Eggless Blueberry Muffins

I woke up one day wanting to making blueberry muffins. Ever have one of those days where you just have an urge for a particular food? It doesn’t happen very often to me, well, unless it’s chocolate. (laughing)

But, I had a problem. I had no eggs. I looked high and low in all of my recipe books and couldn’t find one recipe that did not include eggs. So, I started a search on the internet and found a good recipe. The muffins came out light and “soft.”

Ingredients

  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries, unthawed

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes
  2. Lightly grease a muffin tin
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt
  4. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, milk, oil, lemon juice and vinegar then mix this all together
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir until it’s just combined — don’t over-stir or the muffins will come out tough instead of soft
  6. Gently fold in the blueberries
  7. Fill the muffin tin about 2/3 full of the batter
  8. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 20 minutes but ovens vary so check after 15 minutes and make the necessary adjustments)
  9. When done, remove from the oven, let the muffins cool for about 5 minutes then move the muffins to a rack to cool
The original recipe calls for unbleached flour but I don’t believe it matters. I also made the following adjustments from the original recipe:
  • Instead of using 2 lemons, I used already made lemon juice I bought at the store
  • I used vegetable oil instead of canola oil
  • I used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar
  • I halved the recipe and it came out fine (the recipe above is for 12 muffins)
This recipe (I hear) can also be made with rice or soy milk if you want the recipe to be vegan.  Enjoy!
(The original recipe can be found at Eggless Cooking.)

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Lentil Disaster

Since the weather in Minnesota has decided to go back to what it should be (in the 40’s), I decided to make soup but not just any ordinary soup — lentil soup. Yum!

Unfortunately, as the picture above shows, the soup I was trying to make was not going to be successful — at least not following the recipe I was using. I don’t understand it as I’ve made this soup so many times and have never had any problems. The recipe said to put the lentils in 7 cups of water and add 2 bay leaves. That was not a problem.

I used water that was filtered through my Brita instead of tap water. And then, I let it boil and this is what I got …

Lentils Gone Bad

Yeah, what happened? I really don’t know and continued to be baffled by it.

I decided to turn on the scientific side of my brain (which is pretty much non-existent) and determine the cause of this, uh, disaster. It has to be the water or the bay leaves, I reasoned, so I took a smaller pot, added filtered water from the refrigerator and the 2 bay leaves then let it boil.

Okay — the bay leaves boiling in the water are fine.

Then I added brown lentils. Oh dear! What is happening??

Lentils Gone Bad

One last scientific experiment, I thought. I put filtered water in a pot and added red lentils instead of the brown ones and they boiled just fine.

I never knew that lentils could go bad. I can recall having a bag of lentils in my cupboard, opened or unopened, for a couple years and never having this problem. And I’ve never had to remove the lentils from the bag they came to store them in a container as I’ve read others have done.

A search on the internet revealed that there are various thoughts on whether lentils can go bad. One person said that you should use the lentils within 12 months although they shouldn’t go bad. Another person said that lentils last a lifetime. Have you ever had this experience?

These lentils didn’t last a lifetime. In fact, I’ve only had this bag of lentils for 6 months or so.

What happened to my lentil soup? Well, I wound up using red lentils and changing the recipe completely around using the basic lentil recipe but with a few changes. More on that later.

Thoughts anyone?

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Easter Sunday

The Friday before Easter Sunday, I went to the local grocery store for some weekend groceries and read a sign that they had posted which read “Closed Easter Sunday.” That seemed a little odd to me but since I normally do my groceries during the week it wasn’t going to impact my life so I didn’t worry about it.

Sunday morning arrived and we decided we would go out for breakfast braving the mass crowds who would be there since we had a late start to our day. Arriving at the Woodbury Cafe, we expected long lines of people waiting since we arrived around 10 a.m.  Much to our delight we walked in and were seated right away. Looking around, the waiters & waitresses weren’t busy but were relaxed having casual conversations.

Service was good as usual and when we were ready to leave we noticed that there still weren’t many people here. Where were the mass of people exiting the Sunday Easter services, I wondered, as normal Sundays here are quite busy.

Our goal for the day was to buy curtain rods as we are hanging curtain panels in our living room. Heading to Bed, Bath and Beyond we took notice that the parking lot looked quite empty but since we saw a couple entering the store we decided it must be open and it was. But the store had very few customers.

Not having any luck finding what we were looking for, we headed to Home Depot and were disappointed that they didn’t have much of a selection of curtain rods. Oh well, we have all day, I thought.

On to J C Penney. The parking lot was empty here, lights were out and the door was locked. Hmmm … okay then — we’ll go to Pier One I determined. Nope. They had a visible sign that they were closed.

Onto Target! Nope. And this was the Super Target that we went to …

It appears that Easter Sunday in the Twin Cities means that many stores allow their employees to have the day off. A trip to the local Menard’s (similar to Lowe’s) and WalMart later in the day did reward us with stores that were open but not with the curtain rods we were looking for.

I don’t recall having this many stores closed on Easter Sunday in Seattle. Have I just forgotten or was I just more prepared?

It’s interesting to me because recently, when we were looking for a second car, we found out that car dealerships are closed on Sunday.

Oh well — I’ll adapt and next year I won’t plan on shopping on Easter Sunday.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Rice with Cranberries, Walnuts and Dates

At first I thought this recipe might not taste good due to its combination of ingredients but I was wrong. The cranberries give it a nice sweet taste while the nuts make it crunchy which made it very palatable . Another good recipe from the book 1000 Vegan Recipes.

Ingredients

  • 5 cups basmati rice, cooked and cooled
  • 1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
  • 4 dates, finely chopped
  • 2 green onions, finely minced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cranberry juice
  • 1.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, combine the rice, walnuts, cranberries, dates and green onions
  2. In a small bowl, combine the cranberry juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar
  3. Pour the liquid mixture over the rice mixture a little at a time until it has the right consistency and taste for you
  4. Season with the salt and pepper
  5. Set the mixture aside for 30 minutes before serving to marinate the rice with the seasoning
That’s it! Pretty easy and tasty. I did make some changes to the original recipe as follows:
  • I used 5 cups of white rice instead of a combination of wild rice and basmati rice
  • I used dates instead of figs
  • I did not use all of the seasoning as I thought it would come out too liquidy
I liked this entree at room temperature which is what they recommend. Since we had leftovers, I had refrigerated the leftovers and microwaved them and they tasted fine a little warmer than room temperature. So — try it both ways to your liking. This is also simple enough to make ahead of time and then add the dressing right before you’re ready to serve it.
Enjoy!

[amazon_link id=”0470085029″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]1,000 Vegan Recipes (1,000 Recipes)[/amazon_link]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Trust

Sometimes I feel I don’t have enough trust in what God can do for me and for those around me. Even with the celebration of Easter tomorrow by millions of Christians, the sense of trust in a Creator that is invisible (at least as we view visibility) seems absurd. And yet, we have so much creation, not including prophecies that have come true, around us that give us reason to believe and trust.

The story of a man named Elijah came to mind today as I read an article about him written by someone else. The story goes as follows:

“Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”

Let’s stop right here. First, if I were to hear a voice telling me to go somewhere, drink from a brook and then wait for ravens to feed me, I would think I’d gone mad. But such is the life of a believer as even stranger things have happened. Continuing with the story:

“So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there.The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.”

This story tells me that what the LORD promised He would do He actually did. But Elijah had to do what the LORD had asked him to do or else the result would not have been the same.

There have been many times in my life when I have experienced events in my life that were similar to Elijah’s. Times when impossibilities became possibilities. Times when I was told to step out in faith — what some would call blind faith — and do things that I thought were incredulously stupid.

I mean, really, would you wait around for ravens to feed you? Most people would say no and scrounge around for something to eat on their own. Trust though tells me the answer should be yes. Yet sometimes all we have is a very thin string to hang onto and it has to be enough.

The craziness of living as a Christian means that we learn to expect the unexpected, behave opposite of what our brains say is “normal,” think outside the box — wait, there is no box. (laughing)

But it doesn’t mean that trust in God always comes easy. When He says to “turn the other cheek” we think retaliation. When He says to “forgive” we think ignore. When He says “go” we think it best and more comfortable to stay. Nope, not easy walking this Christian life and yet I would have no other. I would rather have the slap on the face ….

After all, if Jesus could hang on a cross with a crown of thorns on His head while being mocked for me, this is a piece of cake.

“They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand. Then they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again. After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify Him.” Matthew 27:28-31

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Today

It’s rather gloomy outside today — rainy, cloudy and windy. Despite that, I managed to make it to church and attend the Easter program that they had which was a narration interspersed with solo songs and congregational singing.  The soloists all did a great job and the last song “He Is Risen” received applause for its climactic ending.

A family was sitting next to me who had five (5) children. Unfortunately, one of the girls had a really bad cough so I offered her a cough drop which she gladly took. Her mother came prepared with water for her to drink and later I found out that the girl’s cough started this morning. Poor thing.

After church, my husband and I drove around in search of a park that said they had blooming wildflowers but with the continual raindrops we decided not to venture out for a walk or we would have been sopping wet. So homeward we went.

Minnesota is not known for dreary days as most days have blue skies overhead as far as the eye can see.

A cup of hot chocolate, small pieces of edam cheese, crackers and a roaring fireplace have enhanced the otherwise dreariness of today.

 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Gentleness

Recently, I heard a preacher, Colin Smith, re-tell a story that he had heard many years ago.

There was a Pastor who had a deacon in his congregation who had become rather difficult to be around and became a burden to the leadership of the church.

A short time later, the deacon passed away. An autopsy was performed and a large tumor was found in his brain. Because of the size of the tumor, the coroner was able to determine when it had started to grow and it was around the same time that the man’s personality had changed. The Pastor said “If I had known one fact more, it would have changed my whole relationship with this man.”

A lot of times, we don’t know what is happening in people’s lives. Health changes, divorce, job loss, financial problems — the list goes on and on as to what can affect people’s lives and cause them to behave differently than what we are used to.

Colin Smith continued saying how we must be gentle with people. And it’s true. It is easier to lash out than to refrain from saying or doing something.

May the Holy Spirit help me to live exuding gentleness.

“Spirituality must never be used as a kind of cloak or cover for shoddy attitudes towards other people.” Colin Smith 

[amazon_link id=”1845506391″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life[/amazon_link]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Ginsu Knives

Growing up, I was always told not to play with knives. But being grown and spending more time in the kitchen means that I have to work with knives when cooking.

These Ginsu knives were given to me as a gift and I have found them to be easy to handle and sharp.

Ginsu Knives

I hadn’t realized how dull the knife I was using was until I started using these. Now slicing and chopping are much easier.

Ginsu Chikara Series

Are there any other nice knife sets out there?

[amazon_link id=”B0006TJ7HM” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Ginsu 04817 International Traditions 14-Piece Knife Set with Block, Natural[/amazon_link]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Gorgonzola Garlic Bread

I learned a new way to make garlic bread although I didn’t follow all of the instructions from the recipe but adjusted it to the ingredients I had at home.

It was quick, easy, delicious and the recipe can be adjusted to your own palette preferences without much effort.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 loaf of French bread, sliced
Directions
  1. Cream the butter
  2. Add the gorgonzola and the garlic to the butter and mix together
  3. Spread this mixture on top of the slices of bread
  4. Broil until golden brown

I adjusted the original recipe because it had too much cheese and I didn’t have the parsley that it called for. It still came out great!

The original recipe can be found at Closet Cooking.

Enjoy!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The Auto Show

It had been many years since I went to an auto show but this year my husband and I decided to head into Minneapolis and see what the show had to offer. The ooh-ing and ahh-ing on my part had more to do with the colors of the cars than the cars themselves. Whereas (it seemed) the men were looking at engines, tires and everything mechanical, I looked at whether the cars were comfortable, if I could reach all the parts inside and if I felt claustrophobic while sitting in them. The colors were an added bonus even if I wouldn’t buy anything outlandishly colorful.

Here are some of the ones I saw (click on each one to see them in a larger size):

My favorite was the Acura TSX as it reminded me of the Volvo that we bought back in 1984 that died around 20 years later (which was quite odd for a Volvo as they normally last for ages).

We do need a second car in our house although we have been able to manage with one car for the last year and a half. We’ll see where life leads us.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email