Triple-Ginger Muffins

3/4 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C pastry flour
3/4 C bran
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1/2 t ground cardamom
6 T minced crystallized ginger
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 T grated fresh ginger
1/2 C buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 F
Combine first 8 ingredients in medium/large bowl.
Combine olive oil and sugars in another bowl, then mix in eggs, then ginger and buttermilk.
Stir latter ingredients into first bowl.
Transfer into muffin cups in muffin tin(s).
Bake approximately 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

(Makes about 2 dozen muffins)

1 1/2 C bran
1 C pastry flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
3/4 C olive oil
3 eggs
16 oz pumpkin puree

Optional:
1 C dried cranberries
1 C pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare muffin tins.
Mix together bran, flours, baking soda, and spices.

In another bowl, mix together sugars, olive oil, eggs, and pumpkin puree.

Fold pumpkin mixture into flour mix. Stir in nuts and/or cranberries. Fill muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Fixing Can't open and lock privilege tables: Table 'mysql.host' doesn't exist with Windows MySQL noinstall

Time to address the "Code" part of "Code, Cooking, and Cats"...

While getting started with MySQL on Win 7, I ran into the following error when running the command:  mysqld.exe --console 

   [ERROR] Fatal error: Can't open and lock privilege tables: Table 'mysql.host' doesn't exist   

I had used the noinstall Zip Archive to install, carefully following the instructions from the Reference Manual. I wasn't able to find any helpful information online to solve the problem so in case you run into this too...

First check the data dir. If files are created there, you know it's not a problem with configuration. It's likely to be a permissions problem. The best way to solve this is to start over with your MySQL installation.


Right-click on the My SQL zip file and select Properties. In the General tab, click Unblock. Then unzip and continue from there. 

Tomatoes!

It's the time of year when there are lots of tomatoes! Neighborhood Farms has given us a number of awesome tomatoes lately and we're loving it. An easy thing to do is make a simple salad of tomatoes and whatever else you have in the house. In this case, I sliced, quartered, or halved various tomatoes and added some sliced carrots and Rattlesnake Green Beans, and slopped on some Simple Vinaigrette.

Simple Vinaigrette

1 T minced scallion (or onion or similar member of the allium family)

1 T finely-chopped basil

1/4 t freshly-ground pepper

2 T white balsamic vinegar (or rice vinegar, pomegranate vinegar, or whatever you prefer)

2-3 T olive oil (or walnut oil)

Combine scallion, basil, and pepper in a small bowl.

Add vinegar and stir.

Add oil 1 T at a time, whisking vigorously each time.

That's it!

The Carrot Variation

Carrot Muffins

makes 18 muffins

3/4 C oat bran

3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C toasted wheat germ

2 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C olive oil

2 eggs

3/4 C greek yogurt

2 T lemon juice

2 t lemon zest

1 t vanilla

2 C shredded carrots

1 C dried cranberries

chopped crystallized ginger (or Crystallized Ginger Chips from Ginger People)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare muffin pan (baking cups or coat with cooking spray)
3. In large bowl, combine bran, both flours, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. In small bowl, whisk together sugar and olive oil. Whisk in eggs. Add yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix well.
5. Fold yogurt mixture into flour mixture.
6. Gently fold carrots, then cranberries, into batter.
7. Divide batter among the muffin cups.
8. Sprinkle ginger bits on tops of muffins.
9. Bake muffins until golden brown -- 15 to 20 minutes.

The Zucchini Situation

When my zucchini supply outstrips my zucchini consumption (as is often the case in the summer), I catch up by making yet more muffins. As with other muffins, these freeze well. It's easy to put a couple of frozen muffins on a cookie sheet, pop them into a 400°F oven for 10 minutes, and enjoy breakfast before heading off to work.

Lemon-Banana-Zucchini Muffins

makes 18 muffins

3/4 C oat bran

3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C toasted wheat germ

2 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C olive oil

2 eggs

1 C mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)

2 T lemon juice

2 t lemon zest

1 t vanilla

2 C shredded zucchini (or similar summer squash)

1 C dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare muffin pan (baking cups or coat with cooking spray)
3. In large bowl, combine bran, both flours, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. In small bowl, whisk together sugar and olive oil. Whisk in eggs. Add mashed bananas, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix well.
5. Fold banana mixture into flour mixture.
6. Gently fold zucchini, then cranberries, into batter.
7. Divide batter among the muffin cups.
8. Bake muffins until golden brown -- about 20 minutes.

Just loooove spicy tofu

This is a riff on the Dragon Calamari from India Joze long ago. Although not everyone is fond of cilantro, there are a number of dishes where it is an essential ingredient -- leave it out and there is diminishment. This is one of those dishes.

Fiery Tofu

1/2 C vegetable stock

2 T rice wine vinegar

1 T fish sauce

2 jalapenos, minced (adjust amount depending on how spicy you like your food)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T ginger, minced

2 T mint, chopped

1 T cilantro, chopped

1 T scallions, chopped

2 T water

1 T cornstarch

2 T vegetable oil (canola or peanut oil)

4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

8 oz bamboo shoots, sliced

1 C chopped beet greens

1 lb tofu

1. Mix together vegetable stock, vinegar, fish sauce, jalapenos, garlic, ginger, mint, cilantro, and scallions.
2. In a small bowl, mix together water and cornstarch.
3. Heat oil in wok.
4. Add onions, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and beet greens to wok, stir for about 1 minute.
5. Add tofu, stir gently to mix.
6. Add stock mixture and stir.
7. As soon as stock begins to boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.
8. Serve with rice and Spring Onion Jam (from Friend in Cheeses) or similar, if you can get it or make it.