Apricot Oatmeal Muffins

Jun 4, 2012 by lovelypantry

Guess what today is? Its Muffin Monday! Yes! I’m joining a fellow foodie, An from Baker Street on her quest to make Monday mornings enjoyable. I believe a good muffin can certainly do that! Today I’m sharing with you today a lovely  muffin, made with Apricots and Oats. Perfect with a cup of coffee or for me, espresso.

We all need ideas for breakfast on the run, or just something as a wholesome snack. This particular muffin recipe challenged me to use dried apricots which, up until now, I had not used before. The jam is awesome though! I made some very slight changes to the recipe, which was taken from Taste Of Home. I’m sure  that any dried/fresh fruit could be substituted but I really wanted to try using apricots.

While I was making the batter for the muffins, my son asked me why I was making muffins with porridge in it (referring to the oats). It’s so funny the questions and conversation that come up  in the kitchen. I love every minute of it! They were able to taste the apricots as I diced them up. They had a weird reaction at first, because apricots are slightly tart in flavour. But soon enough, I had to slow down because I really wanted to have some left to put into the muffin! Good times! Anyway, as I mentioned, I made a few subtle changes. I increased the sugar to 3/4 cup since that is my comfort quantity for muffins. I also used Almond Milk instead of regular milk.

 

 

 

 

Pour the hot water into the bowl and mix. I covered the bowl and left it to combine while I moved on to the next step.

 

 

Bring out the Turbinado Sugar! Its crunch time! Yes, I sprinkled some raw sugar over the muffin batter. Perhaps this is becoming my signature move when it comes to muffin making. I bought some fresh apricots to eat and also I wanted to decorate the muffins with them. I ended up slicing them and then ever so slightly brushing them with some melted butter after placing a slice on each muffin cup filled with batter.

 

 

These muffins came out GREAT! They were fluffy and the apricots gave it a slight tart kick with each delicious bite!

 

 

These muffins are nice to look at but even better to eat. Don’t feel too guilty about having more than one! I sure didn’t!!!

 

 

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

Cheers, An! Here’s to more Muffin Mondays to come!

Happy Monday everyone!

~Lyn

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Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding #SundaySupper

Jun 3, 2012 by lovelypantry

It’s time for another #SundaySupper and this week the theme is “Heritage”. I was undecided for a while as to what to prepare, but a quick phone call to my Mom helped to narrow it down. Most of my Jamaican favourites have already been shared on The Lovely Pantry, but I wanted to take this opportunity to share something new.

When I think about my heritage, I think about the country and culture that influenced my life the most. As some of you may know, I grew up in London England, Jamaica, and currently reside in Toronto, Canada. My parents always instilled in my brother and I, the importance of family, and knowing our heritage/culture. This was a challenge while raising a family in a foreign country with so many other cultures blended around you. But my parents made it work. From the music, to the dialect, to the FOOD – oh, my parents love their food!

I’ve always been a part of a close-knit family (more like a tribe). In fact, there are so many of us, we could form our own small community. As a child, my father showed us our family tree so that we could see exactly who started this awesome family of ours. I plan to do the very same thing for my children. It will be a larger family tree compared to what my father had shown me but it will definitely be a wonderful family project. Perhaps one day we’ll go to Cuba to see where my paternal Grandfather was born, and then perhaps travel to Ireland to see where his father was born. Hopefully we will get to do the same for my husband and see his German-Irish background. That’s the beauty of Jamaica and being Jamaican. We are truly “out of many, one people“.

Being Jamaican is great, but living and experiencing other cultures is amazing too! I love having friends and family, from other cultures. What better way to learn about this wonderful world we live in! We are all alike in so many ways, but our cultural differences are what make us so unique. I’m so honoured to participate in this weeks #SundaySupper and I look forward to seeing all the wonderful recipes from a diverse range of cultures.

I hope you enjoy my recipe today – Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding. Growing up, I much preferred cake over pudding. But after I made this pudding, I believe I have been missing out!!! Pudding of some sort (Cornmeal, Bread, Sweet Potato) can be found at many gatherings and is especially good with ice-cream. My pudding would not have been the same without a few “drops” of some Appleton Rum. This pudding is authentic at the very least, and I’m glad to have come across this recipe so that I could put my own personal touch to it. Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Before I go into the photographs, I wanted to include images of the Jamaican flag as well as the Coat Of Arms 🙂

 

      

 

I always remember pudding or “pudd’n” as we call it, being thick and moist. I figured the raisins wouldn’t sink in the batter, but I went ahead and tossed them in flour any way.

 

 

Fold the raisins into the batter, ensuring that everything is full incorporated.

 

 

I had to buy a baking pan big enough to hold the batter for this pudding. Of all the items in my kitchen, I did not have a 9 X 13 Baking pan. I chose to line it because I find it easier to clean the pan but also to remove/transfer the cake after it has cooled. Parchment paper is one of those multi-use items that I always have handy.

 

 

50 minutes later, the pudd’n is ready! The kitchen smells AH-MAZING!

 

 

Cornmeal Pudding is served in squares (or slices if you use a round pan). I prefer squares because it gives a great place to rest the ice-cream!

 

 

You can’t go wrong with having pudding on the menu. It’s a crowd pleaser! Either that, or the rum just makes people really enjoy it.

 

 

This is by far my favourite part of eating this pudding. A nice chunk of pudd’n with some softened ice-cream! Heavenly!

 

 

My other favourite Jamaican recipes include: Oxtail (my favourite), Ackee & Saltfish (Jamaica’s National Dish), Escoveitched Halibut and Sweet Potato Bun. Let us not forget Rice & Peas!

 

Here are the recipes for todays Heritage theme. Check out the posts from these amazing food bloggers!

• Scotch Eggs and Brotchen Rolls – The Meltaways
• Apple Kuchen – Mrs. Mama Hen
• Spaghetti Carbonara – Katherine Martinelli
• Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash – Make Dinner Easy
• Potato and Spinach Knishes – The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• German Potato Salad – Magnolia Days
• Sausage and Broccoli with Orecchiette – Daddy Knows Less
• Chicken Enchiladas Suizas – The Weekend Gourmet
• Strawberry Tiramisu – Chocolate Moosey
• Chocoflan – Juanita’s Cocina
• Egg Liqueur Cake – The German Foodie
• Rasmalai (Ricotta in Sweet Coconut Milk with Almonds and Pistachio) – Sue’s Nutrition Blog
• Mediterranean Couscous Salad – In the Kitchen With KP
• Rouladen – Midlife Road Trip
• Lemon Balm Roasted Chicken and Rum Raising Cupcakes with Maple Frosting – What Smells So Good?
• Keftikas (Turkish Meat and Leek Patties) – The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Croque Monsieur with a Béchamel sauce  – The Daily Dish Recipes
• Momma’s Meat Pie with Poutine Sauce – Momma’s Meals
• Polish Rustic Plum Tart – Comfy Cuisine
• Drop Scones (Scottish Pancakes) – Cositas Bonitas
• Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding – The Lovely Pantry
• Borscht Shooters – Cookistry
• Shepard’s Pie – Big Bear’s Wife
• Parsnip Cakes – Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Roasted Curried Vegetables – Hot Curries & Cold Beer
• Portuguese Mussels and Shrimp in a Chorizo Sauce – Family Foodie
• Kalbi Steak Kimchi Grilled Cheese – Damn Delicious
• Wine pairings for all the recipes – ENOFYLZ

 

For more awesome inspiration, be sure to follow our Pinterest Board and also follow our #SundaySupper hashtag on Twitter. To find out more about or even participate in #SundaySupper as a food blogger, the sure to check here for further information.

 

Happy Sunday, and as we say in Jamaica…”Walk Good!” … which is the same as saying take care!

~Lyn

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Coconut Jam Muffins

May 28, 2012 by lovelypantry

Recently, I’ve developed this fascination with coconut products that are out there. There are a lot of course, jumping on the coconut health food band-wagon. The use of coconut and its by-products has been well established in the Caribbean. I have only been using Coconut Oil and Coconut Milk for the past few months due to my growing interest in all things “natural” and healthy. Recently, I attended the Good Food Festival in Toronto and found the best thing I’ve ever tasted!! Okay, perhaps I’m going a tad bit over board. But I can honestly say I love what I found. I had no idea that it existed.

Have you ever heard of Coconut Jam? If you are familiar – kudos to you. If you are like me, and this is a new phenomenon to you… welcome! From the moment I tasted the samples at the booth, I knew I found something really cool. It comes in a few flavours – plain, vanilla and mango. The difference was really subtle between them, but I  went with the mango. I’ve had it on toast and english muffins, but I wanted to do something extra special so I adapted a basic muffin recipe and created my very own Coconut Jam Muffin. I should actually call it Triple Coconut – Jam Muffins because I used some Coconut Flour. And some Coconut Milk too. This is my first time cooking with coconut flour as well as the coconut jam. It came out very well. Certified AWESOME. I need to contact the company and secure some more of this good stuff. I’m hooked!

 

 

 

I need to contact these people. We need to be friends. VERY good friends.

 

 

I used some teaspoons to drop a small amount into the batter. I like that a little goes a long way. This jam smells so good. The kids loved it too – on toast, on crackers, in a sandwich and in muffins!

 

 

I placed a dab of jam in the centre of the batter… just like this…

 

 

Then I covered it with more batter, then sprinkled it with my topping of preference if I am not using a streusel ~ Raw Sugar! I love that little crunch!

 

 

This one is mine!!!

 

 

Allow muffins to cool for a few minutes because the jam will be hot. Don’t ask me how I know this.

 

 

 

Aside from the amazing aroma these muffins gave my home, I really love a few things about these muffins. Just looking at them, they look like ordinary muffins. Nothing special, at a glance. A few crunchy bits on the top, and a tender but firm exterior. But then there’s that one muffin where the jam started to ooze out. That is what drew me to that muffin, that slight difference. A slight imperfection, perhaps? Many times, there is goodness in the ordinary. We just have to take a chance and dig deep. See beyond what is right before us. Only then, will we see and experience that beautiful sweetness and goodness that a muffin can offer.

 

 

Biting into that jam was the business! LOL! Happy Monday everyone!

 

~Lyn

 

 

 

 

 

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Red Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Goldenberries, Edamame and a Lemon-Cumin Vinaigrette

May 25, 2012 by lovelypantry

Some women buy shoes. Others buy clothes, or even make up. I use to be one of those women. I do get the occasional urge to indulge every now and again. But my real problem is visiting my health food store. Lets face it. Some of the things I use aren’t sold at the conventional grocery stores and if they are, I end up paying more than I would at the health food store. At least, that has been my personal experience. I no longer buy quinoa from the supermarket. No way! Another thing I like about my health food store is that I learn about a new ingredient upon every single visit. If I see something that peaks my interest, all I have to do is ask about it. I really enjoy going there.

Upon my last trip, I grabbed a few items, Red Quinoa was one of them. I’ve been using the regular Quinoa for a few years now but I really wanted to try the red, even just for the colourful appeal. I imagined its rich deep red colour against something green or yellow. I was flipping through Fine Cooking’s Magazine – CookFresh Spring 2012 edition, and saw a beautiful recipe using Red Quinoa. I didn’t have all the ingredients but it inspired me to get some things together. I picked up a pack of dried Goldenberries (also known as cape gooseberries) at an event a few weeks ago and I thought this was an awesome time to experiment with them.

 

 

 

I wish I could tell you that there was more to it than this, but just put the ingredients into a bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Plate and serve.

 

 

This is an excellent way to use up left over quinoa. Regular White Quinoa can be used if you don’t have the red. It will taste just as good and look just as lovely.

 

 

Happy Friday Friends!

 

~Lyn

 

 

 

 

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Lyn’s Jamaican Style Rice & Peas

May 24, 2012 by lovelypantry

I wanted to share the recipe for Rice and Peas with you guys. It is a traditional Jamaican side dish and I truly believe it deserves its own post. A very short post, but a special one 🙂 Rice and Peas is served with Fried Chicken, Stewed Chicken, Jerked Chicken, Curried Chicken (or Roasted Curried Chicken), Curried Goat, and my personal favourite – Oxtails, to name a few.  I recently paired it with Cristina Ferrare’s Fall Off The Bone Chicken. A very good match!

I will confess, I didn’t always love Rice and Peas. At one point, I used to pick out the peas. Yes, as an adult. I started making it at home because my husband loves it. I didn’t really eat it much even when I made it, but something happened. I’m not sure how to explain it. I just LOVE it now. I got some tips from some of my friends as to how they make it and I’m sharing with you today the way I now make Rice and Peas.

I don’t deviate too much from this method. The only change will be the kind of peas/beans that I choose to use. The peas/beans commonly used in this side dish are: Red Kidney Beans, Black Eyed Peas and Pigeon Peas (Gungo Peas). I use the canned type! Judge me not! Soaking overnight, and boiling for over an hour just doesn’t fit into my schedule 🙂 I use Basmati Rice because I love it, as well as Jasmine Rice. But traditionally long grain rice is used.

 

 

 

As easy as that. When tasting from the pot, please ensure you leave some for your family. 🙂

 

 

Oh, and in case you are wondering… even though beans are used sometimes, we still call it Rice & Peas! 

Take good care!

~Lyn

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