Bakery-style Pistachio Muffins -

No gloom and doom today - let's do something fun!

You requested, so I'm sharing, my green and gorgeous

 Pistachio Muffins recipe. 

It's a very simple, quick to mix and bake, recipe. . . . . . . . . . . . .

 . . . . . . . .and you will find just about everyone loves them.

PISTACHIO MUFFINS

Makes 8 jumbo muffins

1 box (16.25 OZ)  'Betty Crocker' WHITE Super Moist Cake Mix**

1 box (3.4 OZ)  'Jello' Pistachio Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

2 Large Eggs

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup Vegetable oil

1/2 cup Buttermilk***

1 Tablespoon PURE Almond Extract - don't use artificial extract and don't skimp as this makes the muffins taste so delicious

Topping:

1 Tablespoon roasted and shelled Pistachios*, crushed with a rolling pin -

or

1 Tablespoon sliced almonds - I sometimes use both mixed together

1 Teaspoon golden granulated sugar or sparkling sugar for crunch

Preheat oven to 425F

Grease muffin pans or use paper liners****

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix and pudding mix.

In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs, add water, oil, buttermilk, and almond extract, whisking well to blend. Add wet ingredients slowly to dry, stirring until well mixed.

Spoon into 8 muffin pans - fill 3/4 full. Sprinkle mix of nuts and sugar lightly on top.

Bake on middle rack at 425F for just 7 minutes - this produces a more domed top, then reduce heat to 350F and bake 13 -15 minutes, watch carefully so as not to get too brown - test with cake tester for doneness. Remove from oven. Cool 5 minutes, remove muffins from pan to wire rack, cool completely.  

The muffins are good anytime but I actually prefer them next day.  These freeze really well in plastic bags and are still great when defrosted.

Some tips from me because I want you to make good muffins, in fact so good,

if you share with your neighbors their eyes will light up each time they see you

 coming to their door plate in hand!

*Shelled and roasted pistachios are often expensive - but so delicious!  

I buy mine from ALDI or LIDL - good prices, and the bag will last a long

 time, unless you gobble them up between muffin baking days!

**I buy Betty Crocker cake mix as it seems to be the best. I tried
 another brand recently but it seemed stale and lumpy.

***I always have a jug of this in the refrigerator. It's the best - full fat buttermilk, don't 

buy the watered down version - and it keeps so well.

****I spray my pans, even though they are non-stick, with canola oil for easy removal,

Personally I don't like paper liners as they often stick and cause the muffin

 (or cupcake) to crumble on removal, especially when fresh.

OK ladies, and any guys out there who love to bake, (unfortunately I don't have one 

who bakes, but I do love him for other reasons), give these a try, when you can get 

the ingredients, and let me know what you think.

"Happy baking, time in the kitchen, days"

Weekend time in the kitchen. . . . . . . .

Do you, like me, love cakes with fresh fruits as an ingredient?
Somehow they just seem healthier - well that's my excuse for enjoying 
dessert, or a slice with a coffee now and then!
 I found this one, Blackberry-Tahini-Yogurt Cake in the September issue
 of bon appétit magazine when I was waiting in the dentist's office last week.
  I borrowed the magazine - promising to return - and brought it home to make
 copies of this cake recipe and the Tomato-Lemon Tart recipe. 
The recipes are also online so have linked them.

These recipes were quite easy and I was very pleased with the results.

I did tweak both, adding toasted sesame seeds for a little crunch on the cake,

and fresh mozzarella to the tart as it was served as an entrée.
The very thinly sliced lemon is a nice, unexpected, addition to the tomatoes.

Cooking, baking, and of course eating, is a way to handle waiting out a hurricane

 or similar bad weather situation over which we have no control - if of course you're
 not evacuated from your home.

I stayed busy in the kitchen over the past weekend whilst awaiting the possibility

 of Hurricane Irma changing course and heading toward North Carolina.

 Thankfully that didn't happen, so all my prayers continue for what is now the

 massive clean-up, recovery and rebuilding etc. in Florida. 

Do you like to get busy in the kitchen when marking time?

How about changing recipes - do you often add other ingredients?

Do you cook from scratch more, or less, these days?

Frittata - the easy Italian egg dish . . . . . . . . .

The frittata is an Italian omelette. Unlike its soft and creamy French cousin, 

it is cooked more slowly than other eggy things, always over very low heat, and

 on both sides. 

This means that any additions to the basic mixture can be slightly larger giving this

 substantial dish a certain rusticity. Like an omelette, it can be filled with almost

 anything that takes your fancy.

With a lot of extra eggs on hand, plus a bowl of oven-roasted veggies waiting

 to be used up - eggplant, sliced small new potatoes, red onion, crimini and

 shitake mushrooms - I made this one a few nights back. 

It made 4 generous servings so for the two of us we had a hot meal with a salad, 

and extra for the following day at room temperature with ratatouille - which I make

 weekly now through the summer months when veggies are soooo good!

Here's my basic recipe for a frittata for 4 servings ~

6 large eggs
salt
freshly ground black pepper
a large handful of grated Parmesan or Gruyére cheese
2 oz of butter

Beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork for 20 seconds or so, along with the salt, pepper and cheese, until just mixed (longer will cause frittata to blow up and then fall into a heavy dense layer). Meanwhile add butter to a large skillet at least 10" in diameter, and when the butter froths add any additions, such as already roasted veggies. Tip in the egg mixture and immediately reduce heat to as low as your burner will go. Leave the eggs to cook gently for 15 minutes, or until the underneath is set ~ topside should still be a little runny.
Have a hot grill ready - I use my oven set on broil - place skillet under, about 6" from the heat (I wrap my silicone handle in tinfoil to protect it) for just 1-2 minutes to set - do not allow to brown.
Remove from oven, slide a palette knife under the frittata to loosen it and slide on to a warm plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

***********

I also added arugula dressed with just a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and some
 chopped fresh parsley from the garden.

Enjoy!

Tweaking a French classic. . . . . . . . .

Today my kitchen was bursting with the fragrance of fresh vegetables, garlic, thyme

 and the best olive oil. Sizzling in two baking dishes in the oven, and bubbling

 from a skillet on the burner, music was created! Who knew a plump eggplant,

 two zucchini, two onions, and an orange and yellow pepper could taste so good

when blanketed with your own homemade thick tomato sauce, it's so easy.

 If you've spent time in the South of France, especially in picturesque Provençe, 

surrounded by lavender and sunflower fields, when dining in either a restaurant

 or a French home, you most likely have been served ratatouille. 

Also known as ratatouille niçoise, this colorful unctuous vegetable

 stew which originated in the city of Nice, is a French classic and so easy to

 make at home.

Purists may still choose the traditional French way of preparation where each

 vegetable is cooked separately atop the stove, a longer more messy process,

 then combined and cooked together slowly until they reach a creamy consistency.

 I used to make mine that way. The new way is much easier and to me tastes even

 more fantastic. . . . . .actually this version we will have for supper tonight is really

 the best I've ever tasted, honestly!

The word ratatouille derives from the Occitan ratatolha and is related to the French

ratatouiller and tatouiller, expressive forms of the verb touiller meaning 'to stir up'. 

From the late 18th century, in French, it indicated a coarse stew, and the actual 

ratatouille recipe didn't appear in print until around 1930.

Always serve ratatouille warm or at room temperature.

If you have refrigerated leftovers remove from the fridge allowing at least

 half an hour prior to serving.

There are dozens of recipes available online for ratatouille or, if you have a

 collection of French or vegetable cookbooks, you are certain to find 

 one to try. I used the simplified recipe from my awesome British cookbook

VEG by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage in Dorset, not far from

 my English home. It was a gift from my granddaughter Jasmin who always

 knows what I love, or will grow to love. . . . and I'm definitely loving

this cookbook.

Off now to eat and enjoy.

Bon appetit.

Prune, Apple & Brandy Cake-----------------------

This is such an easy, and I would say healthy cake, if cake can be good for you!

Prunes, apples, almonds, yum.

Prepare your prunes the night before so they soak up the brandy and become really

 soft, then mix everything together and bake in the morning. 

It's an English recipe and and a kitchen scale is best for measuring - or you can

 convert the ingredients to ounces online.

I've served warm with whipped cream for dessert, or cool as just a moist 

slice of cake with a nice cup of tea.

Don't tell, I'm actually having a little slice for breakfast with my coffee right now!

Soups - and wine - love rustic crackers. . . . . . . .

There are some great moments when stuck at home in inclement weather. Many revolve around the kitchen. With nothing really pressing regarding elaborate meals on time, one can spend most of the day looking out the windows, photographing birds and squirrels, popping out in pj's to fill bird feeders and melt birdbath water. . . . . or cook!

Well that's what happened here at our home recently, haha!

How about this for a 'rustic cracker'. So quick and easy, almost healthy, and definitely a knockout to look at and nibble alongside one of those steaming bowls of homemade soup we all seem to be making on these Winter days. Also a pretty accompaniment to an aperitif. Here's my version of the recipe in the Jan. 2016 Better Homes & Gardens - they call it Greens Cracker and used kale.

Rustic Cracker
1 rolled, refrigerated, unbaked pie crust - brought to room temp.
1 egg yolk and 2 tsp. water whisked together
2 large Swiss rainbow chard leaves with stems (you may not want to eat the stems as they are a bit chewy with such a short time in the oven - I cut mine off before serving)
1/2 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese 
1/2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary (this time I used dried Herbes de Provence as I couldn't get to my rosemary bush on the ice).
Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Line large baking sheet with parchment, set aside. On floured surface unroll and fold pastry sheet into quarters. Gently roll into a rectangle, trim edges or leave free form as I did for a more rustic look. Transfer to baking sheet. Brush with egg mixture, sprinkle with herbs. Arrange leaves on top lightly pressing down and sprinkle generously with the cheese. Bake 15 mins. or until golden, watch carefully. Remove, cool on a rack and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and a little sea salt. Slice diagonally to serve (I found a pizza cutter useful). I liked it best still warm and crispy, or you can serve it cold.

Before baking.

Cheers!