Carrot Pineapple Muffins

There is no other way to say it, my son Kendrick hates fruits and vegetables. He hasn't always been this picky and I am sure he will grow out of it, but in the meantime it is a challenge to get his daily requirement of fruits and vegetables. I must say that I have become quite expert in hiding them in food, although he is beginning to catch on. The first thing he will ask when being offered a new food is, "Okay Mom, tell me everything you put in to this, and I mean everything."

These muffins are incredibly delicious and moist. They are drizzled with a light glaze which makes them irresistible. When grating my carrots, I will put them in the food processor until they have become very fine. That way they can be easily hidden in just about anything.

1 ½ Cups all purpose flour
1 Cup quick oats

3/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ Teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon of cloves

2 Teaspoons baking powder
½ Teaspoon baking soda
½ Teaspoon salt
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 Cup shredded carrots
½ cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 Teaspoon vanilla

½ Cup powdered sugar
3-4 Teaspoons milk


Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bottom on twelve medium muffin cups with cooking spray.


Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl; mix well. In medium bowl, combine pineapple (including juice), carrots, milk, oil, egg and vanilla; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. DO NOT OVER MIX.


Fill muffin cups almost full.


Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool muffins in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool 10 minutes. For glaze, combine ingredients in small bowl; mix until smooth. Drizzle evenly over muffins. Serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Carrots

We have an over abundance of carrots from the garden and so I will be sharing with you a variety of recipes that my family enjoys. This particular recipe is a favorite of ours. It is sweet and tangy all rolled into one. The recipe is supposed to be served cold but my family also enjoys it warm.




5 Cups sliced, cooked carrots
1/2 Cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2/3 Cup sugar
10oz. Can tomato soup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 Cup Olive oil
1 Teaspoon prepared mustard
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pre-cook sliced carrots and set aside. In medium saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour over carrots. Chill thoroughly.
Makes 12 servings.

*Try serving warm over rice for a quick light dinner. When I do serve it over rice, I add in broccoli. It not only tastes great but adds color to the meal.

Harvest

This is officially the first harvest from our winter garden we planted in January. (This is one of the advantages of living in the Southwest, year round gardens.) Yes, there were a few cold spells and even some snow but we insulated the plants with mulch and covered them when ever a frost warning came in effect. This gives us an early harvest and we still have plenty of time to get two more plantings in this year.

Beets, green onions, and carrots.

Brigitta thought these carrots were cute
because they were hugging.

This is actually our 4th large bowl of strawberries this year.

I only had time to harvest one-fifth of our carrots this morning and then everyone (except Kendrick) asked for carrot salad. I have several different recipes that I have created over the years for carrot salad. The one we chose today is Carrot Crasin.

Carrot Crasin Salad

4 Cups chopped carrots
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
Dash of Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Crasins


Cut the carrots in 1-2 inch chunks and put in food processor. Chop until desired size. Stir together mayonnaise, milk and sugar. Sprinkle in cinnamon to your taste. I usually do at least three shakes. Fold into carrots. Add crasins. Refrigerate until chilled and flavors have a chance to blend.

ENJOY!

When I do not have fresh carrots on hand I will tap into my food storage and use dehydrated carrots. To rehydrate carrots add them to equal amounts of boiling water for quick re hydration. You may use cold water but it will take 1 to 2 hours. If they are soaked for more than 2 hours, they should be refrigerated.