Banana-Walnut Muffins with Crumb Topping

One of my best friends (who I will eventually open a bakery with) shared an amazing recipe with me.  I'm currently on a banana kick and of course I love muffins.  So I had to give this a try.

This is what you need.

Mash the four bananas up with a good old fork and arm power.

Mix up your bananas, egg, sugar, cinnamon, and melt butter.

Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the mixture.

Just FYI, My Pampered Chef chopper is probably one of my favorite kitchen tools.

Add the walnuts to the mixture.

Next, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and more chopped walnuts.  Mix it all up and fork in the tablespoon of butter.

Cook for 20 minutes on 375 degrees.

They are simply amazing...

Banana-Walnut Muffin with Crumb Topping

Muffin
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 bananas (mashed)
¾ cup white sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/3 cup butter (melted)
½ c. chopped walnuts

Walnut Crumb Topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ c. finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and line 12 muffin cups with paper cups. In a large bowl mix 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In a separate bowl beat together bananas, sugar, cinnamon, egg and melted butter. Stir banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moist and combined. Stir in walnuts. Fill muffins cups.
In a small bowl mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, walnuts and ground cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon of butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the muffins.
Place into the oven and bake for 17 to 20 minutes.

The Great Red Velvet Cake Bake

Late last night, after making a run to Wal-Mart (in a flash flood, seriously) to get cake pans and a stand, my wonderful roommate and I started out on the adventure of baking a Red Velvet Cake from scratch.  Here is our adventure in pictures...

First off, isn't this baby amazing?  First time using it!

 We tend to make a mess when we do anything...

BLOOD!

We spilled coco, sugar, flour, salt, just about everything that went into the cake.

We should probably start a bakery together some day!

The finished product (sorry for the horrible lighting).

...too bad we didn't get to try a piece.  

A Glimpse Into Where I Invest My LOVE And My LIFE

"Where you invest your love, you invest your life."  --Mumford and Sons

Nestled in the hillside of southern Kentucky, I have found my haven, my love, my passion.  For three years, I have dedicated my summers and numerous weekends to supplying courageous kids and their families a retreat from the complicated life of a medically fragile child.  The Center For Courageous Kids in Scottsville, Kentucky has allowed me to invest in others and receive so much in return.  I have seen first hand the magic of watching a child for the first time feel like they are "normal," develop friendships with peers that have similar obstacles, and being told that no dream or challenge is too big.  There is nothing better then seeing the smiles of the campers, hearing the laughter and cheers, and watching the odds be defined.  CCK is where I am able to WORK hard, PLAY hard, and LOVE hard.

If you are looking for a place to INVEST your time, money, or supplies, take a look around at www.courageouskids.org.  You won't regret it!

This Is What Happens When Shoes Become Your Canvas...

When I returned home today, I had a wonderful package waiting for me.  

I love the E's in the middle of each of the petals.

AHHH!  I love them.  I need it to be spring, so I can wear them.

My friend Kane is the mastermind behind these things.  He is probably my favorite artist!  :)

My Life...

My roommate clicked over on my blog the other night and informed me that it had been far to long since my last blog post.  I'm sorry blog world, please accept my apology.

The last few days have been super busy.  Grad school applications have become my top priority (which is probably a good thing). 

Here are just a few random things I have been up to...

Veggies are not my thing, I totally struggle when it comes to eating them.  But lately, I have been trying to find ways to add them into my diet and work on liking them more and more.  The other night, I added some spinach to my leftover lasagna.

It was pretty good, something I will do again.

I also had this crazy craving for beets (which is weird because I don't think I have ever ate a beet in my entire life).  Its a shame they are out of season and I couldn't find any fresh ones.  They were okay and will take some getting use to.

My roomie and I also threw a fun Super Bowl party. Any guess on who we rooted for?

GREEN AND YELLOW!  GREEN AND YELLOW!

I also made fun little Oreo truffles shaped like footballs.  The party was a blast, filled with lots of good food, laughs, and great friends.

It's The Great Pumpkin Muffin, Charlie Brown

I kind of have a slight obsession with anything pumpkin.  I LOVE pumpkin pie, pumpkin cobbler, pumpkin pancakes (thank you camp for that wonderful introduction), pumpkin shakes (dear Culver's, please have them ALL year round), and now pumpkin muffins.

I know "pumpkin season" is kind of over, but I had to give it a try anyways.  These things are heavenly, they smell amazing, and taste even better.

This is what you need.  The recipe originally calls for honey instead of maple syrup (I substituted because of my honey allergy), use whichever one works best for you.

Soak your raisins in hot water for a few minutes (until they become plump).

In a bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Give it all a good mix and then form a "well" in the center of the mixture.

In the well, add the eggs, oil, honey (or in my case maple syrup), and pumpkin. 

Mix it all together.

Add the walnuts and raisins (after you drain them) to the mixture.

Your batter should look like this!

This makes 12 muffins.  Cook at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

delicious.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

1/2 cup Seedless Raisins

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed

3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 Eggs

3/4 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree

1/2 cup Canola Oil

1/2 cup Honey

1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the raisins in a cup and cover with hot water, let them sit for a few minutes until plump.

In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Make a well in the center and add eggs, oil, honey, and pumpkin.

Mix until dry ingredients are absorbed.

Drain excess water from the raisins and fold into batter along with nuts.

Fill paper cups about 3/4 full of batter.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

Let cool before eating.

Recipe from The Kitchen Table