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I make! Inside out pumpkin muffins edition

It’s the KAF bakealong #2: Inside out pumpkin muffins. I am posting this very late, considering that I actually made this (twice) in September, when it was announced.

Anyway, I don’t really see why they’re considered inside out. They’re a stuffed muffin, but it’s not like what you would consider the stuffing on the outside and the muffin part is on the inside. I wonder if I’m going to be confused by the naming of every KAF bakealong. Well, two data points isn’t really enough to trend. Guess I’ll have to wait and see.

Anyway, when making the muffins, I subbed out the whole wheat flour for my normal AP flour. I have a new 25lb bag. Yay! Also, I didn’t have any boiled cider so I just used some honey that I’ve been trying to get rid of. I would really like to try the recipe with boiled cider. It sounds like it’d be really good. Finally, I went with the cinnamon, ginger, cloves route. I slightly upped the amount of each of the spices. I like things a bit spicier.

I managed to make 10 whole muffins and 2 half muffins with the amount of batter I had. I had more than enough of the filling and just the right amount of streusel topping. Actually, I might have preferred more of the streusel topping. I only managed 10 muffins because I used very close to 2 tbsp of batter for each well in the beginning. And then I realized that it said a scant 2 tbsp. So, if I did that, I should have had enough batter for 12 whole muffins. I could probably use another tbsp scoop.

It smelled quite good while it was baking. But spicy stuff often does. I feel it could have been more spicy when I tasted it. I’m also uncertain about the cream cheese filling. It’s not bad but I think it might be too dense for my taste. Of course, I’m not a huge fan of filling anyway.

I’m going to try this again with boiled cider. I’ve been looking at the reviews and most of the same that the boiled cider really improves the taste. I’ll just make some boiled cider, I guess. Which I did, and I did end up making the muffins again with boiled cider. I think the muffin part did taste better. I still really like the streusel. I’m still uncertain about that filling. Maybe I’ll just make it as an unfilled muffin from now on.

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I make! Pressure cooker chicken soup edition

As we all know, I sometimes do ridiculous things. Or actually, the thing itself may not be ridiculous but the motivation behind it might be. Like the time I decorated a cake in my hotel room without even a kitchenette. Or the time I…did other things that are ridiculous but I can’t remember right now. Or the time I make chicken soup solely because the dog was sick.

Yes, I made chicken soup. Totally normal thing to do. Lots of people do this. But why did I make chicken soup? Because Horse was sick.

Yes. Horse. Not any human friend or relative that I knew. I have never made chicken soup for a sick human friend or relative. But my dog, who is a better horse than a dog, who is relatively stupid and annoying, who is clingy to a fault, who is big and clunky and nothing at all like my little princess dog, was sick.

I think Horse had a bad case of kennel cough. I had to board him and Yaris the weekend before and I noticed a few days after picking them up that Horse was clearing his throat a lot. Then it progressed to coughing. Then it progressed to hacking and choking and coughing and vomiting. He actually also had a fever on the worst morning. He looked so pathetic and shivery that I decided to take him to the vet where he got IV fluids and antibiotics (and a chest xray and a blood test and a course of oral antibiotics). I always think it’s funny when dogs have to get an IV. The vet has to shave a little bald spot into their arm. And it looks ridiculous. Hahaha.

Anyway, the vet and I decided that it was most likely that Horse had a bad case of kennel cough over some of the more exotic things that he could have and that he was just going to have to take it easy for a couple of weeks. Horse has no problem with taking it easy. But he still was having issues with coughing. He would cough so much that he would start vomiting. This was incredibly annoying for me, since I had to clean it up. But I’m sure it was also really uncomfortable for him. So I made him some chicken soup in hopes that it might speed his recovery a bit, or at least make him feel a little better. Also…it gave me an excuse to play with the pressure cooker.

I kind of just made up a recipe here involving carrots and celery, dried thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper (basically whatever spices and herbs I had in the pantry), and maybe a 4lb chicken? I forgot exactly how big of a chicken I used. Anyway, I dumped everything into the Instant Pot and cooked under high pressure for 15 minutes and then released the pressure using the quick release valve. When it was cool enough, I pulled all the meat off the chicken, dumped the meat back into the soup, and gave some to Horse (and also Yaris because I would have never heard the end of it if Yaris didn’t get any). I had some too. It was pretty good. I think I like pressure cooker chicken soup over slow cooker chicken soup. And it’s faster.

(Um…I know I had a photo.  But I can’t find it anymore.  Sorry.  Just imagine a bowl of chicken soup right here.  Kthx.)