Banana Flaxseed Muffins with Cinnamon Pecan Topping

I had a ton of frozen bananas that needed to depart my freezer. I wanted to find a healthy muffin choice and did some searching.  This delicious healthy muffin will keep you and your family happy!  The crunchy pecan topping is a perfect match for the moist banana muffin.  You can easily double this recipe, as our family gobbled these up in a few days!  The muffins wrapped well in plastic wrap at room temperature up to four days. 

I put links to the gluten and flaxseed ingrediants which you can find in many grocery or health food stores.  The gluten helps the texture of the muffins – it’s a secret some bakeries use!  You can make this recipe without both of those ingrediants as well.  However, if you omit the flaxseed – just substitute that with 1/4 cup whole wheat flour.

Banana Flaxseed Muffins with Cinnamon Pecan Topping

Ingredients

Makes 12 muffins

• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1/4 cup ground golden flaxseed (from about 2 tablespoons whole)
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•  

Topping:

• 1/2 cup walnuts pecans coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup oats (quick or regular)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper baking cups and set aside.
2. Put egg and egg white in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium-low speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
3. Add melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and bananas, and mix until combined.
4. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until well incorporated, about 10 seconds.
5. In a separate bowl mix together the topping ingredients. 
6. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins and spoon topping on muffins.
7.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
8.  Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

Adapted from From Martha Stewart Living, April 2004 http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/banana-bread-with-walnuts-and-flaxseed

-Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

This weekend we had an opportunity to go on a farm tour.  I have lived in this area for four years,  I know exactly where the Target, Lowe’s, and Harris Teeter shops are.  I had no idea that an 80 acre farm was just around the corner growing organic produce! 

Fifteen years ago farmers Marianne and Philip began with eight beds to provide food year-round for themselves, since then the  farm has successfully grown into Poplar Ridge Farm, a Community-Supported Agriculture organic farm in Waxhaw, North Carolina that  grows produce, flowers, herbs and fruit. 

Their passion is Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA), environmental & nutritional education and direct contact with their family members.   Poplar Ridge Farm is one of the largest professional Community Supported Agriculture farms in the state.  

CSA farms sell their shares/memberships before the growing season starts in order to anticipate the community’s needs for produce that summer.   Members or “share-holders” of the farm pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation.Community members buy shares in a farm operation so that the farmland in a sense becomes the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.

In return, members receive produce from the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production.

After recently seeing the movie Food Inc.  I started doing research in my area by checking for any local CSA’s.  At first I thought it was too expensive, but then after I calculated it out for each week per person – it only came to $1.29 per person per day during the growing season.  That is such a deal for local organic food! 

To search for Farmers Markets and CSA’s in your area check out www.localharvest.org

Here are some great photos that don’t give any justice to the beautiful farm that they have!

Farm Manager Tony showing us the greenhouse where the seedlings get their start!

My son feeding one of the horses they keep on the farm, the manuere is used to feed the produce beds.

This is a “Green” building that Marianne created to host “Farm to Table” dinners that they have during thiergrowing season.  Local Chef’s prepare the harvest along with using some neighboring orgnic farmer’s poultry and meats, into four course gormet dinners! 

Cedar Trellis built from cedar branches on the farm.   

Marianne speaking to the farm tour group.

Tender spring greens.

Beautiful pasture land. 

This Plantation house was cut up into four pieces and moved from Uptown Charlotte.  After five years of renovations this is where Marianne and Philip call home. 

There is one more farm tour day this spring on Saturday, May 8th from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. -  so if you happen to be a local reader you can check it out!  Go to their website at www.poplarridgefarmnc.com to check it out! 

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

I have a problem - I’ll admit it.  I have a serious sweet tooth!  So when I first made Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting I thought it had an amazing smooth texture, but it wasn’t sweet enough for me, it tasted like butter.  So I just added some more sweetness to it at the end – it seemed to work.  If you make this recipe, try it the original way – then if you want to, go ahead and add the extra sweetness to it.  Let me know if you were like me on that sweet tooth problem!

Along with the recipe here are some tips for making the frosting look like it came from the bakery!  A small investment in some basic supplies you can get at Michale’s will save you money over the long run by not having to get beautiful cupcakes only from the bakery!   Before using this method, I just slapped on the frosting with a butter knife – it always tasted good, but definitely didn’t look as pretty as these!

I took a basic Wilton cake decorating class at Michale’s (I am not getting paid to write this) and here are some tools to make the cupcakes look the way as shown here.  They also have some great videos on the Wilton website to show you the techniques – Wilton Tips 

Tools:  16″ Featherweight bag and a 1M Swirl Tip

First you need to cut the bag to fit the 1M Swirl tip.  Open the bag and place the tip down at the narrow bottom opening.  Mark the bag 1/4″ below the top of the tip, so that there will be enough opening at the bottom, but not too much that the tip will fall out.  Remove tip and cut the bag. 

To start decorating, make your frosting – either a traditional buttercream or the Swiss Meringue one here and place a good amount of frosting in your decorating bag that has been cut and fitted for the 1M Swirl tip (I like the larger bags, as you can fold down the sides and jam a bunch of frosting in w/ out having to refill it constantly). 

Start in the center of your cupcake by making a single star drop in the center. 

Then on the outside rim make a circle to surround the star in the middle.

Then on top of that circle of frosting, make a smaller circle – sprinkle with decorative sprinkles – viola!  Bakery perfect cupcakes!

Here is the recipe:

Swiss Meringue Buttercream – Sweeter Version

Ingredients:
5 large egg whites
1  1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners’ sugar (optional for sweeter version)

Method:
Mix the egg whites, sugar and salt in a double boiler set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture is hot to the touch – about 3 minutes and the sugar has dissolved.  

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 10 minutes.  

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  The frosting might get to a point where it looks curdled, just beat on low speed until thick again, about 5 minutes more (be sure not to overbeat it) .  Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.  Taste the frosting – if the taste is sweet enough for you – you’re done.  If you like it sweeter, add up to 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar to sweeten.  Tint with gel icing color as desired (not liquid coloring). 

If using frosting within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring frosting to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Yield: about 5 cups

Adapted from Martha Stewart http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/swiss-meringue-buttercream-for-white-cupcakes

Enjoy!

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

Do you tell people that you can’t bake?  But you really wish you could?  If you can read - you can bake!  It’s that simple.  Of course if you are a beginner baker I wouldn’t recommend starting with the Christmas cover recipe from Bon Appétit.  Start small, with a recipe with a few simple ingredients.  Then read and follow the instructions – it’s that simple!  No – it doesn’t always come out perfectly, but you’ll learn something and make it better next time. 

Baking is one of my ways of showing love to my family.  Plus it is much more nutritious to make homemade cookies than to serve chemical laden ones from a package.  Those are fine once in a while but I keep them in moderation. 

I love it when I get in the kitchen, put on some good music, crack open the cookbook and all of a sudden I am totally relaxed.  I am in the cooking zone – I am not thinking about laundry or bills or yard work, I am totally into the sights, smells and textures of the food.  First they are all separate, and then they slowly come together, add some heat and before you know it your family is enjoying a homemade treat made of love.  Yes sometimes a dessert that I will make for a special Sunday dinner will be elaborate and take a while to make it –only to be gobbled up in a few minutes….but it is so worth it, the taste of home baked treats and knowing they are eating healthy is worth the effort any time! 

Here are a few of my Baking Tips

• 1. Take your time to properly preheat the oven – don’t rush it!  Use an oven thermometer, as ovens can vary by up to 50 degrees.
• 2. Read through the entire recipe before you start.  Follow the recipe exactly. 
• 3. Use the best quality ingredients. They’ll produce better tasting cookies and cakes.
• 4. Properly store ingredients.  During my Christmas baking season I even replace the baking soda and baking powder to know I am starting with the freshest possible.
• 5. Always use large eggs at room temperature.  If you forget to leave them out – put them in warm water for a few minutes to bring them up to room temp.
• 6. Use unsalted butter as most recipes add salt based on you using unsalted butter.
• 7. I only use pure extracts of vanilla or almond – not imitation, as they taste like alcohol. 
• 8. Successful baking is not like cooking – it’s based on science, so be sure to measure accurately.
• 9. Measure dry ingredients like flour, in a straight sided measuring cup – Not a glass measuring cup for liquid.
• 10. Measure liquid ingredients in see-through measuring cups at eye level.
• 11. You don’t need to sift flour unless the recipe specifically says to do so.
• 12. It helps to fluff the flour with a fork and then measure the flour, and skim off the excess with the back of a knife.
• 13. Do not overmix and do not overbake.  When making cakes – run your mixer or handheld on low.  Too much air mixed in can ruin the batter.
• 14. For easy pie crust use almost frozen cubes of butter, ice water and mix in a food processor – then transfer to a board to roll out. 
• 15. Unless you are baking with non-stick cookie sheets, use a Silpat or parchment paper for stick-free baking and easy clean-up.
• 16. Chill dough for cut-out cookies for the time the recipe requires. Then soften it up at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling out.
• 17. Leave about two inches of space between cookies so they don’t spread into each other.
• 18. Adjust baking times to achieve the perfect cookie texture you are looking for. A little less time produces chewier cookies; a little more time makes them crispy.
• 19. For homemade brownies or blondies be sure to bake them in the pan size as indicated in the recipe.
• 20. For cake and loaf recipes that require unmolding, place the pan on a wire cake rack and let it stand for 10 minutes. Then unmold.
• 21. Cool cookies and cakes completely before decorating.
• 22. To smooth out frosting on cake, start by making homemade butter-cream frosting, and refrigerate cake after it’s frosted for a few minutes.  Then dip an offset spatula in a cup of warm water, dry off and then smooth out the bumps.
• 23. Place sprinkles on cakes immediately after frosting, before the frosting sets, otherwise they’ll fall off. 

Enjoy all those homemade treats!

 -Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

My husband is Italian.  He loves all things Italian.  My oldest son is five.  I was so excited when he told me this was his favorite food!  It is super easy to make – and tasty to eat! 

One of the best things about it – you can add to it as you see fit.  Don’t like peas?  Don’t add them?  Like it with chicken and not ham – go for it!  Make it your own. 

Tasty Italian Soup

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 small onion chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

2 peppers (green and/or red) chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 celery stock chopped

1 Ham Steak

1 box – 32 oz. Chicken Stock

2 cups water

1 can – 15 oz.  Diced Tomatoes

1/2 bag frozen veggies (they make a soup mix one)

1/2 pound of small shaped pasta – here I used orzo.

In a large stock pot heat oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  Add in garlic, carrot, peppers, celery and ham.  Cook 10 min until heated through and veggies are somewhat soft.  Add in chicken stock, water and tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes (can be held on low heat for longer if needed).  Just before serving add in pasta and cook 15 minutes. 

If soup is too thick you can add more water.  I like mine thick so I don’t.  Serve with garlic bread and salad!  Enjoy!

This recipe is being linked up on Beauty and Bedlam  and Blessed with Grace – be sure to go there and check out all the other Tuesday recipes!

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

Thanks to my friend Amy – she told me how to make these great treats.  I added the frosting and nuts, as it’s one of those recipes you can play with.  Easy to make, and so yummy to eat – these cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting are a new family favorite!  They beat the kind that come out of a tube by a long shot! 

 Preparing the the dough into a log to be cut into rolls.

 Letting them rise before baking.

Fresh out of the oven – makes the whole house smell delish!

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Pound of Dough (can use fresh pizza dough)

1/2 stick melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 pecans (toasted and chopped)

Method:  Grease a 9″ pie plate.  Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Lightly flour your working surface and roll out dough to 12″ x 20″ rectangle.  Brush on melted butter.  Sprinkle on sugar & cinnamon and top with raisins & nuts.  Roll dough into a log as pictured above.  Using a serrated knife, gently cut into 1″ rolls.  Place rolls cut side up into prepared pie dish.  Be  sure to pinch seams after you place them in the pan.  Let them rise about an hour in a warm place until they have doubled in size. 

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until puffed and lighted browned.  Check in between rolls to make sure they are done before removing from oven. 

While they are baking prepare frosting:

1/2 stick  butter, room temp

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cream butter and cheese together in a medium bowl and then mix in vanilla and powdered sugar – spread onto warm rolls.

They don’t store well – so be sure to eat them up!  If you do have leftovers, heat them in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften them up.

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!