Kitchen Sink Oat Muffins (Good Commons Cookbook Cook-Off)

Last week I participated in a cook book cook-off party. It was hosted by Good Commons, a great retreat in Vermont. (Seriously, check them out. They have tons of food events like their Spring Feast in April and their Gluten-free Gourmet Getaway in June.)

Well, Chef Matthew Wexler is working on the Good Commons Cookbook and to spread the word and get feed back, he had a cook-off gathering in NYC. A bunch of us made his recipes, brought them to the party, and got to be tasters of everything. (Along with tasters of the lovely wine provided at the event.)

I chose the Kitchen Sink Oat Muffins which were adapted from Dina Khader, Matthew's very first personal chef client. I had never bought oat bran before and was very excited to give these a try (once I found the oat bran at the grocery store). They are VERY hearty and I think they make the perfect muffins to take along on a hiking trip. Also, if you trade the chocolate chips for vegan chocolate chips, this recipe becomes vegan friendly!

Like to hike? Check out the rest of Good Commons' calendar of events (and you should sign up for their email list too so you can participate in their special events in NYC!)

Kitchen Sink Oat Muffins (From Good Commons Cookbook)

2 1⁄2 cups milk

2 eggs

1⁄2 cup agave nectar or honey (I used agave nectar)

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups rolled oats

4 cups oat bran

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 cup dried cranberries or cherries (I used dried cherries and would suggest cutting them in half first)

1⁄4 cup chopped walnuts

1⁄4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I used a half cup since I like chocolate)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F and prepare muffins tins with paper liners.

Combine milk, eggs, agave, vanilla and olive oil in large bowl.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients: rolled oats, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda,

cinnamon and salt. Gently mix wet and dry ingredients. Fold in nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate

chips.

Fill muffin cups 2⁄3 full and bake 15-17 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking time. To test

for doneness, toothpick should come out clean.

Yields 24 muffins.

Bake well and prosper!

D'Artagnan Duckathlon VI (Part 1)

Guess what I was up to on Sunday (besides singing). Nope, baking is not the correct answer. I was invited by Deana from the awesome blog Lost Past Remembered to come check out D'Artagnan's annual Duckathlon - "Half marathon, half duck, and completely insane, the Duckathlon is a culinary obstacle course that runs through the Meatpacking District."

I did as much research as I could on the event and everyone hosting, participating, etc that I could and then set off to the Duckathlon after finishing my church choir gig.

The Duckathlon was happening in and around Chelsea Market. After meeting Lily, one of the head honchos of the event, and receiving all the info I needed to find groups etc, I set off to the nearest station to see what this Duckathlon was all about.

I found the Le Cirque group at the crepe flipping station that was run by All-Clad. (BTW, need to get me a gift? I'll take anything from All-Clad. Thanks.) The object of this challenge was to see how many crepe flips a team could get in a certain time frame. One member would flip it 5 times and pass it to the next member and so on. Guess what! I happened to have watched the winning team in action. Way to go Le Cirque (and I love y'all's restaurant!)

The next group I encountered was doing a challenge very near and dear to my heart. They had to decorate a cookie under a specific time limit. Hello! Cookies...sugar...MESS!

I chased down this Cercle Rouge member and asked to take a picture of her hands (because messy hands = be still my heart.) She told me she spoke French only and so I quickly pointed to my camera and said, "Photo...les mains." She understood right away and smiled this awesome smile and proudly displayed her mess. YAY high school French for not failing me.

By the way, there was a contest for best group costumes...guess who won that...

The next competitive stations that I stopped at were at Dickson's Meats and BuonItalia. Unfortunately I didn't get to see any groups in action for this. Check out the two pictures and try to guess what the challenge was.

Meat Map: Correctly identify cuts of meat to area of cow.

Pasta Pickup: One member takes stick of pasta in mouth and tries to get as many circle pastas with stick and place in the cup within a minute. (Yes, I'm sad I didn't see anyone do this.)

Then I wondered next door where there were TWO challenges at one table and guess what - I got to do the challenges!

At The Filling Station I sampled an infused olive oil and could tell that there was some type of fruit in it, but it would have taken me hours to guess a fig! It was delicious. Also, they let me try the ghost pepper salt and the bacon flavored salt. Yes. Bacon flavored salt. Supposedly it's awesome on an omelet. I thought it was really awesome by itself as well. I will definitely have to go back and get some of their awesome products next time I'm in the area. Plus, their motto is reuse, refill, recycle. What's not to like?

At the same table I got to taste three different types of cheese from Lucy's Whey. I had to identify which one was cow's milk, sheep's milk, and goat's milk and I totally guessed each one correctly! All the types of cheese were delightful. I think I'll make an afternoon of buying cheese from Lucy's Whey and then sit in High Line park this summer while munching on the deliciousness. Mmmm!

After all that fun, I left Chelsea Market and entered Spice Market. I had never been here and was delighted with how beautiful the space is!

I caught up with the boys from Daniel who were busy trying to figure out the last mystery spice.

All were blindfolded and had to figure out 5 different spices via touch, smell, and taste.

The team from Daniel were very thoughtful on their decision. Too bad it wasn't the right one. But that's what makes it a competition! This one was tough!

I also saw the group from Great Performances figure out the first spice.

They worked together well and quickly answered correctly. I later found out that they were one of a few groups to guess the last (and hardest to guess) spice correctly.

After this challenge, I popped back outside and was witness to some of the most unusual food challenges I've ever seen. Stay tuned for part 2!

Clementine Poppy Seed Loaf

It's snowing in NYC for the gazillionth time this winter. Yes, yes...snow is pretty. However, it's starting to affect my brain AND my kitchen. Seeing so much snow must have made me make such a mess with sugar during this recipe. I was obviously trying to recreate a snow scene on my counter. Um, yeah.

Well, as I say, "If it's a mess, it's a success!" This bread was no exception. I loved the clementine flavor. Something about the orange look of the bread and the citrus flavor made me feel like it WASN'T cold outside. I also discovered that this bread is especially awesome when toasted with cream cheese on top. And, unlike Reading Rainbow, you DO have to take my word for it. Or make it yourself.

Clementine Poppy Seed Loaf (from Turntable Kitchen)
2 cups of flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
1 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
2/3 cup of fragrant, extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of clementine zest (from 3 clementines)
3/4 cup of clementine juice (from the same 3 clementines you zest)
3 large eggs

1. Butter a 12×4 inch loaf pan and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, sift the the flour, pinch of salt and baking powder.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, zest, vanilla extract and olive oil. Whisk on high speed until combined, then beat in the eggs, one at a time.
4. Add 1/3 of the dry mix, mixing on low speed, then add half of the clementine juice and continue mixing. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the clementine juice. Once combined, add the last of the flour mixture and the poppy seeds and mix one last time until all of the flour is fully incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 40 – 50 minutes (until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

6. Let cool in the pan slightly before slicing and serving on its own, or with a scoop of ice cream).

Bake well and prosper!