Cherry Almond Muffins and tagged

Here's a picture of the muffins Melissa made for me. They are a bit smaller than what I would have done because she made 18 out of a recipe I make 12 from. She followed the 2/3 "rule", I don't with these muffins and for me they always rise into perfect little dome tops ... that doesn't always happen, but it does with this recipe. I got the idea for these from VwaV cookbook. I like many of the recipes in this book, but am unhappy with white flour and sugar. For a breakfast muffin I wanted it to be a bit more fibrous and hearty, so I combined the idea of this recipe with a favorite recipe of Bryanna's that we love (Almond Crumb Cakes). The end result became ...

Dori 's Birthday Cherry Almond Muffins
I do not add almonds to the muffin batter, but these are topped with a sweet crunchy almond topping. They were grand and I think I will ask for them next year too.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine Wet Mix in a small mixing bowl:
1 3/4 cup vanilla soymilk (or add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar OR same amount lemon juice
2 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp KAL brand stevia extract powder (you can try another brand, but the results will probably not be the same... I notice a "stevia" taste when I use other brands

Combine Dry Mix in a medium mxing bowl:
1 1/2 cup spelt flour OR same amount unbleached organic all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Combine the wet mix into the dry mix, stir until just mixed - do not over mix. Then stir in:
1- 1 1/4 cups pitted and quartered Sweet Cherries (note change from original publish)

Crumble Topping:
1/3 C slivered almonds
1/4 C unbleached sugar or sucanat
1/4 C whole wheat pastry OR spelt flour
2 Tbsp melted Earth Balance or preferred margarine

Fill 12 non stick (I use I CARE brand) parchment paper type muffin cups full, 18 for the size muffins pictured but I prefer 12. Comine the almond crumble top ingredients and spoon 1 Tbsp of this over each of 12 muffins OR divide evenly if making 18 muffins. Bake 18-22 minutes (until toothpick test done). Use the shorter time if making 18 muffins, the longer of making 12.

We also ate sandwiches and blackened tofu salads this weekend. Here you see my firm tofu slices sauting on a hot flat griddle pan. I like to cook mine with onions. I did marinate the tofu before cooking on the non-stick. I also like to slice it thinner like this so that it absorbs more flavor. I often use the marinade as a cooking liquid, over the hot heat the tofu soaks up more of the marinade flavor.

We often eat our meals like this. Dave prefers sandwiches (sourdough bread in this meal topped with a savory mushroom sauce) while I prefer salads (yellow pepper, red tomatoes, blckened tofu/mushroom/onions topped with a few slivers of almond). Matt often likes everything separate... protein, bread toasted, and then fruit and/or green salad on the side. Melissa varies between sandwiches and salad. I have found the family to be happier at meals when I have "eating options" then we all feel like the meal is designed for us.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying what is considered the last part of summer. The peppers, tomatoes, and canteloupe in the picture at the side were grown in our garden.


I have been tagged by kunsjoi, the computer engineer and future door to door soymilk salesman. This tag is to allow me to share 5 favorite quotes with you. There is a list here and I chose five from this list.

"Determine never to be idle...It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing."

Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

"Working in the garden...gives me a profound feeling of inner peace."

Ruth Stout

"Frugality without creativity is deprivation."

Amy Dacyczyn

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), The Critic as Artist

and at last...
this one seems appropriate for my blogger land friends.

"I have you and even if we never meet or ever see each other, we have left our thumbprints in the thick, moist clay of each other's lives."

Hugh Elliott, Standing Room Only weblog, May 6, 2003

Brown for my birthday

Happy Birthday to me on Sunday.

My family is full of summer babies and Melissa's will be coming up on the 28th. Speaking of Melissa, the little blonde rascal has discovered boys, not that she didn't notice them before but she has noticed that she likes to talk to a few and a few like to talk to her too. Our cell phone minutes were maxed out last month, so we had to pay a few $ extra which we have never done before - we have alot of minutes and alot of free time ... she has done alot of talking! (not just to boys)

To celebrate I purchased a case of Rice Dream Chocolate Marble Ice Cream (16 oz containers). I asked Matt to make me a Hot Fudge Ice Cream Pie from the last recipe in Dreena's, Everyday Vegan Cookbook. We didn't have a pie pan as deep as I desired, but an 8" square glass dish worked well. You see this pictured above with 4 candles representing the 4 birthdays we have to celebrate this month (me, Matt, Melissa, and my sister). We had a good time eating this pie together, but realized after having a sensible size peice we wanted MORE and justified eating the whole pie with the celebration excuse.

Matt enjoyed making this and he enjoyed eating it even more.

We staged this picture, but we still got a grand laugh out of it. Matt really enjoyed the pie. Matt really really enjoyed the pie. He alse really likes this wonderful soy free and vegan ice cream. I was surprised by how rich and creamy it is.

We are in the final days of summer. Matthew will be leaving Tuesday to start his computer technology and networking classes in a city 1 1/2 drive from us. He will stay with his grandpa during the week and come home Friday after class and then go back on Monday. His classes take place at a cooperative high school (not comprehensive) with his post secondary enrollment (an option legal here). He is actually considered a high school senior and will still be homeschooled chemistry, literature, as well as take guitar lessons and have a membership at the ymca (just a block away from his school). Planning his stay away from home is and will be a big adjustment for all of us.

Gifts in our family are often service oriented or we enjoy shopping together. At Christmas we shop together severasl times and we all budget a certain $$ amount per person, we purchase what we want but do not get it until the celebratory day. Birthdays are the same but with a smaller $$ amount. For me I usually like service gifts, esp the ice cream pie kind or the cherry almond muffins from VwaV that Melissa intends to make for me for Sunday breakfast.

Since sewing the shirt for TX121 I have caught a bug. The bug causes me to want to make more. I sewed a brown corduroy jumper (overall style) and am planning on making a matching purse to go with it for my birthday. I hung up the dress in our living room for Dave to see this afternoon thanking him for the lovely present. He loves it when I do things like this, it lets him off easy. I have lost sleep over this project simply because I am enjoying it so much. :)

The label on the inside of the jumper facing says "crafted with love". I found that cute little label at a sewing store last night when we also went out for supper at Saigon Cafe. I ordered a homestyle gluten. Loved it, it was served over thin noodles and had a good amount of veggies in it... so good. I also picked out a cute necklace and earrings to go with my newly created outfit.

Like I told you, brown for my birthday... hot fudge ice cream pie, long brown overall style jumper with a matching purse coming soon, jewelery with brown stones, and cherry almond muffins (brown enough).

A road tripping picnic

We road tripped yesterday. Isn't driving Iowa interstate beautiful. Several years ago I drove my sister to Amarillo Texas... rolling tumbleweed is a good way to describe what I saw. That and the radio station we listened to had an advertisement for the city bus every five minutes. I remember it vividly because my cousin and I drove her 16 hours there, stayed 10 hours and drove 16 hours back.

Back to the road trip. At the beginning of summer I had visions of weekend hiking trails and Sunday after church picnics dancing through my head, so one day when I happened to be strolling through a kitchen store at a shopping mall a clearanced picnicing backpack called out my name. It was regularly $42.95 and I got it 80 % off. Isn't it great how I save money. Unfortunately, Dave always just spends it.

Great picnicing backpack, eh?! I searched cookbooks several hours trying to find the perfect picnicing meal to take with us. I wanted it to be special. My virgin backback was out and about for the first time... it had to be special.

The winning recipes came from Dreena Burtons, The Everyday Vegan. I made the Lentil Veggie Wraps (p. 101) and the Cool Cucumber Toss (p. 94). These were great picks and I enjoyed both of them very much, so much that I am going to have them again today when the kids and I go out and about some birthday and back to school shopping. I couldn't seem to get enough of the cool cuke toss... the fresh picked basil from my garden took it over the top.

In packing the bag I froze our drinks in plastic bottles the night before (lid slightly loose, tightened upon packing). I packed veggies in a separate baggie, lentil spread in a lidded container, chutney in a small serving cup. Dave had potato chips on the side and his favorite sweet coated peanuts. When it was time to eat we found a good shady place to sit. I put the cool cuke salad in an old soy yogurt carton, but also wrapped itin saran wrap to protect from potential leaks.

Here's my lentil veggie wrap. I used nappa cabbage, red pepper slices, carrot shreds and black olives sliced.


Later for a snack we purchased a slice of apple pietza. This road trip was made to the Iowa State Fair by the way. While I was there I of course looked at every new kitchen gadget I could find. My favorite find was a pressure cooker. There were several sizes and they were all "precious" .... in the Lord of the Rings kind of meaning. I could probably give you the sales demo, because I watched it three times before Dave convinced me that I was being hypnotized and would soon be pulling out the plastic if I didn't come with him right that moment.Isn't apple pietza beautiful. The apples were shredded into very thin ribbons and it was topped with almonds. Of course the veg stand we bought it from that was also selling veg corn dogs and deep fried veggies wanted to ruin it with a caramel sauce, I would have none of that.

We had a wonderful day AND we only got suckered $22 on two awesome bottles of cleaner / wax. Once bottle is enough to wax a car 6 times, a three year supply, but it also can clean the bottems of your stainless steel kitchen pans, sink, aluminum, etc, etc. I passed up the amazing mops and squeegie rags, but the pampered chef booth sure was pretty. Dave, usually such a sweetie, kept wanting to take up my limited fair time with drill bits, and saws and bendable ladders ... he was even drooling on the sun room display, but I wiped his chin and quickly found a kitchen utensil booth while he regained his composure.

We both agreed that the best stop we made was at the cell phone booth. It was time to renew our contract so we did a little shopping to compare plans. Our current plan provider shot us the best family plan deal (four phones for the price of one), unlimited talking to family members or each other, the ability to check e-mail via our phone as well as take pictures and send them to each others phones. He shot us a heck of a deal and that could have only happened only at the fair. Someday I will figure out how to take a picture via my phone and upload it to my blog, the sales guy told me it was possible. He was is also an ISU student who checks his e-bay accounts during class and his girlfriend bought some software for her phone and got the college fight song via mp3 download to be her ringer. I love technology.

And before I finish, Happy 18th Birthday to Matt who is officially 18 at 3:16 pm this afternoon.

Matt's Taekwondo Demonstration

I finally figured out how to post a movie. I recorded Matthew's taekwondo nunckuk form on my camera shortly after I got it and could not do anything with it until now.

Here he is in action....
protector of stolen cookbooks, banana screams, and
many more amazing feats his mother has not yet told you about.
Click on the film strip picture or link below to watch.

MATT'S TKD NUNCKUK FORM

STRAWBERRY LEMON CRUNCH CAKE

My baby is home! She's back after a two week stay away (the last two of the total five weeks throughout this summer). She has been a junior staffer at a summer camp. I was so excited that I wanted to make her homecoming special so I baked a cake. This is totally out of my ordinary. I have done so much baking as a part of my business and I don't care to have to much for sugary white flour treats around the house, BUT this is a special occasion and I have wanted to make it since first seeing it on Bryanna's website ... this would have been shortly after she began Vegan Feast.

I did make my own special touches to it.... for example mine is sugar free and completely sweetened with KAL brand stevia extract (see link on my sidebar). I use the following sweetening substitution: a scant 1 tsp KAL stavia extract powder = 1 Cup white granulated sugar sweetening power. I also used 1 cup whole wheat organic pastry flour and 1 cup all purpose organic wheat flour plus 2 Tbsp oat flour. The cakes didn't rise as well, but well enough and it was still a beautiful presentation as well as tastey. I love, love, love this frosting.

(link to Bryanna's Recipe)
STRAWBERRY LEMON CRUNCH CAKE

Dave finished the addition to the garage this evening. It has two doors, one for the riding mower and one for the push mower.

He also built a bird house and has desired to make a welcome sign in our front yard for a very long time. He got the idea of placing a bird feeder on a pole at that sign which is to be placed in our front yard flower box. Well, he completed a bird house that looks like our house, shingled and all. When I first saw this, even if it is cute, I felt like we crossed a line somewhere... a now we are "one of them" kind of line. I don't know who them is, but a bird house that looks like a mini version of our home?! He wants me to paint what looks like our shutters on his mini house, I will even though I feel the idea is, umm - maybe dorky is the word I want to use ... it makes me think of pink flamingoes I don't know why but it does.

I harvested some chard for supper. I pulled the thick celery like stalk off the green leaves and chopped them like celery. I sauteed them with garlic and then added the shredded leaves, salted, added apple cider vinegar, and a little soy sauce. That is all that is in this pan... the chard stalks are red and add a nice color to this dish.

I also made VwaV green curry, which uses a tomatoes and chickpeas. I used chard in this dish to sub for the spinach and it worked very well.