Glaring Cookbooks

So I have these stacks of cookbooks that glare at me every time I walk into my kitchen. Taunting me, as if to say.."How dare you ignore me!"

By the way, I’ve been blessed to be a new home owner! Once I was moved in and had my own  kitchen, I vowed I would cook more often, especially from one of  my numerous cookbooks.  Me being single, not attached, and no children, you would think that would be an easy feat. Well I’ve been living in my new abode for about 5 months, and yet the cookbooks have gone untouched…Until a few weeks ago.

Here I am randomly picking one out.



1 mix, 100 muffins…muffins are great, so many different ways to create your perfect muffin perfectly suited to you.  This cookbook was given to me by my old roomie and  dear friend Shauna.  She moved back to her home state of  Missouri, I miss her!

Here she is.  Isn’t she beautiful?(Men, She’s single! )

We both share a love for sweets and shoes!  She not only gave me the cookbook, but these totally fabulous shoes as well!

Quick roomie story, one evening I was surfing the web and a pop-up window came up on my screen. “The best donut shops in Phoenix Area”.  Now, it was about 10:30 at night, and after reading the reviews of one particular shop, I thought I should go right now! It’s a 24 hour donut shop which would indicate to me, other people have gone at all hours of the evening. I mean I have to go, I thought to myself!  I was so close to jumping in my car, pj’s and all. Well responsible Suzanne, won out. I slept instead and you can guess what I dreamt about. Lol The next day I told Shauna about it, and her response was “Why didn’t you come wake me up, I so would have went with you!”  Hence, one of my favorite things about Shauna, she is super spontaneous, and always up for a culinary adventure.   Well we did eventually make it there, and I have to profess “Bosa Donuts” are not only the best in Phoenix Metro area, they are best in the world! Really they are! If you are ever in the Mesa/Chandler, Arizona area, please, please go. I beg you.

All right back to the muffins, thinking of Shauna and our donut runs,  I chose to make the “jelly donut muffin”.





Now, there is a lot of open real estate in my fridge, but luckily I had the key ingredient, the jelly,  as well as everything else I needed. 

For times sake, I’m getting sleepy, this blogging can wear you out..heh.. I won’t go into step by step making of the recipe, it’s fairly easy. Here are a few pics of the process and some tips I discovered along the way.  Mind you, when I say tips, I also mean hitches, ha! I find in cooking, as well as in life…things don’t always go smoothly.  You’re gung-ho about making something, and you end up missing an ingredient, or in my case, it’s expired.  Guess who was to lazy to go the grocery store to replace expired item??  I know I’m not the only one out there!  

Baking powder, very necessary for baking! Mine expired in July, 2009, really??  Thank God for Google and the internet.  Hitch turned into tip.  Add a little of the baking powder to water and if it fizzes like Alka Seltzer, you’re good to go.

Everything all mixed, now time to assemble.  You are supposed to spoon some of the batter in first, then add the jelly and more batter on top.    A little tricky, I say.  The jelly kept seeping past the batter.

I found it helped to take the back of a greased spoon press it into the batter, and then put the jelly in.

All ready to bake.

My house had that wonderful baked sweet scent wafting throughout, by the time I removed them from the oven.

Last steps, my favorite, dipping the muffins in melted butter and dusting with sugar.  Right on!

Verdict, all in all, tasty muffin, and one you could add variations depending on your taste, grape jelly, or maybe apple, and brown sugar instead?  I brought them to work for my guinea pigs..uuhh I mean my co-workers to try.. I brought an empty pan home. J