We Interrupt Our Knitting Content For..........

MUFFINS!


My youngest son LOVES almond-poppy seed muffins, but I don't love the price of the Krusteaz muffin mixes he prefers. I knew I could make more, better muffins, from scratch and less expensively than the cost of a mix. So I warmed up my google-fu and searched for a muffin recipe. Reading down the ingredient list of the majority of recipes nearly gave me a heart attack. They ALL used so much OIL! I wanted Almond-Poppy Seed muffins, not OIL Muffins. This prompted me to figure out how to make a tasty muffin (that would be 13-year-old-boy approved), and not be swimming in oil. I suppose what I came up with is low-fat (sorta), but it wasn't what I was shooting for. I just wanted muffins my kid would eat. So here it is......

MY ALMOND POPPYSEED MUFFINS

WET INGREDIENTS
2 ½ cups plain non-fat yogurt
½ cup vegetable oil
6 large eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla
3 tsp almond extract
2 cups milk (I used non-fat)
Measure and mix all together.

DRY INGREDIENTS
6 cups flour
4 ½ sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 TBSP Poppy Seeds.

Measure and mix together dry ingredients. Then add wet ingredients to dry and mix until all is combined (do not beat). Spoon into muffin cups ( I used a standard size ice cream scoop for regular-sized muffins). Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

This makes a HUGE number of muffins - 4 dozen standard size muffins (I have a freezer and I'm not afraid to use it!). But you can easily halve the recipe, or make Lemon-Poppy Seed muffins by substituting Lemon Flavoring for the Almond, and throwing in the zest of a lemon. Next up, experimenting with other flavor muffins (although the kid will eat ONLY Almond-Poppy Seed - I told you he was weird).

2010 - The Year of Socks

Apparently, for me, 2010 has been the year of socks......In no particular order......


















A total of SEVENTEEN pairs of socks by my count on Ravelry (couldn't find all of the pics in my file). And I am proud to say that the majority of these socks were knitted for Afghans for Afghans. Although I am ashamed to say that I had promised my husband 6 new pairs of socks in 2010. He got ONE (well, I got a second pair of socks halfway done for him. Halfway). So I have to work harder on my hubby's sock supply. He loves his handknitted socks and I have to keep his tootsies warm.

I DO have a knitting goal for 2011. I want to knit a piece for entry into the Puyallup Fair. That's the big deal state fair in my neck o' the woods. I do have a piece in mind. Well, a couple of pieces, that require that I learn a new technique - Entrelac. Proud to say that learning Entrelac was pretty easy. I am now the master of entrelac, and to prove it, I knit THIS:


Noro Kureyon from the Beardsley stash. Next up, Motley from Knitty.com. I have assembled a HUGE random collection of Noro Kureyon for this little gem.

And now for recent FO's. Not much in the way of Christmas gifts. I wasn't in the mood to kill myself with a Christmas deadline this year, but I did do gifts for the girls in the office. A shawl for Galina:
Gloves for Kayley And a hat because I thought the pattern was interesting and I had yarn.


Well there is a big ball of Kureyon calling my name................