Baking? Who, me?

I'm not much of a baker.  I love baked goods, but don't get a lot of pleasure from baking for myself.  As I've mentioned, I don't really enjoy following recipes because it doesn't feel "creative" enough for me. 


But...I will admit that I have a teensy-weensy bit of the baking bug this summer.  Mainly it's out of necessity as it's difficult to find store-bought baked goods that don't have mile long, unpronounceable ingredient lists, and trans fats.

I have gotten better at adapting and changing recipes a wee bit to make them a little heartier and healthier.  Here are a few baking highlights that I wanted to share!

Chocolate-Chip Raspberry Muffins

I followed this basic muffin recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/best-ever-muffins/detail.aspx 

But used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and one cup of white flour, a cup of fresh from the bucket raspberries, a handful of chocolate chips (gotta trick Bryce into eating them somehow!), and about 1/4 cup of ground flax seed.  The result?  Yum.  I can't wait to see if Bryce will actually eat them tomorrow morning!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Basic recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/amazing-whole-wheat-pizza-crust/detail.aspx 

I substituted the white flour with all whole wheat flour.  I topped the pizza with a variety of fresh bucket veggies and three cheeses- fresh sliced mozzarella, crumbled feta, and fresh Parmesan.  The secret to a good pizza is fresh mozzarella- the slimy, wet looking stuff that comes in a ball.  Oh, and fresh basil!

I forgot to snap a picture before we demolished most of the pizza!

Strawberry-Raspberry Pie

Shhh...I cheated on this one by buying a Pillsbury pie crust and adapting a basic pie recipe I found online. 

The filling was quite simple, 

• 4 1/2 cups of fresh berries.  I used a mix of strawberries and raspberries (from the bucket!).  But, I'm sure it would be good with some blueberries or blackberries, too!
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of Penzey's Arrowroot Starch

Toss these ingredients into a large bowl until the berries are coated in the sugar starch mix.  Put the filling into the crust.  Cover the edges with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes.