richard-in-cincy
Well-known member
I am very lucky to have had the same dear sweet neighbor since 1999 when we moved into our current Haus. We both got new puppies in 2001 after losing both of our previous hounds the year before. We adopted the baby Siegfried, the Wunder Wire-Haired Dachshund and Eileen adopted Bogey the Perpetual Motion Miniature Schnauzer. We watched our little tadpoles grow up and play together. We babysat for each other. Anytime I was working in the garden, I would go get Bogey to run around and play with Siegfried, then Loki, then Bragi, then Siegmund. My little Siegfried died far too soon as they always do, dear sweet Loki has also come and gone, and Bogey was now playing with our 3rd and 4th dachshunds.
But alas, after 16 wonderful, happy, loved, and healthy years, it was Bogey's time to go. He got sick on Friday and by Saturday, his little heart stopped and was done. We are bereft at the passing of one of the sweetest dogs anyone could ever know.
So as much as I was grieving, I knew Eileen was consumed by the sadness of Bogey's death, so I got up yesterday morning to make Sunday dinner. It's what we do. When the tough gets going, we cook.
So I took her my Vinegar Chicken Saute, Roasted Vegetables with garlic, balsamic, and herbs, my grandma's creamy cole slaw, the Raw Apple Muffins (grated apples, raisins, walnuts) from the glorious never-fail Gourmet Cookbook, a bottle of chocolate wine, the NY Times (she has mentioned how much she enjoys reading my newspaper when we're away) and a sympathy card with the Rainbow Bridge poem which I tear up every time I read. I baked the muffins in rainbow foil muffin liners to tie in with the Rainbow Bridge theme.
But these apple muffins. I knew they would be good. Everything I make from this book is all superlative. So that’s why I baked an untried recipe. They’re amazing. I only baked a half recipe and it did just fine (I only had 2 apples or I would have done the whole thing).
4 cups diced apples
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup corn oil
2 tespoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ tsp. each of mace and allspice
1 teaspoon slat
1 cup raisins (I use Trader Joe's Jumbo 3-color raisin mix--total yumminess')
1 cup chopped walnuts
Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 325F. Generously butter 20 muffin cups (or use rainbow foil muffin liners).
Toss together apples and sugar. Whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir into the apples. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Dough will be very thick.
Divide batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake, switching positions of pans halfway through, until a wooden pick comes out clean (25 minutes for me).
I glazed them with a butter-rum fondant and topped them with walnut halves.
https://goo.gl/photos/3pDuMmWzAwMRkJZ2A
But alas, after 16 wonderful, happy, loved, and healthy years, it was Bogey's time to go. He got sick on Friday and by Saturday, his little heart stopped and was done. We are bereft at the passing of one of the sweetest dogs anyone could ever know.
So as much as I was grieving, I knew Eileen was consumed by the sadness of Bogey's death, so I got up yesterday morning to make Sunday dinner. It's what we do. When the tough gets going, we cook.
So I took her my Vinegar Chicken Saute, Roasted Vegetables with garlic, balsamic, and herbs, my grandma's creamy cole slaw, the Raw Apple Muffins (grated apples, raisins, walnuts) from the glorious never-fail Gourmet Cookbook, a bottle of chocolate wine, the NY Times (she has mentioned how much she enjoys reading my newspaper when we're away) and a sympathy card with the Rainbow Bridge poem which I tear up every time I read. I baked the muffins in rainbow foil muffin liners to tie in with the Rainbow Bridge theme.
But these apple muffins. I knew they would be good. Everything I make from this book is all superlative. So that’s why I baked an untried recipe. They’re amazing. I only baked a half recipe and it did just fine (I only had 2 apples or I would have done the whole thing).
4 cups diced apples
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup corn oil
2 tespoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ tsp. each of mace and allspice
1 teaspoon slat
1 cup raisins (I use Trader Joe's Jumbo 3-color raisin mix--total yumminess')
1 cup chopped walnuts
Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 325F. Generously butter 20 muffin cups (or use rainbow foil muffin liners).
Toss together apples and sugar. Whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir into the apples. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Dough will be very thick.
Divide batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake, switching positions of pans halfway through, until a wooden pick comes out clean (25 minutes for me).
I glazed them with a butter-rum fondant and topped them with walnut halves.
https://goo.gl/photos/3pDuMmWzAwMRkJZ2A