Raspberries.

Blackberries.

Fresh lemon zest.

Packed into a light fluffy muffin flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Interest you yet?  Made these fellas last night and I have to say they were pretty darn yummy.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp. Lemon zest
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Cup Brown sugar
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup melted butter
• 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
• 1 Cup Raspberries, frozen or fresh
• 1 Cup blackberries, frozen or fresh
• 1/4 Cup White sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.  Light oil or butter the cups and top surface of a standard 12 – muffin pan
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.  In a separate bowl add the eggs, brown sugar, milk, butter and vanilla.
3. Pour the wet into the dry mixture.  Stir together with a few quick strokes until a lump batter forms.
4. Add in the blackberries and raspberries
5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups and top with some white sugar.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean after insertion.
7. Rest on a rack for a few minutes.  Serve with butter and your favorite liquid.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Beating a batter until a form of smoothness develops strong gluten in the flour.  This will cause your muffins to be tough.  By just applying a few strokes and leaving the batter lumpy, this will allow the muffins to be tender.

Have a super Wednesday.  I was just outside and the sun is blazing and the birds are chirping.  Come on spring – get over here.  Talk to you at the end of the week.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Monday everybody!  I am out of the office today but still wanted to post something special and fun. I posted this 3 1/2 years ago and received a very good response as to what people liked on their toast. So I thought, readers have changed, tastes have changed – let’s ask again? What does everybody like on their toast?

Quite a title for this post… isn’t it?  Well I am hoping to have an interactive post about toppings for your toast.  Now of course there is plain butter but I thought I would share with you some of my all-time favorite toppings for toast.  In return, I would love for each and every reader to post their favorite topping in the comments section.  I think this will be fun!

Let’s keep in mind that the options are endless and it’s very difficult to narrow it down to just ten.  It just so happens that I have a couple of different loaves of bread on hand so here are some of my favorites and a couple pictures.

Top Ten Toast Toppings

1. Apple Sauce (homemade), Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Dash of Brown Sugar – A simple dessert like toast that can be enjoyed anytime of the day.
2. Peanut Butter, Nutella (or any chocolate spread) and Banana – This stick to your ribs favorite will get you going in the morning.
3. Butter, Strawberry Jam, Sharp Cheddar Cheese - Possibly one of my all time favorite…. i love the combination of cheese and homemade jam from Mom.
4. Bacon, Tomato, Cheddar Cheese - A quick BLT without the lettuce… you can add lettuce if you want but I prefer without.
5. Almond Butter, Honey and Granola - The sweet goodness really fills you up in the morning. great combination of flavors here.
6. Butter, Garlic, Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese - The old fashion garlic bread… can you really beat it. Serve this up with a big dish of Spaghetti
7. Tuna Salad, Celery, Havarti Cheese - A simple lunch that really fits the bill and is so delicious on a thick slice of multigrain bread in the toaster oven.
8. Butter and Poached Egg - The breakfast classic and oh so good with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice or even a berry smoothie



9. Brie, Cranberry Sauce and Bacon – Killer snack and even great for parties on mini toasts.
10. Chicken Salad, Walnuts and Diced Granny Smith Apple - One of my favorite open faced sandwiches.

Zesty Tip: When cooking toast, always try and add the topping as soon as the toast is popped and at it’s hottest point.  Also if you are adding a fairly heavy topping, I like to brown the toast a little darker than normal to avoid the bread getting soggy.

So there you have it, my top ten toast toppings!  I am sure that there are hundreds of combinations out there, so let’s hear them.  This is a great opportunity for you to share your crazy toast toppings.  You just may realize that it is not that crazy after all.  Have a great Tuesday everybody.  Keep Smiling.

zesty

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Hi all, I hope you are having a grand Wednesday. Before I start on today’s really fun post I just wanted to mention again that if you have not voted yet for my recipe on goodbite you can do so by going over here now.  You can only vote once per day but together I hope we can make a difference and donate a $1000 to Heifer International.

On to the Food

Who said chips had to be made with potatoes?  Not me that’s for sure.

Today I wanted to create something a little different and of course use one of my favorite kitchen products – my swissmar slicer.  If you have never tried this slicer – it is a must have in your kitchen.  You can pick one up at Opensky today.  Parsnips have a very unique flavor but there is something about them – that I just love.  For this recipe I thought I would kick them up and add a little cinnamon and honey.  They turned out almost candy like but were very yummy.

Let’s just say I probably should have peeled a few more parsnips into the mix but it was all I had left.  This is great for an appetizer or even a side dish with a nice piece of fish.

Ingredients

• 1 Large Parsnip
• 1 Tbsp. Honey
• 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Ground pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and peel the parsnip





2. Using your slicer, slice the parsnip into discs.
3. In a large bowl toss the parsnips slices with olive oil, pepper, cinnamon and honey







4. Arrange on a pre lined baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes



5. Turn parsnips after 15 minutes and continue cooking
6. Remove when golden brown
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Be careful not to burn this little chips.  Because of the high sugar content they will burn if left unattended.  I like to move them to the top rack after the first 15 minutes and turning once.  This will allow them to dry out and crisp up without burning.

Around the Blogsphere

• Janna over at Just Flourishing is having a fun Valentine’s giveaway.  You have to check this out and you may be just in time to be the lucky winner.
• Late last week Deb from smitten kitchen made one of my all time favorite dishes…. Ginger Fried Rice.  I would so eat the whole pot.

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty