Culinary Literacy: February Recap

February was another busy month in the Culinary Literacy Center! We crafted Valentine pop tarts, made pizzas for the Super Bowl, mastered lattice pie crusts and learned how to create our own unique muffin recipes using the Universal Muffin Method. We also celebrated National Sweet Potato Day and made healthy banana bread with Jessica Romeo, Mercy Health’s Community Health Educator, and the lovely folks from Stepping Out.

For those curious about how you can create your own muffin recipes, below is the basic formula for a dozen muffins.

Ingredients

• 2 to 2 1/2 cups grain (Example: flour, cornmeal, cooked oatmeal)
• 1 cup milk 
• Up to 1/4 cup fat (Example: ¼ cup vegetable oil, 4 tablespoons melted butter)
• 1 egg (or an egg replacement)
• Up to 1/2 cup sweetener (You can use sugar or honey. If using honey, cut back on the milk by ¼ cup to reduce the amount of liquid.)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of any combination of spices 
• Up to 1 1/2 cups of add ins (Suggestions: Nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut, blueberries, chopped apple, freshly shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, pumpkin puree, applesauce, mashed cooked sweet potato, mashed banana, mashed cooked carrot.)
• Note: Keep in mind that when using an addition that has added water, such as pumpkin puree, you may need to cut back on some of the milk in the recipe.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and then mix in wet ingredients until just combined; the batter should be lumpy. Grease muffin tin and fill cups two thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes (give or take 5 minutes).

This recipe is great for clearing out those pantry odds and ends, so get creative!

For teens, we’re exploring the wonderful world of sauces and putting our knowledge to good use by preparing  homemade macaroni and cheese. 

Visit our events calendar to explore and register for all culinary literacy programs. Patrons can also register for programs by calling us at 330.744.8636.