Thursday, September 25, 2014

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins~ and Spooky things:)








Every time I try a new muffin at Les Moulins Lafayette ..that I fall in love with..I try and recreate it..This time I only had to try 2 recipes and on the second one..I found my perfect Lemon Poppyseed Muffin.
It's sooo close..  in my mind it's spot on.
It is from Cook's Illustrated.

A neat thing about this recipe..is that you can whip up a batch..put them in a muffin tin..cover with cling and refrigerate unbaked..They say so!
So I will make these for Christmas morning I am thinking:)

On a side note..this home..in the trees..is in one of our 100 yr old maple trees..
It's spooky and in trying to get a photo I stumbled in some brambles..ouch..


We will wait till December and frost..
No one should be w/out a home..
Plus I am scared.
After 2 bites this September and one swelling and itching for days w/ a bruise still.. 2 weeks later...I am in no mood to mess with nature..

Scratch scratch..

I had to show you Noah..His name is Noah Jack.. ..he's our 6 year old~
Look what he and his mom are coming up with for his Halloween costume.
His face:)  Just cracks me up on this..
This is not Noah's face usually..he's got a twinkle in his eye and mischief on his face..
This is Jack Skellington's face.
Somehow I think Noah will be a chef..or and actor.
I pray for a doctor or dentist..
But so far..
He's a foodie and an actor.♥
LOVE this costume his mom is fabricating for him.

Ok back to the muffins:)


La Recette~


3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tbsps poppy seeds
1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsps butter room temp
1 cup sugar(brown works too)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plain whole milk yogurt (I have used greek..and also sour cream)
the latter makes the very best..moistest♥

Prep your muffin tin either with spray or muffin cups like I use.I love those big ones.

A silicone mold should work very well too.They are amazing.
Whisk the flour,baking powder,baking soda,salt,poppy seeds,lemon zest together in a bowl.
Using an electric mixer..beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
Reduce mixer speed and beat in half the flour mixture  followed by 1/2 of the yogurt...beat in half of the remaining flour mixture followed by half the remaining yogurt ..repeat w/ remaining flour and yogurt.

Place the batter evenly in your prepared muffin pan
Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position and bake in a 375F pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until done and golden.

If you are doing the refrigerated version remove cling and bake 35-40 mins.
Let muffins cool in pan for 5 mins before serving.

You could add a glaze or icing but I like these just like that.Plain on top.
There is nothing plain taste wise about these muffins..
Red wrappers would be so pretty for Christmas:)

So I hope you heard right..sour cream for the best..
And the day after..nuke for like 12 seconds to get the warm just baked effect..
Need to find red wrappers..How many more shopping days till Christmas?
Costco has everything out! Christmas AND Halloween.
Oyoyoy.
I still haven't planted my garlic or bulbs.




Supposed to be LOVELY for the next few days..so the gardens will get some primping for fall starting tomorrow..
Bon Weekend~

PS..

I love this dish..It's pretty..tasty..
Made it tonight.. I got the recipe from my daughter last year.It is spot on for Acorn squash season.
I used Hot Italian sausage.
Also pre~ordered this~ today..I really like all the recipes I have tried from her.
I don't buy a lot of cookbooks anymore..

I do love My Isabelle Lambert books..Chuck Hughes.. Maria Loggia..my LOCAL experts:)
But I do cave in for tried and trues..

I may get Dorie Greenspans new book because I love the ones I have..but was disappointed the cute dishtowel would not be shipped to Canada.I mean ..pourquoi pas?



Manger..looks gorgeous..as her blog is..

So temptations do abound..

The Bake at 350:)  You know me and cookies..

Etc..etc..

What talented people !





42 comments:

  1. Oh my! Spooky - really spooky! I ran into some last summer - down in my ivy - who would expect that and they attacked 3 at once! Youch. I remembered anti-perspirant, but found mud works better as my family were hiking at the cabin and two of them got about 6 stings - also nests on the ground in the grass as they were hiking!
    Noah is so great! Love his pose, his makeup and his costume

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jacqueline our little ones would Flip over all your Halloween stuff:)
      Thanks for the mud tip..:)

      Delete
  2. Lemon and poppyseed...we would enjoy this. I love the idea that they can be made ahead and popped in the oven the next morning. That would make things really easy! I must give them a try. Have you tried the citrus oils yet? They are wonderful!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have some CITRONE here in small vials which I do add..they are Euro..I do plan on the oils..USA:)I think through Amazon.com they are available..
      Great about the make before I agree..

      Delete
    2. I got Boyajian Pure Citrus Oils (orange, lemon and lime) from King Arthur Flour....a special treat!

      Delete
  3. Your muffins are so lovely. You are a great baker...Sorry you ran into the bushes and are itchy....No fun at all. Noah Jack has a perfect costume....Very authentic...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those muffins will be a hit at our house!! Love that scary boy!

    Best,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Noah is adorable and his look is so serious. Now speaking of serious, those are some seriously delicious muffin. How wonderful that they can spend the night in the refrig. What a help on holidays.
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  6. The photo of Noah in his costume is amazing! What a wonderful idea... I love his pose. I just posted a link to this post on FB. My sister is always looking for ideas for her kids (if they don't already have something in mind!). We had a yellow jacket hive in the ground in the middle of the yard. I almost turned stepped in the entry hole. Luckily no stings. I will have to save that muffin recipe. Nice to have one that you can make the night before and just pop in the oven.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are tricky underground.. every year ..in a different spot too it seems and they take you by surprise!
      I love the costume because it's real looking..well you know what I mean:) She puts so much thought into things with Noah..he will visit Paris before I will.
      And The Hamptons:)

      Delete
  7. And you are a talented person & thank you for sharing here. The costumed Noah is great & the muffins look delicious. Isn't this weather dreamy? And I so enjoy your visits to my blog, Monique. Plans for Quebec City are forming, I will write to you soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The weather is a GIFT..
      I had a little feeling ..when everyone said it was over..I just had a feeling:)

      Delete
  8. Oh, I love that Noah. I think you're right: he looks like an actor to me. I also love anything lemon and baked, just not as much as Noah.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the Hallowe'en costume! It looks like something out of the 1930's or something. I agree on the Dorie tea towel offer. I mean, really! The only time they don't consider us their 51st state is times like this. Great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was really surprised to tell you the truth.
      But I am glad to see it's not just me..
      You would think her publishers would want to please everyone.
      It's not a Kitchen Aid mixer they would be posting:)
      I love his costume too!

      Delete
  10. It will be interesting to see if Noah Jack becomes an actor. That would be my guess from that picture and I love that stage name ;o) Bummer on the towel, so cute it is. The muffins would be perfect for womens weekend. Warm muffins in the morning at the cabin ;o) I checked out Manger, and would enjoy looking through that cookbook.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They would be great at your cabin..although from what I have seen it looks more like a charming lodge:)
      But yes..perfect..sour cream:)
      Manger..is like watching a beautiful movie.

      Delete
  11. Maybe Noah will be on Broadway some day Monique. What a great costume and make up job. The muffins look yummy. You sound like Jerry, he uses sour cream in his waffles (along with a dash of sour cream!). I love muffins as you can freeze them and then take out just the number you need. It makes me think I am being good. That is a hive in the tree? Hope you don't get stung this weekend when gardening. I have to clean up my garden too but will wait till the week. Think we will go for a drive as it will be a bit warm these next couple of days. Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You too!

      The weather is amazing for a few days..so I will start..i always end up doing the gardens when my fingers are freezing..so I will just get a head start..

      Delete
  12. Yummy muffins, Monique. Sour cream always makes things so tender and moist. Very enticing photos of them too.
    Fab costume for Halloween! Very spooky!
    Agree Mimi's Manger blog is wonderful. I use many of her recipes and love the photos.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I will most certainly try these beautiful muffins, Monique! Lemon poppyseed muffins are one of my all-time favorites. What a fantastic photo of Noah! So creative and he has the look down. I'm thinking he'd make a good avocat with that poker-face :-)

    Ouch, ouch! Poor you with those bites. I know how awful it feels. A few years ago I was stung twice by the hornets that nest in the ground. Once in my garden and then they had started to make a nest in a small hole under our front step. The second sting reaction was really bad, likely because it was the second in just a couple of weeks.

    I love all of your choices and books on your wish list. Mimi's book is coming my way soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I even showed Jacques..Manger..the blog..
      Beauty everywhere.. the family..the place..the food..the photos.
      And she seems so nice..
      I am sure I was stung by yellow jackets or something too..we were trimming our big cedar hedge between the neighbors home and ours while they were away so we would feel comfortable going over to pick up the clippings..as we were doing that i was also weeding a bit under the massive hedge.. one went in my soft garden low boot..and the other up my sleeve..I jumped up and then saw them swarming:(

      The foot one didn't develop into anything like the arm one..so I concur for certain..2 is worse:)

      Delete
  14. Quels superbes muffins ! J'adore le citron et le pavot en plus ^^

    Et quel beau costume. :) Il est prêt pour Halloween ~

    ReplyDelete
  15. The muffins look fantastic, love poppy seed muffins and hope to try this recipe soon. What a clever costume for a little guy, it's great and I'm sure Noah will be the envy of his buddies. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You wouldn't believe how few stores carry poppy seeds now!

      Delete
  16. Well, guess who's going to be making those muffins this week-end. They look heavenly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Susan..Just went to visit you..Hope you enjoy them..you can make half..:)
      I did the first time..now I do the full recipe.

      Delete
  17. These muffins look delicious. Now that the weather is going down to the 70 F (25 C) I think I’ll use the oven again, so I’m copying your recipe. Merci.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That Noah makes me laugh! Now your muffins, they're making me hungry! I love trying to recreate things at home. It's always a thrill when you get it right :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Those muffins look delicious but even more delicious looking is Noah...he is amazing in that costume!
    love Manger...I am breaking my moratorium on cookbook buying and will get hers and of course Dorie's...
    Bisous xoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  20. Fantastic muffins¨The perfect tea time treat.

    Noah looks awesome in his costume!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  21. Noah sure is adorable, I do see the twinkle in his eye. Love these muffins, these would be perfect for the holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a perfectly spooky and handsom Ghoul Noah is! I Love it! I love his name too. I keep wanting to tell you that but forgetting. As for those muffins. They are on my to do list. I have ordered Dorie's new book as well. I love Dorie and I love her recipes. I Know that her book will be a winner. Have a perfectly wonderful weekend my dear friend! We have had a gorgeous day here today, but turning to rain and colder tomorrow. Indian summer is over. xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  23. I made them, and they were solo good! Thanks a lot :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome..Happy you like them:)Thank you for letting me know:)

      Delete
  24. First Prize on the costume! That is beyond creative. Very, very clever!
    Yes, don't mess with the wasp nest. It looks like it could be lethal.

    ReplyDelete