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Gingered Fig Muffins

I found this delicious recipe tucked inside a book that I purchased from a second-hand bookstore. This recipe is one of the most valuable treasures I have discovered. I have other treasures that were hiding in old books, including pressed leaves, postcards, addresses, funeral announcements, and antique bookmarks. When I find something unexpected, I am always curious about the person who previously owned the book. Sometimes, I let my imagination create a little fiction. 

A Gingered Fig Muffin makes a delicious breakfast and is even better with a cup of tea or coffee. The result is more like a scone, in texture, so I tried baking half of the batter in a pie plate, and I loved the results.  

You can see the original recipe in the photo, but I have made changes to suit my taste. I have omitted the orange peel, and I don’t grind the fruit up in my food processor. I prefer to eat the muffins hot with a generous serving of apricot jam. I love the taste surprise when a bit of warm ginger or a burst of fruity fig pushes through the sweet flavour of apricot jam.  

Gingered Fig Muffins

Finely chop dried fruit; set aside 

(I cut the fruit as much as a day ahead and prefer to cut everything with kitchen scissors. I cover each cup with plastic wrap until I am ready to use it.) 

1 cup of dried figs, chopped

2 tablespoons of crystallized ginger, chopped

½ cup of dried apricots, chopped

In a bowl combine flour, soda, and salt; set aside 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

In another bowl beat eggs, butter, and sugar

½ cup of butter at room temperature

¾ of a cup of granulated sugar

2 large eggs

Beat fruit into egg mixture, and stir in yogurt

1 cup of 2% plain yogurt (I like Greek yogurt)

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until the mixture is moistened. 

With an ice cream scoop, divide the batter between twelve greased muffin cups. 

Bake at 400°F until golden brown; about 18 to 20 minutes

Enjoy!   

Love Your Zucchini

One zucchini can provide an entire day of fun for you and a friend. Harvest is a time for trying new recipes and sharing old ones. Recently, my daughter and I chose to spend a day adapting already well-loved zucchini recipes. She prefers oat flour in all her baking. I often use spelt flour mixed with wheat flour. One awesome zucchini provided us with two 9” by 13” chocolate cakes, four spice loaves, and enough fritters for supper.

First, the vintage zucchini loaf recipe, that I am sharing today, should be credited to Irene Paquette. My original recipe had her name scribbled on the top in my handwriting. I make it, often, and freeze it. For a quick lunch, serve it with a piece of cheddar cheese. For a yummy dessert, drizzle a slice with cream cheese glaze. My daughter made hers with oat flour, extra raisins, and no nuts. Her loaves are pictured on the right. 

Zucchini Loaf

Moist Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of shredded zucchini

3 eggs

1 cup of salad oil

1 ½ cups white sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Dry Ingredients:

3 cups of flour (It is fine to use whole grain spelt)

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Additions:

½ cup of nuts (optional) Double the raisins if you are omitting nuts.

½ cup of raisins (rinse in boiling water to puff)

Method:

In a large bowl mix sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the grated zucchini.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the sugar and egg mixture, stirring only until moistened.

Fold in the nuts and/or raisins.

Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans, or one 9” by 13” cake pan. If you lightly grease the pans and use parchment paper, you will find the loaves lift out easily for slicing.

Bake the loaves at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes. Lift cooled cakes from pan and slice for freezing.

For the chocolate zucchini cakes, my daughter, again, used oat flour and topped her cake with assorted sizes and textures of chocolate chips. I topped mine with dark, medium-sized, chocolate chips by Enjoy, because I am allergic to soy. Again, both were delicious.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F

Moist Ingredients:

¼ cup of soft margarine or butter

½ cup of vegetable oil

1¾ cups of white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 cups of shredded raw zucchini

½ cup of sour milk or plain yogurt

Dry Ingredients:

2½ cups of flour

4 tablespoons of cocoa powder

½ teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

½ teaspoon of cloves

Topping:

¾ of a cup of chocolate chips

Method:

In a large bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar. Add slightly beaten eggs and vanilla. Beat this mixture until smooth. Stir in the grated zucchini and yogurt.

In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together, using a whisk.

Add the dry ingredients to the moist ingredients and mix well. 

Pour into a greased 9” by 13” baking pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with ¾ of a cup of chocolate chips.

Bake the cake, for 40 minutes, in a preheated 350°F oven.

By the end of the afternoon, we were tired, hungry, and had three cups of zucchini left. We were in need of something savoury, so decided to make quick and easy fritters. We used my regular fritter recipe and spiced the zucchini up with a little Frank’s Red Hot Original.

Vegetable Fritters

3 cups of finely grated vegetables

1 tablespoon of finely minced onion (or more)

2 eggs

Olive oil

Salt

Select vegetables such as turnip, carrot, squash, zucchini, and sweet potato. My personal favourite mixture includes equal parts carrot, zucchini, and white turnip.

Mix grated vegetables with onion and eggs. The batter will be quite wet. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Lightly shape a handful of the batter for each fritter and gently drop it into the oil. I like to use my large ice cream scoop to drop batter onto the pan. Flatten the fritters with a spatula.

Let the fritters brown over medium heat until bottoms begin to change colour. Turn fritters over and fry for several more minutes. This takes about 5 minutes a side. Drain on paper towel. Season fritters with salt if desired.  Keep cooked fritters warm in a 250°F oven, while the rest are cooking.

When making our zucchini-only fritters, we used 3 cups of grated zucchini, 2 tablespoons of finely minced onion, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, sprinkle of sea salt, and one or two teaspoons of Frank’s Red Hot Original.   

NOTE: We thank my daughter’s mother-in-law for giving us a zucchini worth loving. 

Versatile Oatmeal-Cinnamon Pancakes

Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free oat products.

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups oat flour (or all-purpose flour)

¼ cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

2 cups of quick oats (not instant)

Wet Ingredients:

2 cups of milk

2 large eggs

¼ cup of vegetable oil and more for the grill

Method:

In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour, oats, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk until uniform in texture.

In another bowl, whisk eggs until smooth, then add milk and oil.

Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir until moistened.

Heat the grill or fry pan. Oil the surface lightly. When using a grill, set the temperature between 325° and 350° F. Pour batter by ⅓ cup measure, onto the hot grill. Cook for about 4 minutes per side.

These pancakes freeze well. Before freezing, separate the cakes with wax paper.

I love creative breakfasts and snacks. Here are some fun ideas.

1. Make some of these cakes smaller, for carrying in your tote, to feed hungry children. These cakes are great to eat on the run because they don’t crumble. It’s a bonus that they aren’t sticky. They taste like oatmeal cookies, but they are full of fibre and protein.

2. Create an apple-pie pancake for breakfast. Thaw a frozen pancake for about 40 seconds in your microwave oven. Top the almost warmed pancake with grated cheese. Melt in the microwave, for another 30 seconds. Top the melted cheese with applesauce and cinnamon. Voila - apple pie pancake! Exciting!

3. Try making a pancake sandwich for your packed lunch. Spread pancakes with your favourite preserves while they are still frozen. This keeps everything chilled for the entire morning. Apricot marmalade is particularly delicious between these pancakes, or you can spread a little peanut butter and honey. I love a slice of cheddar or mozzarella between the pancakes. Use your imagination. Maybe a little flavoured cream cheese would be good.

4. Of course, you can make wonderful pancake faces by cooking the eyes and mouth for a minute before pouring more batter over top. This batter gets very thick. The features will always surprise you.

My oldest grandson first made these with me in August of 2010. I adapted the recipe from a Martha Stewart magazine; made this way, everyone in my family can eat them, even The Boy. 

Tea Party Toast Cups

Preheat oven to 350°F

Crispy tiny toast cups are delicious with almost any filling and can be made from your choice of bread (even gluten free). Children and adults will enjoy creating new taste combinations.   

To Make Toast Cups:

Select sandwich style loaves of bread. Each slice of bread will provide you with four toast cups. Cut crusts from the bread slices. Quarter each slice forming four squares. Press bread squares into small, ungreased muffin cups. (The empty muffin cups should be able to hold 4 teaspoons of filling.)

Push the bread squares into the muffin cups using a wooden tart-press. Bake the bread-lined muffin cups for 15 minutes at 350°F or until the corners are slightly browned.

Turn the pan upside down to remove. Cool. Store the toast cups in a tin until you are ready to serve them.  

To Serve:

Fill toast cups as desired and place them on a platter, or invite your guests to fill their own. To do the latter, provide several filling options and serve the toast cups in a basket nearby.

Suggested Fillings:

Egg salad, chicken salad, chili, antipasto, grated vegetables or fruit, grated cheese, grated pickles, or anything else you like.      

Note:

Small children love to have their snacks in small containers. My grandchildren enjoy filling their own toast cups. Imagine multigrain toast cups with banana and peanut butter, or raisin toast cups with grated apples and shredded cheese. Present them with a selection of ingredients and let them discover the possibilities. This can be a nutritious and delicious way to eat.

Toast cups also make appealing appetizers for grown-ups at a party.

Cranberry Cornbread Warms the Heart

Cranberry Cornbread

In my recipe collection, there are several variations on cornbread. Cornbread can include jalapeño peppers, spices, or various fruits. It can be baked as a cake, a loaf, or muffins. As a child, I enjoyed eating cornbread drenched in maple syrup at breakfast or topped with generous chunks of cheddar cheese for lunch. Personally, I love cornbread when the recipe includes brown sugar and buttermilk. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons of butter, melted

½ cup of brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup of buttermilk

1 cup of dried sweetened cranberries

1 cup of yellow cornmeal

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, beat the melted butter together with the brown sugar and egg. Stir in the buttermilk and cranberries.

In another mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into a well greased eight-inch deep-dish pie plate.

Bake for 25 minutes. Cut the bread into wedges and serve it warm.

Just a thought…

While the cornbread bakes, steep a large pot of tea and hand around several cookbooks and magazines to your guests. Have everyone search for a cornbread variation that might be fun to bake another day. You might find a recipe containing kernels of corn and chili powder or a fruity cornbread cobbler. This type of recipe-hunt helps develop a passion for comparing recipes and often leads to experimentation in the kitchen.