Joyful Abode

Things I learned:

1. Check your ingredients BEFORE you start cooking anything. Luckily, I had 4 eggs (the exact amount the recipe called for) and a little over 2 cups of flour (I needed 2 cups). I also ran out of walnuts.
2. Pam for baking (with flour) is awesome. And it smells like sugar cookies. I bet you could spray it around your house just to make people think you were baking, like air freshener.
3. Wear an apron. Flour is messy. Pants optional.
4. Food processors are FANTASTIC. I shredded a bunch of carrots in no time. But learn how to take apart all the pieces before you use it. I had a couple carrot shavings caught in the feeding tube and it took a while to figure out how to get them out.
5. If you don’t have a recipe that rises a lot, you will NOT get a pretty, domed muffin top. You will get an overhang. (Note: Muffin tops are only pretty on muffins.)
6. Smelling good does NOT always equate to being pretty! (This goes for food AND people.)
7. Just because your food is ugly doesn’t mean it’s gross. Mmmm…

I melted some cream cheese frosting that was in my fridge, and drizzled it over one of the muffins. I don’t like loads of fluffy frosting on things like this, so it was perfect. Just a light glaze.

(More pictures are in my flickr. Click the muffin to see.)

1 1/2 cups veggie or canola oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Prehead oven to 375F.
2. Spray muffin pans with Pam for Baking
3. Blend the oil and sugar together, then add eggs, beating well.
4. In another bowl, sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Stir a lot.
6. Fold in the carrots and walnuts.
7. Pour into muffin pans. Do not overfill, or you will get an ugly overhang like I did! I’d say 2/3 would be good.
8. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove the little cakes, and let them cool bottom-side-up.
10. Serve with cream cheese icing, if you like that sort of thing.