Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Spring loaded scoop

Finally!  The start of summer is here!  No wonder record levels of people are hitting the roads this weekend.  This winter made everyone crazy for warm weather and warm weather activities.  I can’t wait!

There has been a lack of posting in May on Perfecting the Pairing, mainly because of an  incredible trip to France.  I just got home a couple days ago and I am adjusting to real life.  I was in Paris for work and then extended for a few days of vacation in Nice.  I studied for a semester in Nice and this was my first time back.  I still adore it!  The trip was absolutely wonderful, mainly because I was joined by my fabulous boyfriend.  Talk about romantic!  Some highlights??  Well don’t mind if I do!

Exploring Paris, walks along the Seine, and Montmarte

Top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset

Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, my welcome reception dinner room (I was the meeting planner) had a pretty insane view.

The food and wine, obviously!

Clearly we hated this meal.

We finished our time in Paris with a dinner cruise on the Seine.  Wow.  Just.... wow.

My favorite part of Nice is the old section of the town, Vieux Nice.  Filled with tiny streets, old buildings, shops, and charm.

Eze is a medieval village between Nice and Monaco and is pretty much heaven on earth. 

 

This would be the most expensive mojito and gin and tonic in history but totally worth it because it came with a view.

On our last morning we went to the flower and produce markets in Vieux Nice.  

We couldn’t resist buying some strawberries to enjoy with our baguette sandwiches.  I forgot strawberries could be so good.  

Until next time Nice!

So, it was pretty a pretty amazing trip.  Fortunately, the best part of vacation (the man) came back to Chicago with me!

Muffins!  One weekend morning I was craving muffins and came up with these lemon poppy seed muffins with a lemon glaze.  They were so easy and tasty.  The glaze puts them over the top!

I have talked about spring loaded scoops on here many times, but I am going to keep pushing them.  They are the perfect tool for muffins, cookies, truffles, etc.  Every kitchen needs a set in various sizes!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Sweet Potato and Sausage Breakfast Hash

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese

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Morning Glory Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Spring loaded scoop

Last spring I had breakfast at a local diner where instead of toast you could substitute a morning glory muffin.  I thought that sounded nice, so I tried it out.  I absolutely loved it!  I studied it thinking I wanted to try to recreate it at home.  Turns out, morning glory muffins are a real thing and this place did not make them up, and there are many recipes for them online. 

I found a recipe that sounded closest to what I had at the restaurant and gave it a shot.  They were equally delicious!  These muffins are filled with good stuff like shredded carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts, and coconut.  The diner muffins had a crunchy sugar topping so I added that to my version along with some rolled oats on top.

Using a spring loaded scoop is the fastest and most efficient way to get the batter into the tins.  I have talked about my love of these scoops here, here, here…. Oh, and here.  I like them a lot.  

 

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Raisin Bran Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Spring loaded ice cream scoop

A few years ago my parents started talking about moving to the lake full time.  If I’m being totally honest, I didn’t think it would happen for years.  Then on a walk in the fall of 2010 my mom happened upon “the perfect lot for a house”.  Things really started moving after that. 

My parents sold our family home last summer.  They built that house in 1989.  It was very bittersweet to say goodbye to my childhood home, but I am thrilled that my parents are living at the lake full time.   I always say it is my favorite place on earth, so I am happy to have a bed there! 

Even though the original lake house is just a mile down the road/coast (can you call it a coast on a lake?), I was sad to say goodbye to it.  We had so, so, so many good memories there.  When my parents bought it 15 years ago it was not exactly a pretty sight.  The entire outside of the house (including lots of decking) was painted an awful rust color.  The bathroom doors in the master bedroom were saloon doors.  You know what I mean, the half doors that are on old timey western movies?  Um, who in their right mind puts saloon doors on a bathroom?  Especially when the bedroom opens out onto the deck?!

We didn’t care about the saloon doors or rust colored paint.  My mom said to my dad, “We won’t have to change a thing!  We’ll just move in and have fun!”   Ha, famous last words!  Through many renovation projects (and a lot of hard work) they turned it into a beautiful home.  We all feel very fortunate that the new owners seem to love it as much as we did.  I am excited to see them make new memories in that house.  I just feel better knowing it will be loved.

We not only made a lot of great memories in this house, we made a lot of really, really good food.  We even started having chef challenges there.  If you ask any regular houseguest what food reminds them of the lake house, I think they would all say raisin bran muffins.  My mom has been making these muffins since there was a saloon door on the master bathroom.  They are, without a doubt, my favorite muffins. 

The recipe calls for an entire box of raisin bran cereal, so it makes a large quantity, probably about 50 to 60 muffins. The beauty of this recipe is that the batter just gets better with time!  You can keep it for up to eight weeks in the refrigerator.  Just scoop out the number of muffins you need, and bake them up.  We found that a spring loaded ice cream scoop is the perfect tool.  This is our go-to breakfast at the lake, whether we are feeding 2 or 20.  Mom always has a batch ready to go in the fridge.

So even though there will be no more raisin bran muffins made at the saloon door lake house, there will definitely be countless batches made at the new address! 

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Blueberry Bran Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Single servings of unsweetened applesauce

Last June I posted about the “Best Ever Blueberry Muffins”.  Those muffins are really, really good, probably because of the streusel topping.  They are great for a special family breakfast or brunch.

 

I mentioned in that post that I have a favorite blueberry bran muffin recipe that I make all the time.  While this version is not as over the top delicious as the streuselfied version, they are still really tasty.  The best part is that you can feel good about having these as part of your normal breakfast rotation.  They are made with wheat bran, unsweetened applesauce, whole wheat flour, and just a half cup of regular flour and two thirds cup brown sugar.  They come out to about 100 calories per muffin with less than a gram of fat and over 4 grams of fiber.

I follow this recipe from AllRecipes.com exactly except I use a half pint of blueberries rather than measuring out one cup of berries.  I used to buy the jars of applesauce, use what I need for the recipe, and then inevitably throw it away a couple months later when I have not touched the jar again.  If you buy the single serving packs of unsweetened applesauce they typically come in 4 oz containers, which is perfect for this recipe.  I find I am much more likely to grab the leftover servings for my midday snack at work.

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Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Hard boiled eggs

Imagine the best blueberry muffin you have ever had….  Got it?  I would be willing to bet that it is not as good as this recipe. 

I ran across these blueberry muffins on the blog, Cutting Edge of Ordinary.  She called them To Die For Blueberry Muffins, and that is about right.  I am calling them Best Ever Blueberry Muffins.  Whatever you call them, they are outstanding.  Thank you for sharing this recipe! 

I have a blueberry bran muffin recipe that I make all the time that is light and healthy.  I will share that on the blog in the future.  When I want something a little more decadent, I will be making this version.  The crunchy streusel topping sends them over the top.  You may just want to double the batch.

The Perfect Pairing for these muffins are hard boiled eggs.  I made them for Easter breakfast and they were great with the eggs.  It was a light breakfast with protein and something a little sweet.  The best thing about this breakfast is that it can all be made ahead of time and set out in the morning. 

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Breakfast Muffin Melts

Perfect Pairing:  Cholula Hot Sauce

This is a fantastic breakfast recipe that can be adapted for crowd or just a few people.  I made these over the Labor Day weekend and they were a huge hit.  The ingredients are so simple but the final product is quite tasty.  I originally got this recipe off of the amazing Pioneer Woman site and adapted it to lighten it up a bit.  I removed the yolk from half of the hard-boiled eggs and used less bacon and light mayonnaise.  We served these up alongside a fresh fruit platter.  I planned for two melts per person (or one whole English muffin per person).   You can make the mixture ahead of time and just top the muffins when you are ready to pop them in the oven.  

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is Cholula Hot Sauce.  I LOVE this stuff and use it on everything.  Well…. Maybe not everything, but on a lot of stuff.  Hot sauce lovers seem to fall into two categories.  They seem to either be a fan of Cholula or Tabasco.  I like Tabasco but I think it has more of a vinegar taste and Cholula is not overly spicy but has lots of good flavor.  Try it on these muffin melts and you will not be disappointed.

 

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