True love finds perfect muffin tops

Our first date was nothing spectacular, and yet I will always treasure the smile it brings back to my face. Far too young to be thinking about marriage, I couldn't help but wonder at how amazing it might be after just a simple few hours spent at Starbucks, with a tall, dark and handsome boy, sipping my $5 coffee. At that time, spending $5 on fancy coffee seemed a little extravagant, and so I felt amazingly special to share this pleasure with a good friend, who, much sooner than later, became my husband.

Ten years later, we are still very much in love, enjoying the small moments in life that create the bigger picture. We've been through ups and downs, stressful times and easy times. We have two beautiful daughters, that belong to us (for now, anyway!), a perfect doggy (hey, I get to be biased, too!) and a house on which we've unleashed our idea of decorating on.

All this started with $5 coffee, two Cafe Valencias, which not only opened my eyes to true and unconditional love, but also to the trio of coffee, orange and chocolate. It's one of those combinations that is just right.

And since all things can be wrapped up in either a muffin, when sweet, or a burger, if savoury, I felt inspired to turn out these:


Cafe Valencia Muffins
Makes 12

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup 2% or higher milk
2 tsp instant coffee
zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup orange juice (about 1 orange)
1 tsp real vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup good quality dark chocolate chips

sugar and melted chocolate

Cream butter and sugar well, until fluffy and pale.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Stir instant coffee into milk, then add to sugar and butter mixture.
Add orange zest and juice, and vanilla. It will look as though the batter is curdling, don't panic! Everything will come together with the addition of the flour.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.
Fold into creamed mixture gently, taking care not to over mix.
Line muffin pan with muffin papers, fill each about 3/4 full to make 12 muffins.
Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp of granulated sugar on each.
Bake at 400 F, about 16 - 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Cool, then drizzle muffin tops with melted chocolate.

The Muffin that thinks it's a Cupcake

Okay, so I am not going to pretend that muffins are the latest health-craze, since in essence, the really are just a glorified cupcake. However, what you put into them is what separates them from dessert to perhaps breakfast, or an after school snack. People, and children specifically, eat with their eyes first. And why not? Food can be stunningly eye-catching, or utterly drab.

I love the art of food presentation. I could not draw a beautiful picture if my life depended on it, but I have noticed that no matter how simple food is, if I make it three dimensional, balance the colors and vary the textures, it becomes a work of art. One which never lasts more than a few minutes on it's canvas, the plate, but on the other hand one I have the privilege of creating a minimum of three times a day.

And so I want to share with you my absolutely favourite Banana Muffin recipe - I strongly believe our best recipes should be shared, not hidden. They need to be passed on from one person to the next, otherwise we will turn into a generation of people that eat their best food at restaurants. Oh wait, I think that has already happened! Let's celebrate home cooking, let's reignite the passion, and let's enjoy the after-effects of how it brings family together. This is something the Italian culture exemplifies quite well, as they have kept the tradition of uniting over food alive.

Change this recipe to your liking - you may chose to use one cup whole wheat flour to replace a white. Perhaps a few tablespoons of ground flax seeds can round out the nutrition, that, aside from the sugar, this muffin does deliver. Try toasted sunflower seeds instead of praline peanuts. Just remember - dress it up nice and you'll be eating with a smile on your face.

Sweet Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 12 large

1/2 cup unsalted butter, gently softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/3 cups overripe bananas, mashed, about 3 bananas - the riper the better -

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a muffin tin; either grease it or line with paper.

In a large bowl, cream softened butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Gently beat the eggs and add to the sugar.

Mash the bananas thoroughly and add as well. Combine well.

Place your flour, baking soda and salt on top of the sugar base. Using a fork, stir the baking soda and salt into the flour.

Now stir the whole thing up, but don't over mix, just until everything is incorporated or you will be eating hockey pucks, not soft muffins.

Divide evenly in the prepared muffin tin.

Gently tap the filled muffin pan on the counter to release air bubbles and to distribute the batter evenly.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until tops are golden but not dark.

Cool 10 minutes in the pan.

Remove and cool completely on a rack before icing.

Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened but not melted

1/4 butter, softened but not melted

1 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp real vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a small whisk. Add icing sugar and vanilla.

Continue beating until all clumps are gone.

When the muffins are cooled, pipe un-chilled frosting in a circular motion onto the tops.

Crush a handful of praline nuts in a small zip top bag, using a rolling pin. Do not smash these, but with pressure roll over to crush into smaller pieces.

Sprinkle the frosting with the nuts.