Sunday, August 23, 2009

What's the story, morning glory?

Friends, I hope you had a lovely weekend. It was a productive one for me and this household.

I was especially energetic when it came to all things domestic this weekend. I discovered that my personal definition of nirvana is having every single item of clothing clean. I know this is a lame statement, but I know there are those of you out there that totally understand! This is a feat years in the making. The pile of reds unearthed! The hand-washables wearable once more! Single socks found their mates! It should have been a reality TV show!

Hank was giving me the shifty eyes he was in such disbelief.

Another monumental event took place here. We moved The Boss moved into a Big Girl Bed. Once again, she proved that change is usually my issue, not hers. I knew for weeks she was ready, but I preferred to cage her until she turned 16. That is, until I discovered her trying to use the crib as a trampoline. So,before she did an Olympic-medal-worthy triple flip out of it, we changed it over to a bed. We skipped the toddler-sized bed conversion and just forged ahead to the big bed. And in a night, she abandoned all of her bedtime routines with the exception of conning me into just 14 more books. Oh the days I wished I could get out of the damn rocking chair and now she shuns it completely. Hmph. Crazy how these babes are so adaptable.

She was a great helper when it came to making these muffins, too. They are chocked full of so many things she loves. I'm going to share a batch with my office tomorrow along with a chocolate zucchini cake that I'll post here shortly. Now that all this laundry is done, the possibilities for my evenings are endless;) I may even knit again!
Morning Glory Muffins
According to the recipe source, Earthbound Farm's culinary consultant, Chef Pam McKinstry, created these muffins in 1978 for her eponymous restaurant on Nantucket Island. The recipe was first published in Gourmet Magazine in 1981, and in 1991 it was chosen as one of the magazine's 25 favorite recipes from the past 50 years.

These muffins have a great shelf life and actually taste better a day after baking, when the flavors have melded. Store them at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months.


1 1/4 cups sugar (I used 1 cup)
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 TBSP cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
3/4 cup raisins
1 large apple, peeled and grated
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups carrot, grated
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots and nuts, and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with the oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and blend well.

Spoon the batter into muffin tins lined with muffin cups, filling each to the brim. Bake for 35 minutes (mine only took 18-20 minutes) or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tins and then transfer to racks.

5 comments:

jen said...

I feel like you're torturing me with this recipe since I'm not a fan of coconut or pineapple - but I WANT to like these.

Congrats to the big girl - we need to stop blinking!

Emmy said...

I am one of the people who understand the thrill of having all of your clothes clean and I bow down to your ability to actually do it!

Congrats to Amelia on the big girl bed!

Amanda said...

you had me until the coconut, raisins and pineapple. Totally not my style of quick bread.

Glad to hear Amelia's transition went so smoothly. Eleni has started jumping in her bed while yelling "no more monkeys jumping on the bed". Should I be worried?

Blogless Erin said...

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who can let the pile of hand-washables go waaaaaay too long.

Jenn said...

Ahhh, I love that feeling of no laundry!
Congrats on the smooth transition to the big girl bed!