Orange Muffins w/ Cinnamon Glaze | The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky

You must be comfortable with the liberal use of words like vagina, penis, sex, and dildo if you're going to read The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky, the debut novel by Summer Heacock. Really. It's all about Kat's quest to fix her broken lady bits. As long as that doesn't scare you off, you're in for a hilarious...and even a little sexy...read.

Bran Muffins | Game of Thrones

Welcome to day 4 of the week-long Game of Thrones inspired recipe extravaganza being held right here and over at CulturEatz! The inspiration behind the recipe I'm sharing today is obvious for any GoT fan—our sweet little (well, not so little anymore) Bran Stark.

Fresh Strawberry Muffins | The Roanoke Girls

Some secrets run so deep and fierce that they suffocate those who protect them. That is exactly the case with dark, chilling secret held by the Roanoke girls. It's caused generations of mystery and speculation around the girls born at Roanoke house. Beautiful women that either die or run. Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel!

Muffin Bottom Pudding Pie | Gilmore Girls Coffee Klatch

I can hardly believe it, but I only have ONE episode of Gilmore Girls left to watch. I could have watched the series premiere and included it in today's post—it's a mere 38:00 long. However, I wasn't quite ready to be finished, so I'm going to devote next week's coffee klatch to share my thoughts on the way things ended and my overall thoughts on the series.

Pumpkin Einkorn Muffins | Life After Coffee

Today I'm happy to be hosting a TLC book tours stop for the first novel by Virginia Franken. Centered around 30-something wife, mom, and coffee buyer Amy O'Hara, Life After Coffee delves into the somewhat taboo storyline of a working mom who actually enjoys her life. Amy has a hunky husband (Peter) who takes care of their two young children (Billy, 5 and Violet, 3) while she travels the world in 6-week stretches, sourcing the finest coffee beans and connecting with farmers and is happy to be the sole breadwinner in the family.

Her life tumbles down around her when her boss sells his company due to troubles in the coffee industry and she's left without a job. Peter is only too happy to immediately hand over the reigns so that he can finish the screenplay he's been working on for five years. Hilarity and hijinks ensue as Amy realizes that she really has no idea how to fill the parental role she's been thrust into.

Ham and Greens Corn Muffins

When Liz announced that our Progressive Eats theme for this month would be "Things Made in a Muffin Tin", I had my mind set on making something unexpected. I wasn't going to make muffins or cupcakes, I would make delicate little meat pies, beautiful apple roses, or maybe even tiny little shepherd's pies. But as you can see, that didn't happen. I made muffins.

Not that there's anything wrong with muffins. I mean, I'm always saying that I wish I had more muffin recipes here on the blog, so really this was a great opportunity for me to add another one to the recipe index. I checked the fridge for things that I already had in the house that would make a tasty muffin, and when I spied a container of leftover ham from the crockpot and remembered that I'd frozen some collard greens a few weeks back, I could just taste them inside a hearty corn muffin.

Banana Streusel Muffins

For the past couple of years, my oldest has requested that I bring muffins to a Christmas Eve breakfast for the swim team. The team swims 100/100's first thing in the morning and get out of the pool famished. Most of the parents bring something from casseroles to biscuits and gravy to fruit to chocolate milk. I've brought other things over the years, but apparently I make the best muffins. How can I refuse?

This year I brought a dozen each of three different kinds. My Brown Butter Blueberry Crumb Muffins (which I always promise you the recipe for and still haven't shared) and Cinnamon-Sugar Donut Muffins are "required", but I wanted to throw in another kind this year. My swimmer loves banana bread and muffins, so I decided that these Banana Streusel Muffins were the way to go.

Spiced Blueberry Peach Streusel Muffins

I'm super excited about two things today: delicious muffins (I'm super picky about muffins...weird, right?) and an amazing giveaway—both of which are related to a book that you have to get your hands on if you don't have it already, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. As you may have guessed, this comes from the same people who brought us The Flavor Bible, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

If you're not familiar with either, they are both very useful, working books. Not so much cookbooks, because they don't contain recipes, but rather tools. The Vegetarian Flavor Bible has around 550 pages...the first 90 or so are an introduction to a proper vegetarian diet. You'll find vegetable protein sources. as well as tips on how to maximize flavor. Plus, there's an extremely cool timeline of Vegetarianism Through the Ages. Even if you do not adhere to a strict vegetarian diet, there is so much to inspire in the first 90 pages alone.

Moving on to the remaining 450+ pages, you'll find ingredients listed alphabetically from Acai to Zucchini Blossoms—this is where you'll turn to match flavors. Under each ingredient is listed most (or all) of the following things:

• Season: peak growing season for ingredient
• Flavor: ingredient's primary taste
• Volume: relative flavor, or "loudness" of ingredient
• What it is: a brief description of less common ingredients
• What's healthful about it: nutrients, health benefits, etc

Bacon Cornbread Muffins + a Cooking with Frank's® RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce cookbook review

Surprises can come in the most unexpected packages. Recently, I was offered the chance to review a copy of the Frank's® RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce cookbook. I was happy to, because I've always enjoyed Frank's, especially on basic hot wings or (best of all) Buffalo Chicken Dip. I thought I'd probably find a couple of tasty dishes to try. To be completely honest, I wasn't really expecting that much. I don't know why. I had some sort of preconceived notion about "brand" cookbooks in my head...that it was probably somewhat basic. In a happy surprise, I was proved wrong.

Let me back up a moment and note that the cookbook itself is actually not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the manufacturer of Frank's® RedHot®; it is independently published and written. And it's written by a blogger. Aaaaaahhhhh, no wonder it's not boring and ho-hum. I mean, I may be a wee bit biased, but I know the hard work and long  hours that most food bloggers put into recipe testing and development. After learning that, it made sense that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the recipes in the book. It might be worth noting that I read through the book, and added my numerous bookmarks before reading about the author, Rachel Rappaport.

Hot sauce lovers are going to want this book on their shelves. It does contain things you might expect, like chicken wings and dip—but they go beyond run-of-the-mill. You can also find things more out of the ordinary, like jello shots, ice cream, and even cinnamon buns...and yes, they all have hot sauce as an ingredient.

Red, White, & Blue Muffins {Happy Independence Day!}

So.  Spring and especially Summer around these parts has been particularly hot and uncomfortable.  Scorching, really.  It's no secret.  The weather reports mock us with 20% chances of rain all week long.  And then it never happens.

Grass everywhere is yellow and crispy.  People with pools are keeping cool a bit easier.  Hoses, kiddie pools, and slip-n-slide's  can be seen in action at any given time of the day...dawn to dusk...down any street in town.

Air conditioners are pumping full-blast only to be keeping houses at bareable temperatures.  We had a crazy wind storm along with the only 5 minutes of rain we've had all summer (or so it seems) a few days ago, and I've heard that some are still without power.  That's a dangerous situation right now.

I've been trying to figure out if the statewide burn bans are going to put a damper on the Independence Day fireworks or not.  I can't really seem to get a straight answer.  Some things I read say the ban is in effect and should be followed.  Other things say use your judgement...use caution.  I'm thinking that only the major displays which are shot over concrete or large bodies of water will be as scheduled.  But really, it's hard telling.

So, in the midst of these strange days, I will pack up a cooler full of water, light snacks, plenty of ice, and these red, white, and blue muffins.  And we will head towards the water in search of fireworks.

Happy Independence Day, USA.  Stay safe, stay hydrated, and enjoy your day!

Red, White, and Blue Muffins

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Keywords: bake bread snack breakfast vegetarian blueberries strawberries July 4th American

Ingredients (12 muffins)

• 1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• ⅔ c. superfine sugar
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, room temp.
• ½ c. coconut oil
• ¼ c. whole milk
• ⅔ c. chopped, fresh strawberries
• ½ c. fresh blueberries
• ¼ c. + 2 Tbs. white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a muffin tin (or line w/ muffin papers).

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Push dry ingredients to one side of the bowl.

Add eggs, oil, and milk to "empty" side of bowl and beat together lightly. Mix the dry and the wet ingredients together until just combined.

Fold in the strawberries, blueberries, and white chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove to a wire rack and let sit for 5 minutes before turning muffins out to finish cooling. Enjoy!

inspired by/adapted from Taste of Home Baking

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Spiced Apple Crumb Muffins {Vegan}

I've mentioned before that I'm not the biggest muffin fan.  I think it has to do with the processed tasting muffins I grew up with.  Super sweet...no discernible texture...ginormous.  I don't remember my mom ever making muffins at home except for the type you can buy in a box that has a little can of blueberries right in the box itself.  And okay, I actually did like those.  But other than that, it was (different) muffins from a box or a coffee shop and I never really liked them.  Fortunately, I have discovered a few different types of muffins that I actually like A LOT in the past six months or so and I will be keeping them in my arsenal...ready to mix up for guests or easy breakfasts or just because.  It really all began with those Sweet Potato Muffins w/ Bacon Pecan Streusel.  The flavor!  And coming in as another "keeper" were the Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins (way better than the boxed mix I remember, by the way).  Now, I never...ever...would have thought that a vegan muffin would fall comfortably into my top 3.  But, low and behold, it did.  I consider these muffins pretty darn healthy, but they don't taste like health food.  They don't have that cloying sweetness that makes me loathe muffins.  They are made with spelt flour and rolled spelt.  They have bits of fresh apple and roasted nuts in every bite.  And they smell like home.  I changed them up a bit from the original recipe that called for a mixture of white and whole spelt flour since I only had whole.  I switched out the rolled oats for rolled spelt.  I switched out the soy milk for almond milk.  All this because it's what I had on hand...and though I've never tried them made as originally written, I'm not sorry...because they were amazing.

Spiced Apple Crumb Muffins
adapted from / inspired by My Father's Daughter 

makes ~12 muffins (...could make a few extra, depending on the size of your muffin tins)

crumb topping:
½ c. whole grain Spelt flour
¼ c. whole rolled spelt (spelt flakes)
¼ c. brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch sea salt
2 Tbs. coconut oil
1 Tbs. almond milk

muffins:
1 c. peeled, finely diced Granny Smith apples (1-2 apples)
1 Tbs. cornstarch
½ c. coconut oil
½ c. + 2 Tbs. Maple Syrup (you could use honey, but remember it won't be vegan if you do)
½ c. + 2 Tbs. Almond Milk
2 c. whole grain Spelt flour
2¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. fine sea salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ c. lightly toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Line muffin tins with liners (or oil them).

crumb topping:  Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Add oil and almond milk and rub together with your fingers until you have crumbs the size of peas or small pebbles.  Set aside.

muffins:  Toss apples with cornstarch and set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond milk.  Sift everything else (except the walnuts) into the bowl and stir until just combine.  Gently fold in the apples and walnuts.  Divide batter amongst muffin tins.  Divide crumb topping over each.  Slide into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I like these muffins best when they have cooled down a bit...but still have a bit of warmth.  Seductively spiced and studded with bits of apple and walnut, the whole family finds them hard to resist.  They are a fabulous breakfast or snack option and would be the perfect "welcome to the neighborhood" gift, too.

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Wholesome Wholegrain Cooking: Spelt/Oats in Breakfast hosted by ME this month!

Sweet Potato Muffins w/ Bacon Pecan Streusel (Tackling Bittman)

So.  I know I teased you a bit by just showing you a picture of the best muffins I've ever eaten in my entire life (really!) when I reviewed The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman. I'm here to make up for that today.  These muffins are so many things. Perfectly sweet.  Alarming moist.  Impossibly good taste...as in best flavor bursting from a bite of a muffin that there ever was.  Do you really need a better argument than that?  Okay.  I'll top that.  Although I had yet to taste this glorious, easily portable package of bliss, I decided I wanted to add a streusel topping to it.  Oh yeah.  That streusel?  It has bacon in it.  That's right.  I said it.  I love to crumble bacon on my sweet potatoes...and then toss on some candied pecans for good measure, so I decided my muffins would get the same royal treatment.  Don't take my word for it, though.  Make some.  You won't be sorry.

Sweet Potato Muffins

adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

yield: 12 muffins

2½ c. whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour (I used 1¼ c. whole wheat flour & 1¼ c. bread flour)

¾ c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

¼ c. melted unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pans

¼ c. vegetable oil I just doubled the melted butter...but in hindsight, I bet bacon fat would taste awesome here, too...especially if using my streusel on top! Trying that with my next batch.

1 c. pureed or mashed cooked sweet potato

1 egg, beaten

½ c. buttermilk

Heat oven to 375° F. Grease 12 muffin cups or add liners. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, soda, and salt. In another bowl. whisk together butter, oil (or other fat), sweet potato, egg, and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined.  The dough was very thick, almost like I was making a scone or biscuit dough...in other words, not liquid.  Be careful not to overwork it here...just gently combine it all and scoop off twelve equal pieces...it worked well that way.

Fill the muffin cups at least ¾ full. (Top w/ streusel if you wish...see recipe below).

 Bake until muffins are puffed and turning golden brown on top, 20-25 mins. Serve warm if possible.  But they're pretty darn excellent at room temperature, too!

Bacon Pecan Streusel

½ c. whole wheat flour

¼ c. brown sugar

½ tsp. ground ginger

4 Tbs. butter, room temp.

2 oz. pecans, chopped

4 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled

Mix flour, brown sugar and ginger in a bowl and cut in butter to form pea-sized crumbs. Toss in pecans and bacon. Distribute evenly over muffins.

*Don't forget, I'm hosting a special RoundUp Edition of Tackling Bittman this month, so send me your Bittman posts.  I will be accepting entries until Jan. 31...and drawing from all the entries to give one lucky Bitty fan a copy of The Food Matters Cookbook!  Click HERE for more details!

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*WanderFood Wednesday

Cherry Poppy seed Muffins for TFF

I didn't realize how much I'd missed Tyler until I took a moment to breathe. There were a few regular foodie blogger events that went on the back burner while I was moving...time to move them back up to the forefront! Hello Tyler...I'm ready to hit the kitchen with you again. Let's go! I marked a page a while back for Cherry Poppy seed muffins, and decided to dig the cookbook out of the packing peanuts (okay, I didn't actually use packing peanuts, I used newspaper...lots of it) and get to baking! Cherry Poppy seed Muffins by Tyler Florence from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen p. 89 1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan I used pan spray 2 c. AP flour, plus more for dusting the cherries 1 c. sugar, plus more for dusting tops I used raw sugar for the tops 1 Tbs. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 c. milk 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 Tbs. poppy seeds zest of 1 orange, finely grated 1 c. dried cherries Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until evenly combined. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs; then add the melted butter, poppy seeds and orange zest. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well. Fold everything together to form a batter. Toss the cherries with some flour to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin when baked. Fold them into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them 2/3 full. Dust the top with a little sugar to form a crust as the muffins bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center muffin. Place muffin tin on a cutting board to cool.

Okay, I liked them. I didn't love them. I always do that with muffins, though...not really sure why. I'm not the biggest muffin fan; usually they are to dense for me. I don't like heavy muffins...these were a tad heavy. I like light, airy muffins. But, the flavors were good and I'd probably make them again. For other people. Be sure to head on over to Tyler Florence Fridays to see what the other foodies and Tyler cooked up this week!