We likes what we likes and that's all what we likes . . .

Welcome to Tuesdays with Dorie, the wonderful online baking group that is baking their way through the delicious baking book, "Baking, from my home to yours," by the lovely Dorie Greenspan, one delicious recipe at a time. Each week a different member of the group gets to pick one recipe and then we all bake it. It's really a lot of fun and I really enjoy being a member.

This week Kelly of Baking with the Boys selected Fresh Mango Bread on page 45. I have a confession to make. I made this recipe way back when I first got my book, way before I even know the Tuesdays With Dorie group existed, and whilst I love, Love, LOVE mangoes! I did not love this bread. (Sorry Dorie!!) I hunted back through my food pictures this morning and was able to find one that I took of it.



I think I would have liked it better if the mango had been pureed and then folded into the batter. I was not overly fond of the chunks of mango in it. It's a texture thing I guess. I didn't like the feeling of it in my mouth and we all know how that goes. But, if you are a person that doesn't have a problem with that sort of thing, I am sure you will love it, because all of Dorie's recipes are quite tasty and delicious, for the most part. If you wanted to take a look at the recipe then pop on over to Kelly's page and have a gander and don't forget to check out the Dorie Blog Roll as well. I am sure there were lots of ladies that loved this and did a really great job of baking it!

We don't always like everything that is put in front of us to eat. We all have different tastes and issues with food. As a child I could not stand the texture of hamburger meat mixed in with anything else. Just the feeling of it in my mouth made me gag. The meat was all chewy and then whatever was with it . . . pasta . . . potatoes, whatever . . . that would be soft and mushy. The two together just grossed me out. On top of that my mom only ever bought really cheap hamburger, so there was always bits of bone and gristle in it, and that made me gag even worse. I used to have to endure hours of sitting at the table staring at cold, congealing ground beef because I just wouldn't eat it. Of course, having it sit there for hours did nothing to make it taste any better or more appealing. I tried hiding it.

Under the plate . . . not a good idea because it is discovered as soon as your mom moves your plate.

Under the dining room carpet . . . also not a good idea because your mom discovers it as soon as she hoovers the dining room.

Down the cold air vent in the corner of the dining room floor . . . great idea. Works a charm as your mom NEVER discovers it and you can get away with it for years. ☺

I am at the point today where I do enjoy a hamburger from time to time and the texture no longer bothers me for the most part. I can eat it as meatloaf, and as burgers, and I can even eat it sometimes mixed in with pasta. I only ever buy the extra extra lean though and if I get a particularly rubbery piece in my mouth that still does it for me and I can't eat any more of it, but thankfully there's nobody in this house that's going to make me sit and the table and stare at it for hours until I finish it. (Praise God!)

That's one thing I didn't do with my kids. I never forced them to eat anything they didn't like, which meant of course that, by the time I had my fifth child, it was really hard to find something for him to eat that he did like. (unfortunately he took on board his four siblings dislikes and then a few of his own!) I thought he would go to his grave eating nothing but mashed potatoes, corn, rice and white bread, no butter please. I just didn't want my kids to grow up with food issues. Thankfully now my youngest will eat just about anything, but it was touch and go for a number of years.

So no, this week there is no mango bread sitting on my counter tempting me to eat it for breakfast . . .

There's chocolate chip muffins.



*Chocolate Chip Muffins*
Makes 12 to 19
Printable Recipe

We love these muffins in this house. A beautifully dense and buttery muffin just filled to the brim with delicious chunks of chocolate. Try to use the best chocolate you can afford to buy. You can also use ordinary chocolate chips if you wish. I like to use a combination of semi sweet and milk when I use chocolate chips. We prefer the chunks though. These are incredibly moreish, just so you know.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup soft light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
200 grams good quality milk chocolate, cut into small bits
(I use Green and Black's organic milk chocolate)
1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts, pecans or walnuts (optional)



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Generously grease 12 to 18 muffin cups, or line with paper liners. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugars, until the mixture is well blended.

In another bowl, stir together the milk, eggs, butter and vanilla. Blend together well.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and then add the milk mixture all at once. Stir together just to combine. It doesn't matter if the batter it lumpy. All you want is the dry ingredients to be moistened. Fold in the chocolate pieces and the nuts, if using. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the tin to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm.

These also freeze very well. To re-heat from frozen just pop the frozen muffin into the microwave on a piece of paper toweling and zap it for about 30 seconds.