Marie's Sunday Six

I haven't done a Sunday Smiles in a couple of weeks and I've surely been having lots to smile about so I thought it was about time I did one! Having a cold doesn't make me smile, nor does this darned coughing make me smile, but I have plenty that does and it's best to dwell on the good in our lives is it not?



This is my brother David. He is just filled to overflowing with the Christmas Spirit this year! Actually he will probably kill me for showing you this, but then again, he is using it as his profile picture on facebook, so fair game! Actually my brother is probably one of those angels on earth you hear about at Christmas time. For as long as I remember he's been the Co-ordinators for the Shoe-box appeal for Samaritan's Purse in his area and every Christmas for years and years, he, his wife and his 4 girls have given up their whole Christmas to go and organize and put together an International Christmas in their area for foreign students who are not able to get home for Christmas. They organize activities for them, and cook meals for them etc., out at a camp near their home. They do it every year without fail. That is the true spirit of Christmas . . . the spirit of Christ, of love and of giving. Knowing that I have a brother who is an angel on earth makes me smile. (He's also got a pretty good sense of humor!)



This is my grandson's Jon (in red) and Josh (in plaid). They are busy baking and decorating Christmas Cookies! It looks like they are having a really good time!



Baking and decorating Christmas Cookies with the kiddos is a lot of fun. It also takes lots of patience and a blind eye! You have to remember not to notice all the flour that is on the floor and in their hair.



Likewise, the bits of coloured icing that gets wiped on their clothes, along with the sprinkles and candies . . .



Christmas is for children after all . . . Seeing my two grandsons having such a great time decorating these cookies makes me smile. It warms my heart to see them having such a nice time . . . and knowing that I have a son and daughter in law that are building lovely Christmas Traditions with their boys, just as I did for my son. Their father Doug was the Gingerbread Cookie King!



Little Jacob didn't get to bake cookies. He had to wait in a cage until they were done. He had a bottle and lots of bears to keep him company. It was probably the smartest thing to do!



This is our Gabriel on his first day of school this year. I know, my son was very late sending me some photos, but you know what they say . . . better late than never! Gabriel is my oldest grandson and the oldest son of my oldest son. Not sure what that means, but I am sure it's really special! I know HE'S really special at any rate and he always makes me smile. He looks very happy here for his first day and well prepared with his bookbag and new watch! (I'm going to have to rethink his birthday present this year I can see! uh oh!) He is the grandson that christened Todd as Gran-Todd! He just adores Todd and the feeling is quite mutual! Gabriel always makes me smile!



This is his little brother Luke, taken on the same day. It was Luke's first day in pre-school. He looks a little bit unsure of himself, but oh so sweet I think! It was a big day for both of them! And for mama too . . .



I just adore my DIL Anne. She is the daughter of my heart. I could not love her any more if I had given birth to her myself. It makes me smile to know that my son has a wife like her and that my grandsons have a mother like her. Anne makes me smile! (She's a pretty good Pirate too!)



Well Shiver-me-timbers you Swashbucklers! If this does not make you smile, you will just have to walk the plank!!



Little Maryn's first visit to Santa Claus surely made me smile as well. She looks like she's telling him everything on her list and making sure that he has all the details just right! Whatever it is she is telling him . . . it looks pretty important at any rate!! I think I have the most beautiful grand-daughter in the world . . . I know that there are millions out there that have beautiful grand-daughters of their own . . . that are very special too . . . but for me and mine, Maryn is the best! Of course she is the only grand-daughter, and great-grand-daughter in the family. That makes her very special indeed. I do love her so very much.

Source: the50s.tumblr.com via Marie on Pinterest

I know that this has been a very family oriented Sunday Smiles . . . two weeks before Christmas . . . but that's what Christmas is all about is it not? About the love of family . . . and friends (for afterall are not friends the family you get to pick for yourself???) It's about joy and peace . . . the love of Christ in action . . . the spirit of good will . . . the Birth of the Saviour.

I hope that you have a lovely sabbath day today and that you are able to find some joy in this day in measures both large and small . . . a smile, or two or three . . . and that you'll feel your Saviour's love in abundance.



Listen to this. It will make you smile.

These muffins will probably make you smile too. They are like jam filled doughnuts . . . with jammy centres and a buttery coating of cinnamon sugar! Oh so scrumdiddlyumptiously good!



*Jam Surprise Muffins*Makes 8
Printable Recipe

These muffins are truly lovely. A deliciously moist cake surrounds a hidden surprise of fruit jam in the middle and the whole thing is dipped in melted butter and cinnamon sugar coated while still warm. These yummy babies are so good and delicious you will find yourself wondering however did you ever get through life thus far without them!

½ cup caster sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup milk
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
½ cup fruit jam ( I like strawberry or raspberry myself)
TO COAT:
½ cup melted butter
½ cup caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pre-heat your oven to 200*C/400*F. Grease a muffin tin that makes larger sized muffins well and set aside. (as you will only be getting 8 muffins from this I suggest you fill the empty holes with water before baking so that you do not burn your pan)

Place the butter into a bowl and cream it with the sugar really well until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the pinch of salt. Add this mixture to the creamed mixture alternatively with the milk. Beginning and ending with the dry mixture.

Spoon half of the batter into the muffins cups. Top each with a teaspoon of fruit jam in the centre, making sure it does not touch the sides. Divide the remaining batter between each of them and top them with it to cover the jam. Don’t worry it if just lays there on top as it will spread when it hit’s the heat of the oven.

Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 18 minutes until well risen and lightly browned, and they spring back when touched very lightly with your fingertips. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the baking tin to cool on a wire rack, to where you can just handle them with your fingers without being burnt.

Put the melted butter into a bowl. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in another bowl. Roll each muffin first in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Place them on a wire rack until the coating sets somewhat. Serve warm with your favourite hot bevvie!



Over in The English Kitchen today there are some Angel Cookies, that look a little more like aliens, but what the heck. They taste delicious!

Friday ponderings . . .

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
- Psalm 32:8

One doesn't have to go very far to be aware of how rampant evil is in the world today. Just turn on the television and watch the news . . . or read a newspaper. It can be somewhat discouraging at times, and more than a little frightening. One might wonder just how . . . in the midst of all the evil that exists in today's world . . . just . . . how it is possible to hear God's voice I can promise you that it is there. Our Heavenly Father looks for those who still have their heart's open to Him . . . and He gives them ears to hear His voice. It is a still small voice . . . and it is a gift that is given to all who love him and who live their lives in a way that is open to His teachings . . .

I am sure that there have been many times that you have heard His voice. It is iin the promptings to go and do something special for a friend, or to pick up the telephone and call someone you have not spoken to in a long while. It is that little niggling feeling that you get, imploring you to go someplace that you've never gone before . . . or to speak to that stranger at the bus stop. It is only in retrospect that you can see the hand of God. There might have been someone in that place or at that bus stop who just needed a word of encouragment . . . or that friend of yours might have had a day when they are particularly down and needed to hear a kind voice and have a sympathetic ear to speak to.




It might actually be quite surprising to you to realize how very often these types of things occur in your life . . . but it is no mystery, and it is not co-incidence. I believe in God-incidence. We have a Heavenly Father who loves to talk with His children. He puts His divine signature on things and incidents in our lives so that we will know He is there . . . and He speaks to us in that small still voice that we can hear anytime we are willing to listen . . . What a wonderful anchor and blessing this is in an ever increasingly maddening world!

I did another fashionista yesterday. I seem to be on a bit of a run with these . . . that's ok though. I do love painting them.



Having raised three sons, I can certainly identify with the sentiment on this one! Little boys are completely different than little girls, easier in some ways, harder in others . . . I do know that there was never a dull moment in my house, no matter what!

As usual this is available as a print or as a card and would make the perfect gift for that special lady in your life who is a mother to some special little (or big) boy! Just message me to find out how you can have one in either a comment or in an e-mail. Thanks for looking!

Oh, I do love chocolate. I am afraid it is my downfall. Not just any chocolate though . . . I have expensive chocolate taste. I used to like the cheap stuff . . . but I find that I'd rather have quality these days, if I am going to indulge . . . rather than quantity. I love Green and Black's chocolate the best of all. It has a high percentage of cocoa and truly tastes lovely. My favourite are the milk chocolate bars and I have stopped buying chocolate chips altogether now, instead choosing to use it's lovely milk chocolate chopped up for all my hedonistic chocolate chip creations. Chocolate chip muffins are on the menu today. Now who can resist one of those warm from the oven with oozing sweet bits of really good milk chocolate scattered throughout along with the odd toasted pecan meat . . .

I don't think you'll find a much better version than this one.




*Chocolate Chunk Muffins*Makes 12 medium size muffins.
Printable Recipe

These delicious muffins are moist and chock full of chocolate. You can use chocolate chips if you wish, but I prefer to use really good milk chocolate that I chop into small chunks. You can also add pecans or walnuts. I don’t always and you don’t really need to, but they are pretty good with them included. If I am adding nuts, I toast them first. (10 minutes in a medium-hot oven)

2 cups plain flour
1/3 cup packed soft light brown sugar
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
12 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into bits
½ cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped




Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with paper cups. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In another bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, butter and vanilla.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients all at once, stirring just to combine. It's ok if the batter is lumpy, and in fact lumpy batter makes a better muffin and they rise much higher. Fold in the chocolate chips and the nuts.

Spoon into the prepared pan, dividing the mixture equally amongst the cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are well risen and test done when a skewer inserted in the centre of one comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

These taste good warm or cold, and they freeze very well.



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, a delicious Chicken Katsu Curry!

Cultivating Harmony in the home . . .

As most of you know I am a Mormon, or Latter Day Saint as we prefer to be called! ( LDS for short!) As an LDS we not only have our local chapels, but we also have Temples. We’re really lucky here in England, for we have two of them, one up near Preston in the North West (Chorley) and the other one down near London in Crawley. Temples are very special to us. Not everyone can go into them . . . not even all Mormons. You have to have a special temple recommend in order to be able to enter one (after they have been dedicated to the Lord) and, in order to get one of those, you must live your life in a way that is considered to be worthy of being able to go into the Temple. You also must go through several interviews at both the local and area level. The Queen, herself, cannot go into one of our temples, which is why over here in the UK, we are not able to be married in our Temples, but must have a Civil Ceremony first. It is not legal to be married in the UK in any place other than a Public place, which anyone can enter . . . and so we get married legally in our chapels and then travel to our Temple where our marriage is blessed, and we are sealed together for time and all eternity. It's a very beautiful thing . . .



The temple is a lovely place where we can go and be free from a world full of chaos and disruption. In there, we find peace and tranquillity . . . a true haven from a hectic world. All of the rooms are beautifully appointed and elegant. Everyone dresses in white, a symbol of purity. With everyone being dressed the same, it is impossible to tell who is a banker from who is a cleaner. We are all equal in God's eyes and beloved as His children, which is as it should be. All is quiet and serene. One almost feels as if they are getting a little glimpse of heaven once they pass through the doors of the temple. It is a place I love to go.



Our homes can have that same feeling that we feel when we are in the Temple, the feeling of being a haven from a chaotic world, and unspotted . . . Our own little heaven here on earth. Home is where you hang your heart after all, should it not be a place of tranquillity as well, a place which you can truly call your safe harbour in any storm?



It has long been said that cleanliness is next to Godliness, and I think that first of all it is really important to keep your home clean and tidy. I know Todd will laugh when he reads this, because I have to be one of the untidiest creatures on the face of the planet. I am a creative person, and creative people just do not see things in the same way that others do. When he sees a pile of books on the table . . . he sees a mess that needs to be cleaned up, whereas I see . . . a work in progress . . . something which I may be working on but am not quite finished. I do have to be nagged to put them away, and I really do need to discipline myself more in this area because, even I have to agree, it does look better without them there. It only really takes a few minutes a day to tidy up and keep the house clean if you do it regularly. I know that when I am about to go away on holiday, I always like to give the house a thorough clean just before I leave, so that when I return I am returning to a clean home . . . a true haven. Having said that though, a house must always look like a home, and like people live there, not a show piece.



Making your home a temple is much more than creating a space of cleanliness and order though . . . it is creating a feeling of comfort, a feeling of safety . . . a feeling that this is the one place where you can be free from all the chaos out there in the world . . . and where the spirit of the Lord is comfortable residing. It’s not that hard to create a peaceful atmosphere in our homes, it merely involves making the right choices about what we allow to enter.



Todd and I made a choice quite some time ago that we would stay away from watching smut on our television, or on the computer . . . or even listening to it on the radio. We try only to watch and listen to things that are wholesome and uplifting. It is purely possible to do this. We have a whole series of DVD’s and videos that are what could be classified as family viewing. We try hard to eschew violence, bad language and gratuitous sex. Really, none of those things are necessary. You can be quite generously entertained in other ways. It’s amazing the difference it makes in your home when you choose not to watch or listen to things that are demeaning and nasty. A whole new atmosphere is created. We would not purposefully inject our bodies with poison, and we shouldn’t really inject our spirits with poison either. Things that are unwholesome and nasty are pure poison to our spirits, they truly are. They are soul destroying.



We try to have a home that is filled with prayer. You do not have to be religious to have prayer in the home. Prayer is so much more than getting down on your knees and communing with the great creator. Prayer is a state of mind. It is a feeling of reverence and respect. It is knowing we are not alone, in any situation. It is feeling the presence of divinity continuously . . . and living a life that is conducive to feeling that presence. Prayer is peace. We pray together often as a family, and as individuals . . . and it truly does make a difference in our home. Speaking on a personal level, a day without prayer is a day with something very special missing. My days just don’t go right when I forget to invite the Lord into them.



I also love to read the scriptures. There is so much wisdom amongst the pages of my Bible, Book of Mormon and other spiritual works. I cannot begin to tell you how many times in life I have been faced with a problem, or a bad feeling . . . and I have turned to my scriptures and begun to thumb through their well worn pages. I never fail to find the one thing I need most to read and to hear. They always speak to me exactly where I am at, and in exactly the way I need them to. There is a power in these words from God that flows into your life and your home the minute you pick them up and begin to read. Power to resist temptation, power to avoid deception, power to make the right decisions . . . the scriptures are not called the “Bread of Life” for nothing. They truly can help to anchor us in a world full of storms and despair. Each and every time I read them, I come away with something beautiful, some new understanding, a new found treasure.



People love to come to my home, and I love to have them here. I believe a part of the reason they love it so, is because of the wonderful spirit they can feel as soon as they enter. It is the spirit of love . . . and of peace . . . and it begins in your heart. It begins by making a conscious decision to keep your home unspotted by the cares and woes of the world, and by making it a true haven, away from all the filth and degradation that exists out there. I know that no matter how far I may wander away from my door . . . or how much the lions outside it may roar . . . when I return to it I am safe. I can find peace and harmony within it’s four walls . . . peace and harmony that begins in my own heart, and in your heart. It‘s not that hard to cultivate it . . . if you try, and once established . . . it will grow.



Another thing that people can be pretty sure of when they come into my home . . . is that I will offer them something good to eat. It might be a piece of cake, or some biscuits . . . or maybe a muffin. A delicious muffin such as these here today. They are incredibly scrummy if I don't say so myself and would be most welcome I am sure!



*Pink Drizzle Plum Muffins*
Makes 12 medium sized muffins
Printable Recipe

Moist and studded with chunks of lovely plum and topped with the delicious crunch and a sweet drizzle of pink icing, These muffins are quite simply wonderful and so very easy to make and enjoy!

225g plain flour (2 1/4 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
75g caster sugar (a scant 1/2 cup)
½ tsp salt
1 large free range egg
200ml milk (about 3/4 cup)
30g butter, melted (a scant 3 TBS)
180g of red or purple plums, stoned and diced (approximately 4)
the finely grated zest of one lemon
75g of macadamia nuts, chopped coarsely (about 2/3 cup)
Pink Drizzle icing (whish together icing sugar, milk and red food colouring
to give you a drizzable pink tinted icing)

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/35o* F/ gas mark 4. Generously butter a 12 cup medium muffin tray or place a paper muffin case in each cup. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, lemon zest and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk together the egg and milk in another bowl and then whisk in the melted butter. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture all at once and mix together mixing only until the dry ingredients are all moistened. Fold in the chopped plums.

Divide the mixture evenly amongst the prepared muffin cups. Scatter the chopped macadamia nuts over the top of each one. Bake in the heated oven for 17 to 20 minutes until well risen and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and transfer each muffin to a wire rack to cool slightly before eating. Drizzle the tops with pink icing before serving. (Not a necessity but lovely to behold and a nice sweet touch against the savoury nuts)



I'm talking about vegetarian Mushroom & Ale Pies over in The English Kitchen today.

The Simple Woman's Day book . . .

FOR TODAY, July 5th, 2011...

Outside My Window...
It is beautiful and sunny. I think rain is expected today at some point though. It's a lot cooler this morning than it was yesterday. Have had a brilliant couple of days!

I am thinking...
About the wonderful time I had travelling down to Ipswich and visiting Jimmy's Farm. What a fabulous place! We were treated like royalty, Jimmy was so nice, very humble and personable and genuinely interested in us. The PR people were fantastic and looked after our every need. I learned so much about Pigs, had some brill food and best of all got to spend some quality time with Julie! Thanks so much for going along with me on this Julie! You're a star!! (Oh yeh, and I got a NEW cookbook!!)

I am thankful for...
That by taking it easy on my knees for most of Sunday I was able to walk around the farm almost pain free for most of yesterday! We did a ton of walking and it was great! I didn't even need to use my cane! Of course pain relievers worked to help this happen. I normally don't take them because I don't wat to become a pill popper, but yesterday they came in really handy!!

There is a butterfly farm situated on the farm and it was amazing to stand inside and have butterflies flying around in such close contact. So beautiful! (Hot and humid though!)

From the kitchen...
Zip, really, but I have some beautiful pieces of pork to cook later on!

I am wearing...
A blue nightie.

I am creating...
Nothing on the drawing board today, but watch this space! Lots of ideas floating around!

I am going...
I have a pretty slow week planned ahead now. Just my reading student and RS Meetings tomorrow night. There is a Summer Fairy activity planned at our church on Saturday that I want to go to, which should be fun, but other than that I am blissfully unoccuplied!

I am reading...




The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted, by Elizabeth Berg

Every now and then, right in the middle of an ordinary day, a woman kicks up her heels and commits a small act of liberation. What would you do if you could shed the “shoulds” and do, say—and eat—whatever you really desired? Go AWOL from Weight Watchers and spend an entire day eating every single thing you want? Start a dating service for people over fifty to reclaim the razzle-dazzle in your life—or your marriage? Seek comfort in the face of aging, look for love in the midst of loss, find friendship in the most surprising of places? In these beautiful, funny stories, Elizabeth Berg takes us into the heart of the lives of women who do all these things and more—confronting their true feelings, desires, and joys along the way.

As you know, I love Elizabeth Berg's books and am enjoying this newest one. It is nice to read some short stories for a change. I have been laughing a lot as I read them. I can really related to a lot of them!

I am hoping...
That Julie gets home safe and sound. She left here about 6 this morning for her drive back to Glouscester. I am so grateful that she was able to come up and accompany me on this trip. I don't know what I would have done without her. She was a great blessing to me. It was so wonderful to be able to spend this time together as well. Julie, you're an absolute star!! (Not only was she a great travelling companion and friend, but she showed me how to use my new phone!! I am so techno challenged! She also kept me from misplacing our train tickets! )

I am hearing...
Early morning sounds . . . the clock on the mantle humming as the wheels inside it turn. The odd car as it goes by. Mitzie snuffling here curled up behind me on the sofa. The tap tapping of the computer keys as I write. Birds singing in the garden. All is right with the world.

Around the house...
I still have the craft room to finish sorting out big time. We had to put a lot of stuff in there from the small guestroom on Saturday so that we could accomodate the new bunk beds, so now it is a TOTAL tip!! Hopefully will get in there today and do some re-organization!!

One of my favourite things...
At the moment is Jimmy's Farm. I cannot wait to be able to download my pictures and share them with you. It was really wonderful. The level of animal husbandry that we were shown was amazing. They were very happy pigs. I had been expecting it to smell really bad, but amazingly enough, there was NO smell at all!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



Some very happy pigs! Oh, for sure they are destined for the dinner table at some point, but in the meantime they are doing exactly what pigs are supposed to do . . . rolling in the mud and rooting, running about the fields, eating acorns and being pigs. The little piglets are so sweet and adorable! The grownups are HUGE! Can't wait to show you more!

And just as a closing thought for today . . .

Happiness consists in activity . . . it is a running stream, not a stagnant pool.

Life is truly so much better when you live it. This becomes even more apparent to me as I get older and realize that there is now more life behind me than there is in front of me. Make every moment count!

And there you have it . . . my day book for this week. Don't forget to hop on over to the Simple Woman to check out the other day book entries! (Or better yet, do a simple day book entry yourself! It's not that hard and I am betting you would enjoy it!

I love blueberry muffins. These ones are perfect. Moist, flavourful and stogged to overflowing with sweet berries!


(photo courtesy of Martha Stewart.com)

*Blueberry Muffins*
Makes 6 large or 12 small muffins
Printable Recipe

Moist, delicious and stogged to overflowing with sweet blueberries!

6 TBS butter, at room temperature
3 cups, plus 2 TBS plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups of sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 large free range egg, plus 2 large free range egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of whole milk
1 3/4 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter your muffin tins, and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed with an electric whisk until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, egg yolks, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Reduce the speed to low and alternate adding the reserved flour mixture and milk to mixer, beginning and ending with flour. Gently fold in the berries by hand. Divide the batter amongst the prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle the tops generously with some extra sugar. Bake until light golden, about 45 minutes for large muffins, about 30 minutes for small muffins. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Delicious!



The latest from The English Kitchen, Cheesecake Cream Topped Summer Berries!

See you tomorrow. Have a brilliant today!

From little seeds . . . miracles do flow

From the contents of this little packet shall I see . . . green shoots thrusting through the soil towards the sun. And then with a bit of warmth and tender care someday soon there will be . . .



Pansies, asters, scented stocks, marigolds, roses . . . all ablaze! Oh the fragrance and the glory of the summer days to come, all this we have to look forward to . . . that such beauty can come from something so tiny . . . so brown . . . so nondescript . . . and plain . . .



Isn't this a lesson we, ourselves, would do well to heed? This miracle that God brings forth . . . these wonders from a tiny speck of seed???



How small our seeds of faith may be within our darkest of hours . . . but then . . . the miracle as . . . He brings forth to us the sweetest of flowers!



Oh, can it really be so . . . only a few days now until the official days of Spring begin!!! Already the birds are singing sweeter and I know nesting has begun. Their voices are a cacophany of sound in the mornings now when I arise. It's so beautiful to hear. We have mostly sparrows here, with the odd black bird and I have even seen a robin once. I miss all the birds we used to have in our garden down south . . . but then this garden is at the edge of a city so I shouldn't expect the same thing. I am happy for the sparrows just the same . . . their gift of birdsong is just as sweet and just as welcome! The Camelia by the front door is overflowing with buds just waiting to burst out into blossom! I remember how very welcome they were last year when we arrived to move into this house. A pink cheery greeting amidst all our upset . . . they were like a little promise from God that all would be well, and it has been . . .

Now here’s a seriously good muffin. I often make these and nobody ever complains, in fact they are a popular request! Muffins are the ideal breakfast for anyone on the go, don't you think? You can hold them in your hand and they always go down a real treat!



*Chocolate Chip Muffins*
Makes 12 to 18
Printable Recipe

These delicious muffins are moist and chock full of chocolate chips. You can also add pecans or walnuts. I don’t always and you don’t really need to, but they are pretty good with them included. If I am adding them, I toast them first.

For the topping:
1/4 cup soft light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup diced pecans
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons soft butter

For the muffins:
2 cups plain flour
1/3 cup packed soft light brown sugar
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
½ cup butter, melted
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
12 ounces milk chocolate chips
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gaas mark 5. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with paper cups.

Make the topping by rubbing all the ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In another bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, butter and vanilla.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients all at once, stirring just to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and the nuts.

Spoon into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over top of each muffin. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

These taste good warm or cold, and they freeze very well.



There's a delicious Apple and Cheddar Cheese Cake over in The English Kitchen today!