A New Year's Resolution...

Well, we're 5 days into the new year, my pants are a wee bit snug, my treadmill is covered with dust, and I find myself pondering a question that perhaps many of you are too:  Can I rid myself of my muffin top (the result of too much holiday indulgence, no doubt) without having to rid my diet of muffins and other delights?

Let's just say that from resolutions made (and broken) in years past I know my own limitations.  Cutting out baked goods has never been and probably never will be a good idea.  I always start out with iron-clad resolve and the best of intentions, but inevitably fall off the wagon with a thud, sometimes mere hours after I've sworn myself to abstinence.  Perhaps what I need this year is a compromise - keep the baked goods, but aim to make things a little less sweet, a little healthier.  For example, instead of making cupcakes, I'll make muffins.  There's no frosting involved.  Surely that must be a step in the right direction.  So here it is - my vow for January - no cookies, no truffles, no cake (unless a birthday is involved).  No pie. No brittle.  No bark.  But there will be coffee cake.  Quick bread.  Scones.  Perhaps a bun or two.  And muffins.  Most definitely, there will be muffins.

And what better time to turn over this new leaf than today?  It was a mere 35 degrees in Central Florida this morning when I woke up.  I needed to warm up the house, and I was hungry.  What better way to kill two birds with one stone than to bake some muffins?  I've been toting around Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave for quite awhile now.  I've eyed the recipe for Apple-Pecan Muffins many times, but have been hesitant to bake them because they call for wheat flour.  Knowing the health benefits of whole grains, I admit that I should have embraced wheat flour a long time ago.  But if I have to choose between tastiness and healthiness, I choose tastiness every time.  I worried that the wheat flour would overpower the flavor of the other ingredients.  That the muffins would turn out heavy and bland, and that once again I'd be eating something that was good for me, but didn't taste good.  But this is a New Year.  So I put my reservations about the wheat flour aside and whipped up a batch this morning.  Much to my delight (and the dog's, and  the neighbor dog's, and the neighbor cat's too) they turned out deliciously.  Moist, light and flavorful, the muffins were filled with chunks of apple (even though the recipe calls for just one), and the pecan-brown sugar streusel topping added just the right touch of sweetness.   Mmm mmm tasty.  If eating right tastes this good, I think maybe I can have my muffins and eliminate my muffin top too!

Apple-Pecan Muffins
Ellie Krieger - The Food You Crave
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat flour because I had it in the pantry)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup natural unsweetened applesauce (I am not sure of the correct way to measure applesauce, but I used a liquid measuring cup rather than a dry one)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (I used Granny Smith instead because I didn't feel like running to the store)

Preparation:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2.  In a small bowl, mix together pecans, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons brown sugar.  Set aside.
3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking soda, and salt.
4.  In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar and the oil until combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition.  Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.  Stir in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk, just until combined.  Gently stir in the apple chunks.
5.  Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each about two-thirds full, and sprinkle evenly with the pecan mixture.  Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.
6.  Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold.  Enjoy warm or let cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:  1 muffin
Calories:  213; Total Fat:  8g (Mono:  3g; Poly:  1.5g; Sat:  1g); Protein:  4g; Carb:  35g; Fiber:  2g; Chol:  36mg; Sodium:  236mg

Olie Bollen and the Red & Yellow Skivvies - My New Year's Eve Baking Adventure, Part II

After reading my previous post, I'm sure you are all dying to know one thing in particular...how on Earth did red and yellow skivvies play into my New Year's Eve baking adventure?   Excellent question, if I do say so myself.   Actually, you're probably wondering what took me so long to get this out - truth be told, I couldn't figure out how to get the picture out of my cell phone and onto my laptop.  So that's obviously something I need to work on in the New Year.  But enough about my shortcomings.  Let's talk about the baked goods, shall we?

As you may recall, I was going to try my hand at making Vasilopita (Greek cake) and Olie Bollen (Dutch donuts) to ring in the New Year.  Both the recipes were pretty simple, so I wasn't worried so much about the execution of them as I was about the taste.  Baking something you've never made before is kind of like flying blind.  Sure, other people might think it tastes great, but these could be the same people that think the Pillsbury Dough Boy invented homemade chocolate chip cookies.  What if the Vasilopita was dry?  What if the Olie Bollen ended up tasting like the true meaning of their name, oil balls?  Good grief!  How awful would that be?  Really awful.  Any SNAFUs or mix ups or malfunctions could potentially jeopardize my luck in 2010, and after the way my 2009 panned out, I couldn't risk that!  So what's a girl to do?  Supplement said cake and donuts with another lucky New Year's tradition, just in case.

Hence the red and yellow skivvies.  In Latin cultures, they say the wearing of yellow underwear while ringing in the New Year will bring luck and good fortune (even more if you wear them inside out); if you are looking for love, you should wear red.  I am not ashamed to admit that I could use a healthy dose of both.  So I thought I'd give it a try.  I donned the inside-out skivvies.  I ate pork.  I ate the Olie Bollen.  I ate the Vasilopita.  I didn't eat chicken or lobster (bad luck because they both move backwards).  I didn't walk under a ladder.  No black cats crossed my path.  And I was lucky enough to ring in 2010 surrounded by dear friends that I love.  We'll see how it goes.  But I'm thinking 2010 just might be my luckiest year yet!

p.s.  For those of you who were wondering about the actual taste of the recipes I made, the Olie Bollen (in texture and flavor) was similar to a fritter, like a ball of fried dough with apples mixed in, then sprinkled with powdered sugar.  The Vasilopita was very similar to a pound cake - dense, moist, and subtle in flavor.  If I make it again, I think I might add cinnamon to the sugar that is sprinkled on top.  But both, in my book, were way better than the 'kraut!

Olie Bollen - Dutch Donuts
Makes 4-5 dozen
www.fabulousfoods.com

Ingredients:

1 envelope dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup warm water, divided
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all purpose flour
3 cups fruit (diced fresh apples, raisins or dried currants)
oil for frying
confectioners sugar for dusting

Pour 1/2 cup warm water, about 85 to 115 degrees Farenheit, into the bowl of a large food processor.  Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the water and mix at low speed.  Let stand for five minutes.  Slowly mix in remaining water, eggs, vanilla and salt.  Slowly add flour, a cup at a time.  Mix on high for about a minute or two.  The dough should turn into a ball and roll around the processor.  If the dough does not ball up because it's too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it does.  If your mixture is more like batter, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.  Mix in fruit.  Remove from food processor.  Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large skillet.  Punch down dough.  Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter.  Drop dough balls into hot oil, frying until golden brown, turning as needed.  Drain on paper towels and dust with confectioners sugar.  Serve hot.

Vasilopita - Greek Saint Basil's New Year's Cake
Serves 10
www.recipezaar.com

Ingredients
1 cup butter, plus 1 tablespoon butter for greasing cake pan
2 cups white sugar plus 2 tablespoons white sugar for sprinkling
3 cups flour
6 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

1.  Wrap a (clean!) silver or gold coin in aluminum foil - a quarter works well.
2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 10-inch round cake pan with 1 tablespoon butter.
3.  In a medium bowl, cream the cup of butter and 2 cups of sugar together until light in color.  Stir in the flour and mix until the batter resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the eggs one at a time, blending each one in well.
4.  In a small bowl combine the baking powder and milk, add to the cake batter and mix well.  Finally, combine the lemon juice and baking soda in a small bowl, add to the cake batter and mix well.  Pour the cake batter into the greased cake pan, insert the foil wrapped coin, and bake for 20 minutes.
5.  Remove the cake from the oven, sprinkle the nuts and 2 tablespoons sugar over the cake, then return the cake to the oven and bake for a further 20-30 minutes until the cake springs back to the touch.  Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the pan onto a cake plate.
6.  Ideally the cake should be served warm; each person gets a slice of the cake starting with the most senior member.  Members of the Greek Orthodox Church believe that whoever gets the coin is blessed.