what day is it

Holiday Mondays have a way of messing with me.

I realized this morning in the way to work (work in the morning means it's Tuesday) that I hadn't done my blog post. I had however, done nearly 50 midterm practice questions, three loads of laundry, and half the dishes. I'm willing to call that a productive day.

Oh, and muffins.

Muffins are in some ways a near perfect food. Much like biscuits, you can whip them up in no time at all, they can be sweet or savoury and you can dress them up of leave them plain. Plus, portable, hand held food.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

What you need:

• 1-1/2 c flour
• 2/3 c sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup plain yogurt with as much fat in it as you can find (or sour cream)
• ~1/4 c melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Nope, no cinnamon in the picture. That's because I decided to add it as I was mixing. Cinnamon and chocolate are a tasty combination.

What you gotta do:

Put all the dry powdery stuff in a big bowl and whisk it together.

Put all the wet stuff into another bowl, and whisk it.

I know most recipes go into a lot more detail than that when explaining how to make muffins, but really, that's what happens.

Dry in one bowl, wet in the other. This is so easy a 9 year old could do it.

Now, pour the whisked wet into the whisked dry.

And then fold them together with a wooden spoon. It's not a runny "batter" by any stretch of the definition, and really feels kinda like a fluffy cookie dough as you're mixing those last dry bits in.

Along with the chocolate chips.

This makes the perfect amount for 12 muffins, and it definitely sits up like cookie dough in the tins.

I baked mine at... Fuck, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Oh yeah, this is my new oven.

No window. And no light inside either. I'm going to go insane baking cookies. I need to see them! I like to watch the edges spread, and the tops lose their wet look, and see the chocolate melt...

Also, it seems to cook a bit hotter than my last one. Stove elements seem to have more juice too. Amusing since my last one was only 2 years old and this thing is nearly antique. Does "Admiral" even make stoves anymore?

Anyway, bake the muffins at 350 for about 18 minutes. Mine smelled done after 16, and a toothpick came out clean, but like I said, seems to cook a little hot. Plus, the line on the dial is nearly worn off so it's difficult to tell exactly what temp I've set the oven to.

Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a rack.

Freeze in pairs for breakfast throughout the week.

So, are you a peeker? Do you have to see what's going on in your oven?

Black Beans

do not have to come from a can.

And if you have freshly made roasted tomato salsa, they'll taste that much better.

It's really not much more work to make your own beans than it is to open a can. And while that may be convenient, it will never be as flavourful as beans that are slowly simmered in broth with carefully selected seasonings.

And by carefully selected, I mean yanked from the fridge.

Tinned beans are usually made with water and way too much salt. Making them yourself lets you control the sodium and boost up the flavour.

AKA Turn down the suck and turn up the good

Best Black Beans

What you need:

• about 3 cups of chicken broth
• about 1 cup of salsa (or, tomatoes, onions, chiles, etc to make one cup)
• about 1 c black beans
• about 1 lime

What you gotta do:

Put it all in the crock pot.

Broth, then salsa, then beans.

Cook it on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4.

I never soak my beans first because I really want the colour that they give to the liquid. 

I squeeze in the lime juice at the end for a bit of brightness in the flavour.

Scoop out what you need to go on the side of your fabulous chicken dinner. Okay, it was just a bit of chicken breast chopped and sauteed with cayenne and lime juice, and a "salad" of lettuce with salsa and cheese on top, but hey! when you put it all together on the plate with the beans... it turns into a fabulous chicken dinner!

The rest of the beans... I left them in the crock pot, added some leftover rice and a bit of shredded chicken and called it soup!

You could also mash them up a bit for an awesome burrito filling.

Or, just eat them with a spoon.

I love beans. It's a little weird how much I do, but, well, look who's talking here.

What food do you love?