Mmmaple is Autumn's Flavour

September, are you in? Because October's already knocking on my door, leaving little gifts of freshly picked pumpkins and a swirl of red-brown leaves on the deck. 

Summer went and packed up it's bags, I've been greeted by a crispness in the air that must be the space where summer once was. And as soon as the vacancy opened up, Halloween came swooping in with hanging ghosts and little witches stirring cauldrons under trees. I know it's a little early, but space seems to be filling up fast. I mean, Christmas has already reserved its place by way of little reindeer and Santa figurines lining store aisles. It's hard to keep up with the changing of seasons, especially when layers pile on in the morning, and layers come off in the afternoon to a change in weather like suddenly summer really did change it's mind, and bags were once again brought back up to the door, and the sun carefully unwrapped from it's place in a suitcase. The cloud of dust surrounding it now dispersed and shaken off. 

Unfortunately, dust always seems to settle somewhere, and usually by that evening, we once again feel the coolness of the air and the softness of the sun's rays are missed. The little electric fire hums to the tune of wind howling outside, and little pockets of cold air come in through windows left open from a sunny afternoon. 

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The Story of the Goose and Orange Oatmeal Muffins

I never used to be one for non-fiction reading, always turning away from mum or dad's, or even my sister's recaps of what historic event had come up during a peruse through a book. I even stopped taking history in school as early as I could because I was never interested in it, and because of that I wasn't willing to study very hard for each test...

However, recently I have been immersed in book after book on the subject of animals, and especially ones that have a behavioural component to them, like why dogs are the why the are. I came upon this story a couple of days ago, and it stuck with me. So after thinking about if for some time, I realised how perfect a description it is of how I think people should act around and with each other, and that's what keeps bringing me back to accounts of animals. Something that we find amazing which an animal does, a dog saving a humans life from a raging river, or more simply, a cat comforting a person who is upset, are all important morals and emotions which we value, but may not practice daily. What if everyone really did help out one another as much as they could at the time?

Unfortunately, the author was not stated and remains unknown, however, I'd still like to share this, after all, Christmas is a time of giving and sharing among each other, and it rapidly approaches.

When you see geese flying south in the fall as winter comes along, flying along in a 'V' formation, I recommend that you consider why such a pattern in created in such perfect harmony of all the birds.

As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird following immediately behind. By flying in this 'V' formation, the whole flock add at least seventy-one percent more flying range than if each bird flew on its own. 

People, like these geese, can get where they're going more quickly and much easier when travelling with the help of one another by sharing a common direction and a sense of community. 

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of oncoming winds as it tries to fly alone ... So quickly, it must get back into formation to take advantage of the power caused by the lifting stream cast behind by the bird in front.

If we have as much sense of each other as the goose, perhaps we will stay in formation with those who are headed in the same way, and can offer guidance and support along that path.

 As flying continues, the head goose begins to tire, and will rotate back in the wing and allow another goose to replace it as point.

It is sensible to rotate in and out of demanding jobs just like the goose, a habit people should also consider in our daily lives.

 Furthermore, the geese who follow behind the point flyer, will honk in encouragement to those ahead of them to keep up the speed. Isn't that much better than complaining or competing to get up front all the time? Instead, encouraging and assisting those around us will benefit everyone with far greater return.

Finally - and this is important in the habits of geese - when one flyer becomes either sick or wounded from a gunshot causing it to fall from formation, two other geese will fall out with that goose to follow it down to safety and lend help and protection throughout. These two will stay with the fallen goose until it can safely return to flying on its own, or until it dies. Only then will they launch back into the sky on their own or to tether behind another formation in the hopes of catching up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other in the same way, and in the same manner; elegant and unceremoniously.

Gluten-Free Orange Oatmeal Muffins
Print recipe here.

With the fruity fragrance from orange juice and a little extra flavouring, plus the added nutrients of oatmeal in these little muffins, they're sweet and tasty, and will fill your entire kitchen with warm smells of baking.

Another added bonus is how quick they are to bake - after a little soaking of the oats to make sure they hold as much orange flavour!

Makes about 14 muffins.

Ingredients

1 c gluten-free oats (I used Bob's Red Mill for these ones!)
1 c pure orange juice
1 c boiling water

1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg
1 tsp orange flavouring

1 1/2 c gluten free flour mix
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with reusable or paper muffin cups. Set aside.

In a bowl pour the orange juice and boiling water over the oats and set aside for 15 minutes, there will be some leftover water, but this will make your muffins lovely and moist!

In another bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg and add the orange flavouring.

Pour in the oats and beat once, quickly.

In another bowl, (might be a bit of clean-up here, but just tell someone in your family the goose story, and maybe they'll help!) combine the dry ingredients; flours, baking powder and soda, salt, and nutmeg.

Mix, and pour into the wet ingredients. The batter should be wet, however should not be runny.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups and place into the centre of the oven.

After 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for a further 5 - 10 minutes, or until a knife (or toothpick) inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool before serving.

**A Quick Note: If you don't have any orange flavouring (it comes in a little bottle like vanilla extract), try grating half the rind of an orange and adding it in after the dry ingredients, the result may be a slightly different texture - however you'll still get the flavouring at a much cheaper price!

The G-Earls Will Have Their Muffins Now

Ever since learning to operate the intricate household kettle, I have enjoyed a daily ritual of "tea drinking." From the kitchen drawer, where flavours are lined according to popularity, I select a tea bag (where contents are unrecognisable) and drop it into a nearby mug, selected from a full cupboard located close to the kettle for convenience. My mug is chosen for it's weight, the colour and pattern that is printed, and how comfortable it is to hold in my small hands.

I fill the kettle and set it to boil, waiting a few moments before I hear that 'click', comforting and familiar, and pour the steaming water over my tea bag. I then allow the tea to steep for a few minutes as I collect almond milk from the fridge and a teaspoon from the drawer.

The process entitled "making a cup of tea" continues to be an oasis in my day, a simple ritual entailed by the pleasure of having time to relax, however something behind the manufacturing and processing of the tea I drink each day bothers me. Tea drinking has become increasingly widespread across North America, with sales rising from $1.8 to $6.5 billion over the past 16 years, a huge influx despite the recession - although perhaps this notion that a cup of tea helps us to relax is what drives buyers to places like David's Tea. Or maybe its the cost of buying a drink from Starbucks that makes people rethink where they're spending their money, and instead make drinks at home.

The soaring mass production we have seen, with stacks of tea in the aisles of grocery stores rising, has decreased the quality we taste in every bag, as well as a loss of the tradition behind every cup. As with most things in our society, we have ruined its history to make it profitable, to transform it into a commodity.

Today, gadgets are sold to aid the average customer, oblivious to the past of tea-drinking rituals, to produce a quality cup in their own home. Along with the enticing and fragrant flavours lining most household cupboards, holiday chai or tazo chai? Jasmine or Gamuacha Green tea? There has been more and more recreations of the simple strainer, technologically advanced tea cups, and mechanisms to keep your tea warm as you make your morning commute.

I admit, I have been enthralled by such products as I wait in line, they sit so dramatically along the shelves. And I feel as if I need it, the elegance and structure looks so beautiful, and the cup I am holding, a purple travel mug curved at the edges, fits perfectly into my hand.

I plead to my mum who casually turns her head. How many mugs have I bought recently?

After deciding upon a flavour of tea from the cupboard, two perfectly measured teaspoons are dropped into a "top-of-the-line" strainer, which fits into its matching cup, a device complete with a lid and designed for today's single-cup tea drinkers. According to instructions on the packet, I time it to steep for exactly seven minutes, a direction I should not take lightly to ensure that perfect outcome.

Ridiculous in appearance and the intricacy of the design, reviewers still rave about the final flavours of the tea created by modern mechanisms, flying off the shelves over and over again. Comparatively, the majority still makes tea with a ceramic pot, boiled water from the stove and with a steeping time of only a couple of minutes, and they've maintained the cultural aspects behind each mug brought to their lips.

My parents, both from England, have brought both me and my sister up to really enjoy a simply made "regular" cup of tea. We frequently ask for this, and it is always understand between us, however when others ask what type of tea we would like, and one of us replies,

"I'll have regular tea."

Causing puzzled looks, confusion. Then we have to try,

"English Breakfast?"

"Black Tea?"

But that always causes them to shoot back,

"But what type of black tea?"

Earl Grey Tea Muffins
Print Recipe.

Realizing that I didn't have a recipe for muffins on my blog (probably my favourite of all baked goods) I was shocked, and knew that this week I would set about making the perfect tea-time muffins. However, the first time I made them, we were completely out of eggs, and not thinking to run over to the neighbours, and over exaggerating the amount of times I have successfully baked without eggs, I opted to use ground flax instead. 

Needless to say, they did not work. And I instead pulled from the oven a tray of uncooked muffins, even after 45 minutes in the hot oven. They had come out mushy and gooey.

So unless you have an allergy, or follow a vegan diet, I would recommend these muffins to be cooked with eggs! Although if you do try the flax, it is 1 tbsp in 2 tbsp of warm water per each egg.

I also found that by using more cornstarch with a liquid, in this case the rice or almond milk, you can shape the texture of your muffins. For a denser outcome, use mor cornstarch in replace of the brown rice flour, and for fluffier muffins, reduce the amount or scratch it all together, instead using brown rice flour. The level of cornstarch will also determine the amount of liquid needed, as it acts as a thickener, so the measurement below is an approximation.

Makes 8-10 muffins

Ingredients

60 g sorghum flour
60 g potato flour
80 g brown rice flour
30 g cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c coconut sugar
pinch of salt

2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp grape seed oil
1 1/2 c rice or almond milk
1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp or 1 tea bag of finely ground earl grey tea, if the leaves are large, grind them between your fingers before adding to the mix

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with paper cups, or reusable ones.

Add lemon juice to rice milk and set aside.

In a large bowl stir together flours and cornstarch, baking powder, sugar and salt. Combine.

Best eggs in a small bowl, then add vanilla extract and grape seed oil and pour into the bowl with dry mix. Stir until mixture comes together, then slowly pour in milk and lemon juice.

When mixture appears moist and smooth, stir in earl grey tea leaves. Spoon into individual muffin cups, dividing equally.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.