Drury Lane.

I post a lot about food on this blog, but never any recipes. It's not really a conscious choice, so much as I never really cook using them. The way I learned to cook, is the way that both my mother and my sister do, you just sort of smell, feel and taste when something is right.

I blame this on the reason why I am not the best baker. Baking is all about precise measurements. If you tried to "feel" a cake batter you would probably end up with more of a pancake.

That being said, I do really like to bake! So I test out my hand on occasion. Tonight's trial run of a muffin recipe I found online worked out really well, so I thought maybe I would share. I followed the basic measurements from this recipe for steel cut oat muffins, but I tweaked it a lot and made it my own.

Try them and tell me what you think! Trust me, the way your house will smell is reason alone. Does anything say home like the smell of something cinnamon-y baking in the oven?

Cinnamon Apple Steel Cut Oat Muffins

3/4 cup cooked steel cut oats

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 eggs

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

1 tablespoon honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cup AP or wheat flour (depending on how healthy you're feeling)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 apple, peeled and diced (Michigan Honeycrisp from the farmers market, if you can)

1 cup granola (I used Milk and Honey's Original)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together all wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet, being sure not to over mix.

Soften diced apple slightly in a sauce pan on the stove, or in the microwave for a minute.

Fold apple and granola into the batter.

Spoon two tablespoons of batter into lined or greased muffin tins.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in tin for 5 minutes, before removing.

Locavore.

A personal goal of mine recently has been to try and eat more local and sustainably grown produce. I have found some great resources in the city, like Dill Pickle Co-op, Downtown Farmstand and restaurants like Birchwood Kitchen (down the block!). While the produce may be slightly more expensive, I find it worth the few extra bucks to contribute to the local economy and support independent farmers.

Today, Chelsea, Jordan and I went to the Logan Square Farmers Market for the first time. The perfect fall morning activity, it was wonderful. We got so much amazing produce, directly from the farmer's hands. Can't get much better than that.

We came home with our bags full of a real variety of things, swiss chard, baby spinach, oyster mushrooms, apples, grapes, sweet corn ( last of the season :( ), eggs, onions, garlic, radishes, heirloom tomatoes, spaghetti squash, butternut squash and fresh flowers. The selection was really amazing. I wish the season wasn't ending so soon, I want to go back every week!

At the risk of sounding preachy, anyone who is yet to see Food Inc., I highly recommend it. Once your eyes are opened to the affect that commercial farming is having on our bodies and our economy you may think twice about where the food you eat comes from, and what it is made out of. Educating yourself is never a bad thing.