Zucchini and Sweet Potato Muffins (or Bread)

Last week I got a big box of Zucchini from Costco, so I decided to make some Zucchini Bread. However, for a change, I wanted to find a recipe alittle more interesting than the usual basic Zucchini bread I make (although it is very good). I checked the internet and found a Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread recipe on the Epicurious website. I made a few changes to make it alittle healthier, so here is my verison below.

Zucchini and Sweet Potato Muffins or Bread

1 c. Unbleached White Flour
1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 tsp. ground Cinnamon (I used Cassia cinnamon from Vietnam)
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Rumford Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 c. Sucanat, or Rapadura (organic cane sugar)
1/2 c. applesauce (natural, no sugar added)
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. grated Zucchini (about 1 and 1/2 medium sized zucchini)
1 1/2 c. grated Sweet Potato (I used a Japanese variety, as shown in the photo below)
1 c. lightly toasted, chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C. If using a bread pan, butter and flour it (about 9x5x3 size). For muffins, line muffin tin with muffin papers or use reusable silicon baking cups as I did. Place the "Sili-Cups" on a cookie sheet.

Sift dry ingredients (the first 5 ingredients listed, do not mix in the sugar (Sucanat/Rapadura) yet). I split into two basically equal parts when measuring and then sifted each half together into one large bowl. It is important to sift the dry ingredients well so that you do not end up with unbaked lumps of flour in the finished product.

Beat eggs in a small bowl. Measure sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla and put into a large bowl. Stir in the eggs into the large bowl and mix thouroughly with the sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Add in the zucchini and sweet potato until mixed completely. Lastly, add in dry ingredients mixture about half at a time, mixing until wet the first addition, then just mixing until wet the addition of the second half. DO NOT OVER MIX. Fold in the walnuts just until evenly mixed.

Fill the muffin cups or papers to no more than 3/4 full. During baking, these rise abit but not alot. If making bread instead of muffins, put the batter into the prepared bread pan. I like to use an AirBake bread pan so that I never get burnt edges.

This recipe filled 12 Sili-Cups and then I had batter left over to also fill about 1/3 to 1/2 of a bread pan as well. I baked everything at the same time, by placing the Sili-Cups around the bread pan that was centered on the cookie sheet.

Bake for about 25 minutes for muffins. Full bread pan will take about double the baking time. My partially filled bread pan finished baking at the same time as the muffins. You can check muffins or the bread for doneness by inserting a clean knife or bamboo skewer. If it comes out clean, it's done!

Japanese Sweet Potato

Top left to right: Beaten eggs, shredded zucchini and sweet potato, mixed dry ingredients, toasted chopped walnuts and lg. bowl with sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Shown here just before the final mixing together.

"Sili-Cups" (re-usable silicon baking cups)
ready for filling. I bought mine at Williams-Sonoma.

Close up of finished muffins...they're really good!

Ramen in Matsudo City - Tonikaku's new location - 松戸市のラーメン 移転した「兎に角」

Tonikaku (兎に角)の外観

Previously I have posted information on Tsuke-men at two restaurants in Matsudo City. Yesterday Ken and I went back to Tonikaku (which translates to "Anyhow" in English) and since it was pretty cold outside, we decided to have the ramen to try to warm ourselves up.

We discovered that Tonikaku has moved two streets over from it's previous location. It's now on a corner of a street that is closer to the train tracks and much is larger inside, seating about double the amount of customers than before. There is a considerable foyer/entry area where a few waiting customers can line up, instead of everyone having to stand outside in the street. Very nice on a cold day like yesterday. They were still playing 'oldies' music (Bee-Gees etc. on this particular day) but I noticed there was a mix of Japanese and English tunes this time.

There are at least 4 paid self parking areas within a 2-3 minute walk of the restaurant that we were able to see without even looking for it.

Their hours of operation are still 11:30 am to 2:00 pm and 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm every day except Monday (closed on Mondays) and open only for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm on Sundays, Thursdays and holidays. The NEW address is:

Nemoto 462, 1st floor
Matsudo-City
phone 047-361-4667

The soup in their ramen was quite delicious! Not fatty but not too thin. We noticed the noodles were more spaghetti like than the typical or expected ramen noodles. They were also very good.

Don't get too hungry looking at the pictures!

Basic ramen

Close up of the soup

Char-shu Men

A Japanese Giant Mantis - 大かまきり

The rescued Mantis on our hanging flower basket

Daisy has discovered in our garden this past week (on November 18th), a Japanese Giant Mantis, which I suppose is the Japanese version of what is called a Praying Mantis in America. She sniffed it out and picked it up in her mouth, perhaps thinking it would make a good thing to play with, since everything is 'funny' to Daisy. I quickly noticed she had something new and of great interest, as she was proudly trotting around the garden like she had just discovered a treasure. Thankfully she was carrying it gingerly in her mouth. So I ran over to her and rescued the poor creature.

We have a little hanging basket of flowers that usually has some little bee or butterfly buzzing around it so I put the Mantis there. All week it has been staying on the basket, moving around I imagine getting something to eat. We have had nice sunny days for about a week now, with temps around mid to high 60's (that's Fahrenheit, which is about 14-16 C). Normally I don't think that we would see a Mantis in the garden this time of year.

I checked one of my favorite blogs that has info on nature in Japan and found that the man who writes that blog also found a Giant Mantis on Nov 25th, although where he is located in Japan it tends to be a bit warmer than where we are (click here natural-japan.net, or see sidebar link, under "My Favorite Web places").

Wonder how long this one will make it into winter. Temps are supposed to 'plunge' from today we heard on the news last night.....We will keep an eye on it (I think it's a 'she').

If looking at 'bugs' close up doesn't bother you, click on the photos to enlarge!

The Mantis a few days after it's rescue, watching some little bees flying around the flowers.

The Mantis today, Dec 3rd. Seems it is trying to stay dry and out of the rain today, hanging on the underside of the basket.

UPDATE: Dec. 5th; The Mantis was found dead today, not surprisingly since it's been very cold at night now. Hopefully we will find some of it's offspring in the garden when the weather warms up in a few months.