It has come to my attention recently that there literally dozens of foods that I was too stubborn to try growing up that have now been elevated to weekly staple status in my kitchen. When I think about how long I went without enjoying delicious ingredients like avocados, sweet potatoes, artichokes, and even mushrooms I get so annoyed with myself. Tastes definitely change as you age, and things you found intimidating that you labeled “icky” at the age of 7 might actually be quite amazing if you give them another try now.

Peaches were another item on my perpetual “do not eat” list. I had cultivated a completely absurd notion that peaches were disgusting when I was a kid (essentially this means that they weren’t bananas and therefore I wouldn’t touch them) so I never bothered buying them. Ever. I actually think I finally realized that peaches were pretty awesome after CK’s grandmother served some to me cut-up as a side dish at breakfast a few years ago. Initially I was just trying to be polite when I ate them, but then a little light bulb went off in my head and I thought, “Oh my God. These are scrumptious!” And promptly shoveled some more into my face.

In addition, If I’d never learned that I liked peaches I wouldn’t have bought this hilarious peach with a beak last summer at Russell Orchards on the way home from Crane Beach in Ipswich. It’s seriously one of my favorite photos ever (even though I took it on the iPhone). So have you had any food awakenings over the years? I can’t be the only former plain pizza eating Miss Priss on the block.

PS: This muffin recipe is excellent, but you don’t have to take my word for it.  CK’s co-workers called them “Re-dunk-u-lous.”

Fresh Peach and Oat Muffins
Originally published in Muffins and Other Morning Bakes by Linda Collister
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
12 oz. almost ripe peaches, rinsed, pitted, and flesh cut into large chunks

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Put the rolled oats and the buttermilk in a large bowl and let soak for 10 minutes. Add the lightly beaten egg, melted butter or vegetable oil, and sugar and mix well.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices onto the soaked oat mixture and stir briefly. Quickly fold in the chopped peaches. Do not beat or over mix; the batter should look slightly streaky. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about two-thirds full.

Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 1 minute, then turn out onto a wire rack. Eat warm, immediately or within 24 hours. When thoroughly cooled, the muffins can be wrapped then frozen for up to 1 month.

One of the really fabulous things about working for a college in Boston is that I get Snow Days! Obviously I had to take complete advantage of this luxurious and unexpected long weekend so I decided to make some muffins. I was also in desperate need of some cooking redemption as both recipes that I made this weekend turned out terribly, including a cheesecake that didn’t completely set-up and Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chicken that I totally burned. Oops! Apparently I had some bad kitchen karma going on. Thankfully my mixer mojo was back in force today.

So, about this muffin batter. It makes an obscene amount. The thought of 18 muffins seemed a little redundant so I made 12 muffins and then poured the rest of the batter into a loaf pan. Now we have tasty muffins and walnut studded banana bread. All of which will probably end up at CK’s office tomorrow, but for the time being it smells pretty awesome in here. Plus the muffins had crunchy tops and moist centers. You can’t really ask for anything more. Now back to my pajama wearing, Jane Austen watching day.

Combine the Dry Ingredients	Mix the Wet Ingredients
Mash the Bananas	Stir Together
Scoop & Bake	Cool

Banana Muffins (Based on Giada De Laurentiis’s recipe originally published on the Food Network)

Makes 18 Muffins (or do what I did and bake 12 muffins and spoon the rest of the batter into a loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed
1 cup walnuts (Note: Totally optional, but I can’t imagine banana anything without some crunchy walnuts).

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and walnuts, and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly.

I’d only baked a chicken once before, last year on Easter, but it came out fine so I figured when I decided to roast another chicken (using the same recipe I might add) that I’d be an old pro by now. Unfortunately, overconfidence in the kitchen is not a good thing. It all started out well. The best kitchen “disasters” usually do. I seasoned and stuffed the bird without incident. Then I popped it in the oven for an hour. I even tented it so that it wouldn’t brown too quickly, and basted it religiously with the Citrus and herb glaze.

It took me 3 hours to realize that I was cooking the chicken upside down. Yes, I basted the underside of the chicken. The breast was sitting “face down” in the pan the entire time. I finally clued into this fact when I noticed that the little white “I’m done” button seemed to have disappeared. And by disappeared, I mean was actually on the bottom of the roasting rack.

Of course it was all down hill from there. While divulging my kitchen shame to CK I ended up burning the aromatics for the stuffing and had to throw them out and start all over again. By the time we sat down to eat I was just grateful to have a plate of food. Thankfully the meat was still tender and tasty, but I felt like a complete fool. So please enjoy my “Upside Down” chicken in all its glory! Maybe I’ll start a new trend…

Right Side Up (Note Button)	Garlic, Oranges, and Lemon Wedges
The Balancing Chicken Act	Where it all Went Wrong
Add Stock to the Pan	Prep the Glaze
Combine	Baste, Baste, Baste
Tent with Foil	Melt Butter for Stuffing
Saute the Onions & Celery	Crumble in the Muffins
The Unveiling	What Happens in the Kitchen…

I don’t think there’s a better way to start your day than with homemade muffins warm from the oven. I usually try to bake with fresh fruit but today I resorted to frozen (poor planning on my part). Thankfully I didn’t really notice any difference. The recipe I like to use is actually for Blueberry Muffins, but I simply replace the blueberries with raspberries. In addition to the lemon zest, I also add a tablespoon or so of lemon juice directly to the batter. Mmm muffins!

Cream Together	Add the Eggs
Combine the Milk, Dry Ingredients & Berries	Spoon Into Tins & Top With Sugar
Bake @ 375 for 25 Minutes	Butter & Enjoy!

Raspberry-Lemon Muffins (Based on the Blueberry Muffins Recipe from the Food Network Kitchens)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for preparing the muffin tin
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the top of the muffins
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly brush a 12-muffin tin with butter and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, zest, lemon juice and 2/3 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Take care not to over mix the batter. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.

Before I started dating CK I essentially refused to eat anything spicy. In the past I’ve honestly gone out to dinner at Mexican restaurants and only ordered margaritas and snacked on corn chips, but now I’m addicted to heat. Essentially this means I tend to double the amount of spice, which is exactly what I did with the chili powder called for in the below soup as well as the chipolte pepper in the cornbread muffins.

Combine Cheese, Mix, Corn & Peppers	Spoon
Choped Onion	Sliced Bacon
Minced Garlic	Saute
Add Stock, Spices & Tomatoes	Add Beans & Boil
Stir in Oodles of Cilantro	Thicken
Fresh From the Oven	Garnish

Fire!