Last week I had a sudden urge to eat banana cake, but it was a busy Sunday and I would not have enough time to make the cake and then wait for it to cool. Stephanie Alexander's muffins, topped with Thomas Keller's streusel, turned out to be a delicious and very fast alternative to my cake cravings, and they turned out so tender I had to be super careful removing them from the pan, even with the
Showing posts with label quick bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quick bread. Show all posts
Banana poppy seed muffins with almond streusel topping
Last week I had a sudden urge to eat banana cake, but it was a busy Sunday and I would not have enough time to make the cake and then wait for it to cool. Stephanie Alexander's muffins, topped with Thomas Keller's streusel, turned out to be a delicious and very fast alternative to my cake cravings, and they turned out so tender I had to be super careful removing them from the pan, even with the
Banana and blueberry muffins
Every time I have a surplus of ripe bananas at home and I can't find a way of using them immediately I place them in the freezer - they last long there and can be used in most baking recipes after being thawed. However, when there is only one frozen banana to be used things get a bit more complicated, since most recipes call for 2-3 bananas, or even more (that was when I had to drop the idea of
Marmalade muffins + moments of stress in the kitchen
I was talking to my father about my mother the other day and I remembered something she used to do when my brother and I were little: every time she made a cake she would let us lick the bowl, which was something we both enjoyed very much (I might have told you that already but I’m not sure – 936 posts will do that do one’s mind). :) She was a fabulous baker and baked very often, not only
Hot-cross muffins
These delicious and tender muffins, perfumed with spices and moist from a sugar syrup, are a great way to avoid a chocolate OD during the Easter holiday: they're perfect for breakfast or brunch and are very quick to make, unlike their yeasted cousin.
Hot-cross muffins
from the always mouthwatering Delicious - Australia
Muffins:
135g dried cranberries
1 cup (150g) golden raisins
375g
Ginger plum muffins
Quite a while ago I made some peach muffins spiked with ginger and they turned out absolutely delicious; now I've learned that ginger goes really well with plums, too, again in muffin form (but please don't ask me to pick a favorite). ;)
Ginger plum muffins
slightly adapted from the delicious Tate's Bake Shop: Baking For Friends
150ml whole milk
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
1
Blueberry crumb muffins
I was reading the trivias on IMDb – which is something I love doing – when I got to the trivia for “A Simple Plan” – which is a movie I deeply adore – and read the following: “Between 1994 and 1996, Ben Stiller was set to direct this film with Nicolas Cage to star”; a couple of minutes of shock later I thought of what a wonderful idea it was to replace both gentlemen, and what a dreadful movie
Molasses and caraway apple muffins
New ingredients always intrigue me: I love trying new flavors in my kitchen. I got even more interested in baking with different flours after making Alice Medrich's fabulous chestnut pound cake and also after purchasing Kim Boyce's fantastic cookbook; Kim's carrot muffins turned out delicious, so when I saw a new recipe for muffins made with a bit of spelt flour I had to try them - these are
Orange and oat muffins
I am crazy for strawberries and my husband knows that very well: last Friday he brought home two baskets full of perfumed and delicious strawberries – it was a sweet surprise. My plans were to eat half the berries with just a sprinkling of sugar and to bake with the other half, so I set out to make the lovely strawberry cupcakes I’d seen in one of my recent purchases; I guess I was out of my
Rangpur lime and almond muffins and a grumpy baker
I must be honest: these muffins did not get the best of me while I was making them – little old grumpy me kept thinking “muffins are supposed to be practical and quick to make!”, and “with these many steps I could be making a cake!”. Yes, I know, not very civilized of me, but it IS a fussy recipe and there ARE too many steps and too many ingredients. But in the end the result was so good I had
Banana streusel muffins + "Skyfall"
I must admit that I’m not a fan of the 007 movies – it’s not my thing. I tried watching several of them, many, many times, but 20 minutes into it and I was either changing the channel or had fallen asleep. :S
The first Bond movie I watched from beginning to end was “Die Another Day”, and well... let’s just say that by the end of it I wished I’d spent those hours baking a cake or something. :)
Raspberry muffins + a very specific question
I have a very specific question for you today: have you read “The Hunger Games” trilogy? Because I liked the movie a lot and have been thinking of reading "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay" and would love to hear the opinion of those who have read the books. Would you recommend them? I wonder if these books would grab my attention the same way the Millennium trilogy did.
These were my third
Almond and dulce de leche muffins
Besides being someone who watches the same movies over and over again I also purchase ingredients in excess, though I’ve been dealing with that a lot better lately (since the inventory decision). But when I saw some really good Argentinean dulce de leche for a great price at the supermarket I could not resist: I brought home three (very large) jars. After making the dulce de leche cake several
Blueberry and passion fruit muffins
After watching the new trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises” I felt that a masterpiece is coming our way – I would expect nothing less from Christopher Nolan. I cannot wait to see Tom Hardy as the villain and loved the addition of Marion Cotillard to the casting – I actually think that she would be perfect as Catwoman with those feline eyes of her (sorry, Anne Hathaway). :)
I found the perfect
Spice muffins
It’s wonderful to see my little sister become an adult but being around her certainly reminds me that time really flies. I don’t have a problem with that – at least not yet – and the age gap between us sometimes delivers funny moments: when we watched “The Social Network” together last year I had to explain to her what Napster was. :D
Another sign I’m getting old: there are days that the
Linzer muffins and a new goal
I feel that some of you reading me right now will relate to the following situation: every time I go to the grocery store I buy ingredients I do not actually need just because I might need them for a certain recipe someday. Then days, months go by before I use those ingredients. And, shame on me, sometimes they go to the garbage can. I know, it’s awful. And I’ve done that too many times, I must
Blueberry muffins with doughnut topping and Indiana Jones
Despite being responsible for bringing Ralph into my life I don’t like Steven Spielberg as a director; I find that most of his movies are immersed in a squishy atmosphere, it’s just not my cup of tea. But I have to say that I adore the Indiana Jones trilogy, each and every movie, the first being my favorite.
You might as well be thinking: “why is she talking about Indiana Jones?” – well, after
Pear and cranberry muffins with cinnamon pecan topping
Some people change their names, then something goes wrong along the way and they have to change them back to what they were before. It happens.
So you can continue to call me “The Apple Crazy Lady” even though I’ve been baking with pears nonstop (there’s still a lot to come aside from these delicious and very tender muffins). ;)
Pear and cranberry muffins with cinnamon pecan topping
from
French Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
Is it already April?!
Well, I'm wrapping up the final weeks of my pregnancy and I feel like a Weeble Wobble. Only I do fall down.
I've been devoting my energy towards getting things ready for the baby. Nesting, as many call it. One cannot deny the powerful hormonal urge to put things in absolute order. So I've been tearing up my house, reorganizing everything in sight and writing 'Honey-Do' lists that span pages. I've even been waddling around, cleaning the garage. Though, I suspect the newborn will spend little time in there.
The house looks great but I admit the kitchen has been neglected, logging only two baking sessions this month. I've had to fulfill my cravings with store bought treats. (Mr. Humble wants me to admit publicly that I threatened to kill Mr. Stinky, our sourdough starter, if he didn't bring me home chocolates one day after work. As they say, desperate times call for…) Though, I admit that I should probably knock that off, since store bought treats can be sub-par.
I had the most terrible eclair last week. How does one mess up choux, anyway? Hard, crunchy eclairs? Why, why!?
Anyway, I've been keeping up on the blog-work, but not doing a lot of posting. I may have some help here soon though, blogging and otherwise. We've had some big news in the Humble family: Mother Humble is hanging up her English Wellies and moving across the pond to sunny, tropical Seattle. We expect her here in two weeks and she has promised to lend a hand, as I will be recovering from a caesarean next month. She has also expressed some interest in doing a little guest food blogging on NSHP.
Mother Humble is a terrific cook and someone who I credit for much of my comfort in the kitchen. I'm pretty excited about her posting. She may prove more entertaining than myself, since she has a rather quirky streak in her nature. Whatever she posts, it will likely be delicious and help relieve some of the lulls we've been experiencing while I'm down and out from babies.
So enough updating as to my status, let's get down to the food!
Rhubarb white chocolate muffins + a useful website
Having some rhubarb stalks left after making the compote, I needed a good recipe to use them, and something quick would be even better, since I had plans of watching a movie with my sister. There was a recipe for delicious-looking raspberry rhubarb muffins on "Flour" and adapted it a bit to get to the muffins you see on the picture – which were, indeed, delicious and super tender. :)
I found
Banana, chocolate and coconut muffins
Since you are not tired of my banana recipes, here comes another one, with a special help from good friends coconut and chocolate. :)
Quick to put together and delicious, these muffins are perfect for the rainy day/couch/TV combo – but I can assure you they taste great on a summer day, too. ;)
Banana, chocolate and coconut muffins
slightly adapted from here
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
2