Homemade Banana & Oatmeal Muffins..."cuz it's cold outside"

I must say this in a public arena to free my inner self, GOOD FOOD MAKES ME HAPPY!! There... I said it! I love to eat and feed people!! (as if most people didn't already know this about me HA!) There is something utterly satisfying to me when I know my family, loved ones and I have eaten not only nutritious food but also delicious food. This strokes my womanly pride. I love to dazzle people with yummy food, its my love language! I think I have a Puerto Rican version of Bree Van de Kamp (Desperate House Wives) in me. I do hope a more sane and wholesome version of her though ha ha ha!


I have to say, I've been a bit discouraged about good food since I've been back to the USA. Don't get me wrong, I love me some good Chicago style Pizza, Mexican food, fat burgers and Jibarito sandwiches. Still, I miss so much about the way the Spanish view and enjoy food; Seems so much more to them. 


I love how the whole family will eat lunch together smack in the middle of the day. I miss how the smell of home-cooked food would fill my entire apartment building exactly at 2 in the afternoon, it was as if the entire country had stopped to eat together. If you stepped onto my terrace at 10AM, you could almost hear in unison the clinking of the spoons in every corner café. The ritual of eating great food and enjoying the people you love seem to be synonymous in Spain, and it is something I miss on a daily bases in this busy, hectic, and money driven country. 


Should Americans or anyone at that, have to pay criminally high prices for good quality food in order to feed their family something wholesome? The media can be quite overwhleming =/




ON A LIGHTER NOTE:


I made muffins tonight using the allrecipes.com recipe. I did alter it a bit! I'll clue you in, though most of these substitutes are pretty knows to most bakers. Hope these fill your home with that comforting warm smell as it did mine! Throw some crushed walnuts in there to change it up, delicious!

Ingredients : my substitutes in (....)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (Whole Wheat Flour)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup white sugar (Raw Brown Sugar)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (low sodium salt)
• 1 egg (2 egg whites)
• 3/4 cup milk (FF Milk)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (Apple Sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 
  
• Directions
• 
  
• 1. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
• 
  
• 2. In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.
• 
  
• 3. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.

"Just in time for cool fall evenings"...(Apple Crumble)

Crumble is really one of the simplest desserts you can make, which is why I like it so much! In a short time, you can whip up something that looks, taste and smells so lovely that people will ask for seconds for sure! Not to mention, it is so inexpensive it is to make. 


Growing up in a Puerto Rican family (and proud), our desserts mainly consisted of flans, cheese cake, rice puddings and coconut cream Popsicle most of the time. Crumbles, apple pies and anything of that sort was what I would see in movies, grocery stores or my "all American" friends houses for the holidays.


My very first crumble experience was actually made by my dear friend Rite. She is a lovely woman I met during my years in Spain. She is incredibly brilliant on so many levels and my life has definitely been enriched by her. Every time I make a crumble now, I think of her and how much she has inspired me to give my all in whatever  I do! Rite would use this mix of frozen berries and it was just delicious!! 




INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cooking apples, pared and sliced
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 table spoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 pinch salt
• Cream or vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Butter a 9" pie plate.
• Pile apples in plate and sprinkle with 2/3 cup sugar, 3 TBS butter, cinnamon and lemon juice.
• In food processor, pulse butter and sugar until combined; add flour and salt, pulse till combined.
• Press this crumbly mixture firmly over apples. 
• Bake for 45 minutes or until apples are tender.
• Serve garnished with heavy cream (the way I like it), whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
• *Note:  I used Gala, but your favorite will do just fine. For variation, recipe can be made with frozen or fresh berries or peaches.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to see pictures of your crumble! Also if there are any yummy dishes you would love to share with me, I would be more then happy to feature your yummy recipe or video on My Terracita blog.


Un beso, Carissa


PS: This month I am giving away a free cookbook. Make sure you enter the contest by commenting on my page (https://www.facebook.com/myterracita). Leave a comment saying that you LIKED the page (not the post but the actual page), and also by SHARING my blog on your personal facebook wall! This is your way to show some love and get the word out about My Terracita.


Adios!!

EGGPLANT FRITTERS IN MOLASSES (Berenjena frita con miel de caña)

You will love this tapa, one of my personal favorites! This recipe is from Claudia Roden´s cookbook "The food of Spain", great book to have if you like Mediterranean cooking.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants (about 1/4 pounds)

About 2 cups milk

Flour for dusting or dredging

Salt

Olive or sunflower oil for deep-frying

Molasses, orange blossom honey or other aromatic runny honey

Directions:

Peel the eggplants and cut them into slices about 1/3 inch thick. Put them in a bowl, add enough milk to cover, and put a small plate on top to hold them down. Let soak for 1 to 2 hours; drain.

Cover a plate with plenty of flour mixed with a sprinkling of salt. Working in batches, turn the eggplant slices in this so that they are entirely covered with flour, then shake them to remove the excess. Deep-fry in sizzling but not too hot oil, turning the slices over as soon as the first side is brown. Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot with a dribble of molasses or honey and a cold Malta drink and there you go!

*You can do these with a simple batter as well, they are equally as tasty =)

un abrazo,

cari