SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

Calm Your Cough with a Four-Ingredient Hot Toddy

Feeling sick?  You’ll want to try my four ingredient, non-alcoholic hot toddy to sooth your cold, cough, or sore throat.  It’s so much better than cough drops!

For the last month I have been sick.  Like hacking-out-a-lung-no-voice-the-doctor-is-my friend-sick.  I think my issues are finally getting sorted out, but I’ve cracked a rib from coughing so hard in the process, so renovations probably won’t be happening until after Christmas.

Update: I did not actually crack a rib, but it sure felt like it!  Apparently I strained my intercostal muscles.  Considering I’m a classical singer and use them more aggressively than most of the population on a regular basis, my cough was extreme.

Learn how to make an easy hot toddy recipe for colds with honey, lemon, and cinnamon. It's one of the best natural remedies for coughs or sore throats. Non-alcoholic, so you can serve it to your kids and feel better in no time. #hottoddy #hottotty #cold #cough #sorethroat #naturalremedy #nonalcoholic #easyrecipe #drink #drinkrecipe
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Red Hamburger Relish: The Perfect Topping for Hamburgers and Hotdogs

Did anyone else’s grandma make a red hamburger relish?  For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, red relish is sweet and tangy, made with tomatoes, cucumbers, celery & onions.

Despite owning all her recipe books, I could not find the recipe she used.

My initial google searches didn’t turn up many results.  However, once I searched hamburger relish things became more clear.

Red Hamburger relish is sweet sour and zesty! Tastes delicious on hamburgers and sausage, or any other meat. A delicious way to use your garden vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions. You'll come back to this easy canning recipe again and again!
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Deliciously Addicting Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Muffins

This post contains affiliate links.  If you purchase anything, I earn a small commission at no extra charge to you.  Thanks for your support!

If you are the owner of a zucchini plant gone wild, you know the struggle–what on earth do you make with zucchini that you haven’t already made before? There’s only so much chocolate zucchini cake one person can eat.

Today I’m going to share one of our family favourites–lemon poppyseed zucchini muffins.  You can use the regular green zucchini or yellow summer squash interchangeably with this recipe. I personally like the summer squash better than the zucchini.

Lemon poppyseed zucchini muffins are a great way to use up all your zucchini or summer squash. Serve them for back to school lunches, snacks, or even breakfast. It's such an easy recipe that you can even make it with your kids.

A Muffin for Picky Eaters

My son is often leery of different textures or anything that doesn’t look plain.  These muffins have been one of the ways I’ve been able to secretly pump extra nutrition in him.

I’m going to share the regular version that I would serve for guests.  However, I’ve successfully modified this recipe with yogurt and chia seeds to up the protein, and less sugar overall.

If you would like to modify the recipe this way, replace all the poppy seeds with chia seeds and add 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt to the recipe.

Everyone in my family goes crazy for these muffins and yours will too.

Related: How to Pick & Process Zucchini

Lemon poppyseed zucchini muffins are a great way to use up all your zucchini or summer squash. Serve them for back to school lunches, snacks, or even breakfast. It's such an easy recipe that you can even make it with your kids.

While muffins may not be the healthiest food ever, it’s nice to know there’s something we can all agree on.

Zucchini keeps the muffins moist and virtually disappears.  These muffins are perfect for breakfast, a treat with coffee, in a lunch, or as an after-school snack.

Need help using up all your zucchini?  Look no further!

Lemon poppyseed zucchini muffins are a great way to use up all your zucchini or summer squash. Serve them for back to school lunches, snacks, or even breakfast. It's such an easy recipe that you can even make it with your kids.

Muffin Baking Tips

  • Always mix the wet and dry ingredients separately and don’t over-mix.  Your muffins will have a much nicer texture than if you dump everything in one bowl.
  • Shell out the extra money for parchment liners.  I hate when half the muffin sticks to the liner, and parchment solves the problem.
  • use an ice cream scoop for less mess when distributing the batter.
  • Don’t let the muffins cool in the pan for more than 5 minutes.  Transfer them to a plate or wire rack so they don’t get soggy at the bottom.
  • Muffins freeze well.  Keep a few out and save the rest for school/work lunches.
  • Want to try a cake recipe but don’t know who will eat all that cake?  Put the batter into muffin tins instead!  Adjust the baking time, usually 20 or 25 minutes instead of 45-60.

Can’t get enough lemon?  Be sure to check out Lucious Lemon Cake with Candied Citrus and Lemon Buttercream.

Pin me for later!

Lemon poppyseed zucchini muffins are a great way to use up all your zucchini or summer squash. Serve them for back to school lunches, snacks, or even breakfast. It's such an easy recipe that you can even make it with your kids.
Yield: 18 muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Muffins

A delicious muffin to help use up all your extra zucchini.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup cooking oil
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup grated zucchini or summer squash
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup poppy seeds

Instructions

    1. Combine the milk and poppy seeds in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes.

    2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Make a well in the bowl.

    3. Once the poppyseed have soaked for 10 minutes, add the egg, cooking oil, sugar, zucchini, and lemon juice. Pour in the well of dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

    4. Divide into muffin liners and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20 minutes, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

To add extra nutrition for picky eaters, replace the poppyseeds with chia seeds and add 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt to the recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 107mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g

Delicious Maple Spice Crab Apple Butter

Do you have a favourite smell?  One that brings back all your favourite memories?  Of crisp Autumn days or happy times in the kitchen?

If I could pick one smell, it would be crab apples.

Their pretty red-pink might also win for best colour too.  I digress.

Lessons in Crab Apples

I vividly remember picking crab apples growing up on the family farm.  I would pick all the apples as high as I could reach while my mom or grandma got the taller ones with the ladder.  My grandma’s voice still rings in my head, gently lecturing me to not waste a single apple.

Any apples that fell while picking could still be collected for juice.

At the time I thought it was silly.  There were so. many. apples.  Surely one or two going to waste wouldn’t be a big deal?

While I haven’t heard of anyone dying from lack of crab apples, the lesson still sticks in my mind.  Now that I’m older, I confess that I take a certain amount of pride in being able to make my own crab apple pies, juice, and sauces.

Related: How to Organize an Apple Pie Making Day

Have a crab apple tree full of apples and no idea what to do with it? You'll want to make this maple spiced crab apple butter! All the smells and tastes of autumn. Spread it on toast or fresh bread, use it as a pancake topping, or use it to flavour plain yogurt.

Use Early Autumn Apples to make Delicious Crab Apple Butter

Every year I like to try something new.  This year crab apple butter was calling my name.

Despite having the word butter in it’s title, there is actually no butter in apple butter.  Think of it as a thick jam, or a jazzed up version of apple sauce.

Did you know there's no butter in apple butter? It's still delicious.Click To Tweet

The ingredients are simple: crap apples, lemon juice, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice.  Cook, blend, cook again, and serve.  Don’t worry, I’ll go into slightly more detail below and provide the recipe in an easy to read format at the end.

Related: How to Make Crab Apple Juice 

Have a crab apple tree full of apples and no idea what to do with it? You'll want to make this maple spiced crab apple butter! All the smells and tastes of autumn. Spread it on toast or fresh bread, use it as a pancake topping, or use it to flavour plain yogurt.

Use it up!

I can hear you already, “That sounds great, Kristen, but what will I actually DO with this marvellous crab apple butter?”

Eat it like you would apple sauce, serve it over pancakes, serve it IN pancakes, or add it to your plain yogurt.  You can even serve it on top of crackers and cheddar cheese.  Whatever you do, I know that you’ll be coming back for more.

Related: How to make a Simple and Impressive Charcuterie Board

Yield: 6 250ml jars

Slow Cooker Spiced Crab Apple Butter

Slow Cooker Spiced Crab Apple Butter

A delicious apple sauce to use up crab apples.

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 4 hours
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 6 hours

Ingredients

  • 5 cups apple sauce,
  • 1 cup apple juice,
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup,
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice,
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon,
  • 1 tsp allspice.

Instructions

1.Clean and cut your crab apples, removing all stems, cores, and blossom ends.

2.Fill a large pot approximately 1/2 full of crab apples. Add four cups of water and boil. You may need to add more water as your apples cook so they don't burn.

3.When the apples are cooked through and mushy, remove from heat and put them in a blender. Blend on medium low for 30 seconds, or until smooth.

4.Measure out five cups of crab apple sauce and return to the pot. Add apple juice. I use the crab apple juice I make, but apple juice from the store is fine too. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and allspice. Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your tastes.

5.Heat and cook until boiling. Set heat to medium low and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Transfer to sterilized jars and process in boiling water for 10 minutes, or let cool and store in freezer-safe containers. If canning, it is recommended to follow the procedure and guidelines as outlined here.

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How To Cope When You Have Too Much Zucchini

Zucchinis are like rabbits-they multiply quickly, seemingly overnight.  That little plant that looked so innocent in spring now is producing five offspring a day that you have no idea what to do with.  Heaven help you if you planted more than one or two.

Every time I turn around, another zucchini has matured on my plants.  I was excited for the first 4 or 5, and loved serving them fried with cheese or in fritters.  10 zucchinis later and I’m desperate for something different.

Instead of putting it in bags and hanging it on my neighbours doors, I’ve come up with a couple of different ways to use up the surplus.

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Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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