Chicken Stew with Biscuits

The original recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Family Style. I'll admit right off the bat that I did not follow the recipe in the book to the letter, I simply didn't have time. I took some shortcuts, and I'm sure they didn't affect the outcome one bit because this is GOOD. I'll tell you how I made it, if you want to know exactly how Ina did it, I guess you can buy the book!

This is exactly what it sounds like, chicken stew, topped with beautifully golden, parsley-flecked biscuits. Delicious, attractive, comfort food that's not too difficult (if you do it my way!). The fresh parsley is a must, it really adds flavor to both the stew and the biscuits. I'm sure the only reason that H-Bomb "didn't like it" was that he has a cold. But I told him chicken makes you better...I hope that's true, because I think all of us are coming down with the same darn cold.



Chicken Stew with Biscuits
Serves 8

"...This is essentially the filling for a chicken pot pie topped with homemade biscuits; you can substitute any pot pie filling..." (Hmmm. Or maybe I'll make a pot pie with this filling!)

For the Stew:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups chicken stock
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn (Ina calls for whole pearl onions, but I think it would have been too oniony. I'm happy I used corn instead)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For the Biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium frying pan over medium heat. Saute chicken until cooked through. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions and carrots over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the heavy cream. Add the diced chicken, peas, onions or corn, and parsley. Mix well.

Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or waxed paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Add the half and half and combine on low speed. Mix in the parsley.

Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8 inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter. (Number One made the biscuits for me; he ended up with 13).

Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.

*To make in advance, refrigerate the chicken stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, until done.

Potato Leek Soup

This is an excellent soup. I haven't made it in a long while, which is why there isn't a picture...yet. An old friend of mine just had 10 pounds of leeks given to her, and since this recipe uses 6 leeks, I thought it would be good to pass on. I'll keep my eye out for more! I love leeks.

It is from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, and is so comforting and warm. I wish I had enough leeks to make this right now! This soup will get you through the winter. Make some!


Potato Leek Soup
Serves 8 to 10

2 dried bay leaves
6 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried and crushed rosemary
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 celery stalks, strings removed, cut in 1/4-inch dice
6 leeks, white parts, thinly sliced and well washed (follow the link for a quick how-to)
4 shallots, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 quarts homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned broth
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Tie the bay leaves, rosemary, parsley and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium stockpot. Add the celery, leeks, shallots and garlic, cook on low heat until very soft, about 45 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Do not brown. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, and reserved bouquet garni. Cover, and bring to a boil; reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni and discard.

3. Working in batches, pass only half of the soup through a food mill fitted with a medium disk, (or process carefully in batches in a food processor), into a large saucepan. Add the remaining chunky soup. (I like my potato soup smooth and creamy, so I mill/process all the soup). Place the saucepan on medium-low heat to warm the soup. Slowly stir in milk and cream, and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

I wanted to make some cookies today, to break up the monotony and hard work of moving the contents of our house into the bunkhouse next door. I just couldn't decide what kind. Something hearty, with oats, but not with raisins. I wanted chocolate. I sort of wanted something like Cowboy Cookies, yet different.

I used the "Choose-a-Chip" variation of Oatmeal Cookies from my trusty Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook, added the "optional" spices, plus coconut when I discovered the last of my walnuts were past their prime. The result is scrumptious and satisfying. Enjoy.

*For traditional oatmeal cookies, omit the chocolate chips and nuts and add 1 cup raisins or currants.


Oatmeal Cookies
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 10 minutes per batch
Makes about 54 cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (BH&G says "optional" but I disagree)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (ditto)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans or coconut

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in the rolled oats. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts or coconut.

2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. (My dough was quite crumbly, so I pressed it into balls instead). Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Sourdough Flapjacks

So once again, I got Virgil (my new sourdough starter) out of the fridge and put him to work. I am starting to get the hang of this! I fed him, let him sit on the counter for 8 hours, and last night I mixed up a batch of MaryJane's Sourdough Flapjacks. The recipe is from MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook. (some day I promise I will try MaryJane's starter, but for now, I'm using my Virgil). The flapjack mix has to sit for 12 hours, so they are the ultimate make-ahead breakfast, and they are easy! MaryJane serves hers with homemade Elderberry Syrup, but for us in the midst of winter, plain old maple will have to do!

These flapjacks are delicious! You really do have to make sure they are cooked golden brown, or they will turn out just a bit chewy. But honestly, they were so good that I forgot to take a picture, and then they were gone. Never fear, we will be making these again soon, and I will add a picture then! Make some!

Sourdough Flapjacks
yield: 8 flapjacks

1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup organic flour
1/2 cup water

Mix starter, flour and water. Let stand overnight (about 12 hours), covered with a cloth in a warm place.

Stir mixture well and carefully ladle onto a lightly greased griddle. Flip flapjacks after bubbles form and tops have lost their sheen.

Serve with Elderberry Syrup. Or maple =).

MaryJane's Sourdough Bread

Since I made Virgil, my sourdough starter, the other day, I've been looking for recipes. I made Grace's sourdough bread, which was delicious but just not sourdoughy enough. We like a really strong sourdough flavor around here I guess.

This recipe comes from MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook by MaryJane Butters. MaryJane is an inspiration to me, an innovative and crafty farmgirl whom I feel is a kindred spirit for too many reasons to list here.

Last summer, Number One attempted to make MaryJane's sourdough starter, but it gets pretty hot in these parts and the darn stuff molded right in the jar. I might try again later, but for now, we've got Virgil.

I decided to try MaryJane's sourdough bread recipe, even though Virgil is a different starter, and see what happens. Is sourdough starter sourdough starter? I have no idea at all. I'm just hoping this recipe is closer to the "true" sourdough bread that I've been wanting to make. I know that it takes less time than Grace's for rising and whatnot. But less time makes it more difficult to fit into my schedule, at least until I get the hang of things.

I fed Virgil, per Grace's instructions, but he sat on the counter longer than 8 hours because I didn't decide to make MaryJane's bread until after Virgil had been fed. I'm hoping it won't matter. I'm such a novice here.



MaryJane's Sourdough Bread
Yield: one large round loaf or two baguettes

1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups purified water
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 to 4 cups organic flour*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

Place starter, water, and sea salt in a large glass bowl and whisk for 1 minute. Stir in enough of the flour to make a firm dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, working in flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

*(it took me 5 cups of flour before I was comfortable putting the sticky dough on my flour-covered table. I don't know if this had anything to do with the difference in starter? I ended up using about 7 cups flour total! Is this a lot? I have no idea...but kneading bread for 10 minutes is somewhat meditative...10 minutes is a l o n g time...)

Shape into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl, turning dough once to coat the top with oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 4 to 6 hours, until doubled in bulk.

Punch down and shape into one large round loaf or two baguettes. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and cover again with a damp tea towel. Let rise again for 1 to 2 hours, or until nearly doubled in bulk. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Make slits on the top of each loaf. Beat together the egg yolk and milk, and brush on the tops. Place baking sheet on center rack of oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 450 degrees F and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until crust is a rich golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the top.


This bread is delicious~still not what I would call a "true" sourdough flavor, but I've heard that might need time to develop in the starter itself. A lovely bread, crusty and beautified by the egg and milk wash...next time I might make baguettes! Oh this is fun.

P.S. MaryJane's not kidding when she says "one LARGE round loaf..."

Castilian Garlic Soup (Sopa de Ajo Castellana)

This is an excellent soup we've made once or twice before. It is quite simple, and uses up any old baguettes you may happen to have lying around. It is from My Kitchen in Spain, by Janet Mendel, a cookbook I don't use nearly enough. The soup is comforting and boldly flavorful, and an example of authentic Spanish cooking. Let me know what you think of it!

Each bowl has a poached egg in it, and the bread soaks up all the delicious broth and adds a nice texture. So yummy and filling! (I just add the eggs to the soup pot as described below, then put one into each soup bowl as I'm serving).



Castilian Garlic Soup
Sopa de Ajo Castellana

Serves 4

While gazpacho is familiar everywhere, its cohort, garlic soup, is hardly known outside of Spain. Like gazpacho, garlic soup and its variations are made with bread, olive oil and garlic, which then are embellished with vegetables and other seasonings.

Although every region has its rendition of garlic soup, the Castilian one is the best known. I first tasted it at a famous old Madrid restaurant where it was the first course of a gargantuan meal that included roast suckling pig. Huge in flavor and simple to prepare, this rustic recipe may become one of your favorites.

8 ounces baguette, sliced 1/2-inch thick (18 to 20 slices)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 ounces ham or bacon, diced (about 1/3 cup) (optional)
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon pimenton (Spanish paprika; regular paprika can be substituted)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6 cups broth or water
Salt
4 eggs

Toast the bread and set aside.

In a large cazuela or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ham and garlic and saute until the garlic begins to take on color, about 4 minutes. Stir in the pimenton and cumin and immediately add the broth. Add salt to taste.

Add the toasted bread to the cazuela. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

With the soup bubbling, break each egg into a saucer and slide it onto the top of the soup. Cover and let the eggs poach until the whites are set and yolks still liquid, about 4 minutes. Serve the soup from the same cazuela.

Alternative serving method: Divide the soup among four individual soup bowls. Add one egg to each, pierce the yolk with a needle, then microwave each for 2 minutes on high, or until the whites are set and yolks still liquid.

Taste & Create XVI: A Sourdough Named Virgil

Every month, I try to participate in Taste & Create, a wonderful monthly event created and hosted by the lovely Nicole of For the Love of Food. Food bloggers are randomly paired off, and tasked with choosing and creating one of their partner's recipes. It is so much fun, and the recipes are so tempting. You never know who you might be paired with, and what new techniques and ingredients are just waiting to be discovered! (If you'd like to sign up and participate in February, go here by Feb. 8!)

For the December/January Taste & Create event, I was paired with Grace of A Southern Grace. After much perusing and deliberation over Grace's fantastic recipes, I was all set to make Grace's Monkey Muffins and Bunny Bread recipe. I enjoyed reading how the recipe evolved.

And then. It came down to the wire (okay, 10 days til deadline may not be down to the wire for you, but for me, it was down to the wire). **I thought the deadline was Jan. 15th. Really, it's Jan. 24th. It's all good.**

And then. I decided to take one last look around. I kept seeing all the fabulous things Grace does with her precious Ebenezer, her sourdough starter.

And I thought:

Exactly what kind of cowgirl doesn't have a jar of sourdough starter?

Can I actually claim to be a cowgirl, having never made a loaf of bread from my own starter?

Does Grace have a recipe for sourdough starter?

Will this sourdough starter really, truly be hard to kill, as Grace alleges?
Please let it be hard to kill, and easy to maintain.

What should I name it??


And I made a list for Number One and sent him off to the store.

And then when I read through the recipes with all the sitting and rising times, I was thankful for my "10 days = down to the wire" feelings that guided me toward these fabulous recipes.


Sourdough Starter
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
3 tablespoons instant potato flakes

To make starter:
Mix water, sugar, yeast, and potato flakes. Let ferment on counter for two days. Then feed with starter feeder and continue with the instructions found in the link below.

Starter Feeder
Mix together:
½ c sugar
3 T potato flakes
1 c warm water

Add to jar of starter, (I mixed mine a little with a wooden spoon) and let sit on the counter for around 8 hours.

Grace says: Eb lives in the fridge until feeding time, which can be anywhere from 3 to 14 days after his last meal. (I've actually gone longer than two weeks without feeding him and he still did fine.) Upon feeding, he sits on the counter for about 8 hours, and then he's ready to go.

After sourdough has been on the counter for 8 hours, proceed with any number of sourdough recipes.

The sourdough starter went off without a hitch. It sat and fermented and bubbled and stewed on the counter. I added the starter feeder, and it bubbled away some more. I decided to name it Virgil, which means "growing."

When it was time, I decided to go ahead with the most basic recipe, Sourdough Bread. I followed Grace's recipe to the letter, because a bread baker I am not. Yet.

Now is the time for Total Honesty. (I already told you I am not a bread baker). I thought I followed Grace's recipe to the letter. But somehow, when I was looking at the recipe on her blog, 1 1/2 cups of water looked like 1/2 cup of water, and I was confused. My mixture was dry, it certainly wasn't sticky...I added another 1/2 cup of water, and it got better, but wasn't holding together. I looked at the recipe again, saw that it was really 1 1/2 cups!! Duh! So then I was worried that I had overmixed it. We'll see.

12 hours later, the dough had risen, but certainly wasn't overflowing out of my bowl like Grace's was out of her trifle bowl. Perhaps my bowl was bigger, or there was the overmixing thing.

I decided I'd make just two loaves instead of three loaves like Grace made. And I'll probably try again over the weekend. I left the loaves in the oven for 8 hours, just like Grace recommends.


My bread turned out lovely! Perfectly risen, (see above!) golden brown on the outside. The very middle was just a bit doughy, so next time I will preheat the oven to 350 before I start the timer! I think that will take care of that little problem. But, this bread is delicious and easy, and I think I will just have to start baking more of my own bread! I can't wait to try some of Grace's other recipes, and tonight I even got my neighbor started with some starter of her very own!


I am sold and converted. Now I'm a real, live cowgirl with real, live sourdough starter in the fridge. Howdy, Virgil. Thanks for coming into my life! I know we'll make some beautiful things together.


Grace's Sourdough Bread
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sourdough starter
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons wheat germ

Combine all ingredients in a large non-metal bowl. Stir everything together, adding more bread flour as necessary to create dough that's no longer sticky. Transfer the dough into a second non-metal greased bowl.

Roll it around so the entire ball becomes glorious, set it in a warm place, cover it with sprayed aluminum foil...and watch it grow for about 12 hours.

After 12 hours, punch down the dough once, right in its middle. Turn it out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead it a few times.

(Although Grace divided her dough into three, I only felt like I had enough for two loaves this time).

Divide the dough into two or three even hunks, and knead each a bit more. Place the dough into greased loaf pans.

Place the pans in the oven, cover with sprayed foil, and leave to rise again for around 8 hours.

Grace says: Just FYI, the pans are put into the oven to rise so they don't have to be moved later and risk collapsing.

After the second rise, remove the foil and bake the dough at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Preheat the oven before you start the timer!

Christmas Morning Muffins: Take 2

Let's try this again, shall we?

So. You may remember the delicious muffin disaster from earlier. On further review, it seems my metric conversions are lacking. But, I don't give up easily, especially when there are tasty muffins involved, and then I had an epiphany: I wondered if Nigella has a muffin recipe in her How to Be a Domestic Goddess cookbook that I could just tweak to match the orangey-cranberry and walnut muffins, but without the pathetic flat tops, of course.

I opened the cookbook, and lo and behold, there they were: Christmas Morning Muffins! In all their Americanized glory, with cups and teaspoons and whatnot, just for me! And now for you, of course. I used all my cranberries yesterday, so today I threw in some golden raisins. They are still delicious, but I prefer them with cranberries, which really give the best tangy flavor here. I still added walnuts, gotta have 'em.

These muffins are much more worthy of the Sweet & Simple Bakes event, and you can find them over there in all their poofy, muffiny glory!

Nigella introduces these muffins thusly: "I do think that part of creating a family life is establishing those shared rituals, as important as getting out the same old familiar box of decorations for the tree each year. Now, it's true that children are too excited about their presents to take a lively interest in breakfast on Christmas Day, but consider making these all the same: there's something so warmly reassuring in knowing that soon this cinnamon-sweet smell of baking and oranges will come to signify Christmas morning to them."

These muffins are really fantastic. Try them! (and if you happen to prefer grams and milileters as units of measure, go here instead) If you'd like to be amused, compare the measurements you'll find there to the measurements below...and wonder how it is I was ever admitted into, let alone actually passed "Advanced Math" in high school.


Christmas Morning Muffins
Makes 12

for the muffins:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
zest and juice of 1 clementine or small orange
approximately 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups

for the topping:
raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Grate the zest of the orange over the flour mixture and combine.

Squeeze the orange juice into a measuring cup, and pour in the milk until it comes up to the 2/3 cup mark. Add the melted butter and egg, and beat to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir till the ingredients are more or less combined, remembering that a lumpy batter makes light muffins. Last of all, lightly fold in the cranberries and walnuts and fill the muffin cups.

Sprinkle raw sugar over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.


Here is another hint about why I like Nigella. Her description for baking and eating these:

"Stick them in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, by which time the air should be thick with the promise of good things and the good things themselves golden brown and ready to be eaten--as they are, or broken open and spread heapingly, mouthful by mouthful, with unsalted butter and marmalade."

Sweet & Simple Bakes: Christmas Morning Muffins

This month, I decided to expand my food event participation, and ran across the Sweet & Simple Bakes Christmas Bake. This event is sweet and simple: bloggers vote on a baked recipe of the month, and Rosie and Maria of Sweet & Simple Bakes round up the participants. For December, it was an adaptation of Nigella Lawson's Christmas Morning Muffins from her Nigella Christmas cookbook. (what? A cookbook I don't own??)

You can see Rosie and Maria's adapted recipe here. My interpretation is below.

I had planned to make these much earlier, but it just didn't happen. For us, these are New Year's Morning Muffins! I felt like these yummy muffins were begging for some walnuts, so I added a generous handful along with the cranberries. I love that you use orange juice to make a sort of buttermilk to add to these muffins, they smell heavenly.

***IMPORTANT NOTICE: I didn't realize my metric conversion skills were so lacking. Or something. (aren't teaspoons the same everywhere??) Although these muffins smell and taste wonderful, they look...pathetic. Yes, the sugar is sparkling and crunchy on top. But the tops, well, they are flat. They just didn't rise and get all muffiny looking. They just sort of spread out. I had to bake these for 15 minutes longer than the recipe called for, and still, this is what I got. (at least they didn't burn!) I had to loosen the tops with a knife, which I never have patience for, so they are just hideous:


Delicious, but pathetic. The muffins are wonderfully orange-scented, the walnuts are a lovely addition, and even the interior texture is nice. It's just those darn tops. (Not that it prevented me from delivering one to each ranch neighbor as a New Year's treat). Eat them with your eyes closed, please. I will work on this recipe and come back with one that is better, I promise!

Here's to a New Year with No Flat Muffins!

Christmas Morning Muffins
~ adapted from Nigella Christmas via Sweet & Simple Bakes
***Please don't follow these these measurements, the conversion is embarrassing! Go HERE to make these delicious muffins!***

Makes 12

1 cup + 2 tablespoons (250g or 9 oz) all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (100g or 4 oz) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
zest and juice of one orange (or zest and juice of 2 Clementines or 2 Satsumas)
Approx 1/2 cup (125ml or 4 fl oz) whole milk
just under 1/3 cup (75g or 3 oz) vegetable oil (or melted butter, left to cool slightly)
1 egg
2/3 cup (175g or 6 oz) dried cranberries
about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For The Topping
3 teaspoons raw sugar (I didn't measure here, I just sprinkled generously!)


Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/fan oven 180°C/Gas mark 6. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper baking cups.

Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl; grate the zest of the orange over the flour mixture and combine.
Squeeze the orange juice into a measuring cup, and pour in the milk until it comes up to the 3/4 cup (200ml or 7 fl oz) mark.

Add the oil (or slightly cooled, melted butter) and egg, and lightly beat until just combined.

Pour this liquid mixture into the bowl of dried ingredients and stir until everything is just combined, remembering that a well-beaten mixture makes for heavy muffins; a lumpy batter is a good thing here. (my batter wasn't lumpy, it was rather smooth and slightly runny...hmmm)

Fold in the cranberries and walnuts, then spoon the batter into the muffin cases and sprinkle the raw sugar on top.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The muffins are ready to eat, either plain or with butter and marmalade.

Instant Chai Mix

This quick recipe makes 10 servings of chai mix, perfect for gift-giving. It comes from the Pillsbury Christmas 2007 Cookbook. Chai is a sweet, spiced, hot tea, flavored with milk, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. It is comforting, wonderfully spicy and fragrant. To make chai, follow the directions below for Instant Chai. If you are giving the mix as a gift, be sure to include a copy of the directions!




Instant Chai Mix
Ready in 5 minutes
Makes 10 Servings

1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup instant tea mix
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cloves

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Carefully pour mixture into a decorative, 1-pint food storage container. (I've used a ziploc for easy shipping).

Write directions for Instant Chai (recipe below) on a decorative card; attach directions to the storage container.


Instant Chai
Ready in 5 minutes
Makes 1 serving

2 tablespoons Instant Chai Mix
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup warm milk

Spoon the Instant Chai Mix into coffee cup or mug. Pour boiling water over the mix; stir to blend. Stir in the warm milk.