Chocolate cupcakes

It was Kaspian's Birthday, so we made some chocolate cupcakes with white frosting. 

They were all approved by kids and adults alike! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup  cocoa powder

1 teaspoon espresso powder or very very finely ground coffee

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup  brown sugar

1/3 cup oil - we used sunflower

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup plain white yogurt

frosting is buttercream and sprinkles for decorating

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F . Line 2 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. 

2.  Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. 

3. In bowl of stand mixer whisk the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until smooth. Pour half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then half of the yogurt. Mix. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and the rest of the yogurt. 

4. Fill cupcakes about 1/3-1/2 full. Just distribute the batter evenly among the 24 cupcakes. 

5. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

6. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost cooled cupcakes with chocolate buttercream or frosting of choice. 

What we liked:

These came out super cute especially with the toppers :)     

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was fun to try a new recipe

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked his birthday cupcakes! 

Next time:

No changes necessary. 

The GREAT WHITE tomato!

We grew some great white tomatoes this year. They are pretty much AMAZING. They are HUGE. We ended up planting them by accident, we thought our seedlings were not going to make it (they did!) and we rushed to the local nursery and purchased some heirloom tomatoes. One of the varieties was the Great White. The other really good one we got from them was a pear shaped yellow tomato. I don't remember the name of that one, something something sun or sunshine or something like that. But, the yellow tomatoes were the first to ripen. Then, they stopped in the summer, and now that it is cooler are back to producing. They must like the colder temperatures. Very interesting. 

Astrid's absolute favorite though is the chocolate PEAR. They are so sweet!
But, anyways, back to the great white. It is actually yellow once it ripens. It is huge and pretty awesome all around! 

Tomatoes stuffed with Egg Salad

We have an abundance of tomatoes this year. They were late getting started but are now overflowing our kitchen. We have explored some creative ways to eat them :) 

This is a tomato stuffed with an egg and cheese and garlic mixture. Yums 

Ingredients:

Whole tomatoes

6 eggs - hardboiled

1/2 cup of hard cheese - we used white cheddar

4 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

parsley

dill

whatever fronds you have for decorations

Directions:

1. grate the cheese on a small grater

2. Combine minced garlic, grated cheese, whatever greens you have that are finely chopped, sour cream and mayo in a bowl. Mix. 

3. Grate the eggs on the same grater as the cheese - add in to the mixture. 

4. Take off the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the insides. 

5. Fill the tomatoes with the egg cheese garlic mixture. 

6. Decorate with fronds!  and Enjoy!

What we liked:

This was a really fun use of the tomatoes and eggs

What we didn't like:

Nothing. But this would likely not save well at all. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He doesn't do tomatoes. Astrid, however, loved it. 

Next time:

No changes. 

Ginger Ground Beef Donburri

This is quick, easy and yumsy. 

Make some sushi rice and this meal is done in about 10 minutes overall. I don't have the final picture...this was just our leeks sauteing first, will add more later! 

Ingredients:

cooked sushi rice - we usually make 8 cups, not all gets used, but makes for great fried rice later

1lb ground beef

1tbsp ginger, we use the lemon zester, but can be chopped or minced, whatever works

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

peas, green onions, or whatever you want to mix in!

Directions:

1. Zest/mince fresh ginger

2. Combine soy sauce, ginger and sugar in a bowl and mix

2.5 If using onions or green onions fry them first with oil/butter until softened, then add ground beef. Else, go to step 3. 

3. Add ground beef to skillet, break it up- add in the soy sauce mixture and cook for about 5 minutes until done. 

4. Add in peas if you have them and cook for another few minutes. 

What we liked:

This is so quick and easy. Everyone loves it. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it is great

What Kaspian thought about it:

All the kids love it

Next time:

No changes necessary 

Korean Tomato Salad

WOW. We have had a lot of tomatoes this year, specifically cherry and Cherokee purples and chocolate pear. This salad is absolutely marvelous. It is reminiscent of kimchi/carrot salad but very different and might be the best tomato salad yet! Yum! 

The kids did not like it very much - perhaps because of the slight spice factor, but this is controllable. 

We have also made this with leeks added and it is yummy that way as well! 

Ingredients:

about 3 Lbs of tomatoes

50g olive oil

50g vinegar

50g sugar

2 bell peppers - very very finely chopped

1 jalapeno - very very finely chopped

a splash of toasted sesame oil

1 head of garlic - finely chopped 

2 tbsp salt

optional - chopped leeks

Directions:

Combine oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, chopped peppers in a bowl and stir. Quarter the tomatoes and add in. 

Stir. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 24 hrs. Enjoy!

What we liked:

Such a fun good way to eat tomatoes and it's pretty quick to make. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing - it was great!

What Kaspian thought about it:

He does not do tomatoes. 

Next time:

Nom Nom!

Rye Bread - 2 loaves

We had some rye flout and made rye bread. It turned out marvelous! Two things to change from the original recipe is - bake at 350 and use a little less of the wheat flour, maybe half a cup less, I think it might be better. 

Original recipe: https://www.marthastewart.com/866882/rye-bread

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons yeast

2 1/4 cups warm water

4 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons (half a stick) melted butter

2 tablespoons caraway seeds plus more for topping..if you remember!

2 tablespoons salt

3 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 cups rye flour 

egg for egg wash

silicon mats for baking on

Directions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine water, yeast and honey. Mix. 

2. Add in butter, caraway seeds, and salt. Mix. 

3. Add in all the flours and mix with the dough hook until a nice dough ball forms. 

4. Cover with saran wrap and let rise. 

5. separate into two loaves and place on silicon baking mats. Cover with saran wrap with a towel on top. Let rise. 

6. Preheat oven to 350 F

7. Apply beaten egg as egg wash and sprinkle with caraway seeds on top

8. Bake about 40 minutes until done. 

9. Serve! Warm with butter and sprinkled with salt is fantastic!

What we liked:

It was great!

What we didn't like:

a little less flour might be better

What Kaspian thought about it:

liked it!

Next time:

follow the recipe above which deviates from the original slightly by flour amounts 

Blueberry Muffins

These are absolutely glorious and taste better than coffee shop ones!

This was a great way to use up blueberries. The kids tend to either love blueberries and eat them all at once, and then, the next time you buy them - they won't touch them. This is a good way to use them and create a great breakfast item that is quick. These are pretty crumbly though. 

Original Recipe: https://www.culinaryhill.com/blueberry-muffins/

Ingredients:

Batter: 

2 cups  flour

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

0.5 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

0.5 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups blueberries

Topping: 

0.25 cups flour

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp sugar

0.25 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbsps cold butter 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Line a muffin tin - we made 12 regular muffins with cupcake liners 

3. In a bowl combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and 0.5 teaspoon salt. Mix. 

4. In a stand mixer bowl, whisk eggs. Add the half a cup of melted butter, milk, and vanilla until combined. 

5. By spoonfulls add in the dry flour mixture until mixed in. 

6. Turn off mixer and add in the blueberries.

For the topping, in a small bowl combine all ingredients and use hands or a fork to stir in together until coarsely lumpy. Place in freezer for a few minutes. 

7. While the topping is in the freezer, fill the muffin cups. 

8. Add topping to each muffin 

9.  Bake 18 to 22 minutes. 

What we liked:

It was great! 

What we didn't like:

Nothing. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

It was a nice change from banana nut muffins

Next time: