Super Duper Zucchini Muffins

I got this recipe off the internet and modified it based somewhat on people's comments that they left on the site. So can I call it my own? : ) Here it is, and they're very tasty this way:

2 1/4 c flour (1 c white, 1 c whole wheat, 1/4 c oatmeal)
1 c white sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 c shortening (I used margarine and it was fine)
1/4 c sour milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c shredded zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c walnuts (optional)
1/4 c brown suger + 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour tin. Combine flour and sugar. Stir in baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Make a well in the centre, pour in milk, eggs, zucchini, and vanilla. Fill tin 2/3 to 3/4 full. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake for approximately 15 min.

I was worried that the batter was too thick, but I listened to the Muffin Queen and they turned out very well. : )

Rhubarb Crunch (the best ever)

1 c flour
3/4 c oats
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c melted butter OR margarine
1 tsp cinnamon
4 c diced rhubarb, fresh OR frozen
1 c white sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 c water
1 tsp vanilla
whipped cream

1. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix until crumbly. Press half of crumbs in a greased 9" cake pan. Cover with rhubarb.
2. Combine white sugar, cornstarch, water and vanilla in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and clear. Pour over rhubarb. Top with remaining crumbs.
3. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour. Cut in squares. Serve warm or cold with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 6-9.

This is the best rhubarb crunch I think I've ever had! When I made it, I didn't quite melt the butter all the way; only till it was very soft and almost melted. I think that made the crumbs into bigger chunks. We had it warm with vanilla ice cream and it was phenomenal.

Trail Mix Cookies

Matthew thinks that saying things like “Rhonda’s cookie recipe” or “Robyn’s muffin recipe” is a crock because we didn’t actually make up those recipes. Well, guess what? I kinda made up this recipe. I modified an oatmeal cookie recipe because I wanted a semi-healthy cookie for the kids to take for school snacks.

Cream together:
1 cup margarine
1 cup peanut butter
½ cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar

Add, and beat till fluffy:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp water

Sift together and add:
1 ¾ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Stir in:
3 cups oatmeal
¾ cup (more or less) chocolate chips
½ cup (more or less) each chopped dried cranberries and chopped raisins
1/3 cup (more or less) each sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, coconut

Bake at 350 for 12+ minutes. I made quite large cookies and baked them longer than I would bake chocolate chip cookies. They weren’t as good doughy as chocolate chip cookies are.

The recipe called for more sugar, but they are quite sweet with all the chocolate and dried fruit. I might try reducing the sugar even more. I also thought about adding whole wheat flour, wheat germ, dates, dried apricots or diced apples. We’ll see. They are delicious as they are, so I might not mess with them any more. Well, I might cut down on the chocolate chips and add more raisins. It would at least make it more likely that the kids would have them for school snacks, because I would be more likely to leave them alone! Let me know if you like them.