Sweet Summer Squash Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sweet summer squash muffins are fabulous. Like your favorite zucchini bread, no one even suspects they contain vegetables. Even picky eaters love these!

There are many types of summer squash, in other words squash that is picked young and small so that their skins are tender enough to eat but my absolute favorite is crookneck squash. I slice it into circles and cook it with garlic (and often bacon) and can eat it all summer long. It’s one of the things I missed most living overseas. Never saw it outside the southern United States, not even once.

I’m making up for lost time this summer! 

Unfortunately for me, the rest of the family is not as enamored. They seem to think there is a limit to how often crookneck squash can be served. Which is ridiculous. I won them over to my side with these muffins though.

Sweet Summer Squash Muffins

Bake these in a normal 12-cup muffin pan or a 24-cup mini muffin pan. Even though it’s technically exactly the same amount of muffins by weight, I find the mini ones get eaten a lot faster. Who can resist a tiny muffin or three?

Ingredients

1 young crookneck squash (about 5 2/3 oz or 160g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1/2 cup or 100g white sugar
1/2 cup or 100g dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 cup or 80ml milk
1/3 cup or 80ml canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional add in: 1/2 cup or 100g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 24-cup mini muffin pan or 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it or lining it with muffin papers.

Grate your squash with the small holes of your grater onto a paper towel then and spread it around in a colander to drain.  Sprinkle with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, sugars, baking powder and cinnamon.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.

Use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to squeeze moisture out of the grated squash. 

Pour your wet mixture into the dry ingredients then add the grated squash.

Fold until they are just combined.  There should be some dry flour still showing. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool further on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Check out all the great muffin recipes my Muffin Monday friends are sharing today!

• Apple Streusel Muffin Tops from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Banana Mocha Chip Muffins from Making Miracles
• Dirty Chai Latte Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Java Plum Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen 
• Sweet Summer Squash Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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Chicken Chickpea Masala (Instant Pot)

This chicken chickpea masala is so easy and so quick, you’ll want to make it frequently. Serve it with rice or with naan bread to scoop up the rich, spicy, creamy sauce.

Ever since I was forced to cook on top my washing machine in the laundry room during the kitchen renovation, my Instant Pot has been my best friend. Even with a beautiful new stove and my upgraded cooking space, it still makes a regular appearance for stews, curries or quick pasta dishes. 

I’m looking forward to cooler weather and more of those on the menu!

Chicken Chickpea Masala (Instant Pot)

This recipe was inspired by a chicken chickpea spinach masala shared on Serious Eats. Don’t be discouraged by the long list of ingredients. This dish comes together quickly with boneless chicken breasts which take very little time to cook and serves four.

Ingredients 

1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sinduriya powder (achiote)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground fennel
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (weight 1 lb or 450g after defatting)
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1 (10 oz or 283g ) can tomatoes with chiles (like Ro-Tel, store brand is fine)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 (15 oz or 425g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup or 120ml chicken stock
3/4 cup or 180ml coconut cream
Fine sea salt to taste

To serve: cooked rice or naan bread

Method
Peel and finely chop your onions, garlic and ginger and measure all the spices out into a bowl. 

Heat ghee in an Instant Pot on high sauté. Add onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until pale brown, about 5 minutes. 

Add in the spices, diced tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. 

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces then add them to the Instant Pot, along with the chickpeas. 

Add half of the cilantro (reserving the other half for garnish) and the chicken stock. Stir to combine.

Set the Instant Pot to cook for 6 minutes.

When the 6 minutes are up, allow the Instant Pot to depressure naturally for 12 minutes then release the steam carefully by covering it with a towel and opening the vent slowly. Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and turn it to low sauté.

Add in the coconut cream and then the lime juice. Stir well and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens. 

Season to taste with salt, if needed. Garnish with remaining cilantro leaves.

Serve hot with rice or naan bread.

Enjoy!

Today is Multicooker Monday! Make sure to check out all the other recipes my friends have made in their small appliances to share today. Many thanks to our host and organizer, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Air Fryer Roasted Red Pumpkin Bharta - Khaddu Ka Bharta from Sneha’s Recipe
• Chicken Chickpea Masala - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love
• Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast with Orange Apple Chutney from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Instant Pot Ragu from Making Miracles
• Slow Cooker Beef Oxtails from Palatable Pastime
• Thai Red Curry Baby Back Ribs (Instant Pot) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Toaster Oven Baked Eggs from Veggies First Then Dessert
• Toaster Oven Corn Bread from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group.

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Smoked Salmon Stuffed Deviled Eggs #FishFridayFoodies

Salty and full of flavor, smoked wild salmon is an excellent addition to stuffed deviled eggs, especially with cream cheese and chives. Serve them at your next party or keep the whole plate for your family!

Though we may think of deviled eggs as a retro Fifties appetizer, according to History.com, deviled eggs were first served in Roman times as a first course called gustation, Latin for tasting. 

By the 13th century, stuffed eggs appeared in cookbooks in Andalusia, part of modern Spain and by the 15th century they had made their way across most of Europe. Somehow it took another four hundred years, till the mid-1800s for stuffed eggs to turn up in the United States. 

I consider it a personal challenge to make up for those many years of stuffed deviled egg famine by making them as often as my family will eat them – and sometime when they won’t. 

I love deviled eggs of all kinds but these might be my favorite, stuffed with smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives. 

Smoked Salmon Stuffed Deviled Eggs

If you don’t have smoked wild salmon substitute the normal stuff. I’m sure it will taste just as good, after all, repeat after me: Any deviled egg is a good deviled egg. The color just won’t be as bright. This recipe makes more stuffing than you can put in the egg whites so feel free to spread the rest on toast or crackers. (Or eat it with a spoon.)

Ingredients

8 hard boiled eggs

4 oz or 113g wild caught smoked salmon

4 oz or 113g cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup or 61g plain Greek style yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

5-6 green onion tops (green parts only)

Freshly ground black pepper

Optional for decoration: 

2 slices lemon, cut in 8

sprinkle of paprika or cayenne 

Method

Set aside 16 small pieces of the smoked salmon to use as garnish then use a sharp knife to mince the rest of it. Cut the green onions into small pieces. Set some aside to be used as garnish.

Place the minced salmon in a mixing bowl with the cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice and the rest of the green onion tops. Give the whole thing a few generous grinds of black pepper.

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise then carefully transfer the yolks to the mixing bowl and place the whites on a serving plate. 

Mash the yolks with a fork and then thoroughly mix them with the other ingredients until well combined. 

Use a piping bag (or a plastic baggie with a corner cut off) to fill the egg whites with the mixture. 

Top each deviled egg with the reserved salmon, green onion tops and lemon slices. 

Sprinkle the tops with paprika or cayenne for decoration (and flavor!) if desired. 

Chill until ready to serve. 

Enjoy!

Check out all the other great smoked fish recipes my Fish Friday Foodie friends are sharing today!

• Gougères Stuffed with Smoked Salmon Mousse from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Smoked Fish Dip from Veggies First Then Dessert
• Smoked Salmon Club Sandwich from Making Miracles
• Smoked Salmon Stuffed Deviled Eggs from Food Lust People Love
• Smoked Salmon Quiche from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Smoked Whitefish Dip from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Smoked Whole Pomfret Fish Fry from Sneha's Recipe
• Yubuchobap - Smoked Salmon Sushi Pockets from Palatable Pastime

Are you a food blogger who would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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Babà Napoletano al Rum Bundtlettes #BundtBakers

These babà Napoletano al rum bundtlettes are a traditional Italian dessert baked in an unconventional pan that does them proud. The hole in the middle gives extra surface area for absorbing the rum syrup and that is a very good thing!

This month my Bundt Bakers group is recreating Italian sweets as Bundts. I could only think of two off the top of my head, panna cotta and tiramisu so clearly some research into Italian dessert recipes was going to be necessary. In my typical fashion, I used Google Translate to figure out what “dessert” and “recipe” are in Italian, then I use those terms to search.

Sure, I could probably find some authentic recipes in English but what fun is that? I know I’m weird but I find it amusing to search in other languages, even ones I don’t speak. It adds another layer of challenge.

Babà Napoletano al Rum Bundtlettes

This recipe is adapted from one on Misya.info, a food diary written by a Neapolitan who learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. She assures her readers that babà is a typical sweet of the Neapolitan tradition, perhaps it is even the typical Neapolitan dessert par excellence. I was charmed by her write-up, published on the very day she was getting married.

Ingredients
For the dough:
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
2 tablespoons warm milk
2 tablespoons sugar plus extra for pan
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups or 406g flour
1/2 cup or 113g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pan

For the rum syrup:
1 1/4 cup or 250g sugar
1/2 cup or 120ml water
1/2 cup or 120ml dark rum, divided
Zest 1 small orange (peel off just the orange part, not the white pith)

Method
In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the yeast with the sugar and warm milk. Leave to prove for a few minutes. The yeast should start bubbling.

If the yeast is active, add in the eggs, butter and salt and half of the flour.

Beat for about 10 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl down with a spatula occasionally.

Now add in the rest of the flour and beat until the dough is stretchy and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Turn the dough out onto a clean buttered surface and knead the dough again. Divide it into 12 pieces. Tuck them into neat balls.

Butter and sugar your bundtlette pan.

Arrange the dough evenly inside the prepared pan, by making a hole in each ball and lowering it into the bundlette holes.

Cover lightly with greased cling film and leave it a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

When rising time is almost up, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Bake your babàs for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden and well risen.

Meanwhile, put the sugar, water and orange peel in a small pot with half of the rum and bring the mixture to a rolling boil for a few minutes. Remove from the heat then add in the rest of the rum and stir.

Discard the orange peel.

When the babàs are baked, remove the pan from the oven. Remove each babà from the pan and spoon in about three teaspoons of syrup into each hole. Carefully place the babà back in the hole so it can absorb the syrup.

Prick the tops of the warm babàs and brush the syrup on slowly so it has time to soak in.

Keep brushing the syrup on the top and occasionally adding a bit more to the pan holes until all the syrup has been absorbed.

Turn the babàs out onto a serving platter. (I must confess that I had to trim just the tiniest bit off the bottom so they'd stand up straight.) The Italian recipe doesn’t mention this but you can serve the babàs with extra rum or even vanilla ice cream and rum. They make a wonderful dessert!

Enjoy!

Check out the rest of the wonderful Italian sweets recreated as Bundts below. Many thanks to our host Patricia of Patyco Candybar for this fun theme.

• Babà Napoletano al Rum Bundtlettes from Food Lust People Love
• Frosted Tiramisu Bundt Cake from Making Miracles
• Tiramisu Cake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Torta al Limoncello With Homemade Limoncello from Sneha's Recipe
• Torta Caprese al Limoncino from Patyco Candybar
• Spumoni Bundt Cake from Palatable Pastime

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our home page.

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Baba Kartoflana - Polish Potato Pie

This baba kartoflana or Polish potato pie is a super rich comfort dish baked with grated potatoes, eggs and bacon. It makes a great main course or side dish.



I have to be honest, I didn’t know much about Poland or Polish cuisine but when Polish recipes was chosen as our theme for this month’s Baking Bloggers, I started my research close to home. I knew from the many festivals (pre-Corona, of course) that there is a vibrant Polish community in Houston and the broader state. 

Indeed, here in Texas, there are many towns that boast Polish ancestry but the oldest Polish settlement in the whole United States is a place called Panna Maria (Virgin Mary in Polish) which is not far from San Antonio, about a three-hour drive from my home.

The first Polish settlers arrived in December of 1854 and impressively, the original oak tree under which they celebrated the very first mass is still standing! In September of 1856 the very first permanent Polish Catholic Church in the United States - Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church - was consecrated there.

In another first, Panna Maria was also the location of the first private Catholic school in the United States. It’s a community that is still going strong. In fact, they are currently building a heritage center to safeguard their history for future generations. I’m looking forward to being able to visit there when we are able to take road trips again. 

Meanwhile, I will console myself with making baba kartoflana aka Polish potato pie, a comfort dish if there ever were one. Or perhaps I'll try one of the other recipes my Baking Blogger friends are sharing. Make sure to scroll down below my recipe to see the links.

Baba Kartoflana - Polish Potato Pie

This recipe is adapted from one on Cook in Polish. The author suggests you can reduce the calories in this dish by omitting the bacon – but don’t do it! Bacon makes everything better. 

Ingredients
2.2 lbs or 1 kg floury potatoes (baking potatoes, like Russets)
2 yellow onions (about 12 oz or 340g)
12 oz or 340g bacon
2 large eggs
1/4 cup or 61g whole milk Greek-style yogurt
1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves, plus extra for garnish, if desired
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered nutmeg)
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Peel and dice the onions. In a large pan, fry half of the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Once it has cooled, chop or crumble the bacon.

Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat (reserving the balance for greasing your baking pan) and then add the onions to the bacon fat and cook until lightly golden. Put the onions on a plate to cool.

In a large bowl, beat your eggs and yogurt together, along with the marjoram, salt, nutmeg and a few generous grinds of black pepper.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Use the leftover bacon fat to grease an 8x8 in or 23x23cm baking pan (or a 9 1/2 in or 24cm iron skillet.) Sprinkle in half of the bacon crumbles.

Peel then grate the potatoes on a fine grater. (I used my food processor for this step!) Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Immediately add the potatoes to the egg mixture, stirring to completely combine. This will help ensure the potatoes don’t turn brown.

Add in the cooked onions and the other half of the bacon crumbles and stir well.

Spoon the potato mixture into your prepared baking vessel.

Cover the top with the remaining uncooked bacon slices.

Bake the baba kartoflana in your preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until the top is golden and the bacon is browned and crispy.

Sprinkle on a little extra marjoram for garnish, if desired. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes, then cut in slices to serve. The baba kartoflana is very rich, truly comfort food, but it's not stodgy at all. Lift the slices out carefully or they crumble a bit. I suggest serving them with a lightly dressed green salad.

Enjoy!

Check out all the wonderful Poland-inspired dishes my Baking Blogger friends are sharing today! Many thanks to our host and leader, Sue of Palatable Pastime!

• Baba Kartoflana - Polish Potato Pie from Food Lust People Love
• Babki Śmietankowe (Cream Tarts) from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Kapusta Casserole – Polish Cabbage, Potato, and Bacon Bake from Making Miracles
• Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake) from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Kolaczki - Jam-Filled Polish Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Kotlety Ziemniaczane from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mom Klik's Breaded Pork Chops from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Oven Braised Pork with Sour Cream (Karkówka w śmietanie) from Palatable Pastime
• Piernik - Polish Gingerbread Cake from Caroline's Cooking
• Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls from Cookaholic Wife
• Veg Pierogi Casserole from Sneha's Recipe

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

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