September somethings {wrapup}

 

...loved that long weekend.
...baked like crazy.
...played with my new camera.
...got too close to a skunk, but my husband scared it off before any damage could be done.
...was a bit more purposeful about living the sort of life I want to live.
...stumbled over several secret service agents in my office building. This is atypical.
...marveled over Google Task lists.
...felt a little wriggly with new-season excitement. It will wear off as soon as it drops below 40 degrees.
...crocheted a little before going to bed.

Link landscape...real

Here some recent links that I found both honest and encouraging:

The illusion of a blog - This artist breaks down some of the assumptions people have about her.

A muddy mind - I found this to be such an insightful metaphor about an unquiet mind.

Routine revelations - A blogger makes a commitment to regular confessions.

Preparation

Birds are forming Vs. Squirrels are hoarding everything. Somewhere (thankfully not here), bears are packing on extra pounds.

Meanwhile, I'm preparing for winter by - 

buying:
long-sleeved t-shirts
sweatpants (men's are comfier that women's)
tights
heavy socks

digging out:
gloves
soup recipes
space heaters
heavy socks

waiting for the:
first snow 
holidays
appearance of cranberries in the store
appropriate moment to start wearing heavy socks

Towards diligence

I've been moving away from perfection and towards diligence. Perfection is attractive and diligence rather plain, however I've been finding myself deeply satisfied with the latter.

Right now, in my office diligence looks like:
consolidating handwritten to-do lists into Google task lists
sorting through a backlog of emails 10 at a time (my inbox is down to 130 from 250)
allowing myself five-minute breaks to refocus

Right now, in my home, diligence looks like:
emptying and refilling the ice cube trays whenever I open the freezer
weeding out my RSS reader (again), retaining only those feeds that excite and inspire
freshening the Sites, accordingly
wiping down the fridge one shelf at a time (it took one week to clean all the shelves in the fridge door)
scrubbing the counters one section at a time (it took three days to clean the entire counter-top)
filing a few bills each night (the stack no longer teeters when you walk by)

Right now, in my heart diligence looks like:
calling and texting loved ones more regularly
praying as I get ready in the morning and during my commute
making time to listen to others

At the end of the day, I am still not perfect, but recently, I am more often satisfied.

{inspired by many good words}

Iced pumpkin cookies..no need to beg

I blame Starbucks. 

I had resigned myself to wait until October before indulging in pumpkin treats. Then I saw an ad for the pumpkin spice latte, and I thought, "If Starbucks can do it, so can I." Obviously, I didn't resist very hard.

This recipe is the kind you beg for after you've tried a cookie. I know because I begged for it from a colleague at my first job out of school. From the email she printed for me, containing the recipe, it looks like she begged for the recipe from someone else.

I don't want you to have to beg. These cookies are soft, cakey and wonderful even without the icing, but since I first tasted them with icing, they don't seem complete to me without it.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies
(as promised)

Cookies:
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing after each addition. Scoop teaspoonfuls of batter and place on baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes. Cool cookies, and then drizzle with icing.

Icing:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add brown sugar, butter and milk to a medium saucepan. Melt butter, and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir until icing thickens.

Makes approximately 40 cookies

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Full disclosure - I've already pulled out my Halloween decorations.

Lately

...we've been experiencing a lot of seasonal firsts...

...gloves worn.

...uniformed high school football players spotted.

...nose chilled.

...chai spice tea savored.
...candles lit.
...sweatpants worn.
...holiday plans made.
...chimney fires burning.
...sneakers worn (instead of flip flops).
...Winnie-the-Pooh loaded and ready.
...a pumpkin treat baked (details coming soon).

Fudgy zucchini muffins...a good mid-afternoon snack

Even though I'm fairly removed from my school days, I still find myself marching to their rhythm:

Weeknights are "school nights." I must go straight home after work.
Fall means a new beginning. I must purchase fresh notebooks.
3 pm is snack time. I must eat something.

I'm always looking for good snacks to stash in my desk. I want something that I can get excited about, munch on without ruining my appetite, pack easily and feel (kind of) good about consuming. I think I've found another winner:

Chocolate = exciting
Muffin = small and portable
Zucchini + flaxseed + low sugar = healthy-ish

I've been sticking these in my lunch box all week.

Fudgy Zucchini Muffins
(inspired by Washington Post)

1 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup nonfat greek yogurt
2 cups shredded zucchini (approximately 2 medium zucchini)
2 eggs
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Add flour, salt, baking soda and ground flaxseed to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Place chocolate and oil in large, microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute and stir until smooth. Add sugar, yogurt, zucchini and eggs. Stir until combined. Add flour mixture and chocolate chips. Mix. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin tin until full.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until tester comes out clean. Remove from pan to cool.

Makes 12 - 14 muffins

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Real

I should probably also tell you that I...

Portobello pesto pizza...happy National Mushroom Month

I know that I shouldn't be afraid of yeast, but I am a little bit. I'm afraid of yeast the way I'm afraid of house plants. I'm afraid of things that I can inadvertently kill. But yeast, like house plants, can be lovely additions to a home. House plants make a home feel more inviting, and yeast can too, with its earthy scent and industrious leavening power, which I continually delight over.

This pizza first caught my attention with the attractive combination of mushrooms and pesto, then sealed the deal with a stress-free crust. The crust is perfect. You just throw everything into the food processor, then into the oven, and out comes the perfect combination of firm bottom and chewy top.

The only changes I made were to (1) substitute in the cheese I had (shredded asiago cheese) for provolone and parmesan, (2) sprinkle the pizza with seasoning before topping it with cheese, (3) assemble the pizza on the heated pizza stone to avoid having to transfer it, and (4) reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake longer (20 minutes total).

I use the pizza seasoning recipe as a base, including whatever I have on hand and not bothering to grind it. The seasoning boosts the overall flavor and evokes pizza parlor nostalgia.

So far, I'm enjoying National Mushroom Month. How about you?

Something old, something new

I love trying new recipes so much that I think I forget how satisfying it is to pull together old, faithful ones. 

It's pretty relaxing to magic together a tasty meal with ease, only glancing at the recipe occasionally to jog your memory on a measurement or temperature. The other night, I made such a meal, one that I've been making for almost seven years now. Not only was it easy to make, but it was also enjoyable, including real conversation with my husband. Too often, while trying a new recipe, I try to listen and talk while in actuality I'm distracted by culinary puzzles.

I must remember to put away my pristine pages every so often and dig out my stained ones, not as standbys but rather as good times waiting to happen.

As seen on Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend specs

Ripe avocados + quick trip for ground turkey and chorizo = sliders topped with guacamole and chipotle ketchup [1]

Time + us = browsing 3 bookstores and 1 new-to-us library

Donut peaches + poblano peppers + tomatoes + hot and spicy pickles + cheese = trip to the farmers market

Labor Day sale + new clothes and accessory = fancy [2]

Running errands + surplus car time = singing In the Heights

Hints of cool weather + New York state = trees just starting to change colors

Ripe pears + craving homemade dessert + inklings of autumn = apple-pear crisp

Peeling fruit + NPR deficiency = streaming This American Life

Cereal with fruit + mugs of tea + reading the news online = leisurely breakfasts

T-shirts + rolled up jeans = holiday weekend uniform

Awaiting new fall lineup + long weekend = re-watching Arrested Development

Laundry clean + groceries bought + clothes ironed + house tidied = semi-productive

X + Y = fall allergies

Reading through Romans + praying + questions = learning about faithfulness

Sit-ups + push-ups + treadmill = back on the wagon

New camera + river + sunset = playing with buttons and settings [3]

Peanut butter banana muffins...a wonderful start to the workday

Without repercussions, I would probably break my fast every morning with biscuits and gravy or belgium waffles. However, when I'm less than temperate, I start feeling sluggish and a little crabby. So, I really try to make my weekday breakfasts healthy affairs.

These muffins are not the decadent coffee shop muffins that I so adore, however, I think they're a wonderful start to the workday. They're full of peanut butter flavor, tender with banana, speckled with chopped peanut texture and ever so slightly sweet. 

I love the combination of bananas and peanut butter. One of my go-to snacks is a banana smeared with peanut butter (which I always eat with a dessert fork. It just feels right). And when I make banana bread, I usually slather my slices with peanut butter, so it was just a matter of time before these muffins and I began exchanging pleasantries.

Now, during the workweek, you'll find me snacking on these, and when the weekend rolls around, you'll probably catch me feeling good and indulging in some guilt-free fun at the coffee shop.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
(inspired by Gina's Skinny Recipes)

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons whole ground flaxseed meal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1/2 stick)
2/3 cup brown sugar (loosely packed)
4 egg whites
6 mashed bananas
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
18 tablespoons natural, chunky peanut butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat muffin pan(s) with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, ground flaxseed meal, baking soda and salt.

In a separate large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Mix in egg whites, bananas, applesauce, vanilla and peanut butter.

Stir in flour mixture by hand, until just combined. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan(s). Bake for 25 minutes until tester comes out clean.

Makes 24 muffins

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