Blood Orange Poppy Seed Muffins

Pin It Here's to my first food post in a while, so I wanted to make it worth it.  The blood oranges around here are fantabulous!  They were especially juicy around the time when I actually made these muffins.  There were a few weekends in a row we were treating ourselves to delicious citrus juices. It's one of the best ways to brighten up the long, cold winter.  Not to mention, it gives that needed boost of vitamin C during the nasty cold and flu season.  Speaking of cold winter, it's snowing again in Brussels!

Best juice ever.  

Unfortunately now, they are now a little out of season, but I am still able to find them and they are still pretty tasty.  My favorite way to consume blood oranges is in the form of a martini.  Blood. Orange. Martinis.  Yes, please.  I could also appreciate consuming them in the form of a mimosa, margarita or sangria.  I don't know why blood oranges make me think of cocktails.  Those all being out of the question now that I am knocked up (I am blaming that on the reason I have been so lazy, btw).... these muffins will have to do.  And they sure did.

I even made a pan of super cute mini muffins.  Finally, the perfect (and most fun) way to use up excess batter.  I used to make one giant muffin in a pyrex, but mini muffins are the way to go.

Delicious.  Melt in your mouth.  Mini Morsels of yumminess.  Yes, I really liked these muffins.

Blood Orange Poppy Seed Muffins 
barely adapted from For the Love of Cooking

Makes 12 regular and 12 mini muffins

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of white sugar
Zest of two small blood oranges
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup plain yogurt
Juice of 2 1/2  blood oranges (Mandatory: enjoy the left over half yourself)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened -( make sure it is soft, I had a little trouble being patient and my batter ended up being slightly lumpy... but the muffins were still delicious)
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F and grease muffin tin (mini one, too! So you don't forget - like I did initially).

Combine fragrant orange zest and sugar until thoroughly mixed.  Use your fingers if you have to.
Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) in a separate bowl.

Beat yogurt, juice, eggs, vanilla, butter and sugar zest together until uniform (or just slightly lumpy if you are impatient like me).  Slowly combine dry mixture with wet.  Add poppy seeds, gently folding them in.

Scoop batter evenly into tins.  Bake regular sized muffins for 15-18 minutes and small muffins for 10-12 or toothpick comes out clean.  Cool and serve.

Bon Appetit!

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Anacapri & Capri's Arco Naturale

Pin It Wow!  I should be ashamed of myself... I have been so wrapped up in only God knows what that I missed my Blog-o-versary!  A few months ago I was really looking forward to that day.  I had so many thoughts of what I would make to celebrate my blog-o-versary, and I downright missed it.  Hopefully I am out of this so-called "blog rut," long enough to prepare a fantastic 2 year blog-o-versary celebration.  Keep your fingers crossed.  I was contemplating giving up on the good old blog.  It's just such a time commitment and when you are lazy like me (especially lately), and your mac takes a crap, it can become a burden.  Blogging on a PC?  I don't like.  But enough about that, I'll just blog when I feel like it and in this upcoming year there will be some changes.  Now's not the time to quit.  I would hate to give up on the blog when my life is about to change so radically... and there is still travel and sometimes food to be documented!  So, speaking of travel, I'll pick up where I left off:

Capri.  It had been a dream of mine since I was 17 and I saw a photo of Capri to have my honeymoon there.  While, honeymoon it was not, and the weather didn't quite cooperate (the story of our trip to Italy) we still had a nice evening on the island and it was actually a gorgeous sunny day when we left Amalfi and headed to Capri!  This was on the Amalfi Coast drive somewhere between Minori and Sorrento.  We finally got some much needed Vitamin D!

We took the ferry from Sorrento to the Island.  Then continued on an insane bus ride up to Anacapri, where we were staying (literally translating to "above Capri").  As the bus drove up the hill side, there were some spots that looked straight down to the sea.  I pretty much loved every minute of it, but if you are afraid of heights, grab an inside seat.  Once we got to our really charming hotel with views over Anacapri, we decided to head to Capri and grab a drink.  While I had heard drinking & eating & doing pretty much anything in Capri can clear out your pockets, we weren't quite prepared to pay 10+ euro for a .25 beer in the city center.  So, we walked onward.  Thankfully, because we can across a sign that said "Arco Naturale."  I had read about this footpath and it was one of the things I wanted to see on Capri.  We took a chance and followed the signs through the winding village.  There was definitely some climbing involved (as with anything in the South of Italy).  According to Frommer's there are some "800 odd steps" to get there.  But the view. was. spectacular.

and with our feet. duh.

We made our way back to Capri through little paths like this:

and then hopped on the bus back to Anacapri.  We had dinner reservations at a small, local restaurant that our hotel recommended.  The food was delicious and the prices were reasonable for the island.  If you go to Capri, staying in Anacapri is much more affordable.  We took in the view from our hotel before going to bed.  We were exhausted.  Good night Anacapri.

We woke up to terrible winds and rain with thunderstorms in the future and after a hearty breakfast the hotel recommended we catch a ferry to the mainland as early as possible to avoid being stuck on the island if there were cancellations.  So with that, and a very rocky rough ferry ride back, we headed to Roma. Pin It

That's Minori {a Few Days on the Amalfi Coast}

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After a stop in Pompeii, we spent the next few {rainy} days in the small village of Minori, just south of Amalfi on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.  A few years ago I had a calendar from 100 places to see before you die, and the Amalfi Coast Drive was featured as one of the 12 months.  Since then, I wanted to go.  Not surprisingly, it is on lists of "World's Most Beautiful Drives" all over.

Now, thankfully we had quite the courageous driver, because this drive is not for sissies.  With 1000's of turns, driving on snake like roads on cliffsides high above the torquoise sea, is not for the faint of heart.  My feet were clenching the entire drive.  I guess I do that when I am nervous.  Don't even get me started on the nerves when we passed giant coach busses full of tourists.  At some points, the road was barely big enough for one.

Our first day we awoke to a cloudy, slighty rainy Minori and of course some fresh espresso.  Fresh Italian coffee {and pastries} make everything better.  We contemplated what to do for the day.  Go for a wine tasting, check out Amalfi or Positano, hike to Ravello? 
Since the forecast was only to get worse, we decided to attempt the hike to Ravello.  Ravello is situated just above Minori, and is said to be one of the most beautiful towns on the Amalfi Coast.  I had heard it is about an hour hike {uphill} and the views were amazing.  After a nice hearty gnocchi lunch, we headed for the hills {literally}.

Well, we didn't last too long before it started coming down.  The rain was one thing, but then some serious lightening started.

We took shelter in this ornate Italian cemetery.  I think it was one of the most well-taken care of cemeteries I have ever seen.  There were a few locals also taking shelter from taking care of their loved one's graves.  They told us the storm would pass, so we thought we would try again.  We made it about 4 minutes until we got freaked out from the lightening (at least I did (and I am pretty sure Julia too ;), and insisted we head back to Minori) and headed back down the hillside.  While we didn't make it to Ravello, we did make friends with the owner's of the local bar "Cafe Europa" and passed the afternoon nice and toasty with a few Peroni's.  Tomorrow would be another day.

The next day, forecasted to be raining on and off, we decided to head to the neighboring town Positano, enjoy the drive along the coast, do a little lot of shopping, and a little eating.  We had our heart set on stopping at the popular Ceramiche shops, which sell hand painted Italian dishes, vases, tiles, tables, and pretty much anything else you can think of.  We found a large shop on the way and decided to make a pit stop.  Which was both a great and a terrible idea, depending on who you ask!  Let's just say they gave us free Lemoncello shots when we were done making our purchases, to calm Paul's nerves after the money that was dropped and of course, to thank us ladies :) 

 Then it was off to beautiful Positano. 
We spent the day walking around the village, enjoying the sites, and of course stopped for some
pizza.  A great way to spend a slightly rainy day on the Amalfi coast.

Being our last day in the region, Paul and I decided to attempt {again} the hike to Ravello, while the girls would spend another day shopping and sight seeing, this time in Amalfi. 

We enjoyed the views under the first blue skies we'd seen in the South. 

We climbed thousands of steps, sneaking peaks in people's gardens, viewing tiny colorful villages set just above the sea and saying hi to friendly kitties which seemed to be everywhere while we followed to signs to Ravello.








Paul even stole what I suspected to be a not-so-ripe olive.  Judging by his face, it was not so tasty.  He demanded water immediately. 

























After about an hour of climbing, we arrived in the cute little village of Ravello, and with that the rain started.  We were planning on checking out the Rufolo Gardens, which I read are fantastic, but with cold wet feet, we opted for a nice cozy lunch instead, which did not disappoint.  After lunch, the rain had not let up, so we planned to meet the girls at our favorite spot in Minori for some afternoon Peronis, Cafe Europa.  Paul and I opted to take the bus down rather than fight the rain.  However, after waiting for about a half hour with 20 other tourists, and still no bus, we decided we might as well just fight the rain and head back down on foot.  Well, I sure am glad we did because just when we were feeling cold, wet and depressed from the weather, the most beautiful thing happened.

The rain finally let up, the most beautiful and vibrant rainbow appeared right over Minori. 

And then there were two.  I was happy ecstatic,  as you can see {you'll have to excuse my hair, though, and the poncho}.  It was a great last day on the Amalfi Coast.

Stay tuned for Capri & Roma! 

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Pumpkin Muffins

Pin It It's that time of year.  Turkey Day is right around the corner and being in a foreign country starts to get a little sad.  Normally we love the perks of living overseas, more holiday, travel, culture.  We were in Italy just a few weeks ago, so I really can't complain, I know. 

But when no one around you understands the meaning of Thanksgiving, a day devoted to stuffing your face full of Turkey and all of the fixin's, spending time with the fam, watching football (for some, certainly not me), and the overall cozy holiday feeling, all followed by a day of shopping that would be unimaginable to most here, you feel a little homesick!  Get my drift?  Not to mention, having a Thursday off pretty much rules.  Oh Thanksgiving, how I love you.  You might quite possibly be the best. holiday. ever.

That said, being away won't stop us from diving happily into a Thanksgiving dinner and celebrating with some fellow Americans here in Belgium.

But, while I am at work on Turkey Day :(, you should think about whipping whip up these delicious Pumpkin Muffins for breakfast, to keep your family's hunger satisfied while the aroma of turkey, stuffing and pecan pie are filling your home, of course.  Better yet, whip them up the day before, I find they are even more moist the second day.

And I am sure you have leftovers from the last recipe you made using canned pumpkin.  But, if you are opening up a fresh can, don't fret.  I found this list from Simple Bites which has a great compilation of 23 ways to use leftover pumpkin puree.

This pumpkin muffin recipe is healthified, so you can feel good about serving it to the family Turkey Day morning, while you watch the parade.

 Pumpkin spice candles not necessary. 

Pumpkin Muffins
as adapted from MidniteJasmine at allrecipes.com

serves 12

Ingredients:
3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c wheat flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4  t nutmeg
3/4  t cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves

2 eggs
1/4 c shredded carrots 
a heaping 1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
1/3 c chocolate chips (more if you like very chocolatey!)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Grease three 12 cup muffin pans, or line with paper muffin liners.  Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix eggs, carrots, pumpkin and applesauce in a seperate bowl.  Add the wet mixture to the dry.  Stir to combine.  Gently fold in the chocolate chips.  Fill muffin tin 3/4 full.  Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Happy Turkey Day all! 
   

 


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