"Big Apple" Cinnamon Muffins/Cosmopolis

I have a confession to make. I have been making muffins for weeks. I am not the world's best baker, so I've been messing around with some fruits/veggies/spices/flours/etc. to try and make a decent muffin. I think that this one is my best attempt yet!

I used a lot of apples, so you can cut down on those a bit, but personally I like to take a bite in the muffin get a mouthful of apple as well. Plus they were so moist, and the apple went really well along with the spices. A great breakfast choice. Plus, they make your house smell like, well, apple cinnampn muffins. Can't really beat that.

Why use these when you can bake and eat the real thing?

Recipe: "Big Apple" Cinnamon Muffins

Rosemary Root Vegetable Soup/Rosemary's Baby

I BROUGHT THE SNOW TO MASSACHUSETTS

I also still don't know how to spell Massachusetts, despite living here for almost 7 months. Thank goodness for spell check.

It was really cold and snowy here so all I did was cook. All day long. Alongside this homemade soup and bread in this entry, I also made pasta, pesto, muffins, salad, and salad dressing - all from scratch. Yes, even the pasta. It was the perfect way to spend the day. Watching Rosemary's Baby was the perfect way to end it. I wish every day was Saturday.

The recipe for the bread came from this awesome book called Ratio, which I would highly recommend for any aspiring baker. It gives you the basic ratios for the main ingredients in staple foods such as bread, pasta, and even sausage. You can then add things as you wish and pretty much end up with something delicious. It reads more like a book than a cookbook, with long detailed explanations behind the methodology of each recipe. So far, it gave me the best damned bread I've ever had. It was a great gift from a great person :)

Get it!

Recipe: Rosemary Root Vegetable Soup

Beet Poppy Seed Muffins/Dr. Strangelove

EDIT: sorry about this one being late - I scheduled it to be posted yesterday morning, but I guess I'm pretty clueless about this blogging thing. Wednesday's will be up on time!

I just noticed that every other recipe on here involves beets. It's ok though because they're really good for you. Or so says these guys. Helps prevent colon cancer and heart disease? I guess I can get behind that. My CSA keeps sending me beets by the pound, and I'm kind of sick of them turning all of my food, well, beet red. Which is why I got super excited when I came across this recipe from The Hearty Herbivore.

I changed up the recipe a bit to accommodate my pantry, and I also added a lemon because, well, poppy seeds and lemon belong together. It might sound a little strange to add the beets to the sweet muffins, but the earthyness actually goes quite nicely with the sweetness. They are a very hearty muffin - I had mine for breakfast every day this past week and found myself enjoying them with a fork. They do still taste like beets, but I would suggest giving them a try anyways - they might just convert you. Plus they are BEAUTIFUL.

These guys also recommend the muffins.

Recipe: Beet Lemon Poppy Seed Strangemuffins