Oktoberfest on the Olympic Peninsula

For the last five years, we’ve been going to Leavenworth for Oktoberfest every fall. I love this tradition and how it’s evolved from crazy rides in the RV to a family event that involves quality family/friends time, a beautiful drive through the cascades, good food, German beer, a stop at Kris Kringle, a two-story shop with nothing but Christmas ornaments, a walk down by the river, Lederhosen, Dirndl, and a delicious breakfast on Sunday mornings before we head back home.

We usually go on last of the three weekends of Oktoberfest which typically falls on my birthday, and I’ve loved celebrating my birthday in Leavenworth over the last few years. No need to make plans, and my friends are already with me anyway. When I realized that we had booked an apartment in Leavenworth again for this year and that I would be celebrating my 30th birthday there, I wasn’t sure I liked the idea. I love Oktoberfest and our tradition, but I thought something else, maybe a bit more fancy and grown up would have been nice this year. I wasn’t against Oktoberfest, but felt cheated out of the option of coming up with something completely new and different for my big birthday. So I complained about it for a second, then got over it, and started to get excited for our annual tradition. Tony’s sisters Traci and Annie were planning to join us and we were going to have additional German support (my friend Bettina). I knew it was going to be great.

Whole Grain Cinnamon Apple Muffins

We were in the middle of turning our last batch of apples into apple sauce, when I realized we hadn't used our apples for anything else but snacks and apple sauce. I decided I needed to create something else. I wasn't in the mood for making pie crust and as you may have noticed, I'm on a muffin trip anyway. I quickly found a recipe for apple muffins that had everything I was looking for: whole wheat flour, raw apples, no sugar (she used honey instead), yoghurt. I love when a recipe turns out exactly the way I had imagined. This one is definitely a keeper. The only thing I changed is to cut the amount for the topping in half. Plenty for my taste. Here's the link to the original recipe: http://www.texanerin.com/2014/09/100-whole-grain-cinnamon-apple-muffins.html.

Our very last apples of the season are not the prettiest, I know, with all the dents and bruises, and the occasional worm, but that made them perfect for baking.

 

 

 

I didn't take any pictures during the process this time as I usually do, but I surprised myself when I was still super organized and prepped everything before I got started. My cooking style is usually not the most organized; some might even call it messy. I don't usually mind, it's what's always worked for me and since I rarely follow a recipe and don't even know where I'm going when I start sautéing onions, it doesn't quite make sense for me. It's different with baking though, and I'm learning to appreciate the idea of mise en place. Taking pictures for this blog while I'm baking has forced me to slow things down and get everything measured and organized before mixing ingredients. It feels a lot more structured and I feel like I don't have to look at the recipe every two seconds to make sure I get it right. Plus, I'm left with a lot smaller mess after I'm all done. Win!

 

Anyway, this is how my apple muffins turned out. They tasted wonderful and only lasted a couple of days. The topping added just the perfect amount of sweetness, but you could totally leave it off completely.

 

 

Notice how I not only stole The Texanerin's recipe but also her idea for the pictures? I've been enjoying playing with my camera for this blog and it's so much easier to practice with muffins than with a one year old. The only problem is that I usually do all of this when it's already dark out so I don't get a whole lot of natural light. I've been paying so much more attention to pictures on blogs since I started writing and am using other blogger's photographs as inspiration.

 

I'm sure (or at least I hope) you notice a difference in the pictures I've included in this blog post compared to my earlier ones (this one for example). I started to explore the basics of photo editing, and by that I don't mean using the effects button on my photo app on my cell phone. I wanted to get a feel for what I can do, how difficult it is, and if I would actually use it regularly before buying expensive software. So I did some research and opted for an online version for now. I used PicMonkey and I'm impressed with how easy it was to use and how much better my pictures look after some minor (or sometimes not so minor) editing. I used to think photo editing was cheating, but let's be honest, my photography skills aren't even close to being that great that I can manage to get the perfect lighting and exposure. So I decided I would focus on the composition of the picture and let a photo editor help me bring out the best in them. And I think it's worth it.

 

 

 

 Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone! 

 

 

 

Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chunks

I hope you’re not yet sick of my many muffin recipes I’ve been sharing… because here’s another one. This recipe is hands down my favorite in my baking section. Actually, I think it’s the only one besides my very basic pie crust recipe that I’ve used multiple times and never get sick of. Usually, I try to find a new recipe or try to change up one that I’ve previously used. The ones I try typically turn out pretty good, but just aren’t amazing enough to be added to my recipe book. When in doubt, I choose adventure over the already known. In the kitchen at least. But when it comes to zucchini bread, this is the one I make.

I still had some zucchini left over from our neighbor’s garden that I needed to use up, so I made sure I had plenty of chocolate, and created a delicious loaf of zucchini bread and some mini muffins. 

 

I found the recipe on Simple Bites, you should check out her website, she has some great tips and tricks. What I like about this recipe is that it’s relatively healthy (whole wheat flour, yoghurt, not too much sugar), it's super easy to make, and the result is the most fluffy and moist (sorry Sara if you’re reading this) zucchini bread. I also love the chunks of chocolate. I know she says you can use chocolate chips but it’s just not the same. Don’t skimp on it either. Use the full 4oz (yes, one whole bar). You won’t regret it.

Here's how I made it: 

Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
    1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:
    2 eggs, room temperature
    1/3 cup canola oil (or peanut)
    3/4 cup plain yogurt
    1/3 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with a splash of vinegar)
    1 cup organic Turbinado sugar (or brown sugar, firmly packed)
    2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    2 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini
    4 oz dark chocolate, chunked

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan and a mini muffing pan with cooking spray 

2. In a bowl, sift together dry ingredients and set aside. 

 

 

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy; beat in yogurt, buttermilk, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Combine well. Stir in grated zucchini and chopped chocolate.

 

4. Fold flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until combined. 

5. Pour batter into the loaf pan and spoon the rest into the mini muffin cups. Bake for approximately 50 minutes. 

6. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes in the pan. Loosen the sides and remove from pan. Cool loaf completely before cutting.

 

I hope you give it a try, I would love to hear what you think.