I thought twice before making these scones. You see, thanks to an episode of Seinfeld about a poppy seed muffin, I will never look at poppy seeds in the same way ever again. Now each time I go to eat something with poppy seeds I instantly convince myself that I will be given a drug test the moment I get to work…and like Elaine, I too will fail.

Thankfully, that has never happened.

I’m thankful for lots of things…a few worth mentioning; Winter is almost over. Spring is almost here. It is staying bright until almost 7pm. These scones are super tasty. Kevin is fasting complaining for Lent. Kevin and I are going to be godparents! I don’t work for Mr. Peterman.

Whole Wheat Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

Ingredients

Scones

• 2 cups whole wheat white flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/3 cup Smart Balance
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 2 T lemon zest
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T poppy seeds
• 1 egg (for egg wash)
• 1 T milk (for egg wash)

Icing

• Powdered sugar and lemon juice (and a little water)
• Combine until you get a consistency that you like

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cut the Smart Balance into the flour mixture until the pieces are a bit smaller than the size of a pea.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds.
5. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture until just barely combined then place the batter onto a floured surface and knead until it comes together (may need to add 1/2-1 cup of additional flour). The dough should be neither sticky nor dry.
6. Press the dough into a 1″ thick rectangle. Cut in half vertically, then horizontally. There should be four triangle shaped scones of equal size.
7. Next, cut each in half again, diagonally. Now there should be eight triangle shaped scones of equal size.
8. Place the scones into a greased scone pan or onto a greased cookie sheet.
9. Create an egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk.
10. Brush the top of the scones as well as the sides with the egg wash.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops turn golden brown.

Recipe adapted from this recipe for lemon poppy seed scones.

If you asked me a year ago, “which Seinfeld character do you identify with most?” I would have almost certainly answered, “Elaine”. If you asked me today, I would say, “Newman”. That cannot possibly be a good sign.

What have you been doing all winter?

I like these muffins for a few reasons…

1. They make the whole house smell good when baking.
2. They’re good for you! Jam packed with vitamin A and fiber.
3. They’re super simple to make. If you like this recipe, you can thank God. He gave it to me!

Don’t be alarmed. The amount of sugar in the photo above is for a double batch.

For this recipe, I used canned pumpkin puree. It is readily available this time of year. Just 2 weeks ago, I saw organic pumpkin puree on sale at Whole Foods for $.99 per can! This is a great time to stock up if you use pumpkin in your recipes throughout the year. The same goes for cranberries!

In the event that you are feeling frisky, adventurous, and happen to have hours to spare, you may choose to roast a pumpkin and make your own puree. If you do this, please let me know. I’m curious to know if there is a significant difference in taste and texture.

This Kitchen Aid mixer is pretty much one of the best gifts I have ever received. I like it for many reasons, not the least of which is the color. Sea foam green is my most favorite color. It is the color of my old bedroom, the color of many of my kitchen gadgets, the color of our wedding favors, and if it were socially acceptable, I would have a 3-piece suit made from sea foam green material and I would wear it faithfully, like a uniform.

Kevin and I use this mixer for all kinds of things. Pizza dough. Mashed potatoes. Cupcake batter. Muffins. I have become very fond of it. I should probably name it.

I like to measure out the chocolate chips early in the baking process. I do this not because I am a proactive and precise baker, but because I like to sneak a few before mixing them into the batter. I’m not gonna lie to you. This time, I’m pretty sure that I ate a good 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips before they ever made their way into the bowl. Oh man…

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

• ½ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups of pumpkin puree (one 15.5 oz can)
• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
• ½ cup of chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease a muffin pan with butter or use paper liners.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, and oil. Stir for about 3 minutes using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer.
4. Add the pumpkin puree to this mixture and stir for another minute.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
6. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture a little bit at a time until fully combined.
7. Stir in the chocolate chips and then fill the muffin pan so that each space is about ¾ full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. These taste great with a glass of milk and some peanut butter. Makes 12 muffins.

When Kevin and I make these muffins we usually make 2 batches and freeze them so that we’re not baking every 90 seconds. Not that baking isn’t fun. It just requires precision and patience. Both of which I could use more of.

Oh and did I mention, so delicious with peanut butter and a glass of milk?!

Kevin and I recently discovered that our (Kevin’s) daily trips to Whole Foods for bottled water and vegan chocolate chip scones were costing us over $50/month. This was somewhat of an alarming discovery… not that $50/month is not an outrageous amount of money, but when you add it up there are a lot of things we could be doing with $600/year. For example…traveling, going on fancy dates, buying new photo gear, see where I’m going with this?

So we decided to save our money. Instead of buying baked goods at Whole Foods, we now make our own. Recently, I have made a few batches of muffins but these are by far the best.

Now I am no trained baker. In fact, if a trained baker were to watch me assemble baked goods I have a feeling I would be instantly ridiculed for my careless ways. My measurements are not always exact, the kitchen is messy, and I often begin without a clear idea of what I am going to make or how I am going to make it. Not a good strategy. But when I’m in the kitchen I feel most like me….like I know what I am called to do. I feel God’s presence strongly in the kitchen. Not just because I feel peaceful, but because I’m having fun and God is fun.

Saving money is fun and it tastes good too.

What would you do with an extra $600/year?

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of organic whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of organic unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 3 mashed ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup of canola oil
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease or place liners in a muffin pan.
2. Place the ripe peeled bananas in a mixer and blend on low speed for 3-5 minutes until well mashed.
3. Add the oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix again on low speed for 1 minute until combined.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours, sugar, b.powder, b.soda, salt, and chocolate chips)
5. Add the banana mixture to the dry mixture and combine until just blended (DO NOT OVER MIX!)
6. Fill each muffin up about 3/4 full.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a piece of dry spaghetti or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Place muffins on a cooling rack and allow them to sit for 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove the wrapper. Makes 12 large-ish muffins.

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Wow. Has it really been 2 months since I last posted? It had been so long since I last edited photos that when I went to edit these photos I needed my husband to re-teach me how to edit using Photoshop. That made me sad, but so many great things have happened over the past few months that I got over it quickly. Kevin and I got married! We moved! We traveled out west! We have been busy to say the least, but it feels so good to have my own kitchen to cook in now. Sorry, Poppa, no offense. I am looking forward to cooking more, writing more, photographing more, and hopefully becoming better at all three. I have some ideas but I am always open to new ones so please post a suggestion or send a message.

This recipe is from a terrific cookbook that Aunt Doreen (Kevin’s Aunt) gave to us for our wedding shower. There are certainly healthier substitutions that could be made but I decided to start with the real thing. Enjoy.

Blueberry Crumble Muffins: Recipe adapted from the Blueberry Muffin recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook by Ruth Reichl

Ingredients

For batter

• 6 tablespoons of butter (unsalted)
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 cups of blueberries

For topping

• 2 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 3 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
• Next time I think I will try adding either brown sugar in place of white sugar or lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin pan with paper liners
3. Melt the butter either in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat
4. Whisk in the milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla
5. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a separate mixing bowl
6. Add the milk mixture and stir until just combined
7. Gently fold in the blueberries
8. Divide the batter evenly among the muffins cups
9. Combine the crumble toppings in a separate bowl and rub with fingertips until “crumbly” then add to muffin cups (on top) before placing into the oven
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
11. Cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

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I am convinced that there is no better place to be than New England during the fall…

If you have never experienced fall in New England then I would highly recommend a trip in the next few months. The crispy air, the changing leaves, and the smell of campfires are a few of the reasons I look forward to this season each year. Each fall for the past eight years I begin the season by making a loaf of this cranberry bread. Even when I lived in Florida, and it was 90 degrees in November, and I desperately missed autumn in New England, I would still make this bread with my roommates. We would turn up the AC, put on wool sweaters, drink mulled cider, and have pseudo fall in our apartment.

I have no idea who gave me this recipe but I’m blessed by it. I could sit down and devour the entire loaf with a single glass of milk (though I would not encourage you to do that). I usually like to wait to make the bread until after I have seen at least one leaf change color, but today I caved. After months of ruthless taunting by a package of cranberries in my freezer, I surrendered, and welcomed fall a few weeks early.

Here is the recipe for Cranberry-Raisin-Orange-Pecan-Bread:

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 cup cranberries (fresh)
• ½ cup golden raisins
• ½ cup pecans (chopped)

Directions

1. Grease a loaf pan or muffin pan with butter.
2. In one large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
4. Into the bowl with the butter and sugar, add the wet ingredients: eggs, orange rind, vanilla extract, and milk. Beat for about 1 minute.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing wet and dry ingredients alternately.
6. Stir in cranberries, golden raisins, and pecans.
7. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan (or muffin pan if you would prefer to make muffins)
8. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 55-60 minutes (until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and top is brown). Transfer pan to rack. Cool 15 minutes. Enjoy! *The bread is easiest to slice when it has fully cooled (about 2 hours).

What’s your favorite thing about fall?