Mothers Day and delicious muffins!

Happy Mother's Day

 to all you beautiful,

 wonderful moms out there!

I found this little quote on  this morning...so very true...

I also came across a lot of great sounding recipes on  all-bran.ca , using of course All Bran Cereal. I chose to make some muffins and was really happy with the results...we all agreed these muffins were simply delicious and will definitely be making them again!
*I made some minor changes to the original recipe to suit my family's tastes, this is the link to the original recipe Banana Raisin Muffins

Banana Bran Muffins

ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour  3/4 cup whole wheat flour  1/2 cup granulated sugar  2 tsp baking powder  1/4 tsp baking soda  1/4 tsp salt  4  small, very ripe bananas  1 cup All-Bran Original cereal  1/3 cup skim milk  1 tsp vanilla extract  1/4 cup vegetable oil  1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C)

2. In a medium bowl combine first 6 ingredients, and set aside.

3. In a large mixer bowl peel and mash bananas with a fork, add cereal, milk and vanilla and let sit for 5 minutes to allow cereal to soften.

4. Add oil and egg and beat on medium speed until well combined.

5. Slowly add flour mixture while running mixer on lowest speed and mix until just combined

6. Lightly grease 12-cup muffin tin and spoon out batter evenly into cups. 

7. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and firm.


*makes 12 muffins

Zucchini Loaf

I first tried this loaf many years ago when I was barely a teen. A classmate's mom became friends with my mom and at some point this recipe was exchanged. I was not a fan of zucchini then, or most other green veggies for that matter, and I  remember thinking " How can there be zucchini in this??? It's sooooo good!". Forward 30 yrs and I now find myself trying to trick my own kids into eating veggies they are not keen on. This recipe does the trick, and it's also a great way to use up all those zucchini that are just about ready in your garden!




*original recipe from Mrs. Calderwood, adapted by me to suit my family's tastes 


Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Directions:
-preheat oven to 350F
-add first 5 ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk with a fork to combine
-in a large bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla 
-add zucchini and stir
-add flour mixture and stir until just combined
-add cranberries and nuts and stir to combine
-pour into a greased loaf pan
-bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean
-allow to cool in pan on wire rack for about 30 minutes
-remove from pan and enjoy sliced  

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Lemon Mascarpone Cheese Frosting

These are the best cupcakes I have made in a long long time! So moist and delicious, and the frosting, which I had been wanting to try on a baked good for quite a while now, was the perfect compliment... I will definitely be making this recipe again...give it a try!

*makes 24 cupcakes

For the Red Velvet Cupcakes:
(adapted from several allrecipes.com recipes) 

1 box white or yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp red food colouring (add more for a deeper red colour if you wish)

-add all ingredients to a  large electric  mixer bowl and blend  for about 2 minutes on low
-fill muffin tin cups to about 2/3 full with batter
-bake as per cake box directions
-remove from oven, remove from tray and allow to cool on a wire rack
-once cool, make frosting, then frost each cupcake and enjoy

For the Mascarpone  Frosting:
(adapted from a Chuck Hughes recipe)

1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
zest of 1/2 a lemon

-add all ingredients to a small electric mixer bowl and blend on medium speed until well blended and creamy
-transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost each cupcake as desired

*refrigerate leftover cupcakes to keep frosting fresh

*yes you can certainly make this as a cake too!

Chocolate Chippers....very yummy cookies!

*this post has moved, please follow the link to visit my new blog and see this recipe

www.spreadinggoodtastes.com

Orange Scented Amaretti Cookies

Amaretti are fabulous little italian cookies, almond flavoured and perfect with an espresso or cappucino. The great thing about them is that they are very easy to make...the hardest part is waiting 3 hours to actually bake them. My favourite kind of amaretto is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and this is what this recipe with produce, at least for the first few hours. But even once they have hardened they are still delicious and will keep very well in a closed container.

Ingredients:
1 lb whole, shelled, raw almonds (about 2 cups)
1 cup white sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp orange extract
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp icing sugar for dusting

Directions:
-in a food processor process almonds and sugar until almonds are finely ground and well mixed with the sugar
-in a small mixing bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form
-add the extracts and orange zest and beat a few seconds longer
-gently fold the almond mixture  into the egg mixture until  well combined
-line cookie sheets with parchment paper
-drop teaspoonfuls of mixture onto cookie sheets, keeping about 2" apart (you can also roll the teaspoonfuls in your hands to form small balls, for a rounder cookie)
-dust cookies with icing sugar, then set  sheets aside to dry for about 3 hours, at room temperature
-after 3 hours preheat oven to 300F
-bake cookies for about 20-23 minutes
-immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool

* makes about 36

Lemon Cranberry Cream Scones

 

I have been making these scones for breakfast a lot lately. They are easy, quick and delicious! Give them a try.

Servings:       12

Prep time:     5 min.

Cook time:    15 min.

Total time:    20-25  min.
 

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder1 tsp salt
grated zest of 1/2 a lemon

3 tbsp  cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup whipping cream 

lemon icing (optional):

3 tbsp icing sugar

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

-preheat oven to 425F
-line baking sheet with parchment paper or grease -in a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and zest
-cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly, then stir in the cranberries
-add the cream and mix with a fork until a dough starts to form
-turn out onto a floured surface and knead a few times
-cut dough in half and pat each piece into a circle about  8" diameter
-transfer to baking sheet and cut diagonally into the dough to create 6 triangles in each circle, separate and spread out on sheet
-bake for about 15 minutes or until golden
-if you are using the icing make it now by stirring together icing sugar, milk and lemon juice in a small cup
-remove from oven and  either drizzle the icing over top or brush with some melted butter
-serve plain or with butter and jams

*an original recipe by jcsmama

linked with http://networkedblogs.com/eQtmZ

Ultimate Maple Syrup Pie

 

I found this recipe about a year ago in one of my favourite cookbooks: 

"The Flavours of Canada"

by Anita Stewart

It's a classic french canadian dessert also known as "Tarte au sucre" or sugar pie and it is just delicious...give it a try!





Servings:         8 servings
Prep time:       5 minutes
Cook time:      40-45 minutes
Total time:       45-50 minutes + cooling time 



Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 9-inch pie shell (bought or home made)
whipping cream and toasted walnuts for garnish


Directions:

-in a medium bowl beat eggs lightly
-whisk in brown sugar, cream, maple syrup and vanilla
-beat long enough to dissolve sugar crystals
-pour filling into pie shell and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 40-45 minutes or until centre is just becoming firm
-let cool before serving
-serve topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with toasted walnuts

* linked with http://networkedblogs.com/eQtmZ

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

*recipe found on a Kraft Peanut Butter Jar
http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/Products/P-R/KraftPeanutButter.aspx

This recipe peaked my interest because it only calls for 3 ingredients...I had to try it! Well it turns out all you need to make delicious peanut butter cookies is exactly that, just 3 ingredients!I would not have believed it but I tested it and these cookies are great....give them a try!

Ingredients:
1 cup Kraft Peanut Butter (or any other brand)
1/2 cup sugar
1egg


Directions:
-preheat oven to 325F
-mix ingredients in a mixer or with a spoon until well blended
-roll into 24 balls, place on a cookie sheet and flatten with a fork
-bake 15 minutes
-remove from pan and cool on a wire rack


*makes 24 cookies


*next time I will try these with crunchy peanut butter or perhaps with the addition of chopped peanuts in the batter...