Baking Fool

Yesterday I made a triple recipe of the best mixed-berry muffins ever. And they were totally Superfoods-filled, too! The recipe has three cups of yogurt, four cups of antioxidant-rich berries, heart-healthy canola oil and organic whole-wheat flour. I was halfway through making the batter when I realized that I didn't have enough sugar, so I used mostly brown sugar and reduced the yogurt by a touch to make up for the moisture. They turned out perfect.

A few months ago I found a huge restaurant muffin pan (it's so big, it just barely fits in my oven) that makes gorgeous muffins with big tops, just like the ones at Coco's. My triple recipe actually made two dozen muffins in this tin.

I also made some lentil soup. Not only was this the first time I've made lentil soup, it was the first time I've ever eaten lentils. I think I'm going to have to experiment some more. Maybe buy a can of Amy's lentil soup so I can see what it's supposed to taste like. Even though I cooked the lentils for twice as long as the recipe called for, they were sort of--crunchy. Like beans that aren't quite soft enough, if you know what I mean. It was a weird texture in my mouth, and the lentils, to me, had a sort of raw flavor that wasn't what I had been anticipating. The flavor of the soup was good, and we ate it, but it wasn't something I'd add to my weekly menu.

I want to give bulk cooking a try this week. Here's my plan:

1. Boil two whole chickens, pull the meat and make some broth.
2. Make a double batch of navy bean soup.
3. Make some more muffins to freeze.
4. Make a double batch of granola.
5. Prepare and freeze (before baking) a tray of enchiladas and a tray of eggplant parmesan.
6. Bake some more oat bread and some rolls.
7. Prepare salad base for the week.

Besides ending up with a freezer full of ready-to-go organic, healthy food, We'll have the added benefit of heating the house with the oven all day and cutting back on furnace use.

In other news, Adrienne is auditioning for the Las Vegas Academy this morning, which is a local arts and languages high school. The goal is to be moved to Ely well before the next school year starts, but just in case (considering we've tried to move for the past year and here we sit) she's covering her bases. She's going to Ely on March 2nd to spend the rest of the school year with her grandparents, finishing out junior high. She wants to start high school in Ely already knowing some kids. My girl--a hedge better.

Oh god. How am I going to manage four months without my baby? I know it will be good for her. An adventure, that her overly-careful spirit really needs. When I was her age I spent the summer in Costa Rica visiting my best friend's family. Ely isn't Costa Rica, but the world is a different place now than it was in 1984. And Adrienne doesn't have a friend with family in an exotic location. (Is it totally screwed up that I'm incredibly relieved that she doesn't?)