Our week long heat wave broke on Monday and I made a mad dash for the kitchen. I’ve been eager to test a few recipes from Carole Walter’s latest book, Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight.

I first read about Ms. Walter’s book in Publisher’s Weekly magazine. Then I looked it up online, found it was well reviewed, and decided to check it out.

And am I ever glad I did!

I’ve tried three recipes so far: Favorite Vanilla Muffins, Sweet Potato Biscuits (to accompany Dave’s Skillet Hash from Fix, Freeze, Feast), and Peanut Butter Banana Muffins. All three of these recipes are freezer friendly. In fact, many of her recipes are suitable for freezing. It’s been great to sneak a few muffins into the freezer as I prepare for back to school.

One drawback is that the recipes are exacting and some have many steps. I bypassed the instruction to use the no. 16 ice cream scoop “with a spring-release, cog-regulated blade for portioning muffin batter.” A large spoon works just fine for portioning my batters.

Don’t miss a chance to try the recipes in this book. The extra attention and time are well worth it. The velvety texture achieved is something to behold. And each recipe is tasty too. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
From Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight. Kati’s note: This recipe is a great way to use up overly ripe bananas. I purchased a can of Spanish peanuts as directed, but I believe the muffins would not suffer if regular salted peanuts are all that is available in your area.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup fresh dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 1/2 medium, very ripe bananas)
1/3 cup medium chopped salted Spanish peanuts
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
4 teaspoons sparkling sugar (I omitted)

1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. heat the oven to 375F degrees. Line fourteen muffin cups with paper or foil cupcake liners. Kati’s Note: I used my silicone muffin pan and managed to divide the batter among the 12 cups.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
3. Combine the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Add the brown sugar, then the granulated sugar, and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for about 1 minute.
5. Combine the yogurt with the banana. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the yogurt/banana mixture, dividing the flour into three parts, and the yogurt mixture into two parts, starting and ending with the flour. Do not overmix.
6. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the peanuts for garnishing. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining peanuts and chocolate chips into the batter.
7. Portion lthe better into the prepared pans. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of peanuts and about 1/4 teaspoon sparkling sugar (Kati’s note: I omitted the sparkling sugar step).
8. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown. To ensure even baking, toward the end of the baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Did you get all that? Now you can see what I mean: exacting instructions; tasty, tasty recipes.

Several weeks ago the local newspaper reported that our natural gas provider is seeking a 40% rate increase. Since I cook and heat with natural gas, the article got my attention.

I know, I know. We’re in a “global marketplace.” We’ve just added 2 billion people in China and India to the global economy who all want to heat and cook with natural gas too (and drive cars, and buy washing machines and dishwashers, etc.).

I get it.

Facing the prospect of a rate increase, I started doing some research. My first step was to pluck the book, The Home Energy Diet from my bookshelf. It’s a handy book I encourage you to check out. Several pages in it are devoted to cooking. So for example, you can compare the energy used and costs associated with operating a toaster oven compared to your microwave or gas oven.

What interested me was the data on cooking with slow cookers. Compared to my gas stovetop, crockpot cooking uses less energy and costs less too. So now I’m working on expanding my proficiency and recipe file with slow cooker recipes.

Yesterday I challenged myself to use up the green onion and petite French green lentils in the pantry. Last time I cooked with brown lentils and was not satisfied with the result. They always seem to get mushy, so I’ve avoided them altogether.

But the writing is on the wall. Everyone is saying that meat prices are going to keep going up. Even the Wall Street Journal noted this week that experts anticipate food prices to keep accelerating through 2011.

In response to higher energy and meat prices, I’m starting to look for more meatless recipes that use the slow cooker. Suddenly, those French green lentils rose to the top of my list. Several resources I consulted suggested French green lentils are a much better choice than brown lentils, because they stay firm after cooking. Not mushy and not crunchy, but firm.

And that’s exactly what I found. I made this Lentil Soup recipe in my slow cooker with petite French green lentils and enjoyed it. Try it and see what you think.

Lentil Soup

Adapted from Colette Rossant’s, Memories of a Lost Egypt: A Memoir with Recipes. Aside from the slow cooking instructions, my changes are in italics. She calls for 1 teaspoon finely chopped, fresh thyme to cook with the lentils and then 2 teaspoons fresh chopped mint for garnish. I omitted both and still enjoyed the soup. By all means, add them if you wish.

1 large onion, peeled (or 5-6 green onions, white part only)
1 clove garlic, whole peeled (or more to taste)
1 bay leaf
1 pound French green lentils, rinsed and cleaned of debris
8 cups (2 - 32 ounce containers) chicken stock
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons butter

1. Place onion, whole clove garlic, bay leaf, lentils, and stock in slow cooker. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours, or until lentils are soft.
2. To serve, remove the onion, whole garlic clove, and bay leaf. Add minced garlic and 2 teaspoons butter.
3. Optional: Ladle one half of lentils into a food processor and puree until smooth. Add puree mixture to soup remaining in slow cooker and mix until combined. Serve immediately. Or, cook completely and store in refrigerator 3-4 days for low-cost lunches through the week.

The clouds have finally cleared and we’ve had a good couple of weeks of solid sunshine. While I was watching the kids outside, a nearby neighbor who is a police officer was working in his yard. I struck up a conversation with him by asking how work was going, given the economic downturn.

I shared with him that I’m very glad that Russell and I spent a few spring weekends clearing enough space in the garage to fit the cars inside at night. That with $4+ gas, I think more people will be out siphoning. He shared that local police are noticing siphoning kits more and more often.

Not a week had passed before I received my Costco Connection magazine. In it was the article: “Gas thieves can drain you dry.” Here’s the link to the magazine home page. You can click on the current issue and then read the article on page 11. I was shocked to read that because of tank locks, thieves are drilling through the tank UNDER the car. I had no idea. I was just thinking about the gas, but now you have to worry about the added cost of a new tank, and what happens if there’s a spark? Yikes.

If a little clutter is what is keeping you from parking in the garage, now might be a good time to clear it away. Sell it. Freecycle it. Donate it. Or take it to the dump. If it’s not worth more than a new tank AND gas to fill it, then it might be a risk not worth taking.