Peach Muffins

I have a tree in my backyard that is dropping with peaches but they’re not quite ripe yet.  I wanted to make these muffins [bread] for our last women’s group today so I used canned peaches.  I know, the horror!

Peach Bread (adapted into muffins from this recipe)
(my healthy changes in red)

• 3 eggs (3 Tbsp. ground flax seed mixed with 9 Tbsp. water)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegetable oil (1 cup unsweetened applesauce)
• 2 cups diced canned peaches, drained
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I used half and half of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans or 20 muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs [flax mixture] lightly. Blend in the sugar, oil [applesauce], and vanilla. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix just to combine. Stir in the peaches and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Weight Watchers points = 3 per muffin

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Healthy Baking

My best friend is getting married!  I am the Matron of Honor.  Why does Matron sound so much older than Maid?  I guess I fit into that category now since I’m married and have a baby.

Anyway – I am a little bit of a sugar addict but since I need to fit into this dress in August I need to start baking healthier things.

So here is a recipe I just tried and will be making over and over to satisfy my sweet tooth.  I just made 48 of these to bring some to playgroup on Fri.  Try them – you won’t even be able to tell they’re “healthy.”

My changes in red:

Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries & Chocolate Chips (Adapted from this book)

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole grain pastry flour (I used whole wheat flour)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil (I used natural applesauce)
3 large egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped (I used raisins)
2 1/4 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini ones so they would incorporate better)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, eggs whites, and vanilla until smooth.  Fold in cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips.  Gradually fold in flour mixture and stir until well blended.

3. Drop batter by tablespoons onto large baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies are browned. (I baked mine for closer to 15 since I wanted them crispier).

4. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Even though I used applesauce instead of oil and a 2 less eggs when doubling the recipe, my cookies still stuck together fairly well.  In the future I will be pressing these into large baking pans to make bars instead.

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Thankful Thursdays

Watching – W, despite your political stance, you cannot dispute the fact that Josh Brolin did an amazing job portraying our last CINC.  Joe and I used to love laying in bed on a lazy weekend morning or evening watching movie after movie.  Now that Baby Bear is here it takes us close to 4 hours to watch one movie.  That’s ok though, because there is a lot of pausing and ogling at the new facial expressions our little Buster is surprising us with these days.

Listening To – Ray LaMontagne – I downloaded both if his CDs and love them equally.  He is perfect afternoon nap music for Baby Bear and me.

Reading – Since I am currently obsessed with PaperBack Swap and BookMooch I have received a small stack of new books to read.  Currently in my pile are Strong Mothers Strong Sons and Too Busy Not To Pray.  I’m also devouring my book club selection, People of the Book.

Participating In – Kelli’s CAOK – Calculated Acts of Kindness for 2009.  Once again Kelli is leading us on a journey of doing nice things for people for the Lenten season, although Miss Kelli is pretty good at doing this year round.  Join us here!

Creating – Not much these days as Baby Bear doesn’t take many predictable naps and when he does nap, not attached to my body via a baby sling, I am either showering or doing dishes.  I know that as he gets a bit older and starts playing more independently I will have a few spare moments here and there to turn my sewing machine on.  In the past 3 months the only thing I have managed to sew was a diaper changing pad.  I’m also still knitting that scarf I started over a month ago and it’s far from scarf weather here in Spain, I’ll have to sock it away for next year when I finally finish it.

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Weekend Update

Gazing At: This amazing face:

Browsing:  Another awesome recipe site.  This one is great too for your mock restaurant versions of your favorite foods.  This baking supply site – which I found via Crafty Crow.  I can’t wait to bake special birthday cakes for my kids and you can be sure I will be using this site for many fun things.  Another fun blog link from Crafty Crow – check out her giveaway. 

Watching: Rocky – yes, I love myself some Sylvester Stallone.  I knew I wanted to marry my husband when I found out he, too, owned the entire VHS boxed set of the Rocky series.  Also watched and loved Slumdog Millionaire.  If you haven’t seen this movie yet, check it out, very well done and such a creative plot line.

Reading: This book, this book, and getting ready to re-read this book for book club.  If you haven’t picked up People of the Book, you must.  I can see a movie in the works for this one someday.

Listening To: Sasha Fierce

Cooking: Chicken Enchiladas and vanilla pound cake for girl’s night, orzo for Parenting Study using a mixture of this recipe and this recipe.

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Weekend Update

Since it’s been forever since my last post (and I have good reason, an 11 pound, now nearly 2 month old good reason) I thought it was time to jump back in the saddle.  Nobody told me it would take nearly 2 months until I had some semblance of a routine with a newborn but hey, who’s complaining when you get to look at this face everyday.

What I’ve been up to lately:

Reading: Just finished The Farming of Bones – very depressing but extremely well written and it was a great read for book club, lots to discuss.  When I’m not trying to finish a fiction novel I am currently digesting piles of baby books.  This one is my current favorite.

Cooking: White Chicken Chili – yum!

Baking: These for Finny and Donk’s Craft-Along.  They were so yummy, my women’s group loved them!  I also made this but it wasn’t great.  I have to make something with the pounds and pounds of lemons hanging off the tree in my backyard.

Listening To: Podcasts by this man – love everything he has to say.  Also jamming to her and these guys.

Browsing:  Loving this site, already posted and requested a few books.  Also loving this site for new recipes and gotta love all the pictures.

Watching: I seriously contemplated naming my son Jack Bauer Taylor because I love this show so much but we liked Tripp better.  Another show I am so glad is back after the holiday hiatus is Grey‘s although am I the only one that is annoyed with the whole Denny/Izzie dead guy scenario?

Crafting: This scarflet is slow going because I usually have a little one in my arms.  Not sure how much longer I’ll need it here in Spain but I can’t wait until it’s finished.  I’m using a brown wool and turquoise worsted together, I’ll post pics when it’s off the needles.  I also made one of these with a beautiful asian silk to carry my little guy around in.  Since he loves the sling so much I have 3 different ways to carry him now – the Baby Bjorn, the Ultimate Baby Wrap and a handmade ring sling.

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Living Life

I found this list on Livng, Learning & Loving Simply.  It’s always fun to see the things you’ve accomplished in your short time here on Earth.  It’s also fun to see the things you still have yet to accomplish.  The bold ones are the ones I’ve done so far.  There are quite a few things on here that I must do.  What things would you like to accomplish?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

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Living Life

I found this list on Livng, Learning & Loving Simply.  It’s always fun to see the things you’ve accomplished in your short time here on Earth.  It’s also fun to see the things you still have yet to accomplish.  The bold ones are the ones I’ve done so far.  There are quite a few things on here that I must do.  What things would you like to accomplish?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

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Thankful Friday

I won 4th place in the Thanksgiving Luncheon Pie Contest on Monday afternoon with this recipe.  I also made this one and this one, both of which were popular but not winners.

Half of the pies entered

The other half of the pies. 

The Black Bottomed Peanut Butter Mousse Pie has to be one of my new favorite pie recipes.  Even though it was about 3 steps too many for me, I will be making this again.  But please, I implore you, when you make this bring a gallon of milk, you will need it to wash down the richness of this pie.

My goofy Hubby and 2 of his equally goofy friends also entered a pie into the contest, half in jest.  They actually won first place, surprisingly enough.  3 of the 5 judges were men who were so excited to see Pizza Rolls used this way.  I think the guys are going to send their recipe into Totino’s to be marketed on the back of the packaging.  Hilarious!

Joe and his friends, Brady and Joey – the brains behind “Lord of the Pies” a pie made entirely out of frozen Pizza Rolls.

“Lord of the Pies” – complete with a pepperoni and bacon smiley face.  Too funny!

Finishing almost all the things on my “to-make” list before the baby comes.  I need to make a few more dozen bagels because they came out sooo good and attempt to make some homemade pasta while I still have my friend’s stand mixer.  I cannot bring myself to give this thing back.  It’s a good thing she doesn’t need it for anything these days.  I think I’ll make her some homemade bagels to thank her for lending it to me.

The best pumpkin bread recipe ever.  Thanks Amy!  Seriously 4 days after making it, it’s still moist.  I didn’t have quite a full can of pumpkin so I also used some pureed apple from my juicer and added chocolate chips.  The recipe made 6 mini loaves for me.  I’ve given 3 loaves away, we ate one and I have 2 loaves left that I have to give away or I WILL eat it.

My finally finished Christmas mantel.  I am very happy with how it came out this year.  The glass balls in the tall vases and the Christmas quote advent garland (tutorial to come) are my favorite parts.  Well, I am a little partial to the red curled paper Christmas tree as well.  Ok, and the cute-as-a-button “My First Christmas” Stocking I found the other day for Tripp.

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Holiday shopping in your slippers…

These deals are too good to pass up.  If you have a crafter or scrapbooker on your Christmas list head on over to my website and take advantage of these amazing deals.  You will not find better deals on quality stamping supplies this season.

The Scrapbooker’s Dream Bundle would start anyone off making a scrapbook – it includes everything you need to make a 12″ x 12″ album (including the album itself).

The Bags & Tags Bundle is perfect for making small hostess or co-worker gifts.

This sale is only good until Dec. 1st so hurry over to my website and place your order online.  We have very reasonable shipping rates and your items will be on your doorstep in 7 – 10 days – the best thing is you don’t have to get up at 5 AM to stand in line in the freezing cold.

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Thankful Thursday

And finally – drumroll please!  The best pizza dough recipe I have found so far.  I’m not too sure about the proper tossing method, I had some trouble with that so I ended up just rolling these out.  The recipe says it makes six 6-oz. crusts but I divided mine into 4 8/9-oz. crusts.  I made 12 of these and froze them  in individual balls to have on hand.  We had some for dinner last night – I made mine with red onion, green olives and steak and Joe (my carnivore hubby) had turkey bacon, steak and ham on his.

A new-momma-to-be hairdo.  I wanted something short and sweet that didn’t take 20 min. to blow-dry.  I love it and it’s dry in 5 minutes – woohoo!

A new-to-us car.  Some friends were leaving Spain right as our car broke down so we got a “new” car just in time to bring our baby home soon.  Sorry no pics, the car is gone all day when Joe takes it to work.

Crockpot Granola – yes you read that right!  This granola came out so yummy!  I dried frozen blueberries for this granola and added coconut, some leftover cranberry trail mix, walnuts, and some sugar free maple syrup in addition to the honey and butter.

Nesting this week has included baking 7 dozen of these, 4 dozen of these  and 6 dozen of these.

My new favorite creamer – just when I start to complain that my little Commissary supermarket on the Navy Base 1.5 hours away doesn’t have anything good for the holidays I stumble upon something so good I can’t believe my eyes.  Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha is my favorite holiday drink and this creamer means I can have one everyday without all the hassle (well similar enough for the morning cup ‘o’ joe).

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