Category Archives: recipes
My Mother raised me and my younger siblings on health food. Our home was all-organic way before organic was cool. So it’s thanks to her that I actually like foods made with whole wheat flour and natural sweeteners. Like these Banana Muffins. My family has had this muffin recipe forever, and I can say with all seriousness, they don’t taste healthy!
2 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 tablespoons water
1-1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix mashed bananas with beaten egg, oil, honey, vanilla and water. In another bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir just until moistened- batter should be lumpy. Fill well-greased or paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.
* Best if enjoyed with pretty flowers and a cup of tea!
Being in the wedding industry is strange. There will be times, particularly during the winter, when I won’t work for two or three weeks at a time. I’ll make myself a little bit mad by organizing and re-organizing my home and office and studio… blogging an insane amount, baking up a storm, and then feeling weird because I’m not working. During those times, I have to create work for myself just so I don’t feel useless. Not that house-wifely things are ever useless, but I’m a career woman. I need to be working, at least to some extent, or I can get into a serious funk.
There are other times in the wedding industry, namely now, when I feel crazy for the opposite reason. I am so busy that my head is spinning and I’ve been confusing my events and mis-filing my papers. I always catch my mistakes, but I have to remind myself to slow down and take a little bit of time to relax so I don’t lose my mind completely. In the past three weeks I’ve flown to three different states and driven through eight more. I’ve been in hot, humid 100 degree temps, comfortable 70 degree temps and chilling 50 degree temps! In the midst of it all, I took an hour out of a recent afternoon to bake some shortbread, brew some tea, and read a chapter of a novel. It was SO worth it. And when I’d drained the last sip of tea from my cup, I was refreshed and ready to attack my work with renewed vigor. For I was also reminded how grateful I am to be busy. Life is good!
I’ve shared this recipe before, but newer readers may still appreciate it… for me, it never gets old. And the simplicity makes it all the more appealing!
Cranberry-Orange Shortbread
In a large bowl, combine:
- 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, sifted
- 2 & 1/4 cups flour, sifted
- pinch of salt
When the ingredients are well combined and crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of orange flavoring and 1 cup of dried cranberries (I prefer Trader Joe’s orange-flavored dried cranberries). Pat the mixture into an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 275 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.
Isn’t this tea-cozy adorable? It was custom-made for me by my mother’s good friend, Sandra Dalrymple. She’s an incredible mixed-media artist in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I only wish she had a website…
If you’re in crazy-busy mode, like me, please take some time to recharge your batteries! Even fifteen minutes away from the phone and the computer on your patio to breath in the fresh air and listen to the sounds of your neighborhood will give you a whole new outlook on life… I promise you, you won’t regret it!
Images | Plant Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.
Tea and muffins. Is there anything better when the weather is chilly? I think not. I grew up on these muffins- the recipe originated in one of my mum’s favorite “all-natural” cookbooks. I’ve modified the recipe and added the bran. These things are good! If you want to cut the cranberries, I won’t be offended. I just love my cranberries!
Cran-Orange Muffins
1 beaten egg
7/8 cup honey
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
juice and rind of 1 orange
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup bran flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cranberries
1 cup golden raisins
In a small bowl, mix together wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine just enough to moisten the dry ingredients (but don’t over-stir, you don’t want to crush the cranberries!). Pour into well-oiled muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
Don’t forget the tea!
You know those days when you get stuck running all the errands that you’ve been putting off for weeks? Well, it’s one of those days for me. And it’s no fun. No fun at all. While I sit in the mechanic’s waiting room and stand in line at the DMV, I’m thinking of all the things I could be baking instead…
I made it up as I went, so I don’t have an exact recipe to share. But it goes sort of like this:
-slice up a basket (give or take a few) of strawberries
-chop up 2-4 cups of fresh rhubarb
-mix them together with 1/3 cup of sugar (or more if you prefer sweet- I prefer tart!)
-butter a 9×13 glass baking dish and add in the fruit mixture
-in another bowl, mix up about 2 cups of raw oats, 1/2 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of brown sugar and a -pinch of salt. you can also add a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or any other similar spices.
-melt a stick of butter and mix that into the dry mixture until you get a clumpy consistency.
-add the mixture on top of the berries..
-bake at about 350 until the top crisps up and the smell of cooking strawberries and rhubarb is too intoxicating to bear!
French Vanilla ice cream makes a nice topper.
I have more errands to run. Grrrr. One of these days I’m going to get caught up on life. Hopefully.
