2012 Favorites

Well friends, can you believe it?  The year is about to end.

This year was different than the last several as cycling fell off our radar in early summer.  This left time for fishing, backyard makeover, kayaking and just plain hangin' around.  It was nice.

There were also trips to Chicago, Leavenworth/Seattle, Jenner, Bend and Laguna Beach (haven't shared those last two yet!).  We didn't see our favorite place in the whole world, Montana, but hopefully we'll return in 2013.

We are blessed.

I was excited to be nominated to be one of the Top 25 Nor-Cal Mom's for 2012 over at Circle of Mom's and had two recipes featured there!  I was also happy to work with California Farm to Table this year and have several recipes featured on their site > Philly Cream Peach Tart, Spicy Pumpkin Hummus, Homemade Garden Burgers,Salmon Cakes with Creamy Dill Sauce.  I had another feature at a great little linky as well.  I also entered my first cooking contest with Real Women of Philadelphia, and though I didn't win a new kitchen, my recipe was featured there too.  I'm also happy to have been featured on my friend's great blog, The Tasty Alternative, not once, but twice (thanks Amber!).  It has been a big year for this little blog.

Thank you to everyone who read, reads and continues to visit this little bloggy.  It means more than you know.  

Now here are your favorites of 2012!

1.  Homemade Garden Burgers & Sir Kensington's Gourmet Scooping Ketchup

2.  Cold Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mint, Craisins & Almonds

3.  Salmon Cakes with Creamy Dill Sauce (good thing all that fishin' happened)

4.  SlimKicker Review & Giveaway - proof that everyone likes free stuff.

5.  Pumpkin Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Glaze

6.  Trail Protocol: What side of the bike trail you should be on and why

Cheers to a safe and Happy New Year!  Can't wait to see what's to come in 2013.

♥TCW

Pumpkin Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Glaze

I've been loving reading everyone's fall blog posts with fall leaves and fire places and pumpkins.
Fall just happened here yesterday.  We went from running the A/C to running the heat.
Seriously.

At the beginning of the month I decided to pretend it was fall anyway.
Even though it was over 100 degrees outside.
I know this is California, but 100 degrees at the beginning of October?!

Apparently Mother Nature didn't realize she was messing up all my fall recipe plans.
So, I fired up my oven and attempted to make bread anyway.
And then this happened.

Loaf of yummy bread too big. #oops #recipefail instagr.am/p/QOIcB6Hlry/
— Sarah (@TheCyclistsWife) October 1, 2012

I think it was Mother Nature saying "haha crazy lady cranking up your oven to make pumpkin bread on a 100 degree day!  I defeat you!".

Or maybe I just should have figured out you can't really fill a loaf pan all the way to the top really full and expect your bread to cook through.  Yeah.

And when you think, I'll show you bread! and you turn your bread out onto the cooling rack and it breaks wide open to reveal its doughy insides.  Blerg.
The bread and Mother Nature showed me.

So, when the weather got more fall-ish, I decided to make muffins instead.
I'm glad I did.  These are tasty and best served hot.

By the way, I'm glad it's now officially fall here.  My soup queue is totally overflowing and I'm ready to get my bake on.  Can you tell?


Yield: About 15 medium sized muffins
Ingredients:

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used whole fat)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 overly ripe bananas
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Cinnamon Glaze

1 cup powdered or confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. milk

How to:

Begin by preparing the batter.
Mix yogurt and butter until well blended.
Add pumpkin and bananas and mix well.
Add sugars, pumpkin pie spice and egg, mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl mix the remaining dry ingredients and add to wet mixture.  Mix until well blended.
Lightly spray your muffin tin with oil and pour the batter equally into each muffin slot.
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and turn out onto a cooling rack.
While the bread is cooling, prepare the glaze.
Mix the confectioners sugar and cinnamon.
Add milk 1 tbsp. at a time until well blended.
Drizzle over muffins and serve.

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Real Food Forager
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