The last recipe of the day – and this time it’s gluten-free!
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup avocado oil (or other vegetable oil)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Zest from 2 oranges
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F and oil a 12 serving muffin pan.
In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the pizza crust mix, sugar and baking powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold together, being careful not to overmix.
Fold in the orange zest and chocolate chips.
Pour into the prepared cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 350F for 20-22 minutes until golden and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This is our third muffin recipe of the day, from Nathanael.
Unfortunately, according to Nathanael, this muffins were just too rich. I think leaving out either the orange or mint would have helped – both together was a little much!
Ingredients:
1 egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with a little lemon juice or vinegar stirred in – let sit for 10 minutes)
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 tsp mint extract
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F
Whisk egg with sugar. Whisk in melted butter. Whisk in 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Stir in grated orange zest and mint extract. Stir well until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients briefly until just incorporated.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon into prepared muffin cups or loaf pan(s). Bake at 375F until a toothpick comes away dry or with a few moist crumbs when inserted in the center (typically 15-25 minutes for muffins, longer for loaves).
To create this recipe, Nathanael used the “Muffinator”.
This is the second recipe in a series of four – one from each member of the family.
This is the recipe that Hannah invented, and apparently it was a big success.
Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder (Hershey’s, of course)
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp oatmeal
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Maraschino cherries, cut in halves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F
Whisk egg with granulated sugar. Whisk in melted butter. Whisk in milk.
Stir in vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Stir in grated orange zest. Stir well until smooth.
In a separate bown, combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients briefly until just incorporated.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon into prepared muffin cups or loaf pan(s). Put 1/2 a maraschino cherry on top of each muffin. Bake at 375F until a toothpick comes away dry or with a few moist crumbs when inserted in the center (typically 15-25 minutes for muffins, longer for loaves).
To create this recipe, Hannah used the “Muffinator”. Try it! 🙂
A little while ago we had a muffin-making bonanza. For our family time together, we decided to invent our own muffin recipes and bake them.
I promised to share those recipes with you. So – ladies first – we’ll start with Shari’s recipe. The rest will follow later today.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Grated zest of 2 oranges
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
80g oatmeal (about .87cups)
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Optional: 224g blueberries, sugar and cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Whisk eggs together with granulated sugar. Whisk in melted butter. Whisk in milk.
Stir in vanilla extract and cinnamon. Stir in grated orange zest until mixture is smooth.
In a separate bown, combine flours, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients briefly until just incorporated.
Fold in blueberries.
Spoon into prepared muffin cups or loaf pan(s). Optional: cook another 224g of blueberries, along with a little sugar down to make a jam. Divide the jam among the muffins or loaves and swirl a bit with a toothpick of chopstick. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar mixed with cinnamon to taste.
Bake at 375F until a toothpick comes away dry or with a few moist crumbs when inserted in the center (typically 15-25 minutes for muffins, longer for loaves).
To create this recipe, Shari used the “Muffinator”. All who tried these muffins thought they were yummy. 🙂
Yesterday Shari had another baking class, and it was a great success! So – how did all this get started?
Back in 2009, Shari, Mayra and Aurora started doing baking classes in Jesús MarÃa. I should mention Tiffany too, who was there for the first class even though she wasn’t living here at the time.
Around the same time they also did a baking class in Santa Barbara.
This was the beginning of many more baking classes in both communities. So – what are they all about?
The ministry, known as Amigas del Alma, was described by Rod this way back when it started:
The phrase “Amigas del Alma” has two meanings in Spanish. The common meeting [sic] is “soul friends” or “best friends.” The second meaning is “friends of the soul.” Obviously the purpose of this dynamic trio is to reach women through different creative events, principally…are you ready for this…baking and cooking. So far, Shari has helped the women make banana muffins, and Tiffany assisted in making Christmas cookies. [original post]
Amigas del Alma has evolved quite a bit in over three and a half years, and the “amigas” have changed over time. But here’s the basic idea…
How it works
It’s nice to have a specialty, and Amigas del Alma has specialized in desserts. Yes, it could have ended up much broader, but sticking (more or less) to desserts has brought a nice focus, specialization and expertise. Shari has also tried to bring recipes that are less known here in Mexico City.
Actually, dessert-making here is not especially common. You can buy cakes at the store, and you might make flan or rice pudding, but there’s not the variety that there is when it comes to other types of food. Not to mention that many Mexican women use their ovens more for storage than for baking!
Shari usually hands out the ingredients and what-to-bring list a week early (not the recipe itself – that would take the fun out of it!). Everyone brings their ingredients and what bowls and utensils they can.
Then at the class, Shari goes through the recipe and everyone bakes more or less together. Some share ingredients, others bake their own thing – and it kind of depends on what’s being baked. But everyone wants something to take home! 🙂
As the goodies are in the oven, someone leads a short, simple devotional.
As time has passed, Shari has learned a lot (as have the rest of us!) about what and how to teach! For example, how to explain things in a culture that often just doesn’t have the specific words that we use in Canada when we bake (how do you “cream”? or “fold”?). Or what things are natural to those of us who have grown up baking, but are foreign to those who haven’t. (For example, a pie is not a stew – you can’t just put everything in at the same time and mix it like crazy and throw it in the oven!)
Some things we’ve more or less invented Spanish names for – fun!
Why it’s so cool
There are a lot of reasons why the baking class has been an awesome ministry! For example:
It’s delicious! What a great thing to share – and to bring home to your family! Good feelings all around!
It’s relational! What a great way to get to know people – believers, unbelievers – what a great way to make friends!
You can invite your friends! It’s a fun, non-threatening atmosphere.
It’s a great skill! As a matter of fact, some women have used what they’ve learned to earn money for their families!
You can bring your kids! And many women have over the years. It’s a great mother/daughter event! (And yes, some guys have come once or twice – but here in Mexico, that’s just pretty weird.)
You can pass it on! You can teach baking – and then someone else can take the same recipe and do the same thing – and some have!
Short termers can be involved! As Tiffany did when she first visited, many others from the USA and Canada have come and have been involved. Can’t speak much Spanish? No problem – just come and share a recipe, help stir, and share a smile. You’d be surprised how powerful it can be!
Oh, and of course when someone shares something from the Bible, something else happens. People start to think about spiritual things – and struggles, and hopes. And conversations get started. And people are introduced to – the Pan de Vida (Bread of Life)!
And His food and drink last forever!
Thanks to those who have prayed for this ministry, and those who have donated supplies. Sometimes at the end of a series of classes, the women are invited to one of our closing programs, and they get a little gift. It’s especially fun to get something that’s expensive or hard to get here, that can help with future baking exploits!
And looking back, it’s so neat to see women in the church who got to know other believers through Amigas del Alma. And of course, they got to know Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
I’ve successfully restored another album in our gallery. It was a new one when our gallery got fried, so you might not have seen it before.
It’s a collection of pictures featuring birthday cakes that Shari has made for the kids. I think we have all of them in there now, except for the cakes from this year (which are still in our Recent shots… album).
So check them out! Maybe you’ll get a new idea for your next party. 🙂