Carrot Cake Filled Muffins

Before I moved back to Maine, I had a large garden and loved to cook with seasonal veggies. As the carrot harvest begins, I remember how much I loved carrot cake, but wanted all the essence in an easy-to-eat form. Thus the muffin evolved!

You can use your own cooked carrots or the quick way with canned carrots. The great thing about these muffins is that they satisfy your sweet tooth while getting a serving of vegetables per muffin.


1 can (14 1/2 oz.) sliced carrots, drained or equivalent in fresh, cooked carrots, cooled
1 cup white sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2-3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each nutmeg, cloves and allspice
1 egg, slightly mixed
1/3 cup vegetable oil (you can also sub HALF with prune puree (in the baby food section)

Put cooled carrots in a food processor or mash until completely smooth. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk the carrots, egg and oil until mixed; add to dry ingredients until smooth.

Grease a 12-muffin pan and fill only 1/3 full of batter. In a small mixing bowl, combine the following:

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 egg, slightly mixed
1/4-1/2 cup white sugar

Mix well and drop by tablespoons into the center of each muffin. Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing from pan to a wire cooling rack. Best when served warm. Makes 12 muffins.

For breakfast muffins, especially for the kids, I would chop up hulled sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or walnuts. Add a bit of toasted oatmeal and a dash of sugar and sprinkle on top of muffins just before putting into the oven. Adds not only fiber but a good source of protein.

PTQG Member's Meeting September 8, 2012

Mark your calendar for our upcoming PTQG member's meeting on Saturday, September 8th at Jewett Hall, U of M, Augusta from 9:30 a.m. until adjournment.

Important business will include our election of officers and other appointments.

Our guest speaker will be Brenda Hall with the lecture topic of "Beautiful Quilts-Fast and Efficient Paper Piecing Techniques."

Area 3 is responsible for door prizes, so if you still haven't given them to me to take, you can bring them along. I do ask that they are wrapped, preferably in fabric.

If you have any questions, please drop me a line. Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Modern Quilts Group--Are You Interested?

Betsy Cannan of Minot would like to invite those who are interested in modern quilts, such as the works of Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr.

You can check out their work on their website here.

The first meeting will be held at Betsy's home in Minot on Wednesday, September 5th at 6:00 p.m.

If there is enough interest to proceed, a decision as a group will be made on going forward.

If you are interested in attending this meeting, please call Betsy at 207-212-7600 or email at bjtulip@aol.com for directions and more information. If you have any books on modern quilting or a modern quilt, please bring them along. Snacks and beverages will be offered.

Pina Colada Zucchini Bread

Here is one of my favorite recipes. You can add some shredded coconut to the mix if you wish.

4 cups white flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs, slightly scrambled
1 1/2 cups canola oil (you can also sub half of the oil with applesauce or prune puree)
1 tsp. EACH of coconut, rum and vanilla extracts
3 cups shredded zucchini, drain and squeezed dry with paper towel--leave on the peeling
1 can crushed pineapple, drained (around 14 ½ oz. can)
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Line the bottom of three greased and floured 8” x 4” loaf pans with wax paper and spray with PAM.

In large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

In another bowl, combine eggs, oil and extracts and stir into dry ingredients until moist. I use my hand mixer, as it will be a little stiff to mix by hand. Mix in zucchini, pineapple and nuts until blended

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks. Freezes well, but better to share with your quilting friends!
Tastes especially good with a REAL Pina Colada!

Get Your Jo-Ann VIP Discount Card

Here is an easy way to save 10% off of each Jo-Ann store visit! And yes, you can still use your other coupons (except for the 10% off your entire order).

Just click here to be linked directly to the site and enroll. Use Pine Tree Quilters Guild as the organization name.

The card should arrive in about 10-14 days and is good until next August. I just got my new renewal card in the today.

Evening Area 3 Meeting to be held on October 9th

Country Aire Quilters of Turner and Village Scrappers of Livermore will co-hosting an Area 3 meeting on Tuesday, October 9th at 6:00 p.m. at the Tripp Middle School (cafeteria), 65 Matthews Way, Turner, next to the Leavitt Area High School. To use Mapquest for more directions click here

 

Joanne Timberlake and Beth Allen from Babbling Brook Quilt Shop in South Paris will give us presentations on machine applique and machine quilting. There will be door prizes and refreshments will be served.

The block exchange with be the Signature Friendship block below, done in fall colors. Please sign your name using a Pigma pen in the center section.

For questions on this event, you can reach Stephanie Thibodeau at sjt@megalink.net

As stated in the post for the September 11th area meeting, the ladies put a lot of time and effort to make this a pleasant event for all. Please show your support these chapters by attending this meeting.

The directions for the Signature Friendship block (made in FALL colors):

Cutting chart for 12" finished block:

Light (A)--4 pieces--3 7/8" (to be cut in half for half square triangles)

Light (B)--1 piece--2 1/2" x 9 1/4"

Medium (C)--1piece--6 1/8" (to be cut in half for a half square triangle)

Dark (D)--4 pieces--3 1/2"

Dark (E)--1 piece--7 1/4" (to be cut into four quarter square triangles)

Making Gifts Out Of Recycled Materials

Sweet Tooth Pouch

Hey, I'm all about recycling! And the excuse to eat candy to make a gift, well, does it get any better than that?

Link on to Punkin Patterns blog for details directions to make the Sweet Tooth Pouch

And what about using all those plastic bags you have overflowing in your closets? A nifty way to make "plarn" to knit or crochet into a multitude of designs! Gooseflesh blog will supply you will all the details here

And for a neat pattern for a Plarn Market Bag, check out the blog on Crochet Spot here



Plastic Yarn

  And last, but not least, you can fuse those    plastic bags and make your own material to use in your projects. Etsy Lab Archives has a Fusing Bag Tutorial here

So, clean out those cupboards and go green!



Plarn Market Bag



Fused bag