Lemon Coconut Muffins for Brunch

I've survived another day of surfer lingo and even had a few comebacks of my own. I must say, though, that I'm outnumbered and the slang isn't coming naturally for me. What does come naturally is baking.

I have some sort of sinus infection, head cold or allergy thingie going on. Since I refuse to go to the doctor I don't really know what kind of crud it is. What I know for sure is that it's not that bad and it will go away. To help myself feel better I started baking. It is a therapy for me, really. Playing around in the kitchen and hopefully creating a comforting & nourishing baked good for the family and of course for "yours truly".

What I like about this muffin is the soft and fluffy texture with the slightly crunchy tangy top.  It's not too sweet & there isn't any butter in the recipe so I felt a little less guilty as I polished off 3 of these cuties this morning.

How to:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup lemon curd from a jar
• 4 tablespoons toasted unsweetened coconut (for the topping)

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a mixer, add egg, oil, cream & sour cream. Mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients. No need to over mix.

Spoon into a muffin tin lined with muffin papers/liners. Add about 2/3 or 3/4 full to each tin. Next, add a teaspoon size amount of  lemon curd on the top/center of the batter.

Bake on 375 for about 14 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle toasted coconut on top.

Yield: 12 muffins

*Update: These muffins are amazing fresh, please note that as the days go by they get kinda dry. So eat 'em quick!

What makes you feel better when you're not well?

Hash Brown Cups with Bacon, Cheese & Egg

Did you have a relaxing Thanksgiving or were you hosting and working hard? Each year we celebrate Thanksgiving at my in-laws & this means I don't have much to do.  I make a few pecan pies and bring a few dishes then I get to relax & celebrate! It was a great holiday with good energy, tasty food and lots of enthusiasm.

With Thanksgiving behind us, a little black Friday shopping under my belt & a partly sunny day in the PNW I'm feeling ready to welcome the next holiday. My daughter turned on the radio and to our surprise there were Christmas songs sprinkled among the pop music we enjoy. I lit the "white Christmas" scented Yankee candle & began to remove the Christmas decor bins out of the crawl space.

So much progress around here really reminds me to appreciate the 4 days off of work that my husband has right now. The long weekend also gives us time to stay up to the wee hours of the night and sleep in later than the rising sun. Anytime our house begins waking up after 8am it means we get a brunch menu.

Maybe you'll offer these on your next brunch menu:

• 4 cups thawed hash browns
• 7 eggs, wisk in a bowl
• 7 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped in small pieces
• salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• Muffin tins
• *green onions: see note at the bottom

Yield: 16 hashbrown cups

In a bowl, place hash browns, 3/4 cup cheese, oil, salt and pepper. Toss well.  Place mixture in muffin tins     ( I used standard size muffin tins but minis would work well for small hands.) Press down in the center to form a shape similar to a bowl. Bake on 400 for 15 minutes.  Remove.

Place a few tablespoons of egg in each muffin tin. Place a teaspoon amount of bacon on top of the egg. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese and place in the oven on 350 for 12 minutes.

Remove and serve with salsa or ketchup.

*Recipe modification: Hubby says this recipe needs a little green onion. I agree and recommend sprinkling on some of the muffins (unless your kids like green onions).

Are you prepping for the holidays or holding out until December?

Salmon Hash

Good Morning! It's been a week of house guests, dad's birthday, football, soccer, and even a WNBA game.   We won tickets through the National Guard for Hero Appreciation Night & although we consider ourselves to be "the country type", I've gotta say that walking through Seattle Center on a balmy night with live music in the background, Chihuly Garden and Glass Art in our midst and a general feeling of excitement and energy felt great!

Our Seattle experiences seem to be a little off beat and slightly different from our experiences at home. Our kids are still talking about seeing a man in downtown Seattle a few years ago incoherently talking to a newspaper stand and simultaneously kicking it. Last night's experience was unique as well. As we sat at the bar of a fast food place a man joined us and dined on his array of free sauces. My husband noticed and gave him some of our dinner. No judgement or expectation, just giving and sharing a quiet meal together. Kind words were exchanged as we departed and it left us all feeling like we want to do more.

The "Storm" game was fantastic and felt amplified by our Thunderstix (a 2 pack of yellow and green inflatable noise makers that are included with each admission). The Storm lost by 2 points to Connecticut Sun's for various reasons, like our sons football game on Saturday, the erroneous calls by the referees didn't help.  All and all it was a fantastically tiring week that resulted in too many leftovers.  My solution to the dilemma was to create a breakfast hash.

The salmon hash was especially loved by our 9 month old niece who was visiting us this weekend. She enjoyed the potato's and broccoli a lot!

How To:

• 2 cups diced russet potato's
• 1/2 cup cooked broccoli
• a small filet of cooked salmon, flaked
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 6 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• a few tablespoons of olive oil

Pan fry the potato's in olive oil for about 15 minutes. Turning frequently to brown.  

In an egg pan fry red onions for 5 minutes. Add egg and scramble until cooked.

Add the egg/onion, broccoli, salmon, salt and pepper to the potato's. Heat for about 5 minutes then serve with ketchup, salsa and hot sauce.

What do you do with your leftover's?

Zucchini Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've been known to not exactly always have a working "filter". The translation is, sometimes I say things that are best unsaid. This morning my husband was full of goofy energy and silly spirit.  I, on the other hand, was on a mission full of purpose. I created a check list of recipes to make using the large quantity of ripe zucchini and summer squash given to us by our good friends and their bountiful garden.

The list was not short or simple. So to hear the many calls of "Wifer" (yup, that's my nickname) from the garage or the slaps on my bottom as he breezed by this morning began to wear thin. At that moment I was overcome with a genius idea to blurt out "I'm going to call your boss and beg him to find work for you today"(of course I would never call his boss, it was just fun saying it!).  It wasn't an overly offensive statement. There have been worse.  But in a house like ours where my husband works in both construction and in the National Guard, time together can be scarce.

The ironic thing is, his boss called 20 minutes later &  he was, indeed, needed at work today.  His youthful energy was missed after he left for work & I discovered pretty quickly that all I was left with are a bunch of dirty dishes and clock watching moments.  I was anticipating the after school arrival of our kids and my husbands short visit back home before he leaves for 2 nights of what I like to call "Army Man Training". I'm here to tell you, "be careful what you wish for".

Beyond the dirty dishes and clock watching please enjoy a bit of today's deliciousness:

• 1/4 cup butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oat bran
• 2/3 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup apple sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray.

Cream butter and agave. Add egg, yogurt and apple sauce.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, oat bran and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture then mix on low.

Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour into the muffin tins and this don't rise much so feel free to fill them nearly to the top.

Bake for 20 minutes

Yield: 12 muffins



Ps- If you've made my muffins before (the oat, flax, blueberry muffins) you'll know that I don't tolerate a dry muffin that needs to be choked down with coffee or water.  This dandy is full of texture and moisture, which isn't for everyone, but hey, that's what makes the world go 'round.