Muffins and some other stuff!!

I am not much of a baker. I know it is kind of strange for me to even begin a blog with a baked good.  My peace has always been with a knife chopping away at veggies, sauteing, roasting, frying, blanching.  Recently I have found joy and comfort in a few cups of flour, an egg or two and some butter, mmm always butter!!

I started small.  Sour cream coffee cake, blueberry muffins for a family brunch Sunday morning and then I had to go and make Apple Cinnamon Crumb Top muffins at 10 pm last night.  This baking jones can not be quenched! My go to for recipes is my all time favorite cook book  The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook.  It was the one I grabbed off my mom's shelf when I was just a kid to see what I could concoct for the fam.  It never fails me and when I need a suggestion, a conversion or a quick cake recipe that is easy with pictures that is where I turn to.  I love cookbooks for the suggestions.  A change here or there makes the dish yours but the solid foundation is always a huge help.  I am hoping that eventually I will be able to make my own recipes for baked goods, but for now I will rely on my old standard.

I figure this is as good an intro as any.  I will  be posting regularly, even daily, all of the fresh, whole foods ideas, dishes, inspirations and finished products that I create.  My passion is to open a cabinet and start from scratch.  Pantry cooking, garbage cooking or use whatever the heck you've got in your house cooking!!!  Whatever you want to call it as long as what you are using is au naturel.   Keep dried beans and grains stored in glass jars, it not only looks cool it keep them fresh!  Open your produce drawer in your fridge, anything there?  NO?!?  Go stock up on some collard greens, kale, fresh spinach and chard!  What about your fruit bowl?  Tomatoes, apples, pears!!  Keep it seasonal.  No butternut squash in the summer! Where has it been sitting for so long to get to you  in JUNE!

Basically the mindset is this.  Conscious eating.  Where did it come from, when was it grown and with what methods?  Was the treatment humane, no hormones or antibiotics,no small pens or dim lights?  and the biggest question of all-

WHAT WILL THIS DO TO MY BODY ONCE IT PASSES MY LIPS?  

This is the most important question of all.  What has food come to when the label makes no sense?  

This is a good ending.  Contemplate what has been on your plate lately.  I hope you can find solace here.  I want to make simple easy food that is good for you.  My mantra will close us out-

EAT GOOD FOOD-DON'T SPEND $$$ ON CRAP!!!