Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

I made these a while ago and forget what changes I was going to make. They turned out a little too sticky. Otherwise I can't remember the taste, especially in comparison to the other two recipes. The original only called for 1/4 t cinnamon, but I think it can do with at least one full teaspoon. I'll have to make it again with some adjustments to see what needs to be changed.

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 c sugar
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/4 c plain yogurt
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 stick butter (1/4 c), melted and cooled
• 2 c flour
• 1 T powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1.5 c strawberries (fresh or thawed, whole or in chunks)
  

1. Combine flour, powder, salt, and cinnamon in bowl.
2. Add strawberries to coat.
   
3. In separate bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add milk, yogurt, vanilla and butter.
4. Add strawberry mixture to wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
5. Spoon batter into 12 (paper-lined) muffin cups. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes.

Notes

• Thaw frozen strawberries at 350F for 10 minutes.
• If you use whole frozen strawberries, they will create large holes in the muffin. For a more even texture cut the strawberries into smaller pieces.

Variations

• extra banana? Try: Strawberry Banana Muffins
• no yogurt? Try: Strawberry Muffins
  

Cheater Waffles

There's a new coffee shop on the corner that has a great deal for waffles. They make them extra thick, by leaving the machine open after pouring in the batter. Once it's mostly set, they close it and flip it. This gives a waffle that is about twice as thick as a normal one. They only offer powdered sugar, chocolate syrup or strawberry sauce as choices for toppings. Their batter is a little too sweet, so I don't think it needs any of it. However, it can do with a little fresh fruit. So here's a cheater "recipe" for fruited waffles.

• one waffle, fresh from the iron
• fresh fruit, sliced
• banana
• peach
• strawberries
• mango
• etc
  

1. Top waffle with fruit.
2. Best served with side of fresh squeezed orange juice.

Notes
Oranges sell by the jin (about a pound) and you can get a bag of them for 100 NT during peak season in Taipei, containing 7-17 jins. About 4 oranges per good-sized cup.

Mango-Banana Smoothie

Yummy. It's far from mango season, but when someone gives you a tub of frozen mango for your birthday, you can have this delicious treat in the off season. Big thanks to LB - the perfect present!

• frozen cubed mango
• 1 sweet banana
• milk

1. Defrost mango for 15 minutes to soften slightly.
2. Blend ingredients. Use less milk for something thick and creamy. Add more milk for something more pourable.
   

Chicken Parmesan with Pasta

An easy meal to make. You can prepare the chicken ahead of time and refrigerate until it's ready to bake.

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
• 1 egg
• bread crumbs
• parmesan
• Italian seasoning
• pasta sauce
• cheese (mozzarella-cheddar mixture)
  
• pasta

1. Beat the egg in one bowl.
2. Combine bread crumbs and parmesan in another bowl in a 1:1 ratio (or to taste). Add seasoning.
3. Flatten breasts if necessary. Dip in egg, then in dry mixture. Lay in 8x8 baking dish.
4. Optional: Refrigerate.
5. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes.
6. Cook pasta.
   
7. Flip chicken. Cover with sauce and cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Serve pasta in bowls covered with chicken and sauce.

Variations

• increase to 5 breasts, 2 eggs, 1 cup each of crumbs and parmesan.
  
• Pan fry the chicken until brown on both sides on medium high heat. Bake with sauce.
  
• Fry 4-5 min each side, bake 175C for 25 min.
• Fry 8-10 min each side, bake 190C for 20 min.
  

Strawberry Banana Muffins

In a side-by-side taste test against the previous recipe for Strawberry Muffins, this one was top choice for 5 out of 6 on texture and 4 out of 6 on taste. I personally liked the pure strawberry flavor better. I think another egg in the first recipe might have helped with the texture (I had run out, so could only use one that day). The main ingredient differences: butter/oil, brown/white sugar, banana/nutmeg. Based on the joyofbaking recipe.

• 1/2 c butter
• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 1/2 t powder
• 1/4 t soda
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 c fresh strawberries, chopped
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

1. Melt the butter in a small pan. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries to coat with flour.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and banana. Stir in the melted butter.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
5. Fill 12 paper lined muffin cups.
6. Bake at 180C/350F for 25 minutes or until done.

Variations

• nutmeg
• chopped walnuts
• blueberries instead of strawberries
• frozen and thawed instead of fresh

6/3/15 Made this with only scant 1/2 c brown sugar (instead of 3/4 c) and used heaping cup of frozen sliced strawberries.
3/16/16 Made with 1/2 c brown sugar and slightly defrosted sliced strawberries.

Strawberry Muffins

We just made out like bandits at the Taiwan Bazaar at Taipei City Hall. Three massive boxes of strawberries for 400 NT - that's $11.50 USD. I ate 50 from one box and barely made a dent. Some are in the freezer, some we'll eat fresh later, and the rest I'll be experimenting with some strawberry recipes. Here's the first of the bunch.

• 1/4 c grapeseed oil
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 egg
• splash of vanilla
• 1 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 t powder
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/2 c sugar (or less)
  
• 1 cup strawberries, cleaned, hulled, dried and chopped (or more)

1. Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl.
2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
   
3. Add the strawberries and toss to coat with flour. Pour the wet ingredients in and stir, without overmixing.
4. Fill 8-10 muffin cups. Bake at 190C for 30 minutes, or until the tops are browned and bounce back from a push.

Variations
3/22/09
I made these based on the recipe above. This makes a full 12 muffins. Still needs some tweaking.
3/29/09
I made this again with fresh strawberries (and no wheat flour) and it made the world of difference. The batter is moister and the strawberries are evenly distributed without any huge pockets.

• 1/2 c wheat flour
  
• 1.5 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 t powder (soda+tartar)
• 1 t cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• dash of allspice
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1.5 c frozen*** or fresh**** strawberries, small or chopped
  
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 c grapeseed oil
• 1/2 c milk
  

1. Essentially the same as above. Bake at 195C for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Thai Red Curry

This is a standard dish of mine, loaded with vegetables and plenty of flavor. This time I used bamboo, mushrooms, zucchini, red bell pepper and 家常 tofu. You can also use meat instead of tofu (chicken, duck, etc).

• cooking oil (canola, grapeseed, etc)
• 1 package tofu, firm or extra firm (家常)
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
• red curry paste, to taste (2-4 t from jar or one packet)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 c water
• vegetables, sliced or chopped (mushrooms, bamboo, red bell pepper, zucchini, Indian or Thai eggplant, baby corn)
  
• salt
• Thai basil (substitute: coriander, European basil)
• optional: lemon juice, fish sauce, chopped hot Thai chillies, lemongrass

1. Drain the tofu and press as much liquid out as possible. Cut into cubes.
   Optional: Fry the tofu.
2. Fry the onion. Add garlic and paste. Optional: skim the coconut cream off the top of the can and mix with paste.
3. Add the remaining coconut juice (or add all at once) and water.
4. Add vegetables of choice and a dash of salt.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add tofu and any other veggies needing less cooking time.
6. If too salty, add lemon juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk or yogurt.
7. Add basil and any other optional ingredients.
8. Serve over rice (Thai jasmine is a good choice).