The Muffins Flopped

it's 10:00 p.m. on thursday night in the holy city of zefat. i have just left the kitchen after a 9 hour stint. i can't do another thing! i just made 2 awful dozen of blueberry and cranberry muffins. first of all, i decided to make muffins instead of the usual cupcakes that are always so good. i used oranges from the tree for the first batch but they weren't sweet and the cold pressed canola oil was bitter. i also over mixed the batter. that's okay when you make cupcakes but definitely a no no when you make muffins, hence the flopped muffins.

i saw some bananas in gal's freezer, so i'll make some banana cupcakes in the morning. i threw in a batch of carob brownies but they also tasted on the bitter side. i just took them out of the oven. they're nice and dry and burnt on top. yummy! well, i guess i'm off my game with my baking today. at least the main dishes came out really tasty.

i made a gooey, chinese cherry, ginger and soy sauce chicken for shabbat afternoon. for the evening meal i made a thai coconut, cashew, tomato and lychee chicken stew. it really is delicious and all the different ingredients actually meshed. i made a morracan style tsimis with walnuts, dried prunes, peaches, and apricots. the secret here is sauteed onion and cinnamon. i also made the poached lemon and turmeric fish fillets. unfortunately, i sampled everything i baked and cooked today. there goes the diet!

i cooked the beets, and cooked up some barley and fried onions. i made the chestnut soup but had to compensate for not having enough chestnuts. i doubled up on the carrots and celery and finally threw in a box of mushrooms. i didn't have any almond liqueur so i used scotch and some almond extract. i used rice milk for the broth and it was a bit sweet. all in all, it was tasty. i shouldn't have put it in the blender as recommended, because the color and consistency is not very nice to look at. tomorrow, i'll buy some cream and add it to the top and sprinkle some toasted almonds on it.

i just burnt the fruit bars that i left in the oven too long. oh well! maybe i'll make some oatmeal cookies tomorrow. i have to straighten up the kitchen and wash the floors and make up five rooms for the guests. i have to make the mango salsa, the red and green cabbage salads, the fennel and pistachio salad, the carrot and kumquat salad, the spinach and orange salad, the rice and a plain salad for zvi. i also should make some tuna salad and potato salad for the third meal on saturday. i'm losing steam. i guess it's best to call it a night. i got up early this morning and cabbed it to yoga but i did walk back.

tomorrow's another day. hopefully, the salads will be more successful than the baked goods. i wish you all a good shabbat and a happy tu b'shvat!