Welcome, Fall!

Well, I guess it's officially been fall for a few days now, but it finally really feels like it. I love this time of year. I know I'll be sick of the cold weather come January 1st, but fall in Minnesota is so beautiful that it's hard not to love it.

Fall always makes me want to cook comfort foods, and I pulled out the crock-pot yesterday to make some chili. Yum! I was on a cooking kick, so I also made some banana flax seed muffins. Well, the recipe was a flop. Either I did something wrong or I baked them too long, but they were kind of rubbery. Even Henry agreed. When you're worried about your toddler choking on a rubbery muffin, as I did this morning - that's when you know it's time to throw them out!

I do love cooking with flax seed and have a sure-fire winner recipe for flax muffins that I'll post below. I've made them many times - and while they're a bit labor intensive - they're so good and good for you. I buy the flax seeds whole and grind them in the food processor before I use them (you lose the health benefits if you eat them whole). Enjoy!

Apple-Carrot Flax Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar (I usually add a little less than this, they're still nice and sweet)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I usually add 1 tbsp. and they still turn out fine)
2 cups shredded carrots
2 apples, peeled, shredded
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped mixed nuts (I don't usually add these)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, flax seed, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla and oil; mix until just blended. Stir in the carrots, apples, raisins and nuts. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
Bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Mmmm... Apple Crisp!

Whew - what a busy weekend! My friend Katie and her 7-month-old son Steven came to visit from South Dakota. It was lots of fun - and a very crazy household with three kids and a yapping dog running around! (Well, Teddy just lays there and Steven only crawls.. but you know what I mean!) Seriously, Steven is just adorable and so full of energy. Like I told Katie, the one word I would use to describe him is delightful!

So, we had some friends over on Friday night for drinks and appetizers. We sat outside to enjoy the great weather, although the bugs were terrible. Still, it was nice considering that was probably the last warm stretch we'll get for months and months.

We had a bunch of apples at our house, so I decided to make apple crisp for Friday night. I found a "healthier" recipe from Cooking Light, which was just delish. My friend Julie requested it, so I thought I'd post it in our blog if anyone else wanted to give it a try.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup regular oats

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons chopped pecans

7 cups sliced peeled apples (about 3 pounds)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, oats, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pecans. Combine apple and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Spoon apple mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish or 1 1/2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.