Blueberry flax seed muffins

(From http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=673133)

• 1 T flax seeds
• 1 c blueberries
• 1 c quick oats
• 1 c lowfat buttermilk
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1 t salt
• 1 whole egg
• 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 c brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin pans with nonstick spray or line with paper liners. Use a clean coffee grinder to roughly grind the flax seeds, trying not to process them into a mealy texture. (You can use pre-ground flax if that's what you have on hand.) Wash and dry the blueberries. In a small bowl, combine the oats and buttermilk, and let stand at room temperature for five minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix with a fork to blend and set aside. In a large bowl and using a hand mixer, beat the egg, applesauce, brown sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes. Blend in the oat-buttermilk mixture. Stir in the flour mixture only to combine, try not to overwork the mixture. Fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and top with a sprinkle of flax seed. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Number of Servings: 14

Fudge icing

• 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 TBSP corn syrup
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 1.5 TBSP butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Place cream, corn syrup, and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate to the pan, stirring until melted and smooth. If it cools too much, microwave briefly just until shiny and smooth flowing.

To use: Using a large star tip, pipe buttercream frosting on the sides of the cake (in vertical stripes) and in a ring around the top edge of the cake. Pour chocolate frosting onto top of cake and spread evenly. Do not overwork.

Tops an 8" round cake.

Notes:
This won a baking contest for me!

Spoon bread

• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 c. cornmeal
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1.5 c. milk
• 2 TBSP butter

Sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add cornmeal.

Stir in egg and 1 c. milk until well blended.

Melt 2 TBSP butter in baking dish. Pour in batter. Pour remaining 1/2 c. milk on top.

Bake at least 45 minutes until crusty.

Notes:
What's the baking temperature?

Apple crisp

• 4-6 med. apples
• 2/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• 3/4 c. oatmeal
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. melted butter

Put apple slices in greased pan. Mix brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, and butter in a separate bowl. Sprinkle onto apples. Bake at 375 for 30 min.

Devil's Food Cupcakes

(From http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/devils-food-cupcakes-book?)

• 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
• Chocolate ganache frosting
• Chocolate curls, for decorating (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
4. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and garnish with chocolate curls just before serving.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting:

• 1 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup corn syrup

1. Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.
2. Beginning near the center and working outward, stir melted chocolate into cream until mixture is combined and smooth (do not overstir).
3. Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately (ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring).

Notes:
1/2 recipe = 16 cupcakes

I made this with Trader Joe's 70% dark chocolate, which resulted in the ganache being very dark. Next time I'd make the ganache lighter and the cupcakes darker. The ganache was grainy, probably due to the chopped chocolate not melting all the way.

Whole wheat pizza crust

(From http://www.recipezaar.com/Bread-Machine-Pizza-Dough-With-Whole-Wheat-Flour-137143)

• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons yeast
  

Add ingredients in the order given into the bread machine pan.
Start dough cycle. (On my machine this takes 2 hours).
Once the dough is done remove it from the pan onto a floured work surface.
Roll dough to fit the shape of your pan. This recipe makes two 14 inch round pizzas.
Brush lightly with olive oil and add toppings. You can hold this dough, with just the olive oil, for a couple of hours in the fridge covered in plastic wrap.
Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.
This recipe is the large sized recipe. It also comes in small and medium.

Notes:
I made a half recipe (using 1/4 tsp salt), which made one normal sized pizza. It was pretty good but definitely had a whole wheat flavor. For toppings, I used: 80% can of tomato sauce (should have used more), 2 small garlic cloves (use more), ~6 leaves rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, some basil (more is good), some oregano (more is good), ~0.5 oz grated parmesan, ~2/3 of an 8 oz bag of mozzarella, and a light sprinkling of crushed red pepper.

Provencal Vegetable Soup: Soupe au Pistou

(From http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/wolfgang-puck/provencal-vegetable-soup-soupe-au-pistou-recipe/index.html)

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium leeks, dark green parts trimmed and discarded, light green and white parts thoroughly washed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 8 cups chicken stock
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon whole black and white peppercorns
• 4 small sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 small sprigs fresh parsley
• 12 green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

Pistou:

• 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 30 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried

Goat Cheese Croutons:

• 6 to 8 slices French bread, about 1/4-inch thick
• Olive oil
• 6 to 8 ounces fresh creamy goat cheese

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and saute just until they start to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute about 1 minute more. Add the carrots and celery and continue sauteing until the vegetables deepen in color but have not yet begun to brown, 3 to 4 minutes more. Pour the stock into the pan, bring it to a boil, and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Sprinkle in a generous pinch of salt.

Tie the peppercorns, thyme, and parsley in a square of cheesecloth, securing it with kitchen string. Add this bouquet garni to the pan. Stir in the beans, zucchini, summer squash, and tomato. Continue simmering until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Pistou: Put the garlic and tomatoes in a blender or food processor with about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Begin processing. With the machine running, add the basil leaves, and then pour in enough extra-virgin olive oil to make a smooth, thick, but fluid paste. Transfer about 2/3 of the paste into a serving bowl to pass alongside the soup.

Make the Goat Cheese Croutons: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush the bread slices with olive oil and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and turn on the broiler. Spread 1 side of each crouton with goat cheese and put it back on the baking sheet. Broil until the cheese is warm and slightly bubbly, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

When the soup is ready, stir the remaining pistou into the saucepan, ladling some of the hot broth into the blender or processor bowl to swirl and rinse any pesto clinging inside into the pan. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with a little more salt.

Ladle the soup into individual heated serving bowls. Float a crouton in the center of each bowl. With a spoon, drizzle a little more pistou over the crouton and soup in each bowl. Serve immediately, passing more pistou alongside for each person to add, to taste.

Notes:

I made this once, sans croutons. I definitely used fresh tomatoes but cut back drastically on the amount. Maybe 2 fresh tomatoes for the whole recipe?