Spiced Pear Muffins

Oct 25, 2011 by Lindsey

I think I am a week behind in my regular blog posts! You must think I’ve been doing nothing worth blogging about, but really it’s quite the opposite. Since my last update, I’ve been doing plenty of neat things… Like making Rachel Ray’s delicious recipe for french dip sandwiches, trying out this recipe for spaghetti squash with brussel sprouts, and throwing together this lovely autumn wreath.

This week, I baked a batch of Spiced Pear Muffins for Jason and myself. We both have busy schedules and these fragrant, fluffy muffins are a great “anytime” sweet to keep us energized and in good spirits. The house smells incredible and we always have a treat on hand! I got the recipe from the amazing The Kitchn Blog. Their recipe even taught me how to get tall, dome-shapped muffin tops instead of the flat muffins that always emerge from my oven! They are delicious - fluffy with just the perfect amount of spice and soft, sweet pears folded in. I enjoyed my muffin for breakfast with a cup of green tea and a puppy in my lap. Such a delight!

I’ll show you how to make these incredible autumn treats.

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cupwhite sugar
1 stick  butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup  milk
2 medium bosc pears, unpeeled and diced small

Instructions

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and get your muffin tin ready.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices.

In a larger bowl, use a mixer to blend the softened butter and sugars for about two minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one by one. Add the vanilla extract and about one-third of the flour mixture.

Continue to beat in the flour mixture in slow amounts along with the milk. When the flour is sufficiently incorporated, stir in the chopped pears.

Fill the muffin tins to the brim and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top.

When you put them in the oven, reduce the heat to 400 degrees immediately. The high temperature of 425 ensures that the outside of the muffins will set first, while the inside cooks more slowly. As the temperature drops to 400, the muffins will rise and achieve that impressive little dome shape.

While these are a great breakfast treat, I think you can have one any time of day.

Share them with whoever you think needs a little pick-me-up.

And don’t feel guilty about stealing one for yourself!

 

Lots of love,

Lindsey

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Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

Oct 2, 2011 by Lindsey

Fall is my favorite season. There is something about the cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours that brings me a new perspective each year. Football takes over our conversations, sweaters sneak back into my wardrobe, and I begin to anticipate the wonderful holiday season ahead. It inspires me to try new things in the kitchen, as I think of new recipes while dusting off my slow cooker, soup pot, and hot cocoa mugs. Due to the cooler temperatures, we have also regained our patio as a living space now that it is not 109 degrees outside. Sitting outside, sipping a nice cool cocktail while the dogs run has to be the highlight of my weekends lately.

This week we enjoyed Food & Wine Magazine’s Honeycrisp Apple Sangria while working in the backyard. Nothing tasted better than the flavors of honey, cinnamon, peach, ginger, and apples while planting some burnt orange mums in the yard to show our Texas pride. I made some slight modifications to the recipe since I did not have a few of the items on hand (Pisco? Whole cinnamon sticks? No way.). But I loved my version and will be returning to this recipe countless times throughout autumn for Halloween parties and tailgates. I served mine in glassware garnished with cinnamon & sugar around the rims. Please try this easy cocktail recipe and enjoy the beautiful weather outside!

Ingredients

1 honeycrisp apple, diced

1 lemon, sliced and de-seeded

1 lime, sliced

1 orange, sliced

1 bottle of unoaked chardonnay

1 cup of Peach Schnapps

1/4 cup of honey

3 tablespoons of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of sugar

3 whole cloves

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

Garnishes:  ice, club soda, fresh mint, and cinnamon-sugar

Instructions

Slice and dice your fruits. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the garnishes. Cover and set aside for at least four hours so that the ingredients can meet and greet each other.

Many hours later, when you are ready to serve, pour the mixture over a strainer into a pitcher.

I left a few apples in the pitcher because I love to eat sangria-soaked apples! Dip the rims of each serving glass in water, then in cinnamon-sugar and let dry. Serve the sangria with a splash of club soda and ice.

This cocktail is better than good. Even my fiance who rarely enjoys “fruity” cocktails polished off his glass with many compliments. The aroma and spice of cinnamon, sweet honey undertones, and crisp apple flavor combine perfectly in this drink. Much thanks to Food & Wine for introducing me to this recipe!

 

Enjoy everyone!

Lindsey

 

 

 

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