Sweet Pumpkin Muffins

New England is on a fall weather roller coaster right now.  One day it is 80 degrees and all shorts and salads and spritzers, the next the temperature plummets and has you reaching for sweaters, squash and slippers.  Whatever the thermometer reads, it is mid-October and time for some autumnal activity in my book.  So despite yesterday's warm sunshine, the little man and I brought out the mixing bowls, pre-heated the oven, and baked some pumpkin muffins.

Pumpkin baked goods are everywhere right now, as are pumpkin baking recipes.  I like this one for a few reasons:  it uses a full can of pumpkin, so you aren't left wondering WTF to do with a some tiny third of a can of leftover pumpkin, and the large amount of eggs give the muffins an almost custard-y texture I adore.  I realize the two cups of sugar and one cup of butter might be a bit scary, but I feel that sometimes, when it comes to baked goods, you just have to go for it.  I also like how this recipe calls only for cinnamon, and not the usual melange of pumpkin pie related spices that so many fall baking projects include.  I love allspice, nutmeg and ginger as much as the next girl, but I think the simplicity of this recipe really lets the pumpkin flavor shine through.

The little man loves these muffins for an mid-morning or afternoon snack, but the big man prefers them as a dessert, so I added a half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the half of the batter.  I just scooped out the first dozen muffins, then stirred the chocolate chips into the remaining batter before scooping them. Now, everyone is happy.

Sweet Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 2 dozen muffins
Ingredients
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 15 ounce can pumpkin (just pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which is much sweeter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter or Earth Balance, melted
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375F.
2) Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and butter/Earth Balance together in a large bowl until smooth.
3) Mix dry ingredients together and mix into pumpkin mixture.
4) Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full (because of the 4 teaspoons of leavening agents in the recipe these muffins really rise... so don't overfill the cups or you'll have a hot mess on your hands).
5) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

*Just one little mom-note to conclude: it may be messy and kind of a pain, but baking with toddlers is incredibly good fun.  The little guy was so excited to be included in this project, and kept exclaiming "Muffins are yummy!"  "Time to mix!" and other adorable shows of being enthralled.  When his dad came home, he went careening up the hallway exclaiming, "We made MUFFINS!!!".  He was so proud.  Well worth a little flour on the floor.  Many more little one-friendly baking projects to come... 

Nothing Like Some Comfies

I must share that my all time favorite pair of comfy/pajama pants are on super sale at J.Crew today.

These pants are luxuriously soft and have been deemed "cute" by the husband (a rarity in the comfy pant category, my friends). They are on sale for $29.99 down from $45, and you can get an additional 30% off today by entering the code "MUSTHAVE" at checkout.  That's 20 American dollars, ladies... a steal, I would say. The weather is cooling, and the time for comfy, cozy pants for movie watching, fireside snuggling and general lollygagging is upon us.  Get over to j.crew.com and snap these up!  This ends my public service announcement.

*And I am not being subsidized in any way by J.Crew for posting this, I just really care that much about your comfort.  xoxo

Canned

My cookbook wish list is ridiculously long (especially considering how many I already have), but what can I say?  Some people collect stamps and coins; I collect cookbooks.  My cookbook library gives me a certain sensory/OCD/inspirational joy that few other things do.  So I had to share a just-out cookbook out that I spied today on The Wednesday Chef which just jumped to the number three slot on my list (behind Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, in case you were wondering).  Check out Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff.

The Wednesday Chef's comprehensive review makes this book sound like the canning bible of our generation.   Full disclosure:  the husband and I love to can.  With the help of my mother and sister, we made, jarred and labeled 100 jars of homemade salsa to give away as favors at our wedding.  Other years, we have put up pickles and jam, and the whole process is poetic and soothing.  The full, humid kitchen, the soft pop of the jars as they seal, the satisfaction of filling the pantry shelves with your hard-earned goodies; we both love this ritual.  Since moving to the city, we don't really have the kitchen or pantry space to properly can and store things, and so this harvest is passing us by without a major project on the horizon.  That's okay this year, but in our next home, I'd love to get back to preserving as many fruit and veggie goodies as we can get our hands on. 

Photo via Canning for a New Generation

That is where this lovely looking book would come in handy.  Most canning books are dusty tomes from the seventies that don't take into consideration today's lifestyles and palettes.  I'm drooling over the diversity of recipes that this book features, from kimchi to salsa verde, and the eclectic jams from black plum cardamom to tea jelly.  I want a wall that looks like the one above.  I can't wait to get my paws on this book and get canning!

Breakfast for the Big Chill

For awhile it was hot here.  Really hot.  The kind of heat that makes you move slowly and not consider consuming any beverages that are not poured over ice.  Even last Friday, I was wearing shorts and a tank top as I went about my daily routine.  As our late-arriving summer spread into September, my morning priority after my usual bout of chores was getting us outside to enjoy the sunshine.  And so, I fell into a breakfast rut.  A delicious and healthy rut, but it basically revolved around my new cereal obsession, Kashi Golden Goodness.  This is one of the simpler Kashis, but I love it: tiny little whole grain flakes mixed with rolled oat and puffed wheat clusters.  I used to loooove Honey Bunches of Oats, and Golden Goodness is like a healthy, grown-up version of that cereal.  But I digress.  For most of the summer, I was throwing my Kashi in a bowl with some blueberries, pouring on my milk, down the hatch, and out the door we'd go.  Easy. Peasy.

Now, suddenly it is fall.  The temps here dropped twenty degrees over the weekend.  I love the crisp morning air, and am ready to add some heat and creativity back into my morning rituals, especially now that hunkering down and sipping something for awhile is far more appealing than rushing right out the door bright and early.

For starters, gone are the days of magical iced coffee; it is time for my espresso maker to get back to work.  This is the winter where I perfect my latte making!  I'm discovering some tricks (you can't tamp down your espresso too hard, and your dairy has to have some fat to it, or it isn't going to froth properly), and I hope to learn more as latte season progresses. I also love how the best professional baristas will make designs in the top of an espresso drink.  My favorite is when you get handed a drink with a heart on the top...

Latte from Joe - The Art of Coffee in my sister's 'hood in NYC.

...it's like the coffee dude just wants to start your day with a little love.

So, I've decided to start drawing on my own drinks, both to recreate the coffehouse experience on the cheaps, and to try to add a little love to every morning...

Latte a la SMJ, this morning in my kitchen.

Here we have a large, sloppy heart to represent all the large, sloppy love in my large, sloppy life.

I will report back when/if I improve at latte-heart-making.

For the rest of my cold weather morning fare, I once again find myself drawn to and inspired by the great photos by Jennifer Causey at Simply Breakfast.

I'm so ready for treats like eggs on polenta, toasty bagels with smushed avocado, toast smothered in preserves, and fried eggs on nook-and-cranny-licious English muffins.  It is time to slow our mornings down and enjoy a legit breakfast.  If Simply Breakfast doesn't inspire you to take the time to cook something proper in the AM, nothing will.  And if you need daily inspiration, Jennifer is coming out with a 2012 calendar of breakfasts!  This excites me an unreasonable amount.  If wanting a breakfast calendar is wrong, I don't want to be right.  

Hooray for brisk mornings, a stiff caffeine hit, and a beautiful breakfast with love on top.

What is your favorite cold weather morning grub?

Scones for What Ails You

Do you ever wake up with a heartsick feeling for no apparent reason?  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  I spent the morning like I remember feeling as a homesick ten-year-old at sleep-away camp for the first time; a little sad, a little lonely, and like something heavy was sitting in my heart and gut and wouldn't budge.  A double latte didn't help.  A hard run didn't help.  So, I turned to my go-to comfort activity, baking.

Perhaps it was the rain, but I was in a scone-ish mood.  I felt like kneading, but not like participating in anything as complex and scientific as bread baking.  I felt like something sweet, but nothing as cloying as cookies or blondies.  Also, we are visiting friends this weekend, and I wanted to bring something lovely, homemade, and a little out of the ordinary to them, and so these scones were born.  Sure enough, after clobbering some dough and letting their sweet aroma fill the house, I felt much better.  Standing mixer + oven= therapy.  With a rainy weekend in the forecast around here, try these to cure whatever may ail you!

SMJ's Cure-What-Ails-You Currant Scones
Makes 8 scones
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter or Earth Balance, cut in about 10 pieces
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons sanding sugar, pearl sugar, or granulated sugar
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and currants until combined.
3) Scatter the chopped butter over the top of the dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed until the butter is pebbly in the flour, with some small stone sized butter lumps remaining.
4) In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream and whole egg until combined.
5) Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and beat just until the dough comes together.
6) With your hands, lift the dough from the bowl and start turning it over to collect the flour in the bottom of the bowl.  Turn the dough again and again until all the remaining flour is mixed in.
7) Turn the dough out onto a baking sheet and pat it into an 8-inch circle about 1-inch thick. Brush the egg yolk evenly over the entire top of the dough circle. Sprinkle the sugar evenly across the top, then cut the circle into 8 wedges. (At this point, the unbaked scones can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 week. Proceed as directed, baking directly from the freezer and adding 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.)
8) Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the entire circle is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then cut into the pre-scored wedges and serve.  Scones will keep well for up to three days.  Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

*Notes:
1) This recipe is an amalgam of several scone recipes I found, with a nod to what I had in the fridge and my personal preference in flavors, but the primary inspiration was Joanne Chang's Currant Scone recipe from her Flour cookbook.  Flour is a phenomenal Boston bakery that you must visit if you are in town.  Wear elastic-waist pants when you go.
2) I used whole milk because that is what we keep on hand for the little dude, and low-fat sour cream because that is what we had on hand from our black bean extravaganza. Feel free to try the recipe with whatever percentage-of-fat dairy you have in the house,  I'd just advise that one or the other NOT be low-fat.  This is baking, after all.  Let's live a little.
3) It goes without saying, but take off any rings before hand-mixing sticky doughs!  Doughy bling is not a good look.  

Have a beautiful weekend!

Inspiration

I have always loved the back-to-school, starting fresh feeling that autumn seems to bring.  The cooler days make me feel like starting new projects, getting adventurous in the kitchen, and shifting my closet towards cozier styles.  Here are some of the current inspirations I've stumbled upon for the new season...

Kitchen Inspiration

I want to cook:

Gwyneth's Hot Niçoise Salad

Dinner: A Love Story's Confetti Brussels Sprouts

Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar

And one last cobbler, before it is all apple crisp, all the time...

Sartorial Inspirtation

I want to wear...

Effortlessly elegant scarves

A cool wrap bracelet, like this Chan Luu one I spied on a mom at the playground the other day.

Home Inspiration

Longing to decorate with:
Natural elements brought indoors, like these eucalyptus branches.

 One bold-colored piece of furniture in an otherwise neutral room, like this awesome turquoise table/desk.

 Dinner by candlelight, with rustic votives in Mason jars. 

Photo credits, top to bottom: Food&Wine, Dinner:A Love Story, Smitten Kitchen, Jennifer Causey via Simply Breakfast, Style Bakery, Laws of General Economy, Cupcakes and Cashmere, The Selby in Your Place, Apartment Therapy.

 What are your fall inspirations?

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans

I love beans.  They are a tasty and inexpensive source of protein and fiber with possibilities for endless incarnations in everything from salads to burritos to fancy sides.  On Sunday, dare I say it, I may have made my best pot of beans ever.  And thanks to my slow cooker, it was ridiculously easy.  New England is experiencing a bizarre-o global warming heat wave at the moment, so rather than craving all things pumpkin, I found myself hankering for something island-inspired, and so these Cuban black beans were born.

Photo via Technorati

I often find that bean recipes lack the depth of flavor I am looking for in a main dish.  To remedy this, I went big with some ingredients that pack a punch, using a whole bunch of cilantro and six whole garlic cloves in this pound of beans.  Don't be afraid!  The result is an assertive, delicious, authentic tasting dish that stands out as an entree and will steal the show as a side.

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans
Ingredients
1 lb dry black turtle beans
1 large sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 8 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3 slices bacon, diced (Optional! Veggies can omit this ingredient, you may just want to add a bit more salt to your recipe.)
1 large bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1) Rinse beans and soak overnight.  Even though the slow cooker will cook them completely without this step, if you soak, drain and rinse your beans before cooking them, some of their gaseous properties leach out and are removed, and you'll experience less stomach upset from having a big bowl o' beanies for dinner.  Highly advised.
2) Drain and rinse your beans.  Place in slow cooker and cover with water. 
3) Add all other ingredients except the cilantro.  Start with about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  
4) Set slow cooker to 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.  
5) With an hour left to go in the cooking time, add the cilantro, and taste to adjust for salt and pepper.

I served these beans as our Sunday dinner with basmati rice, sour cream, chopped avocado and hot sauce for garnish (Warning: taste first before adding hot sauce!  These beans have quite a kick without it, the hubs and I just love our food practically on fire).  They would also make a phenomenal side for any Caribbean or Latin-inspired dish (I'm thinking jerk chicken, fish or tofu, a citrus-y slow cooker Cuban chicken I like to make, spicy shrimp, or shredded beef tacos), and the beans would also be very tasty inside a quesadilla or burrito.  This is one of those Sunday suppers that can truly live on through the week in many different meals without anyone tiring of it. 

Finally, one more shout out for my slow cooker.  I'm a little obsessed with it, as you can tell. Here's why: I chopped things for about 10 minutes on Sunday morning, opened a couple of cans, pushed a button and walked away.  As the day went on, the house filled with the most incredible aroma of spicy goodness. Then, all I had to do to make dinner was put on a pot of rice, and we enjoyed a delicious and healthy meal with almost no effort and very little clean-up.  I cannot think of a better piece of kitchen equipment for families and all busy, working people!

Viva Frijoles!

Enjoy!