Carrot apple muffins

The irresponsible side of me decided to make muffins instead of studying this afternoon. But I have an arguably good excuse: my apples were rapidly approaching their final days, so I needed to reincarnate them into something more palatable than what they would have been in their raw form. But because I do have too much studying to attend to, this very short introduction to tickle your taste buds, a simple recipe, and a few pictures is all I can offer.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 24 muffin cups (2 muffin tins).
2. In a large bowl, combine:

• 2 cups flour
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ salt
• pinch of powdered ginger 
• 2 teaspoons cinammon

3. In another large bowl, combine:

• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• 2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 grated apple

4. In another medium bowl, whisk together:

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5.  Pour the egg mixture into the carrot-apple mixture and mix until well combined.
6. Make a well in the center of the flour, then add the egg-carrot-apple mixture. Mix until just combined. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way with the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Strawberry applesauce

My apologies for my hiatus as of late. Grad school has proven to be a bit more stressful than I had imagined and although I've been cooking a lot to keep myself sane, I've hardly had any time to post any of the awesome recipes that I've been making. I've realize though, in the past 6 weeks of grad school, that cooking is my release; it is one of the only ways that I can destress instantly. Some people like to work out, others enjoy a glass of wine, others watch TV...my ideal way to put the stressful day behind me is to crack open a cookbook, take out the knives and pans, and get lost in the aromas, colors, and familiar actions of concocting gustatory pleasure.

My parents came to visit us here in Iowa City this past weekend. We went to a local apple orchard and picked lots of apples. After I came home today from taking a surprisingly difficult exam (I hope the professor believes in curving), I decided to make some strawberry applesauce as reinforcement that the test is behind me and now I'm home. It is so delicious that I caught myself shoveling hot spoonfuls into my watering mouth right out of the food processor, not even allowing it to cool first.

In a large saucepan, combine:

• 5 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 10 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup water
• between 1/4 and 1/2 cup white sugar, depending on how sweet you like your applesauce
• 1 cinnamon stick

Simmer over low heat for about 20-30 minutes until the apples are tender. Once the apples are soft, transfer everything in the pot (except the cinnamon stick) into a food processor. Pulse a few times until everything is uniform. Depending on how chunky/smooth you like your applesauce, process until you've reached a desired consistency.