Strawberry Jam Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sticky jam turns these strawberry jam muffins into the most delightful treat you’ll want to serve upside down, since the jam bakes on the bottom! 

This upside down muffin recipe happened purely by accident but OMG, it was a happy accident, perhaps not quite as important as the discovery of penicillin, post-it notes or Teflon, but definitely more delicious. 

I have to admit that at first I was horrified thinking that the muffin was raw on the bottom. Nope, it was just stuck to the pan a little because of the jam falling to the bottom of the muffin batter. A small jiggle all around with a spatula soon loosened it and that’s when I discovered how lovely they were. 

A good friend came by just after I’d baked them so I sent him on his way with one. He came back today to ask exactly what it was that I had given him because it was SO GOOD. "An upside down muffin!" I exclaimed. Personally, I ate two back-to-back. No kidding. 

Strawberry Jam Muffins (Small Batch)

This recipe makes six regular sized muffins but it is easily doubled to make 12. Make sure to grease your muffin pan well with some canola oil. I pour a little in one or two of the muffin cups then use a pastry brush to make sure the bottom and sides are coated.

Ingredients for six muffins

1 cup or 125g flour

2/3 cup or 132g golden caster sugar (sub regular sugar if you can't find the golden)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 120ml minus 1 tablespoon milk (*instructions below)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons or 45ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for oiling the pan

1 large egg

1/4 cup or 70g strawberry jam, plus a little extra for topping, if desired

*Put your lemon juice in a measuring vessel and then add milk up to the 1/2 cup or 120ml mark. Set aside.

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Generously grease cups and top of a 6-cup muffin pan or just 6 cups of a bigger muffin pan.

Whisk your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together your soured milk, oil and egg.

All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry. 

Gently fold just until dry ingredients are moistened. There may be little bits of flour showing and that's just fine. Spoon the strawberry jam on to the batter.

Gently swirl it in. You want ribbons of jam, not a homogenous batter. Unless you personally want a homogeneous batter. I am not here to tell you how to live your life.

Divide your batter relatively evenly between the 6 greased muffin cups. Top with a little more jam on each one.

Bake the muffins for 22-27 minutes in your preheated oven, or until they are golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. 

Run a spatula around the sides and loosen the bottom to remove the muffins from the pan and put them onto the wire rack. I put mine top down so they flattened a bit. Still light and fluffy inside. And, oh, that glorious sticky bottom. 

Enjoy!

It's the last Monday of the month so that means it's time to celebrate Muffin Monday once again. Check out the lovely recipe links below:

• Cereal Milk Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheeseburger Mini Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Millet and Oat Pecan Muffins (GF) from A Messy Kitchen
• Savory Cottage Cheese Breakfast Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Strawberry Jam Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Sugar Free Sourdough Banana Apple Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#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.

Pin these Strawberry Jam Muffins!

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Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

This Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream is so easy to make, rich and creamy, tangy and full of flavor. It’s the perfect taste of summer. No churning required! 

I’ve mentioned here before about the delicious. magazine group I belong to, a disparate group of women, brought together on What’s App by one of the delicious. team, who have now become firm friends. 

And like many friends, we lead each other into temptation! Cookbooks are a particular weakness many of us share and when one of our number mentioned that she makes ice cream all the time from a vintage book she owns, we all scurried to find a copy online to order. 

Of course, this then required the creation of yet another What’s App group called Ice Maidens where we share photos of our ice cream. I fully expect that group to ramp up production as the weather heats up! Watch this space if you love no-churn ice cream.

Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

This is mash up of two recipes from the vintage cookbook Ices Galore by Helge Rubinstein and Sheila Bush. If you love easy ice creams, sorbets, etc. that do not need an ice cream maker to create, look for a copy of this book online. It’s a small paperback packed with great frozen treats.

Ingredients

312g or 11 oz rhubarb, trimmed

1 cup or 225g sugar

5 1/2 oz or 156g raspberries

1 cup or 240ml double or whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Optional: 2 tablespoons gin infused with strawberry

Method

Cut the trimmed rhubarb into 1 in or 2 cm pieces.

In a pot with a lid, cook the rhubarb down with the sugar until it is soft, stirring occasionally. Do not add any water. Depending on your rhubarb, this should take about 20-25 minutes.

Remove the lid and set the rhubarb aside to cool. 

Puree the raspberries and push them through a mesh sieve. Discard the seeds.

Add the raspberries to the rhubarb. Stir well. 

Once the rhubarb and raspberry are cool, stir in the strawberry infused gin, if using, 

Whip the cream to soft peaks, sprinkling in the cream of tartar as you go. The cream of tartar helps stabilize the cream.

Gently fold the fruit through the whipped cream. 

Put it in the freezer for 3-4 hours or until it’s beginning to set. 

When the mixture is beginning to set, beat well. 

Transfer to a freezer safe container with a lid and replace in freezer.

 

Freeze till completely set. 

Remove from the freezer shortly before serving. 

Scoop to serve.

Enjoy! 

I'm a little late joining the group but this is my 10th addition to the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter I. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the I recipes below:

• Sneha’s Recipe: Instant White Dhokla
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Iceberg Wedge Salad
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Instant Pot Bean and Smoked Pork Soup
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Italian Beef Sandwiches
• Culinary Cam: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Saffron-Cardamom Ice Cream
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Italian Pane di Genzano
• Magical Ingredients: Instant Aloo Paratha
• Palatable Pastime: Indonesian Bami Goreng
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Orange & Feta Italian Orzo Pasta Salad
• Blogghetti: Strawberry Hibiscus Iced Tea Recipe

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

A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs

B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly

C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw

D: Cajun Chicken Eggpland Dressing

E: Everything Pizza Tartin

F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs

G: Grape Juice Jigglers

H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts

I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream - today's post! 

Pin this Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream! 

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Everything Pizza Tartin

This Everything Pizza Tartin aka Upside Down Pizza is baked with the crust on top, so you can load up on "toppings" like Italian sausage, onion, artichokes, jalapeños and olives and still have a crunchy crust. 

Back when I had an oven heated by bottled gas, I struggled to get it hot enough to bake a loaded pizza crust crunchy on the bottom. Putting too many toppings – a particular problem I have – meant my crust was often soggy. Sure, I could put fewer toppings but no one wants a skimpily topped pizza, do they? 

Then suddenly a solution occurred to me. Everything Pizza Tartin is baked upside down, French apple pie style, with ALL of my favorite ingredients, so the thick crust is still extra crunchy. Just flip to serve!

 

Here it is, straight out of the oven, before flipping. 

I use this particular pan because it can go from stovetop to oven. I brown the Italian sausage, then I take it off the heat to layer on the rest of the ingredients, finally tucking the dough in on top.

But you can cook the sausage then bake your everything pizza tartin in a large pie plate or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. You do not want a pan that sticks. And don’t forget to cut some slits in your crust to let the steam escape. No soggy tops, or rather, bottoms!

I cannot tell you how pleased with myself I was when I figured this out!

Everything Pizza Tartin – Upside Down Everything Pizza 

You do have to be careful to cook it just long enough so the crust is golden brown but the bottom doesn’t burn. When it’s starting to get just a little bit dark in places, it’s absolutely perfect. I figure about 25-30 minutes, depending on how many toppings you’ve added.

Ingredients


For the 10in or 26cm round thick crust:

2 1⁄4 cups or 280g flour


1 rounded teaspoon active yeast – about 4g 

3⁄4 cup or 180ml warm water


1⁄2 teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon olive oil 

For the topping: 

2 links Italian sausage, approximate weight 4 3⁄4 oz or 135g 

Olive oil


Generous handful sliced pepperoni – say 10 or 12 slices


1 cup or 110g grated mozzarella cheese 

1⁄2 cup or 120ml pizza sauce


Other possible toppings:


Small artichoke hearts, well drained and halved


Sliced jalapeños, pickled or fresh


Finely sliced onion


Black olives


Your favorite pizza topping -­ no need to limit your toppings! 

Recommended: Fresh basil leaves for serving 

Method

To make the crust, mix 1 cup or 125g flour with the yeast and add in the warm water. Leave to prove for about 5 minutes. You should see some bubbling. 


Add the salt then the rest of the flour, a little at a time, mixing continuously until you have a soft dough. You might not use quite all of the flour. Knead for about five minutes or until the ball of dough is smooth and elastic. 


Leave to prove in a warm place, covered with cling film or a damp towel, for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Pizza dough can be prepared one day ahead. Leave to rise, covered, in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before rolling out and baking. You can also substitute store-­bought pizza dough.)

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C when the dough has about 15 minutes rising time left. 


Meanwhile, prepare your toppings. In the bottom of your ovenproof skillet, brown the sausage in small balls, adding a drizzle of olive oil. 


Remove from the heat once browned and spoon off some of the excess fat cooking the sausages might have created. 


Sprinkle in the finely sliced onion, the artichokes, jalapeños, olives and other toppings, distributing them evenly. Top these with the pepperoni slices. 


Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese. Spoon on the pizza sauce, spreading it around gently with the back of the spoon.

 


Roll or press your crust out so that it’s just a bit larger than the
diameter of your fillings in the pan. Cut three slits to allow steam to escape while it’s baking. 


Fit the crust over the fillings and tuck it in all around the sides. Use a pastry brush to brush olive oil over the top of the crust and down the tucked sides. 




Bake the pizza tartin in your preheated oven for about 25­-30 minutes or until the crust is a lovely golden color and quite crisp on the outside. When you tap it, it should sound hollow. 


Leave the pizza tartin to cool for about 5­-7 minutes then invert it carefully onto a serving plate. 


If any of the bits do stick, just scoop them off the pan and replace on the pizza tartin. 


Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and cut in wedges and serve hot. 


Enjoy!

Welcome to the fifth installment of our Alphabet Challenge for 2024. Today’s recipes are brought to you by the letter E. Many thanks to our challenge creator, Wendy of A Day in the Life on a Farm. 

Check out all the recipes brought to you by the letter E. 

• Sneha’s Recipe : Egg Roast 
• Culinary Cam: Elderflower & Roasted Strawberry Layer Cake 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Tomato and Eggs 
• Palatable Pastime: Easy Homestyle Chicken Enchiladas 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: English Muffin Bread 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Egg Pulao 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Egg Bread Hoagie Rolls 
• Blogghetti: Bacon Cheddar Egg Salad 
• Magical Ingredients: Edamame Paratha 
• Food Lust People Love: Everything Pizza Tartin
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Buttery Everything Bagel Seasoning Biscuits

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

A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs

B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly

C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw

D: Cajun Chicken Eggpland Dressing

E: today's post! Everything Pizza Tartin

Pin this Everything Pizza Tartin! 

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Blueberry Banana Muffins (Small Batch) #MuffinMonday

Overripe banana and juicy frozen blueberries make these blueberry banana muffins some of the best I’ve ever baked. Small batch of six! Highly recommend! 

I never worried about getting rid of ripe bananas when my mom was around. Her attitude (and my maternal grandfather’s, for the matter) was that when it comes to bananas, the darker, the better. Sadly, after several months of declining health, Mom passed away three weeks ago. I am blessed to tell you that she was here at home with us and her transition was peaceful. 

After she died, I had one last black banana to use up so I made these muffins. She would have really liked them but I console myself that in heaven, there are probably all the muffins she wants. And all the super ripe bananas too. 

Banana Blueberry Muffins - Small Batch

This recipe makes six normal sized muffins. My husband declared them chock full of blueberries and so they are. We think that’s a good thing and I hope you agree. 

Ingredients

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for the pan

1 medium overripe banana (mine weighed 65g without peel)

1/3 cup, packed, or 66g brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup or 125g frozen blueberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Prepare your six-cup muffin pan by brushing it will a little canola oil. 

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

In another bowl, add the banana, oil and egg. Mash the banana with a fork. 

Then use the fork to mix the three together thoroughly. 

Add all but six of the frozen blueberries to the dry ingredient bowl and fold gently so they are covered with the dry ingredients. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl.   

Fold until well combined. Adding the frozen blueberries to the batter while they are still frozen means they don’t mush or fall apart while you fold them in. They do add moisture as they thaw while the muffins bake so don’t be worried that the batter is more like a dough as you spoon it into the muffin cups. 

Spoon the batter equally into the 6 muffin cups. Top each with a single reserved blueberry.

Bake for 5 minutes in your preheated oven then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F or 180°C WITHOUT opening the oven door, and bake for 15-18 minutes more until domed and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a couple crumbs attached.

Let cool for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s Muffin Monday time. Check out the muffins my fellow bloggers are sharing below.

• Banana Crumb Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Blueberry Banana Muffins (Small Batch) from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Cranberry Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Matcha Chocolate Chip Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Orange and Strawberry Whole Wheat Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough Banana Carrot Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#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.

Pin these Blueberry Banana Muffins! 

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Lobster Bruschetta

Lobster bruschetta is a wonderful appetizer with bright flavors from ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil, sharp garlic and, of course, succulent lobster. Treat your friends and family with this delicious finger food. 

Years ago, when our girls were young and we lived in a house with a pool, Sunday afternoons were devoted to swimming and lounging around. Mid-afternoon, I’d head to the kitchen to toast some baguette slices and stir up bruschetta as a snack. 

Our traditional bruschetta was very much like this lobster version, sans the lobster, of course. Tomatoes, basil and garlic combined with olive oil and vinegar – sometimes dark balsamic, sometimes white – create a flavorful mouthful that is more than the sum of its parts. 

Lobster Bruschetta

I made this recipe with the meat of one lobster and since I wasn’t serving many people, I kept the lobster bits pretty chunky. If you need to stretch it to serve more, you can add more tomatoes, garlic and basil and chop the lobster a little bit smaller. It will still be quite delicious. 

Ingredients

1 cooked lobster, about 1 1/2 lbs or 700g

2 ripe Roma tomatoes, almost 9 oz or 250g whole

Leaves from one sprig fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced, plus more to rub on toasted baguette

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

About 20 slices baguette, toasted

Method

Rub the toasted baguette slices with garlic and set aside. 

Remove the meat from the lobster and cut it in to small chunks. 

Cut the tomatoes in half. Cut out the hard core and remove the pulp and seeds. Dice them into small cubes.

Stack the basil leaves one on top the other and roll them up. Slice them thinly, a technique chefs call chiffonade. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil and sea salt along with the olive oil and vinegar. 

Add in the lobster and stir again.

Or if you are passing the lobster bruschetta around and it will get eaten quickly, you can top them all just when you are ready to serve. If you top the bread too early, it can get soggy and no one wants that. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes that would be perfect for a Spring brunch. Check out the links below. 

• Baked Garlic Cheese Grits from Palatable Pastime
• Breakfast Tarts from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Lobster Bruschetta from Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Stuffed Potato Masala Idli with Pumpkin Sambar from Sneha's Recipe
• Torijas with Honey Orange Syrup 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.

Pin this Lobster Bruschetta! 

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Chocolate Zucchini Muffins #MuffinMonday

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are baked with cocoa and chocolate chips. Grated zucchini adds moisture and nutrition, not that you’ll notice it’s there flavorwise! 

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means we are celebrating Muffin Monday all day long. I had a zucchini in the fridge that was getting a little past its best and needed to be used, hence these chocolate zucchini muffins. 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

This recipe is for a small batch of just six muffins but it’s easily doubled if you need 12. Or even trebled. Muffins batter is very forgiving like that. 

Ingredients

1/2 medium zucchini or courgette (approx. weight 2 2/3 oz or 75g)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup or 95g flour

1/4 cup or 20g cocoa

1/4 cup or 50g white sugar

1/4 cup, packed, or 50g brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup or 50g semi-sweet chocolate chips plus a little extra for topping, if desired.

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 6-cup muffin tin by greasing it or lining it with muffin papers.

Grate the zucchini with the small holes of your grater and spread it around in a colander to drain.  Sprinkle with the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, sugars and baking powder. Mix in the chocolate chips and use your clean hands to separate any that are stuck together. 

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk and oil. Use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to squeeze moisture out of the grated zucchini. Add it to the wet ingredient bowl and whisk.

Pour your wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until they are just combined. There should be some dry flour still showing.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Add a few more chocolate chips to the top, if desired.  

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are puffed up and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Remove the muffins from the pan and cool further on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, it’s Muffin Monday! Make sure to check out all the links below to see the muffins my blogger friends are sharing. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for her behind the scenes help this month!

• Buttermilk Muffins with Whiskey-Soaked Raisins by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Cherry Vanilla Muffins by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins by Food Lust People Love
• Churro Muffins by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pineapple Rice Krispie Muffins by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sourdough Raspberry Coconut Muffins by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Strawberry Sweetheart Streusel Muffins by Palatable Pastime
• Whole Wheat Thandai Muffins by Magical Ingredients

#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.

Pin these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins!

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