We’ve had an interesting week at our home. Ervin, my husband, spent a few days traveling through Platte City, Missouri. Armed with much anticipation Ervin spent 3 days ‘back home’ having lunches, dinners, and meetings with many old & dear friends. While he was back he called on as many friends as he could in a short period of time. He came home with bounty from the Millers garden. I’m sitting here eating a half of a very large red pepper. I’m also seriously praying that it doesn’t ‘bite’ me back a few hours from now. Ervin was right; it was delicious.
They even sent us tomatoes and potatoes. Any time I get produce from someone’s garden I get sorta’ ‘giddy’ with excitement. Not so much the whole eating thing, but enjoying the flavors of truly fresh vegetables.
The best part of Ervin’s trip to the Kansas City area was a trip to Trader Joe’s. I had a list, even pictures, so he would know what to get. He said he still had to solicite assistance, but he got everything that was on my list. I can make pancakes again I’ve got real maple syrup! In case you’ve never tried their grade B from Quebec, it’s good and priced well
Phillip, our son, has been recuperating from two different infections and he is finally on a strong mend. And, I have been making very good progress with my book and hope to wrap it up in about one more week. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do to celebrate. I never thought I would be like some of the writers they feature in books and on TV. Working with deadlines is truly not fun and sometimes you think if only I could run away for 7 days!
This week in the column recipe I decided to run an old favorite of mine, sunburst muffins. I created these hearty muffins after I was spoiled in Kansas City with a muffin called, ‘Glory Muffins’. This was probably like 15 years ago. They kept raising the price of four muffins and I finally said enough is enough. I went home and wrote my own version.
You’re probably going to think of some things that you would like to add to this hearty muffin. As I look back over it myself I’m thinking about crushed pineapple, shredded zucchini, craisins, English walnuts, and coconut. This is sorta’ fun looking over my own recipe, now years later, and thinking about changing it around. If you were looking to cut some fat you might go with say a bit of applesauce or fruit pulp instead of the entire 1/3 cup of oil. Also for more flavor I can see using milk instead of water.
Looks like we’re going to have some fun with this Sunburst Muffin. A pan of fresh baked goods is sure to please most households this time of the year. Enjoy yourselves this week. With the lower temperatures I feel like I have more energy!
Simply yours, The Covered Dish. www.thecovereddish.com
Sunburst Muffins
1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sunflower seeds, hulled
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup carrots, grated
1/4 cup water
Mix first seven ingredients together, (dry). Add beaten egg and oil to the flour mixture and stir to moisten. Add sunflower seeds, raisins, carrots and water to form smooth, thick dough. Do not over blend the batter. Fill greased muffin tin using an ice cream scoop. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tins a few minutes before attempting to remove. Makes a dozen muffins.
