Pumpkin Cookies

The first Presidential Debate, here in Denver, caused a lot of anxiousness in drivers with major road closures for 7 hours! So I already disliked the debate before it started, for the stress it caused of getting Little Red (the girl I nanny) from her school located south of DU to her dance classes north of DU.

I won't get into politics, however all I do know is, that they needed to warn someone that there would be no commercial breaks, because damn did I have to pee! If you are, for whatever reason, interested in my thoughts on tonight's debate you can follow my twitter feed. Disclaimer, wine and muscle relaxers were consumed this evening.

So during a much needed bathroom break, I decided to make pumpkin cookies! I get distracted easily.

Here's what you need:

• Box of spice cake mix
• Can of pumpkin

Mix together thoroughly. You could use a hand blender but I prefer mixing by hand with a thicker batter.

I used an ice cream scoop to put on a pan. Since these cookies do not spread while baking, you are able to put more on the pan at a time.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Delicious! The texture is more similar to a cake than a cookie, so they can easily be transformed into breakfast muffins on the go!

Seamus loved them too! I may make smalled balls next time and store as treats for him!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Sometimes you just have to help out thy neighbor. My friend, Maureen is a busy woman. I honestly do not know how she does it. She had been talking about baking banana muffins for a couple days now, and well, there was no time for them by the time this afternoon rolled around. So, I chipped in between chapters of a book (The Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts). These muffins are delicious and low in calorie, with only 143 calories and 6g of protein! They even passed all tests from the toughest critics (3 children), so this recipe is a keeper!

Below is my updated recipe:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. applesauce
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 bananas
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup low-fat milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. I threw everything in a bowl and blended with a hand mixer for three minutes. I understand that this goes against all standards when it comes to cooking and baking, but I am also a firm believer than chemistry will do its thing either way. Grease your muffin tin.

One of the best tips I know when it comes to evenly sized muffins and cupcakes is using an ice cream scoop to dole out the batter.

Bake for twenty minutes. I had trouble with the timing on these muffins since the toothpick test refused to come out clean despite how much time they were in! I realized after that it was probably the peanut butter.

Let cool for ten minutes before enjoying! Trust me, they'll go fast!

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini seems to be the only thing that has been able to grow in the Colorado heat this summer. With an abundance of zucchini and no tomatoes to pair it with, I have been making zucchini bread like crazy!

I found a great recipe for zucchini bread. Below is my modified version since I'm allergic to most oils.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 6 oz plain Greek yogurt*
• 1/4 cup applesauce*
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini

* I substituted Greek yogurt and applesauce for vegetable oil. The applesauce also allowed me to cut back on the sugar, since it is already sweetened.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

I threw all the ingredients, except the grated zucchini, into a bowl and mixed. I can hear my 7th grade home economics teacher shaking her head at me for not sifting the dry ingredients, and mixing the wet ingredients together separately, before combining them all together. Sorry. Mrs. Wrigley! But honestly, I can't tell the difference, chemistry will do its thing either way.

I was concerned that there wasn't enough wet ingredients to incorporate all of the dry ingredients until I grated the zucchini. Zucchini is surprisingly a very juicy (for lack of a better word) vegetable. Fold in the zucchini until evenly distributed.

Grease and flour two loaf pans.

Fold the batter into the two greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake for 45 minutes. Test with a knife or toothpick to ensure the bread is cooked thoroughly. Let cool before cutting.


Enjoy!

Crepes for breakfast

Most people are intimidated by the thought of making crepes, however this versatile dish is extremely easy to make. Much like pancakes, this dish can be served anytime of day, depending on the filling.

1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2  tablespoons butter, melted

Before mixing together the ingredients, heat up a pan of your choice with a small bit of butter. Since the recipe calls for butter, you do not need a lot in the pan. Once mixed, make crepes just like you would your favorite pancake recipe.

Since, we enjoyed these for breakfast, they were stuffed with Nutella, raspberries, and bananas before devoured!