Muffins, Oh, We Love Muffins! #Recipe Roundup

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Every so often, you've got to have a muffin. Almost every Sunday morning, at our house! We like to bake up a batch, eat a few while they're fresh and warm, then cool and freeze the rest, 2 or 4 in a bag, since we're a two-human household. Happily, muffins freeze nicely. And even more happily, the Kitchen crew has many wonderful muffin recipes to choose from. Here are a few for your Sunday morning, or any day of the week!  

Lemon Zucchini Muffins Peg Cochran serves up these tasty Lemon Zucchini Muffins (pictured above), which she describes as "Weight Watchers style." I'm a Lifetime member myself, and one of the things I appreciate about how the program has evolved over the years is that you can actually eat muffins and other delicious treats and still lose weight. 

Our founding member, now a Kitchen alumna, Krista Davis, shares these Valentine Brunch Muffins, aka Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. It's a classic flavor combo, and by golly, they look good enough to eat!  Regular blog readers know we enjoy sharing Halloween-themed recipes every fall, and our Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) offers these fabulous Pumpkin Carrot Cake Muffins.   

Another alumna, Daryl Wood Gerber, is famous for baking gluten-free treats so good you'll never miss the gluten. She's actually shared two terrific recipes for gluten-free blueberry muffins, one traditional, which she calls Sunday Blueberry Muffins, and one for Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Blueberry Muffins.  And speaking of blueberries, one of our newer members, Molly MacRae, offers these Sourdough Blueberry Muffins. 

Click here for the recipe.

Muffins don't have to be sweet treats.  And in our house, these Omelet Muffins are year-round faves, especially popular at our annual holiday brunch. They're quite flexible, easily made with almost any combination of cheese and veggies you have on hand. For another savory option, try Cleo Coyle's Corn Muffin Tops a la Julia Child from the early years of the blog. And of course, many corn bread recipes can be baked in muffin tins -- if you lack one of those cool old pans with molds in the shapes of ears of corn!

Remember the old Pillsbury Dough Boy ads proclaiming "Nothing says lovin' like a fresh-baked muffin"? Well, okay, we revised it a bit. Whatever muffins you choose, we hope you bake, serve, and eat with love and joy! 

What muffins are favorites
in your household? 

Do tell!

🍰

~ The Mystery Lovers' Kitchen crew

Spinach & Prosciutto Omelet Muffins #recipe @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ;  Many people swear they don’t eat breakfast. I am not one of them—breakfast is one of my three favorite meals, and I work hard at not skipping it. Sunday breakfast is a household ritual, and if I’m away, I miss it—well, I miss the ritual of coffee, breakfast, and the Sunday paper in my jammies, because even if I’m away, I don’t skip breakfast!

One of my more popular recipes -- at home and on the blog -- is Omelet Muffins, from October 2015. We make them often, and love how many yummy variations are possible.

Not long ago, I came across a different recipe using this flavor combination. But our recipe is too good to mess with, so since we love prosciutto, the very thin smoked Italian meat, we combined our original recipe with these ingredients. It’s just different enough—and new enough—to warrant its own post.

Whatever variation we make, we make a dozen, even though it’s just Mr. Right and me, because they reheat well for several days. Which makes not missing breakfast even easier!

Omelet Muffins—which probably ought to be called Frittata Muffins—also make a great addition to a holiday brunch buffet.

Spinach & Prosciutto Omelet Muffins

one red bell pepper, roasted and chopped (directions below)
5 ounces baby spinach, wilted and chopped (directions below)
6 eggs
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (we used canola)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 to 1 cup goat cheese, cut or crumbled
2-3 ounces prosciutto, cut into ribbons

Preheat your broiler.

Wash and core the bell pepper, and cut it in quarters. Place quarters, skin up, on a baking sheet and broil until the skin is lightly charred, about 5-8 minutes. Cool enough to handle and strip off the peel—you needn’t be super-thorough. Chop the peppers.

Reduce heat to 350 and oil or spray a 12-count muffin pan.

Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a large saute pan and heat over medium. Add the spinach and cover, stirring once or twice until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat to cool. Chop into bite-sized pieces.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, teaspoon of oil and baking powder. Stir in the bell pepper, spinach, and goat cheese. Pour into the muffin tins and top with prosciutto.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until just set in the center. Cool 5 minutes and pop out of the tins to serve.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until just set in the center. Cool 5 minutes and pop out of the tins to serve.

Makes one dozen. Store leftovers in the fridge, tightly covered, 3-4 days and warm in the microwave or toaster oven.

From the cover of TREBLE AT THE JAM FEST, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #4 (Midnight Ink, June 8, 2017):  

Erin Murphy, manager of Murphy’s Mercantile (aka the Merc), is tuning up for Jewel Bay’s annual Jazz Festival. Between keeping the Merc’s shelves stocked with Montana’s tastiest local fare and hosting the festival’s kick-off concert, Erin has her hands full.

Discord erupts when jazz guitarist Gerry Martin is found dead on the rocks above the Jewel River. The one-time international sensation had fallen out of sync with festival organizers, students, and performers. Was his death an accident?or did someone even the score?

Despite the warning signs to not get involved, Erin investigates. And when the killer attacks, she orchestrates her efforts into one last crescendo, hoping to avoid a deadly finale.

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.