Sourdough Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Oh, so tender and sweet, these jumbo sourdough peanut butter banana muffins are made with very ripe bananas, sourdough discard and smooth peanut butter. 

My poor neglected sourdough starter has been sitting in the refrigerator for almost six months, just hanging out and hanging on. It had very little hooch on top so I took that as a good sign.

I fed it up without discarding a couple of times and it responded well until finally, I took some out to make these muffins. While the discard doesn’t help with the rise, it surely adds moisture, giving the muffins a lovely texture. 

Sourdough Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

You can use fed or unfed sourdough starter for these muffins though unfed will give them more sourdough flavor. This recipe makes nine jumbo muffins.

Ingredients

2 cups or 250g flour

½ cup, firmly packed, or 100g brown sugar 

½ cup or 100g sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

⅔ cup or 150g very ripe banana (peels were brown and speckled)

2 large eggs

½ cup or 113g melted, cooled butter

½ cup or 125g sourdough discard 

¼ cup or 60ml milk

¼ cup, rounded, or 80g smooth peanut butter (with sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and line a large muffin pan with jumbo paper liners. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. 

In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and add the eggs and mix.

Add in the butter, sourdough discard, milk, peanut butter and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. 

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to fold together until just combined.

Divide the batter between your muffin cups. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins are golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Transfer the muffins to the wire rack. 

These can be eaten warm or cold. Either way, they go great with a cup of coffee in the morning or a cup of tea in the afternoon. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s time for Muffin Monday. Check out the lovely muffins my baker friends are sharing below.

• Cinnamon Stuffed Streusel Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Lemon Pomegranate Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Oatmeal Zucchini Muffins with Dried Cranberries from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Peanut Ripple Banana Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Simple Banana Muffins (2 Bananas = 6 Muffins) from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Sourdough Peanut Butter Banana Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page. 

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Roast Pheasant Crowns

Tender and succulent, roast pheasant crowns with their subtle gaminess is a delightful alternative to chicken or turkey for a holiday meal. Or any day really.

The first time I ever remember eating pheasant was at one my husband's company Christmas dinners, held in a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. It was a lovely dressy affair that lasted all evening, starting with Champagne and ending several courses later with a delightful cheese selection. 

When the pheasant course was served, I was warned to be careful because, while the chefs make every effort to remove it, sometimes buckshot gets missed and it will break your teeth. I was told that finding shot was good because it meant you were eating much preferred wild pheasant, not farm raised. I did find one little ball of shot that night and one in the pheasant crowns I roasted for this post so yay! 

Crowning a pheasant is a simple way to present a beautifully cooked bird without the hassle of carving at the table. To crown a pheasant, we will simply remove the legs and wings (if any) from the carcass. Then we remove most of the back, leaving a base for the breast to sit on. The breasts can be brined and then roasted to perfection, without drying out.

The whole legs (thighs and drumsticks) are best cooked confit-style, that is to say, slow-baked covered with duck fat to keep make them tender. I’ll share that recipe in another post. 

Roast Pheasant Crowns

Start this recipe early in day you want to serve the pheasants, to allow time for brining, which is essential to ensure the birds don’t dry out while roasting. Older birds can brine for eight hours, younger ones need only four hours. This recipe is adapted from one on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. 

Ingredients 

2 whole pheasants (Mine weighed 1.9 lbs or 867g and 1.8 lbs or 826g.)

4 cups or 946ml water

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 bay leaf

4 tablespoons softened butter

Drizzle olive oil for roasting pan

Streaky bacon to cover your pheasant crowns before baking

Method

Separate the whole legs (thigh and drumstick) from the rest of the pheasants. 

As mentioned above, pheasant thighs and legs can be roasted but they tend to dry out, despite brining, and are better cooked confit – baked slowly in duck fat. That will be a separate recipe for later so set them aside. 

Cut the back out, leaving a small piece across the top of the breasts. 

These backs can be seasoned and pan-fried or roasted and then simmered in water to make a flavorful stock. Or if you have a collection bag for items to make stock in the freezer, toss them in.

Make a brine by bringing the 1 cup or 240ml water, salt, bay leaf and sugar to a boil.

 

Boil until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add in the rest of the water and let cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge. When it has cooled completely, pour it in a Ziploc bag with the pheasant crowns, making sure they are completely covered. 

Keep in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours. (See note just above the ingredient list.)

When you are ready to roast, take the crown bag out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. 

Preheat your oven to 450°F or 332°C. 

Drain the brine and rinse the crowns with cool water. Pat dry with paper towels.

As you can see, one of my pheasants had the skin relatively intact. The other, not so much. I've read that some hunters can't be bothered to pluck the birds carefully, so they just pull the feathers out roughly or the skin off altogether. 

These were purchased at the same time from the same game butcher so who knows why they were different!

Rub the crowns all over with the softened butter. 

Transfer them to a roasting pan lightly drizzled with olive oil, then cover the breasts with streaky bacon slices. Use however many you’d like. I recommend full coverage so you might also want to overlap them like I do. 

Roast for 12 minutes. Baste with pan juices then roast for 8-15 minutes more, depending on the size of the breasts and how you like your game cooked. I recommend using an instant read thermometer.

Pheasant, particularly the breast, can and should be served with a slight blush of pink to keep it juicy and prevent it from drying out. A properly cooked pheasant breast should have a target internal temperature of 155° to 160°F or 68° to 71°C so take them out of the oven before they reach that as they will continue to cook as they rest. 

Leave the crowns to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing the whole breast off each side of the crowns and serving.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes made with game or foraged items for a theme I called hunter/gatherer. Check out those recipes below! 

• Chili Cheeseburgers with Bison Chili from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Dried Rosemary from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Momiji Tempura ;from Culinary Cam
• Pork Korma from Sneha's Recipe
• Roast Pheasant Crowns from Food Lust People Love
• Urban Foraged Stovetop Potpourri from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Venison Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Mirabelle Plum Vodka

Deliciously fruity, tart but not too sweet, this Mirabelle plum vodka is great in cocktails, served over ice with soda water or simply sipped straight.

Recently I was lamenting the lost fig trees of my childhood - oh, how I loved my grandmothers’ trees and their sweet summer fruit! – and the very next day, providence shined upon me, bringing me not figs, but free Mirabelle plums.

I had fixed some snacky food and packed a bottle of cold water in a small cooler so that my husband and I could explore this beautiful island we are blessed to have a home in. We had in mind a public picnic area on the east coast we had spotted last summer.

As we parked the car then gathered out belongings, I noticed that the ground was covered in little round jewels of varying hues from yellow to orange and red. I glanced up and there was a Mirabelle plum tree, covered in extra vines but full of fruit, much of it still green.

I filled a small bag with the bounty, practically giggling with glee. Who doesn’t love some free fruit?

With the first pound of plums, I made a delightful small batch of jam, just two jars. With the balance, I decided to make flavored vodka. 

Mirabelle Plum Vodka

If you don’t have little Mirabelles, you can use another variety of plums but I would recommend cutting them in half or quarters to infuse. I covered the plums plus a little extra with just over a cup of vodka. Depending on the jar you use, you may need a little more or even a little less. 

Ingredients

7 oz or 200g Mirabelle plums

8.45 fl. oz or 250ml vodka

3-4 tablespoons sugar (I used golden caster but everyday sugar will do.)

TIME

Method

Wash and dry the plums, making sure to discard any that are mushy. Put them in a jar with a tight seal then pour in the vodka to cover. 

Store in a cool, dark place for at least four weeks. Or longer, if you have the time. Mine infused for six weeks.  I put it in the window for the photos to make it easier to see the color change in the vodka.

Once your infusion time is up, add three tablespoons of the sugar to a mixing bowl. Strain the plums through a sieve on top of the sugar bowl so the vodka goes into the bowl. 

Gently press the plums just enough to make them split but do not mash them too hard. We don’t want bits in the vodka, just any vodka juice that may be inside the plums to drain out. 

Stir the vodka until the sugar has dissolved then taste it. Add a little more sugar, if desired. I added about half of the final tablespoon, so 3 1/2 tablespoons total.

Decant the Mirabelle plum vodka into a clean, sterilized bottle. My final volume was 11 oz or 325ml.

This makes a most delightfully refreshing drink, tart and not too sweet, to sip straight, or with ice and soda. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 22th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter V. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the V recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Instagram - Sweet Tea Vodka Vegetable Couscous Soup
• Food Lust People Love: Mirabelle Plum Vodka 
• Blogghetti: Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Salata De Varza Rosie 
• Culinary Cam: Summer Rolls and Nước Chấm, a Ubiquitous Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
• Sneha’s Recipe: Vangi Bath Masala - Homemade
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Vanilla Bean Sable Cookies 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Vaquero Chicken
• A Messy Kitchen: Vichy Carrots  

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 

S. Fresh Scallop Sashimi 

T. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing 

U. Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

V. Mirabelle Plum Vodka – this post! 

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Cheesy Pumpkin Scones #BreadBakers

Made with cheddar AND Parmesan, these cheesy pumpkin scones are tender inside and toasted golden outside, perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea. 

I’m not a big fan of pumpkin spice all the things like many people get excited for during this season but I do love actual pumpkin. In soup, pasta sauce, gnocchi, muffins and so much more. Big fan.

That’s why when our Bread Baker’s host for today’s event chose “pumpkin” for our theme, I was excited. I bought a beautiful little pumpkin and got ready to bake. 

Cheesy Pumpkin Scones

For my mashed pumpkin, I roasted wedges of pumpkin in their skins with just a light drizzle of olive oil until fork tender. Then I scooped the soft flesh out, mashed it and measured out one level cup. It weighed 255g. 

Ingredients

For the scones:

2 cups or 250g flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 cup or 113g cold unsalted butter, cut in little blocks

3 1/2 oz or 100g extra sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

1 oz or 28g Parmesan, coarsely grated 

1 cup or 255g mashed pumpkin (see note above ingredients list)

Optional glaze:

1 tablespoon mashed pumpkin

1 tablespoon milk

Method

Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C and prepare a baking sheet lining it with baking parchment or a silicone mat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and cayenne.

Use a pastry blender or a couple of knives to cut the butter into the flour. 

You want little lumps and flecks of butter still showing, not the homogenous sandy texture we want for pastry crust. 

Mix your two cheeses together and set aside a generous handful to use as topping. 

Toss the bigger pile of cheese with the flour mixture.

Add in the pumpkin. 

Fold and fold until the dough is just evenly moistened and holds together. It might look too dry at first, but the pumpkin should have enough moisture. If it truly doesn't, I shall roll my eyes at you but you can add a drizzle of water or milk.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. 

Wet your hands and use them to shape the dough into a 3/4"or 1 cm thick square. The dough won't stick to damp hands. This avoids adding extra flour to the dough which can dry it out.

Cut the square into 9 pieces. As you can see, mine weren’t very even but I’m sure you’ll do better! 

Transfer the scones to your prepared baking pan. 

Mix together the mashed pumpkin and milk to make the glaze. 

Brush onto the scones. If you don’t have any leftover pumpkin, you can brush them with just milk.

Top with the reserved grated cheese.  

Bake in your preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until puffed up and golden. Turn the baking pan around halfway through for even cooking. 

Serve warm, as is or with butter. These are so cheesy and delicious! We meant to share them with the neighbors but ended up eating them all. I made little ham sandwiches with the bigger ones. SO GOOD.

Enjoy! 

It’s the second Tuesday of the month so that means it’s time for my fellow Bread Bakers and I to share our bakes. Our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm chose “pumpkin” as our theme. Check out all the links below. 

• Food Lust People Love: Cheesy Pumpkin Scones 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Sourdough Pumpkin Bread 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls 
• A Messy Kitchen: Pumpkin Hazelnut Babka
• Sneha's Recipe: Red Pumpkin Paratha

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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