. After you remove them from the oven put them in a small bowl and mix with the cornstarch. Set the mixture aside.
In an electric stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites on medium with the salt until they are frothy and peaks form.
Turn the mixer up to medium-high and gradually mix in the sugar. Add in the lemon juice. Continue to beat the mixture until it is glossy and can form stiff peaks.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and mix in the lemon zest and toasted almonds. Carefully fold them into the egg mixture.
Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag with a large tip and begin to make small circles on the baking sheet. You can also use a spoon if you don't have a pastry bag.
Sift the powdered sugar over the meringues and top with almonds.
Bake them in the oven for 50 minutes. After they are done baking, turn off the oven and leave the door cracked until they cool/are dry.

Drum!

When we went to the farmer's market this weekend I also picked up some fresh drum. It is quite common in Louisiana, but it isn't used in any recipes that I could find (that were healthy). So I decided to improvise and I used a recipe that was meant for snapper. They are both salt-water fish so I figured it might work. It turned out to be really delicious and I look forward to getting more drum before the summer is up.

Oven-roasted Drum Fillet adapted from Skinny Taste



2 Drum fillets
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic cut cross-sectionally
1 tbsp fresh oregano and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
1 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumps
Lemon to serve with the fish

Preheat oven to 450˚F.
Clean and rinse the fish off. Dry the fish off.
Line a broiler rack or pan with aluminum foil and drizzle olive oil on it.
Rub the dry fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub the oregano and Italian seasoning on. Place some of the garlic on one side of the fish before transferring and putting it in the pan. Place garlic on the other side of the fish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the fish.

I know the original recipe doesn't involve baking it with the garlic, but I found that it really adds to the flavor. Justin, also, really loves garlic so that was definitely a motivation to incorporate more garlic into the recipe. For side-dishes, I served it with wild-rice and broccoli.  I'm sure that it would have tasted amazing with snapper. But if you have a drum lying around I recommend using this recipe as opposed to deep-frying it.