Monday, September 12, 2011

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I had two bananas that were really starting to turn brown and the thought of just throwing them away made me sad.  I didn't want to just make banana bread because everytime I make it, I think I am going to eat it and then half the loaf gets eaten and the other half ends up in the garbage.  So I thought banana chocolate chip muffins would be a great idea and since school just started it would be a great breakfast on the go.  This recipe came out great and I love that it calls for plain yogurt.


1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I am sure vanilla yogurt would work fine too)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup chocolate chips

In large bowl mix dry ingredients.  In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt, and vanilla.  Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until moistened.  Fold in banana and chocolate chips.  Fill muffin pan, if not using liners then you must grease the pan.  This made just 12 muffins for me, and I filled the muffin cups almost to the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Strawberry Infused Vodka

As we say good-bye to summer, I had a wonderful summery drink that I made with my strawberry infused vodka.  To be honest I think that when I am feeling the winter blues, I am going to be mixing up a drink with this yummy vodka.

Infusing vodka happens to be very easy and I think the flavor is much better than the flavored vodkas that are out there on the shelves.

To make the strawberry vodka you need to hull and slice your strawberries, put them in some sort of air tight container, and then pour your vodka over the strawberries.  I used a mason jar and used about a pint of strawberries.

Then let the strawberries and vodka sit in a cool dark place for about three days and agitate it once per day.  You will notice the strawberries will soon become white.  Once you have let your strawberries sit you will need to strain them.  I used a coffee filter over a strainer.  If you just use the strainer you end up with small bits of strawberry seeds.  Your vodka will end up with this wonderful red color to it.


I then stored my vodka in the fridge and mixed it with seltzer and a wedge of lime.  The best thing about this cocktail, besides how great it tastes, is that it doesn't have a ton of calories either.


My sister-in-law made raspberry infused vodka and we mixed it with lemon-lime soda, a splash of cranberry juice and a wedge of lime and it was a hit at her party!  I think we might try and make our own sweet tea vodka next.