Lemon Pound Cake Muffins

My dad loved lemon; it was his favorite flavor, and we were always on a quest to find yummy lemon treats.

We never had a chance to share these muffins with him, but making them brings him to mind.

DD#1 whipped them up on a cold Sunday.  We tell her that if nursing-her dream job-doesn't work out, culinary school is the definite Plan B.

She made these with GF baking mix from King Arthur; substitute it for the flour and leavening if you're going gluten-free.

Delicate and delicious, these are perfect with a mug of steaming tea or coffee.

Enjoy,

Ginger

Lemon Pound Cake Muffins

(from Taste of Home)

Ingredients 
1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
or replace flour, salt, and soda with 1 3/4 cups King Arthur gluten-free baking mix
GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in
the sour cream and extracts. Combine the flour, salt and baking
soda; add to creamed mixture just until moistened.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at
400° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the
center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan
to a wire rack.

Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over muffins. Serve warm.
Yield: 1 dozen.

Hello Monday: Of Birthdays, Beaches, and Brownie Batter Pancakes

Hi, Y'all.

Didn't intend to disappear for the week; in fact, I find myself with so many potential blog posts that I might have to make myself a list so I remember them all.

Gasp.

We slipped away to the shore for a few days and discovered there was no wi-fi.

Double-gasp.

It was, as DD#1 declared, probably a conspiracy to enhance family bonding.

Undoubtedly.

We had lots of family bonding and lots of sitting around doing nothing.  

I realized sometime Friday that, other than Bible study (which was definitely thought-provoking), I'd not thought about anything important (truthfully, not anything at all) for three days.  

Quite lovely.

So now it's back to real life and lots of things to think about, not the least of which is that today is DD#2's birthday.  

I now have two in high school.

In other news, I got my hair colored for the first time two weeks ago.  

It's possible those events are related.

Now that's she's 14, she wants things low-key.  Time with a friend later this week, but today, a favorite meal and 

brownie batter pancakes for breakfast.

(Chocolate for breakfast.  That's my girl.)

via Chocolate Covered Katie

These are the moderately healthy pancakes floating around Pinterest for a while.  I'll let you know if  they're as good as they look.

Be blessed,

Ginger

Sunshine in a Jar

There's been a lot around Blogland this week about favorite projects of 2012.  One project success around here came in the waning days of 2012 when my mother and I made the World's Easiest Marmalade.

Have I mentioned I adore marmalade?

However, I do not adore corn syrup, the primary ingredient in affordable marmalade, and I do not adore paying $7.00 a jar for marmalade that doesn't have it.

So when Big Red's wrestling team held their annual citrus sale, I knew what I wanted to do with some of our purchase.

Have I mentioned I have a canning phobia?

I do can, a little at least, but I find the whole process and fear of botulism a tad nerve-racking.

Enter freezer jam!

Yay!

Virtually no freezer jam recipes for orange marmalade exist!

Boo!

So, Mama and I put our heads together, combined a few recipes we found online, and created an easy-peasy, delicious marmalade.  The critical ingredient is instant pectin for freezer jams, and the basic directions are on the Ball Instant Pectin container.   We tweaked a recipe from another no-cook pectin  brand to make orange marmalade.

Whew!  Long lead to this:

Sunshine in a Jar Marmalade

For every two 8oz jars of marmalade, you will need:

1 2/3 cups chopped citrus, membranes removed (We used all oranges in one batch, a mix of oranges, tangelos, and lemon in another.)

2/3 cup sugar or sugar substitute or 1/3 cup sugar/stevia blend

2 Tbsp Ball instant pectin

Don't exceed 6 jars in a batch; it might not set up properly.

Place citrus in a small saucepan and allow to come to a gentle boil.  Cook, stirring occasionally on medium-low heat for about 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar and pectin.  Add cooled fruit and stir three minutes.  Ladle into clean freezer jars and let stand 30 minutes.  Enjoy then or freeze!

Leave about 1/2 inch headspace at the top of the jars to allow for expansion.  Glass jars will work if they have straight sides.

We still have tangelos (a cross between a tangerine and an orange) in the basement, so I see a few more batches in our future.

Enjoy!

Be blessed,

Ginger 

Fall Flavors to Savor

*In my quest to learn bloggy skills, I am going to attempt to link this to Jen's Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Very cool blog!*

At our house, we love food. All those I-just-eat-to-live people leave us scratching our heads in wonder. Who doesn't savor the nuances of seasonings, the luscious textures, the endless variety? (Kinda reminds me of the rat in Ratatouille as he rhapsodizes over chimney/lightening smoked cheese.) Each season brings new favorites. Spring's first tender asparagus, summer's tomatoes, squash, and tiny field peas, winter's hardy beef stews. This week, we were discussing our fall flavor favorites, and choosing just a few was impossible. Last night's easy-peasy but yummy combination won out for today's post.

Smoked Sausage Stir-fry
(serves approximately four, but I really just eyeball this)

1 package turkey smoked sausage, sliced
3 tart apples, sliced (we like Winesap or Arkansas Black, but more common Granny Smith or Gala would work as well)
1/2 small cabbage, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 tsp. dried rosemary or 1 tbl. fresh
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray, or melt a little butter. Saute turkey slices lightly until beginning to brown. Add apple slices and onion. When the apples and onions start to carmelize and soften slightly, add the cabbage and seasonings, stir-frying until cabbage is tender-crisp.
This one-dish meal is good with cornbread. Sometimes I throw in a bell pepper or substitute chicken breasts for the smoked sausage.

So how about you? What dishes mean fall is here at your house? Since I eat everything except brussel sprouts (and my hubby and DD#1 eat those), we'll probably try it and add it to our long list of favorites.

Hope your day is blessed with much to enjoy!
Ginger