Monday, September 20, 2010

Fingerpainting and Strawberry Muffins

When was the last time you did fingerpainting?
On a glass table?
I did that this summer
With a friend
We got messy
First one finger
Then another color on another finger
Until finally our hands were covered in fingerpaint
Drawing with our fingers
Making textures with the paint
Talking about life

This weekend
I poured fingerpaint on my table
And watched my girls paint the table
Getting messy immediately
Not taking their time
All the colors smooshed together
In a moment
And overheard them saying
"I can't wait to tell my friends we painted the table!"
"This is a once in a lifetime event."
No it's not
We'll definitely do it again

Life can be messy but fun
I'm currently following a strict no-iodine diet as part of the follow-up to my thyroid cancer. In about 10 days, I'll get to take radioactive iodine that should kill off any remaining thyroid cells in my body, and in preparation for that I'm not allowed to eat certain foods that contain iodine. This includes iodized salt (but kosher salt is fine), cheese, egg yolks, and any pre-packaged foods, among other things.

A friend of my mother's sent me a recipe for banana muffins that she used when her daughter underwent this treatment, and I've modified it slightly. They were so good that I had to fight for the last one with one of my daughters. {I promised to make her another batch.}
Recipe for Strawberry Muffins
Makes 1 dozen
½ cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup maple sugar and 1/2 cup raw cane sugar)
3 egg whites
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup puréed strawberries
coarse maple sugar (optional)
Combine butter, vanilla and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites and mix until blended.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda and kosher salt. Add this to the butter mixture. Stir in the puréed strawberries. After filling the baking cups, sprinkle with coarse maple sugar.
Bake at 350˚F for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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    6 comments:

    Unknown said...

    That looks like soo much fun. Maybe I should do it too, I loved it when I was a child. Though mom might jsut kill me for it!

    Lynda said...

    I wish I had a glass table to do fingerpainting on. That looks like so much fun. I love the picture. Those muffins look like ones I would fight over too.

    Katrina said...

    Fun fingerpainting!
    Hope all goes well with the iodine.
    Yummy muffins. Fun to use strawberries.

    Blackberry said...

    Best of luck.

    The Prudent Homemaker said...

    Canning salt does not have iodine added, either, and it is just like regular table salt. It's right next to the regular salt at the store. It's used for making pickles.

    Lisa said...

    I love strawberries and your muffins look so moist and delicious.