I am a sucker for really good biscuits. But then, aren’t we all! But when I start to eat a delicious biscuit that melts in my mouth, then you might as well just get out of my way because I’m going in for the kill! Fortunately, I have trained myself well enough now, to know that I simply must share my biscuits with others. But there are times, like with these biscuits, when the little kid in me rears its ugly head and wants to throw a mini “all mine” tantrum. (I’m not proud of this tendency even if it never comes to fruition. Well, not any more that is!) But with these biscuits, complements of Mike at chilipeppermadness.com., it takes every bit of my strength and determination not to eat the whole batch myself. They are just that good!

Yesterday was an interesting day. I had made turkey soup the day before in anticipation of not feeling well after my second covid-19 vaccination. So, when we got home yesterday from me being poked, I was fully prepared to feel a bit under the weather. But as the afternoon progressed, no symptoms emerged. So, I decided to make some biscuits to go with the soup.

I had printed out this recipe several weeks before. But for whatever reason, had not taken the opportunity to build a batch. But I thought these flavorful biscuits might go well with the fairly mild flavored soup we were going to have for dinner. And what-the-heck, while I still felt OK, why not? I had changed the instructions for preparing the biscuits because I always like to make life more difficult for myself. Just kidding. I just thought the way I planned to build the dough made more sense. And man did these biscuits turn out well. Very flavorful. Not too much heat from the jalapeño, but enough to ramp up the savory quotient. Along with the granulated garlic and sharp cheddar cheese, the flavor combination was perfect.

So, I would recommend that you build some of these easy to prepare biscuits at your earliest convenience. They are wonderful. And would go well with most any entrée. And don’t forget about serving them for breakfast. With our bacon and eggs this morning, they were just lovely. I heated them in our microwave for about 20 seconds on high, and they were perfect. No butter required.

As always, keep trying new and exciting ways to feed yourself and your family. We aren’t out of the woods yet. Covid-19 is still a reality, even though people are being vaccinated at an ever-increasing rate. But it’s still going to be quite a while before we can declare ourselves pandemic free. While we are waiting it out, the more we as cooks can do to make life as pleasant as possible for our family, the better off the entire household will be. Let’s face it. There is food that is basically just fuel needed to sustain life. Then there’s super delicious food that not only supports our bodies, but also helps lift our spirits. I mean really, who can feel picked on when they are busy shoveling really tasty food into their mouth?

So, special blessings go out to all you wonderful cooks who spend the time and energy to make delicious and nutritious dishes for yourself and your family. In my book you are heroes, each and every one of you.

Peace and love to all.  

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, divided

1 tsp. kosher salt

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. granulated garlic  

6 T. (¾ stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

¾ c. buttermilk

1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeds and veins removed, then finely diced

Whisk 1¾ cups of the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and granulated garlic together in the bowl of your stand mixer. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter looks like small, thin shards. (In other words, don’t over mix the butter into the flour mixture.)

In a small bowl, mix the cheese in with the remaining quarter cup flour and mix in with the flour/butter mixture. Combine the buttermilk and diced jalapeño in a small bowl. Then add to the flour mixture using low speed, only until roughly combined.

Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly to combine all the ingredients. Pat the dough into about a ¾-inch thickness. Cut into 2-3-inch rounds, or any size you prefer.  Place on a parchment paper lined baking pan.

Bake in a pre-heated 450-degree oven for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. (The larger the biscuits the longer they need to bake. Duh!) The internal temperature should reach at least 205-degrees before the biscuits are ready to come out of the oven.

Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or gently warmed. Store in an airtight container.    

OK, I’m not going to sugar coat my next statement. (Would be hard to do so anyway since there’s no refined sugar in this recipe!) OK, here goes! The reality of this recipe is that it will never produce carrot muffins with the same lovely mouth feel and moistness associated with their cousins made with real butter or veggie oil and refined sugar. Never. Can’t happen. But what this muffin does offer is a healthy alternative while still delivering the tasty mixture of ingredients offered in the original product. But super tender and moist? Not going to happen. Oh, don’t get me wrong. It’s not like biting into flavored cardboard. But meltingly moist these muffins are not. But a great deal better for us? Indeed they are! And oh, so easy to build. And the fact that they come in portioned amounts, is also in their favor. (Can’t cut a large piece for yourself like you can with my Healthy Carrot Quick Bread, which incidentally is pretty darn delicious and healthy too.)

So, if you too enjoy muffins for breakfast, but feel a little guilty if the muffin is full of fat (even if it’s healthy fat) and sugar, then I suggest you give this wonderful recipe from ifoodreal.com a try.  

As always, be cognizant of how your own cooking tastes. I know it may sound terribly simplistic, but if you don’t like whatever it is you just prepared, chances are your partner isn’t going to care for it either. Of course, kids don’t count. Because they are often picky eaters. (It’s in their job description after all! #1 – be a picky eater. #2 – bug your parents on a daily basis especially when they are right in the middle of a task that requires their full attention. #3 – never mind, you get the picture!) Anyway, my point is, don’t take it personally if whatever you fixed is not well received by your spouse. And especially none of this “well I worked hard on this dish and you had better damn well eat it” attitude either. Martyrdom is not an appealing characteristic in a spouse or partner. And a terrible trait for children to learn. This is the time for humor. Because if you try new recipes, you can expect to prepare your share of dishes that are not as well received as others.   

Believe me, your family will forgive you a bad dish. But it’s hard for anyone of any age to sympathize with someone who gets all bent out of shape, and mean, when a good laugh would be the proper response. Food should never be the source of family friction. The dinner table should be the place where kids learn good manners, where they witness responsible adult behavior, where they can express themselves, ask questions, and learn to accept that life is full of “not your best effort” as well as “that was really great”. After all, it’s how we respond to failure that defines us as much as how we graciously experience success.

Peace, love, and happy cooking to all.    

2 lg. eggs

⅓ c. honey

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 c. rolled oats

1½ c. coarsely grated carrots, packed

¾ c. unsweetened applesauce* 

⅓ c. golden raisins, cut in half if they are fairly large

1 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

⅓ c. unsweetened coconut flakes  

⅓ c. chopped nuts, plus more for the topping (I prefer pecans)   

cooking spray 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, honey, and vanilla together. Stir in the rolled oats, grated carrots, applesauce, and raisins. Let sit for about 15 minutes. (This little bit of time allows the oats and raisins to soften a tad.)

In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Add to the egg mixture and gently mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Stir in the coconut and nuts.

Using a regular sized ice cream scoop, plop batter into a greased non-stick muffin pan. (Should make about 15 muffins.) Top with additional chopped nuts. Press the nuts lightly into the batter before throwing the pans in your oven.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t over bake.

Remove from oven and let muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator. Gently warm just before serving. Muffins take well to being frozen.  

*If you don’t have applesauce on hand, make your own. Peel and seed 1 large apple. (I used a very large Honey Crisp apple.) Cut into small even sized pieces and place in a small covered heavy pan with a tablespoon of water. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, and cook the apple until tender. Check periodically as the apple cooks. Add a bit of additional water if necessary. When tender, mash it up.       

I made this bread a couple of days ago to go along with the Navy Bean Soup I was planning for dinner that evening. It had just started to snow, so soup and homemade bread were inevitably called for. (And yes, of course the soup recipe is on this site!) I found this recipe on thestayathomechef.com site. All the herbs, fresh garlic, and Parmesan cheese in this simple bread recipe absolutely resonated with me. And as it turned out, with good reason. This bread is perfection itself. Easy to build and an ideal complement to any meal. And not even a tiny bit of butter required. Just a beautiful blend of savory flavors. But consider yourself warned. This is not a quiet, timid little bread. This is a full blown, in your face, blast of flavor in tender bread form.   

I made a couple of very insignificant changes to Rachel’s recipe because I could, but she is the real hero of this post. So, thank you Rachel, and keep up the good work at thestayathomechef.com. I am now a devoted fan.

Now, if you are a seasoned bread builder, one glance at this recipe should be enough to send you directly to your kitchen to start playing with yeast and flour. If you are new to bread baking, then you are really in luck. Because this bread is incredibly easy to produce. Even if you consider yourself “gluten challenged”. Which, BTW, is a legitimate condition with which only one person I know is actually afflicted. That being our dear friend Jim. So, you probably only suffer from cold feet. Just don’t let cold feet stop you from making this bread. Pluck up your courage, and just go for it. You will be so happy you did. Because making homemade bread is a beautiful thing. And we all need more things of beauty in our lives.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. I know I say that a lot. But for me, our kitchen is one of my top happy places. I get to experiment. I get to create. And I even get to fail, sometimes miserably, without any real harm to anything but a few ingredients. (And maybe my pride.) But that’s OK.  Because, basically, it’s OK to fail.

I used to tell my children that I wanted them to fail at least half of the time. Because so what? At least they would have tried something new. And maybe that meant that they simply failed to enjoy whatever it was that they had just tried. Like they failed to enjoy playing baseball. Or they felt that hitting a small round ball into a tiny little hole yards and yards away for the shear fun of it was lunacy. (I can relate to that, although Mr. C., son Sven, and a few other good friends would, I’m sure, beg to differ!)

It’s that old – glass half full/half empty thing. I see a glass half full. And I see some failure as an expected result of living a full and rewarding life. Hope you live your life to the fullest also. Little failures and all. Peace and love to all.

1 T. instant dry yeast

1 T. granulated sugar

1 c. slightly warm water

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. dried rosemary, lightly crushed

1 tsp. dried basil, lightly crushed

1 tsp. dried oregano, lightly crushed

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, or more as needed

⅓ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese

extra virgin olive oil

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the yeast, sugar, and water with the dough hook. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Add the salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, oregano, garlic, 2 cups of the flour, and the Parmesan cheese. As your mixer kneads the bread, gradually add in as much of the remaining flour as needed to achieve a smooth, elastic dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. (Using my stand mixer, this dough clings to the hook and practically leaves the bowl spotless when enough flour has been incorporated.)

Pour a bit of olive oil in the bowl, and using your hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a ball completely covered with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough in half and shape into two separate round loaves. Place loaves onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Lightly brush the loaves with olive oil. Cut a shallow X on each loaf. Let rise covered for another 20 minutes.

Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 20-23 minutes, or until golden brown. The internal temperature should reach at least 195 degrees.

Remove from oven and let cool before serving.  

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Bread is wonderful gently rewarmed before serving.

And no, I’ve never had a real, baked in NY, bagel. But I’m an avid reader. And I’ve read many a line waxing poetic about NY bagels by a New York city dwelling protagonist. So, when I decided to research how to make a non-sourdough, New York style, “everything” seasoning bagel, I started by researching, you guessed it, New York style bagel recipes. (Clever of me, don’t you think!) But what the heck makes New York style bagels any different than say, Baltimore style bagels? Or Camano Island style bagels for that matter? And guess what I found? NY style bagels are purported to be very chewy, but not overly doughy. And often topped with a savory, crunchy mixture of ingredients. Oh baby, just exactly what I love most about bagels. And not at all like some of the bagel wannabe products you find in most grocery stores in America. So, next requirement – ease of preparation.

If I’m going to start making New York style bagels on a regular basis, they better be pretty darn easy to prepare! (That old, I’m getting lazier and lazier thing rearing its ugly head again!) So, I glommed a couple three recipes together, and this recipe is the result. And I must say, I dare you to find a better bagel. (At least on Camano Island.) Or an easier bagel to prepare! (And not just on Camano Island!) And delicious? You bet!

So, if you’ve been putting off bagel making because you thought if was outside your skill set, think again. This recipe is easy to achieve. And the rewards are plentiful. Just the look on a family member’s face when they first bite into a toasted, cream cheese smeared bagel at breakfast is enough to cause the maker to feel good all day. And the money you will save making your own bagels? I figure, 1 homemade bagel probably costs about $.20. If you buy a boutique bagel, you are going to spend anywhere from $.75 to $1.25 a crack! Maybe even more! So, you do the math! Of course, your time is worth something. But I don’t know about you, but I get the same amount of money if I prepare something in the kitchen or read a book in the den. Zero!

As always, spend your time wisely. Be productive. But each and every day spend some time just for yourself. Even if it’s only 30 minutes. I make deals with myself. If I clean the bathrooms and dust, then I allow myself the same amount of time to read that afternoon. I realize that kind of luxury is sometimes impossible unless you are retired. But even when I was a working mother, I always found at least 30 minutes a day to read. That little bit of time for myself each day helped me keep my sanity. Because “mommy” at work (aka manager) and “mommy” at home, can be very stressful. Time out to be just Patti was imperative!

Peace and love to all.   

4 c. bread flour

2 tsp. instantdry yeast

4 tsp. granulated sugar

1½ tsp. fine sea salt

1¼ c. warm water

extra virgin olive oil

1 egg white, beaten (if you are going to add a topping before baking)  

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix 3½ cups of the bread flour, yeast, sugar, and salt together. 

Slowly add the warm water. Knead the dough until it forms a ball and cleans the bottom of the bowl using additional flour as needed. Work until the dough is smooth, elastic, and a quite stiff.  

Pour a bit of the olive oil around the dough, and using your fingers and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a ball lightly coated with the oil.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, divide the dough into 8 equal sized pieces. Shape the bagels by forming each piece into a ball and using your thumb, punch a hole through the middle of the ball, stretching out the dough to make the center hole larger. Set the shaped bagels on a lightly greased, parchment paper lined large baking sheet. If the holes start to fill, stretch them out by hand. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Fill a large 12-inch skillet ½ to ¾ full of water. Bring the water to a boil. When the water is boiling, drop the bagels, 4 at a time, into the boiling water. Boil for 90 seconds on each side. Using a slotted spatula, remove the bagels from the boiling water and place  back on the parchment paper lined baking sheet at least 1-inch apart.

To add a topping, lightly slather each bagel with beaten egg white, then sprinkle on your choice of topping. (See list below of some of the usual topping suspects.)    

Bake for 18-20 minutes in your pre-heated oven until a light golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Bagel Topping:

• Sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Coarse salt (I use kosher salt)
• Everything Seasoning (see recipe below)

“EVERYTHING” SEASONING

2 T. poppy seeds

2 T. sesame seeds

1 T. dried finely minced onion (I crush the dehydrated onion in my mortar and pestle before adding it to the other ingredients)

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container.

OK, this was one of the quickest loaves of bread I have ever produced. Also, one of the tastiest. And I know, I’m always telling you how wonderful this or that loaf tastes or how easy it is to produce. But then, that’s why I’m here, right? To share my recipes with you that turned out great. Believe me, there have been lots of recipes over the years that I have concocted or “borrowed” from others that didn’t make the cut. Like the Red Lobster knock-off cheese biscuit recipe I tried the other evening. (Apparently it was never in the cards for you to get that recipe from me! And regardless of how much you might beg or plead, it ain’t going to happen!)

But I can’t help it. I love bread. So, when I bake a loaf of bread that fulfills all my basic bread baking requirements (ease of preparation, no fancy ingredients, perfect crumb, and super delicious) – you can bet your last package of active dry yeast you are going to learn about that recipe from me!

So, I guess by now you’ve figured out that I really liked this bread. Actually, that would be putting it mildly. I loved the bread last evening as part of a Reuben Sandwich (see recipe on site). And tonight, keeping the “Reuben” theme going, I’m going to use it in a Reuben Sandwich Casserole. If all works out as planned, you will be getting the casserole recipe from me in the near future. If not, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. (Got to use my homemade sauerkraut someway! See the recipe for Homemade Sauerkraut under Creamy Sausage, Potato, and Sauerkraut Soup.)

So, the only thing left to say, is that if you are into baking your own bread this is a recipe you really should try. Not too much rye or caraway flavor. But enough to live up to its name.

As always, have fun experimenting in your kitchen. I know for some cooking isn’t their life’s passion. But for me, every new recipe is an adventure. So, that’s why I keep trying new dishes, or baking a new kind of bread, or continuing my quest for the secret combination of 11 herbs and spices. Otherwise, I too would get horribly bored. For some it’s like discovering a new author. (Oh wait – that’s me too.) Or traveling to a new country. (Oops, me again too.) Or perfecting a new adult beverage. (Not me – that’s Mr. C.) It’s the thrill of victory, and even the agony of defeat. Who cares that the biscuits I made the other evening were not my best effort? They weren’t horrible. They just weren’t up to the quality standard I’ve set for myself. Even at that, they were still an interesting experiment. And I enjoyed making them. So, like I said above – have fun experimenting in your kitchen. You never know, you might stumble upon the secret recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken (original recipe). If so, would you please share it with me.

Peace and love to all.           

1 c. sourdough starter discard

1¼ c. warm water 

2 tsp. instant yeast 

2 T. molasses 

1 T. kosher salt

1-2 tsp. caraway seeds

1¾ c. light rye flour 

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, or more as needed

olive oil 

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter, warm water, instant yeast, and molasses. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add the salt, caraway seeds, light rye flour, and all-purpose flour. Using your dough hook, mix/knead the dough for several minutes until smooth but still sticky. (Not tacky, but a bit sticky to the touch.)

Pour a little oil in the bowl, and using your hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a ball. (The dough will be reluctant to let go of the sides of the mixing bowl. Be persistent.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for 45 minutes. During this time, punch the dough down twice. (Helps develop the gluten.)  

Grease your hands. Shape the dough into a ball (boule). Place on a piece of parchment paper long enough to allow you to lower the dough into a Dutch oven or cloche (clay baker). Using a serrated knife, score a large X on the top.  

Cover the dough and let rest for 45-60 minutes. (It won’t double in size. But it should rise a bit.)

Meanwhile, place your Dutch oven or clay baker (cloche) in your oven. Pre-heat the oven to 425-degrees. When the dough has risen sufficiently, carefully remove the Dutch oven or clay baker from the hot oven. Remove the lid and place the parchment paper and loaf in the bottom of your Dutch oven or on the bottom portion of your cloche. Then cover and place in the pre-heated 425-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce heat to 400 degrees and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. You can also tell if the bread is done by taking its temperature with an instant read thermometer. Just make sure to stick the thermometer into the middle of the loaf. It should read between 200 and 205 degrees when the bread is fully baked.

Remove from oven and carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing.  

I’m always amazed at how many recipes are out there for something as simple as sourdough bread. Because, at first glance, one would think there were only a finite number of ingredients you could add to the basic 4 ingredients that constitute a sourdough loaf. The basic ingredients being – flour, salt, sourdough starter (yeast), and water. But no, there are as many recipes for sourdough bread as there are for stew. (Well, maybe not as many. But pretty darn close!) I guess it’s because you can stick all kinds of different grains, fats, seeds, nuts, herbs, spices, sweeteners, etc. into a basic sourdough bread dough. And in this recipe, the addition of molasses and all-bran cereal (high in fiber and psyllium BTW) definitely add a lovely, deep rich color to the bread. Plus, a slightly sweet, slightly nutty flavor generally associated with whole grains. And of course there’s some whole-wheat flour in the mix too. Which only makes for a healthier and tastier product.

Now for some, the taste of bran is not to their liking. But for me, I absolutely love the taste of bran. In fact, bran muffins are my favorite kind of muffin. So, when I went to look up the recipe on this site for my favorite muffins, I realized I had never posted the recipe. But in all honesty, the thing that stops me from making and eating these fabulous muffins more frequently, is that they contain a great deal of sugar and vegetable oil. Much more than in this bread. So, when I eat this bread, I still get that beautiful bran flavor I love, without the guilt I feel when I eat a bran muffin.

But please don’t let me stop you from making bran muffins. They are so, so delicious. (See recipe below.) It’s just that I’m basically old. And staying as far away from sugar and fat is my ultimate goal. Unfortunately, one that I generally ignore in favor of living life to the fullest. But I’m still cognizant of the fact that I should restrict my sugar and fat intake in favor of a long life and a healthy body. (Why does this have to be so difficult?) Anyway, the gist of all this verbiage is – make this bread, and if you are younger than 40 – make the muffins too!

As always, live your life like it was the main event. Because – bottom line – it is! (The dress rehearsal was cancelled because of covid-19!) So, dance when the spirit moves. Sing at the top of your lungs in the shower. Kiss your spouse like it’s the first and last time. And cook like you and Julia were soul sisters or sister and brother. Life is short. Too damn short! Experience the joy NOW. Peace and love to all.

1 c. sourdough starter discard

1 c. warm milk (I use whole milk)  

1 pkg. or 1 T. active dry yeast

¼ c. molasses

1 lg. egg

3 T. unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ tsp. kosher salt

1½ c. whole-bran cereal (I use Kellogg’s All-Bran Buds)

1½ c. whole-wheat flour

1½ -2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

veggie oil

Place sourdough starter discard in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the warm milk, yeast, molasses, egg, butter, salt, and whole-bran cereal. Mix with the dough hook and let sit for 15 minutes. (This allows the bran buds to partially soften.)

Add the whole wheat flour and mix well. Add enough of the all-purpose flour to produce a smooth and elastic dough that cleans the sides of the bowl.

Pour a bit of oil around the dough, and using your hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a completely greased ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough, halve it, and form into 2 loaf shapes. (Don’t worry if there are still little hard pieces of bran buds in the dough. They will soften as they bake.) Place in 2 – 8½ x 4½ greased loaf pans. (There is too much dough in this recipe for 1 standard (9 x 5-inch) loaf pan. So more than one pan is needed. But of course, you can choose whichever size loaf pans you want to use. Just change the baking time accordingly.)

Cover pans with tea towels or greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 90 minutes. (You want the dough to rise a bit, but not too much. So, you can always give it the poke test. According to the experts at King Arthur flour, “Lightly flour your index finger and press it gently into the dough, about to the bed of your fingernail. If the indentation remains and doesn’t spring back/fill in, then the bread is well risen and ready for the oven”.)

Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped with your fingers. The internal temperature should reach at least 200 degrees.

Remove from oven and turn out of pans immediately. Cool completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container. Absolutely wonderful toasted and spread with peanut butter and jelly. Lightly spread with peanut butter and jelly, of course!

SIX WEEK BRAN MUFFINS

3 c. all-bran cereal (I use Kellogg’s All-Bran Buds)

1 c. boiling water

½ c. vegetable oil

1½ c. granulated sugar

2 c. buttermilk

2 lg. eggs

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

Place the all-bran cereal in a large mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over the cereal, stir, and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Add the oil, sugar, buttermilk, and eggs. Stir until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add to the cereal mixture and stirring only until combined.

Using a large ice cream scoop, drop balls of batter into greased muffin pans. Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until a pick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2½ dozen.

The muffin batter will happily reside in your refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Thus, the name Six Week Bran Muffins.

And thank you again (Auntie) Evelyn for this wonderful recipe. It still produces the best bran muffins I ever tasted. And as always, love and hugs to you and (Uncle) Dan. (Dan and Evelyn are my kid’s uncle and aunt. And two of the grandest people you could ever hope to meet.)

Why in the wide world of sports did I ever put off making English muffins? OK, I know you don’t have the answer. But I don’t have a good explanation either. Because English muffins are so easy to build. And when I think of how much they cost in the grocery store, I’m shocked. Shocked, I tell you. Shocked! And yah, yah. I know that I’m not just paying for the ingredients. I get that. (I was a banker after all.) In fact, the ingredients themselves are practically inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. It’s the labor, preparation space, transportation, marketing, yadda yadda yadda, that really racks up the dollars. But I’m a reasonably smart gal. I should have figured it out years ago!

And of course, while I was still working, I didn’t have the time (or frankly the energy) to make English muffins. But what’s my excuse for the last 15 years? And why did it take a pandemic to open my eyes? OK, I will never have an adequate explanation. But going forward, I won’t have a good excuse either for buying English muffins! So, in order to keep me on track, let me elaborate on how darned simple these muffins are to prepare.

First of all, you don’t have to be a gluten guru to make English muffins. You don’t even have to spend hours in the kitchen. You must, however, own a large frying pan or a griddle. Because English muffins are not baked in an oven like most “muffins”. They are “baked” on your stove top like pancakes. (Of course, most “cakes” are baked in a pan and in the oven too. So, you must grant some verbal leeway to the name “muffin”, knowing full well that the English language is often difficult to fathom and arbitrary at best!)

Now, about the “everything seasoning” part of this recipe. If you don’t appreciate “everything seasoning”, leave it out. Simple. Or, if you have your own homemade version or a store-bought version that you admire, use it instead. I just wanted an English muffin that had a bit of savory flavor. And I got what I was after. But if you don’t hold “everything seasoning” in as high a regard as I do, like I said above – leave it out. The muffin will still be delicious.

So, for all you bread bakers out there, be you new to bread building or simply blessed with an adventurous culinary streak, please give this recipe a try. You will be so delighted when you experience how easy it is to build your own English muffins. And your family will love toasting these babies in the morning. Just a slather of butter or cream cheese, a bit of breakfast meat, an egg or two, and they are off to a great start to their day.

As always, keep thrilling and delighting your family with great food. Keep challenging yourself with new recipes that even a year ago would have scared the pickles out of you. And keep smiling. It’s not easy always being Mrs. or Mr. sunshine. But it’s a heck of a lot more pleasant for your family if you at least give it a try. Peace and love to all.

2 T. poppy seeds

2 T. sesame seeds

1 T. dried finely minced onion (I crush the dehydrated onion in my mortar and pestle before adding it to the other ingredients)

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

1¾ c. buttermilk

1 pkg. or 2½ tsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 lg. egg

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

4½ c. bread flour

extra virgin olive oil

corn meal for sprinkling on pan

Combine the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced onion, granulated garlic, and kosher salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Warm the buttermilk to about 120 degrees in your microwave. (Use your instant read thermometer to take the buttermilk’s temperature.) The buttermilk might separate and look curdled. Not to worry. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer.

Add the yeast, sugar, egg, and 2 cups of the flour and mix until combined using your dough hook. Add the poppy seed mixture and 2 more cups of flour. Mix/knead the dough using more flour as needed to produce a smooth and elastic dough. (The main part of the dough will form a ball around the dough hook. But in a perfect world, there should still be a bit of dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl.)

Pour a little olive oil around the dough, and using you hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a ball well greased with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 60 minutes.

When the dough has risen sufficiently, sprinkle cornmeal on a clean surface and pat dough to somewhere between a ⅓ to ½-inch thickness. (I use a large-rimmed baking pan as my “clean surface”. The pan sides prevent the cornmeal from going everywhere!) Cut into 13-14 circles 3½ – 4 inches in diameter. And don’t waste the dough that is left after you cut out the first set of circles. Just moosh the remaining dough back together, pat it out, and cut out more muffins. Believe me, re-patting out the dough will make no difference to the tenderness of the final product. You might end up with a bit of corn meal in the interior of the muffins cut after the 2^nd or 3^rd pat-out. But who cares? The muffins will still be delicious.  

After each muffin is formed, flip it over to also coat the topside with cornmeal. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet at least 1½-inches apart. Cover the pan with a lightweight tea towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Carefully place the muffins on a lightly greased (if your griddle is not non-stick), or dry griddle (if yours is non-stick) over medium low heat. (You will just have to figure out the best level of heat on your stove as you go. Not too hot or the muffins will burn before the inside is done. Not too low or you’ll be at it all day!) (On my BlueStar range, which has high BTU burners, straight up “low” works perfectly.)

Bake for 4-5 minutes on each side or until bottoms are a deep golden brown. (The internal temperature should be just under 200 degrees when the muffins are done).  Place cooked muffins on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container or freeze for longer storage. Lovely toasted and slathered with either butter or cream cheese. Or for a real treat, make eggs Benedict. Yum

 Buttermilk Substitute:

1 c. whole milk

1 T. plain white vinegar or lemon juice

Whisk the milk and vinegar together.  Let sit at room temperature until it curdles, about 10 minutes. Stir and you’re ready to go.