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.

Lemony blueberry muffins

I went on a bit of a cooking rampage today to cope with the news that we can't adopt our kitten until next week. She contracted an upper respiratory infection that needs to be cured and then she needs to be spayed. This was really hard to hear because we were expecting to be able to pick her up today. So, as a result, we have a kitten-proofed apartment, chicken hanging out in a yogurt-curry marinade in the fridge, a giant bowl of corn salad, and a dozen glorious lemony blueberry muffins. Although the former two dishes are yummy, the muffins are definitely a recipe worth sharing. This recipe comes from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Although the height of blueberry season has passed, in the slight chance you froze some fresh blueberries or can come across some great looking blueberries at the store, I really recommend you make these when the moment arises. In the meantime, I doubt these will hold us over until our kitten arrives.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
2. Sift together, then make a well in the center:

• 1.5 cups unbleached white flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

3. In a separate container, beat together:

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 3/4 cup milk (lowfat ok)
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4. Pour this mixture into the well, and stir gently until blended, gradually adding:

• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or unsweetened frozen, defrosted and drained)

5. Fill the muffin cups just to the rim. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted all the way into the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan right away; cool on a rack for 10 minutes before devouring.