Occasionally I like to bake myself some muffins to enjoy in the mornings or with a hot cup of herbal tea mid-morning or afternoon. I have my favorites but I found myself with some applesauce that needed using up today and so decided to look for an applesauce muffin recipe to try.
I discovered one on a blog called Beat Bake Eat. They looked fairly simple and I had everything I needed in the house to make them. As you know I am not one for complicated things.
They looked really delicious as well. I didn't need 12 muffins however, so I cut the recipe in half to make only six large, or 8 medium muffins. (Disclosure, I made 8 medium muffins.)
I added some cloves to the spice mixture as cloves go so well with the flavor of apples, and I also added a hefty handful of dried currants as I have a huge bag of them to use. You could also use raisins, or even toasted walnuts!
And, of course, you can leave them just plain!
They came out lovely and moist and filled with delicious flavor. I gave some to my sister for them to enjoy and saved the rest for myself to use over the next couple of days.
Of course I couldn't resist eating one right away. Oh boy, it was some good! Tasty tasty!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SOUR CREAM APPLESAUCE MUFFINS
Simple every day ingredients. I had those little individual serving sized cups of unsweetened applesauce and that is what I used. It took one and then most of another.
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup (30g) full fat sour cream
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup (60ml) canola oil
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (45g) dried currants or raisins (optional)
Those individual cups of unsweetened plain applesauce are ideal for recipes such as this one. I like to snack on them, but they also are just the right size to pop open for a recipe like this without having to open a huge jar and then have it go to waste.
If you don't have any sour cream but you do have full fat plain yogurt you can use that in its place. You can leave out the currants, but I love currants and raisins in my buns so I added them.
HOW TO MAKE SOUR CREAM APPLESAUCE MUFFINS
These muffins go together a bit differently than the usual muffin, but if you remember to mix the flour in at the end, just until combined, there is no reason you cannot have success!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter six large muffin cups and line with paper.
Whisk together both sugars, the soda, baking powder, salt and the spices.
Stir in the sour cream, egg and vanilla, mixing everything together well. Whisk in the applesauce and the oil.
Stir in the flour and the currants/raisins just to combine.
Divide the batter between the muffin cups filling them 3/4 full.
Bake for 25 minutes until well risen and the tops spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean.
Cool in pan for five minutes, then carefully tip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
These muffins were really nice as is. I really enjoyed them. Delicious warm and even cold several hours later on!
Baking them in a medium muffin tin made them just the right size for me. You can do as you wish however, if you like larger muffins, do use a larger tin!
ORANGE, DATE AND OAT MUFFINS - Moist and delicious with lovely bits of a real chopped orange, and chopped dates. Wholesome and nutty from the use of old fashioned large flake oats. Scrumptious!
CRANBERRY, ORANGE AND PISTACHIO MUFFINS - Moist and flavor filled muffins with just the right balance of tang and sweetness. The cranberry and pistachio topping is really pretty and adds loads of interest.
CINNAMON ROLL MUFFINS - If you are a fan of cinnamon rolls, you will fall in love with these delicious muffins. Riddled with plenty of cinnamon sugar ripples and sweetly glazed, these tasty muffins always go down a real treat!
Yield: 6
Sour Cream Applesauce Muffins
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinInactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 35 Min
Soft, moist and beautifully spiced. A lovely mid morning or portable snack.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup (30g) full fat sour cream
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup (60ml) canola oil
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (45g) dried currants or raisins (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter six large muffin cups and line with paper.
- Whisk together both sugars, the soda, baking powder, salt and the spices.
- Stir in the sour cream, egg and vanilla, mixing everything together well. Whisk in the applesauce and the oil.
- Stir in the flour and the currants/raisins just to combine.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups filling them 3/4 full.
- Bake for 25 minutes until well risen and the tops spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean.
- Cool in pan for five minutes, then carefully tip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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I am a sandwich lover. I am with the Brits on this one. I have never met a sandwich I didn't like and enjoy. Over in the U.K. they have whole shops dedicated to sandwiches. The British love their sandwiches.
They are also huge fans of the burger. I am not so fussed over regular burgers, but if its a turkey burger or a chicken burger, I am all in!
I am really fond of a good BLT (Bacon Lettuce and Tomato) sandwich. Today I decided to take that idea and combine it with a grilled chicken burger, not a ground chicken burger, but a grilled chicken breast burger.
So what you have here is a toasted brioche bun topped with a BBQ spice grilled chicken breast, crispy bacon, sliced tomato and an arugula baby spinach leaf topping.
I also created a lush garlic and chive aioli mayo dressing, and I cooked some tasty sweet potato wedges on the side for a complete meal.
I like to make my own spices and rubs if I can. This is one that I found here and adapted for use in my own kitchen. One of the reasons I like to make my own rather than buy already made blends is that I can control what goes into them. No msg or preservatives.
HOMEMADE BBQ SEASONING
1/4 cup (48g) maple sugar or (50g) granulated sugar
(I don't recommend using brown sugar as the moisture in it
will cause the mixture to clump)
2 TBS smoked paprika
1 TBS garlic powder (not salt)
1 TBS onion powder (not salt)
1 TBS dry ground mustard powder
2 tsp chili powder
1-1/2 tsp thyme dried
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 TBS Kosher salt (optional)
HOW TO MAKE BBQ CHICKEN BLT'S
I used some of this tasty rub on my sweet potato wedges as well. I find that sweet potato wedges and fries can get a bit soggy for some reason, so today I tried adding some fine dry bread crumbs to the spice mixture I coated them in prior to roasting.
It helped to keep them somewhat crisp, but I am not sure if there is any way that you are every going to get them totally crisp in the home. In any case they were delicious, especially dipped in some of that aioli mayo!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BBQ CHICKEN BLT'S
It does look like a long list of ingredients, and it is, but these go together very quickly and are fabulously tasty. There is more than one component to the recipe. You have the fries, the burgers and the garlic mayo. You can be enjoying them in about half an hour's time. You, of course, don't need to do the wedges or the garlic mayo if you don't want to.
For the sweet potato fries:
- 2 medium/large sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup (30g) Italian dry bread crumbs
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 TBS BBQ spice
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the chicken:
- 2 small chicken breast fillets (about 5 ounces/145g each)
- 1 TBS BBQ spice
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 TBS BBQ sauce
You will also need:
- 4 rashers streaky bacon, halved
- handful of fresh baby spinach and baby arugula (rocket)
- 1 beefsteak tomato
- 2 brioche buns, buttered and toasted on the cut sides
- 1/2 cup (110g) mayonnaise
- 1 TBS finely chopped chives
- 1 small clove chicken, peeled and grated
Use the smoothest sweet potatoes that you can. I try to buy medium sized potatoes with an almost egg shape. These make wedges that are all basically the same size.
I used dry Italian bread crumbs, but you can use any fine dry bread crumbs, or leave them out altogether if you wish. I do recommend that you use them however!
I like to use a bun that is not totally fresh. That way they don't fall apart as easily when you are eating your burger. Toasting the cut sides briefly in the oven does freshen them up.
I like the baby arugula (rocket) and spinach mix. It is fresh and crisp and green. The arugula adds a nice hint of heat.
These really go together very quickly and are very simple and easy to make. Why pay a fortune for a sandwich like this in a restaurant when you can make a much tastier one at home yourself!
Preheat the oven to 450*F/230*C/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with some baking parchment.
Wash the sweet potatoes and dry well. Cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Place into a bowl and toss together with the oil, bread crumbs, spice, some salt and some pepper. Coat them well and then spread out on the baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with some paper towels and then season generously on both sides with the BBQ spice and some salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a skillet and then brown the chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the baking sheet in the oven, brush with the BBQ sauce and roast for a further 8 to 10 minutes.
Cut the rashers of bacon in half crosswise. Wipe out the skillet and then add the bacon. Cook over medium heat, turning occasionally until the bacon is crispy. Remove and keep warm.
Whisk together the mayonnaise with the garlic and the chopped chives. Set aside. Slice the tomato into four thick slices. Toast your buns.
Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thinner pieces. Spread some of the garlic mayonnaise onto the bottom half of each bun and top each with the chicken slices. Top the chicken with the bacon, tomatoes and then the greens. Place the top bun on top.
Serve hot with the sweet potato wedges alongside. If you have any garlic mayo left, it makes a great dip for the fries.
This was a really delicious and satisfying sandwich. The addition of the sweet potato wedges turned it into a full meal. You can of course not bother with them, or use a ready made frozen variety.
If you are not overly fond of the flavor of garlic, then use only half a clove in the garlic mayo, or leave it out altogether!
If you are looking for something simple to cook for your honey for supper tonight, you can't really go wrong with one of these!
If you are fond of the burger or the hot sandwich, you might also enjoy these!
HERBED TURKEY BURGERS - Ground turkey flavored with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Two thin patties sandwiched together with a pat of butter in the middle to keep them nice and moist. Grilled to perfection, topped with cheese and served with all of your favorite burger toppings!
HONEY HOT CHICKEN BURGERS - Pounded chicken breasts with a buttermilk coating, baked until crispy. A mix of honey, spice and buttery is brushed on the finished pieces of chicken as a lovely finishing touch. Served in toasted buns with shredded lettuce and crisp bacon! So delicious!
Yield: 2
BBQ Chicken BLT's
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
A beautiful sandwich, simple to make with all the elements of a BLT. Spicy sweet potatoes are served on the side. A complete meal for two!
Ingredients
For the sweet potato fries:
- 2 medium/large sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup (30g) Italian dry bread crumbs
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 TBS BBQ spice
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the chicken:
- 2 small chicken breast fillets (about 5 ounces/145g each)
- 1 TBS BBQ spice
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 TBS BBQ sauce
You will also need:
- 4 rashers streaky bacon, halved
- handful of fresh baby spinach and baby arugula (rocket)
- 1 beefsteak tomato
- 2 brioche buns, buttered and toasted on the cut sides
- 1/2 cup (110g) mayonnaise
- 1 TBS finely chopped chives
- 1 small clove chicken, peeled and grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450*F/230*C/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with some baking parchment.
- Wash the sweet potatoes and dry well. Cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Place into a bowl and toss together with the oil, bread crumbs, spice, some salt and some pepper. Coat them well and then spread out on the baking sheet.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with some paper towels and then season generously on both sides with the BBQ spice and some salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and then brown the chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the baking sheet in the oven, brush with the BBQ sauce and roast for a further 8 to 10 minutes.
- Cut the rashers of bacon in half crosswise. Wipe out the skillet and then add the bacon. Cook over medium heat, turning occasionally until the bacon is crispy. Remove and keep warm.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise with the garlic and the chopped chives. Set aside.
- Slice the tomato into four thick slices.
- Toast your buns.
- Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally. Spread some of the garlic mayonnaise onto the bottom half of each bun and top each with the chicken slices. Top the chicken with the bacon, tomatoes and then the greens. Place the top bun on top.
- Serve hot with the sweet potato wedges alongside. If you have any garlic mayo left, it makes a great dip for the fries.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
A POEM FOR TEA
When the world is at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea
There's magic in its fragrance
There's solace in its taste
And the laden moments vanish
Somehow into space
The world becomes a lovely thing
There's beauty as you see
All because you briefly stopped
To brew a cup of tea
~Unknown
(source)
There is naught for bringing comfort into one's day like sitting down quietly and having a nice hot cup of tea, be it regular tea or herbal. Princess Catherine of Braganza arrived in England in 1662 to marry King Charles ll and brought with her in her belongings a chest of tea. This was the start of a "Tea Culture" in the U.K.
Certainly tea was already available in England, but up to that point was popular mostly with persons of quality, meaning people who could afford the commodity along with the imported chinaware to go along with it! It would be a further 100 years before the first made English teapots would be produced that could stand up to the heat of the boiling water without breaking. By then tea drinking had become quite commonplace.
Its important to note however, that one doesn't really need anything fancy in order to enjoy a nice hot cuppa! You don't even need a room full of people or special company to enjoy a cup of tea.
Some of my favorite and most memorable tea drinking experiences have been quite humble and solitary. (Although admittedly it is much nicer when shared!)
Today when I got home from church I decided I wanted to enjoy nothing more than a hot drink and some kind of nibble with it. I am going to my sister's a bit later on for Sunday supper, so all I really needed was something to refresh and delight.
It was the perfect excuse to dig out my favorite tea accessories, including my beautiful tea cozy that my friend Ginny who lives in New Hampshire knit for me. Every time I see it, it makes my heart smile.
This is a small two cup tea pot that I purchased last year from a vintage china/dish shop on Etsy. I had originally had a Brown Betty Tea Pot, but when my cats knocked it off the sideboard and it shattered I decided I didn't want to risk something so expensive being broken again. I found this pot on Etsy at a very reasonable price.
There is something very special about drinking a cup of tea that has been brewed properly in a teapot. It elevates it to a real treat. There is a ceremony about it that cannot be beaten.
I used my little tea pot, and set it upon my Emma Bridgewater Black Toast Tea Stand/Trivet. Purchasing this was a pure indulgence on my part. Sometimes you just need to treat yourself.
I don't drink black or green teas, but I do have an assortment of loose herbal teas. I got them from The Tea Haus and today I decided to treat myself to a pot of Lime Fizz. Properly stored they do last a good long time.
I also decided to use my little heart shaped aluminum tea infuser that I had bought from Susan Branch's online shop just recently. I cannot resist anything heart shaped. Heart shaped objects call my name.
This is one of my favorite tea cups. If you are going to the trouble of making yourself a proper cup of tea then you should drink it in a proper cup. Again, it only adds more pleasure to the experience.
This is a cup my dear friend Elaine gave me. Whenever I use it I think of her and, again, my heart smiles. It feels like a celebration just to look at it. Red and white polka dots, strips, gilt gold trim, etc. I love all of it.
A cup of tea tastes better in a proper cup and if that cup has been a gift from a much beloved friend, so much the better.
Of course if you are going to go to all the trouble of brewing a perfect pot, then by all means add a few nibbles on the side. They don't need to be really fancy, just tasty.
I had some French Fancies leftover in the freeze from Christmas so I dug out one of those. Yesterday when my sister and I were at Winners I had picked up a box of Mrs. Walker's shortbread biscuits, so I added one of those and then I made myself a few finger sandwiches.
Yes, they are peanut butter and jam. But I used a good sourdough bread and I cut them into little hearts. Peanut Butter and Jam never tasted or looked so special.
I began by measuring my tea into the infuser. The rule of thumb is 1 tsp of tea for every cup you plan on brewing and then one for the pot.
This Lime Fizz tea is filled with lots of lovely bits and pieces. Apple Cubes, rose hips, elderberries, orange peel, ginger, lemon grass, coriander seed, lemon verbena, pink pepper, calendula petals, and a natural lime ginger flavor. Yummy!
PREPARING THE TEA
Bring a kettle filled with fresh cold water to a boil. Pour a little of the boiling water into your teapot and give it a good swirl around to warm the pot and then pour it out.
Put your kettle back onto the boil. Add to the warmed teapot 1 teaspoon of tea leaves per person plus 1 teaspoon for the pot.
You can just add it loose if you wish, using a tea strainer to strain out any bits at the end, or you can Pop it into an infuser like I did.
As soon as the water returns to the boil, pour it over the leaves in the pot and then pop on the lid to your tea pot.
Allow the tea to steep for two to five minutes, depending on the strength of tea you prefer and the type of tea you are using.
Typically black teas are steeped longer than white, green or oolong teas. For herbal blends you will need to use your own discretion. I like mine fairly strong so leave it for the full five minutes or even longer.
But then again, I always drink my tea black
If you have guests you will want to set out a pitcher filled with hot water so that guests who favor a weaker cup can dilute their serving.
SERVING THE TEA
Normally it is the hostess who both makes and plays mother/serves/pours the tea. This is a holdover back to the days when women held the key to the tea caddy and therefore the power over the tea in the household.
Each cup is poured, ideally through a tea strainer to capture any loose leaves, and then passed to a guest before the hostess pours the next cup.
The guess will then add milk or a lemon slice to the cup. Milk is typically added to black tea, while lemon is traditionally paired with Lapsong-Souchong.
In days past, the milk would typically be added to the cup first, before the hot tea, in an effort to safeguard against the breakage of china.
Sugar is always added last, and only then is the tea stirred. Once the sugar has dissolved, you can return your teaspoon to the saucer.
The saucer always remains on the table when the cup is lifted to drink. It is proper to grasp the cup with the thumb and index finger meeting in the handle, with the handle resting on the middle finger. Contrary to popular belief, the pinkie should never be held upright. This is actually considered to be quite rude!
The tea should be sipped not gulped, returning the cup to the saucer between sips.
DELICIOUS THINGS TO SERVE WITH TEA
I really do enjoy a cookie/biscuit with a hot cup of tea. But there are a great many things which you can enjoy with a hot cup of tea that will delight the senses and bring enjoyment to the palate. These are some of my favorites.
GINGER CRUNCHIES - You better get your pinny on because if you like ginger, you are going to fall in love with these crisp shortbread based ginger biscuit/cookie/squares! They are crisp and buttery, very short textured. They are also topped with a lush ginger glaze and some sweet chunks of preserved ginger. Don't worry if you haven't got any preserved ginger, you can substitute candied ginger for it, or leave it off altogether.
TRADITIONAL BATTENBURG CAKE - Also known as Church Window Cake. If you love almond, then this is the cake for you. A firm favorite on the traditional English tea table, this is a very pretty two colored sponge cake, put together like a pink and white checker board, with apricot jam holding the layers together. It is coated in more jam and then a thin layer of marzipan is rolled around the whole cake.
POLKA DOT PETTICOAT TAILS - A traditional shortbread baked in a large round, dimpled with a variety of jams (Polka Dots) and cut into wedges to serve. Delicious and quite pretty as well! You could also use lemon curd instead of the jam.
And there you have it, how to brew the perfect cup of tea and what to do with it when you're done! I hope that you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed putting it together! Not a recipe I know, but plenty of food for thought!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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