Lemon Poppy Muffins

When I have a craving for a particular food my go-to for searching is always pinterest. Last week I had a deep need for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins.

One morning, with the help of the daycare kiddos and Stomper we made a dozen of these delightful muffins. They came out a little dense, I am blaming that on the fact I didn't closely monitor the measuring of the flour. The muffins were lightly lemony, not too tart, and the poppy seeds (or rocks as Stomper called them) didn't over power. I didn't make the glaze as called for in the recipe, the muffins were sweet enough with out it. 

You can find the recipe HERE, or on my pinterest board.

Pineapple Preserve

The canning stuff has been out in the kitchen, due to Maple Syrup (don't forget to enter the contest!), and so when I saw the two pineapples languishing on the counter I couldn't just let them go to waste! Spring time isn't when I usually can, but why not? I would much rather spend a little extra time and effort to can than throw out food.

I didn't have a recipe or my canning book at our new residence, but thankfully the internet is always close  by. I googled canning pineapple preserves and found this recipe. I think the original recipe used already canned pineapple, like you would buy in the store, so I put mine in a food processor. I processed it a little too much and there aren't enough chunks for a thick preserve. I added 2 tsp of  ginger to give it a bit of flavor, but next time I'll do more to give it a stronger ginger flavor. I will use the preserves as a marinade or maybe in some muffins (or on top). It is really sweet, almost too sweet.

Pineapple-Ginger Preserves

yield: 3 pints 

5 Cups Crushed Pineapple with juices- approx 2 whole pineapples 

4 Cups white sugar

2 - 4 tsp ground ginger 

1. Bring pineapple, sugar, and ginger to a boil in a saucepan. Keep at a temperature of at least 200 and cook for 20mins. Stir often to keep from sticking. 

2. Pour hot preserves into hot jars and put in a hot water bath for 5 mins (check here for canning advice). Cover with towel while it cools to prevent drafts.

Uses:

marinade-pour 1.5 Cups over pork or chicken and allow to sit in fridge for several hours. Grill, crock-pot, or bake meat until done and serve with the remaining 1/2 Cup marinade on the side.

muffins-add 1/2 Cup to your favorite muffin recipe (here is one of mine)

appetizer-serve next to crackers for a little something different at your next party