A berry important question

 

Image from The Graphics Fairy

I'm late, far too late, for the Wednesday Hodgepodge, so I've selected just one of the questions to answer.  I'm sure you can guess why this one appealed to me most out of all the other questions:

4. June 14th is National Strawberry Shortcake Day...are you a fan, and if so will you celebrate? How do you make yours? Have you been strawberry picking? If so what do you do with all those berries?

I am definitely a strawberry shortcake fan. 

I wasn't aware, or didn't remember, that June 14th was National Strawberry Shortcake Day.  So we didn't celebrate.   But we could have, although we were traveling that day.  Let me explain.  

We had traveled up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, on Monday, June 12 and spent two nights at a lovely B&B with friends from Pennsylvania.  On June 14, we were heading home and passed through the city of Brunswick.  Still full from our hearty breakfast, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a break and an iced coffee to share.

BUT across the street was this place:

You can tell it's April, not June, in this photo of The Brunswick Diner.

where, on a rainy April day some years ago,  we ate the best strawberry shortcake either of us has ever tasted.  

It was made with baking powder biscuits, strawberries, and real whipped cream, as is the New England way with shortcake.  But there was one important and stellar detail that the Brunswick Diner added: vanilla ice cream in between the strawberry and biscuit layers.  

At home, I make my strawberry shortcake simply with biscuits, strawberries and whipped cream.

Strawberry picking?  Yes, we have often gone.  Not yet this year ... it's been a wet June and I'm not really sure what that will do/has done to the strawberry crop.  But we will very likely go strawberry picking if it's a possibility for us.

Little granddaughter Arielle had a hand (or two) in picking these

Strawberry field where we picked in 2022

What do I do with all those berries?  I usually freeze some whole.  We wash and hull the berries, then place them on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid.  Then they are transferred to zip-top plastic bags.  Now we have frozen berries that will not clump together and one can pour out whatever is needed for a recipe.

To use the fresh berries, probably my favorite thing to make would be strawberry shortcake.  To be a little more fancy, this Strawberry Lovers' Pie is another huge favorite.  

 

And this Strawberry Cheesecake Pie is another. 

Photo from Spend with Pennies.com

I also like this homemade Strawberry Pie Filling as another way to use fresh berries.  

 
And these Strawberry Muffins (or, as you will see, Strawberry Coffeecake) are also scrumptious!

And there's my answer to a berry important question. 

One new thing ...

 

 So here goes with another One New Thing post, inspired by Becki at Field Lilies.   My plan as of now is to post about one new thing every Monday.  We will see how it goes!

For today, my One New Thing is learning to substitute maple syrup for refined sugar in baking.  If you are interested in learning how to do this, visit Michelle at Souly Rested, where you can print out a free conversion chart to help you do it right.  I took a screenshot to show you what it looks like.

Now I realize not everyone has a "free" source of maple syrup like we do.  And ours, of course, isn't really free.  Family members work hard to produce it.

If you read Michelle's post you will see that maple syrup has a lot of minerals and other health benefits, so it's really worth your while to learn to bake with it.  She has many other great-sounding ways to use maple as well, including maple kombucha which I plan to try very soon.   If you are so inclined you can even learn how to make your own maple syrup!

Ordinarily when we are on a sugar fast as we are now, I just don't make very many baked goods.  But recently I found myself with some truly overripe bananas that just had to be used up, and I didn't want to take time to research a healthier recipe online.  So I adapted a banana muffin recipe, and we just couldn't be more pleased with the results.

BANANA WALNUT MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350º.  Line 12 muffin cups with either foil liners or parchment liners.  Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.  Add the bananas, maple syrup, oil, and eggs and beat on low speed until mixed.  (I actually used a whisk.)  Stir in the walnuts.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.  Bake at 350º until tops of muffins spring back when touched lightly, about 23 minutes.  Serve warm.

Have you ever tried substituting pure maple syrup for refined sugar?  If not, I encourage you to give it a try!

Friday five for January 10

Friday again, and what do I have to show for it?  It seems as if this has been somewhat of a "blah" week, and yet I have many blessings to be thankful for:

1.  Though far from perfect (cluttered background), the photo at top makes my heart sing every time I look at it.  It represents so many delights: a sweet table runner I carved out time to sew a few years back using Christmas fabrics from my stash; an ironstone pitcher from the family heirloom set I am blessed to own; and sprigs of pine from our own acreage and winterberries gathered on a walk.  The berries are drying out and getting wrinkled, but this arrangement is still on the table.  (It will be leaving soon, though.)  Below is a photo of the runner back when I first finished it.

2.  A nice afternoon and evening last Saturday.  Our dear friends Sam and Jenn came for supper and a Bible study in the evening.  During the afternoon, we took a quick trip to the neighboring town so that our son-in-law Jim could cut Mr. T's hair.  (He's handy like that.)  We took a bit of extra time to play a game with the grandkids.  The photo below is NOT of that game; it's from Thanksgiving and is a different game altogether.

3.  A wonderful New Year's message from Pastor Anglea, our pulpit supply on Sunday; titled "Unto the End", it really encouraged us to keep on keeping on.  In other New Year news, I was able to complete a Shutterfly calendar the other day to take advantage of a free offer.  Below is a screenshot of July's page.  I put this calendar together in quite a hurry, but it still came out quite well.

4.  Several nice days this week so we were able to get out and walk.  The time of day had to vary a bit due to other commitments, but the weather was doable each time.  Even on Monday when we were walking in snow flurries!  Photo below is from 2018 but looks much the same right now.

5.  A bit of creativity in the kitchen this morning.  I've had a container of this Bran Muffin Batter in the fridge ever since we made my mother-in-law's muffins on Christmas morning.  I wanted to bake the muffins before the batter went bad (it's supposed to keep 6 weeks, but it usually doesn't last more than a month) but I wanted to bake a variety of muffins.  I put a teaspoon of strawberry jam in each muffin cup for the first dozen.  For the second dozen, I added some dried cranberries and some chopped toasted walnuts to the batter.  Had just a bit too much batter, so baked some in a small loaf pan.

And that is this week's Friday five!  What blessings can you thank God for today?

Friday five

Time for another Friday five.  So many blessings and so many things to be thankful for, it is hard to know where to begin.  So I guess I'll just jump in.

1.  Happy mail!  Last weekend, a friend on Instagram (@justbeeing_maryjane) offered some of her unused journals to followers -- she posted pictures of the journals with a number on each one.  If we saw one we liked, we were to message her ... the first one to reply would receive that particular journal.  I chose one and Mary Jane messaged me when it was on the way.  I expected a journal in a mailer ... wow, was it ever so much more than that. 

Back of journal I chose

Front of journal

The journal was packaged inside a sweet yellow-checked bag sealed with a pumpkin sticker.  And there was the most gorgeous autumn-themed card made by Mary Jane herself.  The details on this card are so lovely -- the tiny leaf punched out at the lower right corner, and the adorable wooden leaf tied near the top with a bit of baker's twine, and more.

To say that this happy mail made my day would be a huge understatement.  Thanks again so much, Mary Jane!

2.  Buttercup squash from a friend's garden, dropped on my porch this week.  She had five extra and asked if I could use some.  Not wanting to be selfish, I asked for two.  (I had one on hand which I'd purchased at the supermarket.)  My husband's take on this: "I would have asked for all five."  We love buttercup squash -- it's our absolute favorite.

Just a generic photo of squash, pumpkins and gourds from Pixabay

3.  Fall cooking.  It was so nice to make an oven meal this week.  Turkey loaf, baked potatoes, baked buttercup squash.  And on Sunday, for guests, I made Creamy White Chicken Chili in the slow cooker, served with gluten free buttermilk cornbread muffins.  Oh, and another night we had this Roasted Squash Medley with leftover meat loaf.  Love being able to serve these heartier foods after such a long hot summer in which one just didn't want to use the oven or serve hot meals.

White chicken chili

4.  Getting out for a walk every day this week.  This is a biggie!  Several days there was a cold wind blowing, and yesterday snow pellets were stinging our faces, but it was better than the heat and humidity of previous months.  So grateful for a congenial walking companion and a scenic walking route.

Part of our walking route

5.  The thoughtfulness of cousins.  Recently the curtains at our beloved family cottage had to be replaced.  With colorful folk-art motifs, these had been chosen by my grandmother in the 1950s and had a special place in the memories of many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  My cousin W. and his wife C. framed pieces of the aging and irreplaceable curtain fabric as keepsakes, and even made some pretty sachets from the smaller pieces.  Such a thoughtful gesture!

Framed curtain fabric

Sweet sachets.  I plan on sharing mine with my daughters.

Our beloved family summer place

There you have this week's Friday five.  I could have shared much more.  It's such a blessing to see God's goodness in our lives each and every day!

July 11 Hodgepodge

Lovely Scripture graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

 Yes, it's Wednesday again, so it's time for the Hodgepodge with Joyce and friends at From This Side of the Pond. 

Why not join in this week? Just head on over, copy the questions, then paste and answer them on your own blog.  Go back over to Joyce's to link up, and you're done!   Here are this week's questions: 

1. What's something in your house you'd like to get rid of but can't?

The awful musty odor that our old furniture takes on only when it's hot and humid outside.

2. When is the last time you experienced a sense of nostalgia? Elaborate.

Every day this week as I've been working on Christmas in July posts for my Christmas blog, I've found myself wallowing in nostalgia for the 1950s and 1960s.  Several of the posts have to do with memorabilia I've been finding as I sort and sell items from my childhood home.

3. You're only allowed three apps on your smart phone or tablet...which three do you keep?

I don't have a smart phone and have only a very few apps on my tablet.   There are really only two apps I would not want to be without: Pinterest and Instagram.  I use my jigsaw puzzles app often, too, but I could do without it.

4. July 11th is National Blueberry Muffin Day. Who knew? Do you like blueberry muffins? If you were going to have a muffin would blueberry be your choice? What's the last thing you baked?

I do like blueberry muffins (especially made with fresh blueberries and warm from the oven) but they are not my top favorite.  

If I were going to buy a muffin I would choose the raisin bran or the gingerbread variety from our local supermarket bakery. 

If I were baking muffins I might choose a banana muffin with chocolate chips, an almond joy muffin, or a raspberry almond muffin.  Here's the link for the first one: Gluten free chocolate chip banana muffins.  You can find the others in this post, along with a bunch of my other favorite breakfast recipes.

The last thing I baked was a pan of brownies last Thursday morning, to take to an event at church that evening.

Almond Joy Muffins

5. What's the biggest way you've changed since you were a child? In what way are you still the same?

Biggest and most complete way I've changed: becoming a different person since trusting Jesus as Savior.   A few of the smaller ways: I can eat eggs now (though the whites need to be mixed in); I can deal with bullies without crying; I can't walk on hot asphalt in bare feet as I used to then; I still like to read but my nose is not always in a book.

How I'm still the same -- I know I'll forget many ways, but here are a few: I still love color and beauty and nature -- only now I know Whom to thank.  I still love Christmas (only now I understand what it's all about!) and family traditions.  I still love lakes and still wish I had a cottage on a lake shore.  I still love long walks, music, wildflowers, cooking and baking. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

If you haven't visited my Christmas blog this month,  you might like to visit for Christmas in July.  I've been busily writing and scheduling posts, and just barely staying ahead of the game.  There are all sorts of ideas that might interest you.  Later in the month I'll be announcing a Christmas in July sale at my Etsy shop, too.

So ends another Hodgepodge.  Happy Wednesday!

Gluten free cranberry orange muffins

Photo from Pixabay

 For quite some time I've had "bake GF muffins" on my list.  I like to keep a container of them in the freezer to heat for a quick breakfast with coffee some mornings.  I don't have to eat gluten free, but I just feel better when I do.  I went entirely gluten free for about 3 years and was simply amazed to find that after several months, the hip pain I'd been experiencing went completely away.  Now I find that I can eat some gluten, but I quickly know if I'm overdoing it, because my joints ache.  I use gluten free pasta (the Ronzoni is the best and most economical, in my book) and pretty much any baked goods I prepare at home will be gluten free.  For cookies, cakes, muffins, and biscuits, I like to use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour* because it means I can just use my old favorite recipes, substituting this cup-for-cup for regular flour.

That's what I did with these Cranberry Orange Muffins that are an old favorite I blogged about in 2007.  These muffins also have some cornmeal in them, which is a nice bonus.  I didn't have any oranges on hand, so I used a bit of pure orange extract in place of the orange rind.  I think I used about a half teaspoon, but a little more wouldn't have hurt.  I also used dried cranberries that were already julienned so that I wouldn't need to bother chopping them.  I had bought a package of these to use in cookies, but there were some left over, so this was the perfect use for those.

These came out so well using the gluten free baking flour!  I have a container of the muffins in my freezer right now, and plan to bake more for our coffee time at church this Sunday.  Hope you will enjoy these muffins, either gluten free or regular, if you try them!

 * Don't try to use this flour for yeast breads or pizza.  It won't work and you will be sadly disappointed. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Photo from Faithfully Gluten Free

Lately I just haven't seemed to have a lot of interest in baking.  Maybe it has to do with all of the baking I did over the Christmas season!  But on Thursday I noticed a couple of overripe bananas on the counter and decided to find something simple to do with them.

I checked my folder of gluten-free recipes and, lo and behold, there was one for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.  I'd made these before and knew they were good.  I had a friend coming by for tea on Friday morning, plus I knew my hubby would enjoy these as well.

Although I don't have celiac disease, I do seem to be somewhat sensitive to gluten.  I went gluten free for several years and all of my joint pain disappeared, so I don't think it's just a coincidence.  I've found over the last couple of years that I can eat small amounts of wheat without a problem, but over Christmas I ate much more wheat than I should have.  I just didn't feel right.  So with the new year, I am trying to be much more careful.  These muffins are gluten-free and are delicious.

One of the flours called for in this muffin is oat flour.  I like oat flour but was all out.  So I substituted millet flour.  It worked admirably.  I also used dark chocolate chips in these muffins.  Mm-mmm!

In fact, anything you find at Faithfully Gluten Free will be delicious.  Jeanine absolutely has the knack of developing gluten-free recipes that taste wonderful. If you know anyone who is gluten sensitive or does have celiac disease, be sure and share this site with them.  It's a lifesaver!

Sharing these muffins, which are perfect with a cup of tea, with Bernideen's Friends Sharing Tea.

Maple-Drizzled Apple Muffins

Photo from Taste of Home

This is one of those recipes I thought I had blogged about some time ago.  Since I haven't, and since apples are abundant right now, this seems like the perfect time.

I would never really have thought about making maple-apple muffins.  It's a nice flavor combination but just not one I would necessarily have thought about in a muffin.  Then one time when we were visiting family in Elko, Nevada, we stopped in, as we often do, at Sierra Java, a favorite coffee shop.  I can no longer remember if someone recommended the maple apple muffins or if we just thought they sounded good, but that's what we ordered with our coffee.

What a wonderful flavor those muffins had!  Before leaving town, we actually bought a plastic box so we could pack a half dozen or so muffins to take home on the plane with us!  They fit nicely in a carry-on that we placed under the seat in front of us.  When we got home we froze the muffins and doled them out one at a time for as long as they lasted.

I knew the muffins had been purchased at Costco, so there would be no getting the recipe from the coffee shop.  I eventually went on line and I may have done a search for "maple apple muffins like at Costco".  It was so long ago I can't even remember.  But this is the recipe I ended up with: Maple-Drizzled Apple Muffins.  I made them and we did like them a lot.  The flavor was not exactly like the coffee shop muffins, but very, very close -- plenty close enough for us!

Then I sort of filed the recipe away and forgot about it.  Last weekend I was going through some recipes and this one came to the surface again.  I baked the muffins to enjoy for the weekend and they were so good, I thought others might enjoy them too.  I should add that this time, I skipped the maple drizzle

and the muffins were delicious without it.  But other bakers must do as they think best!

Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread

 (or muffins, as the case may be).
I promised to share the link to the recipe I used for this, so here it is: Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread.

 *The above photo is of regular Irish soda bread,  just a photo from Taste of Home.*

As I mentioned yesterday, I opted to make this gluten-free soda bread into muffins.  I was in a hurry.  I don't know why I can't learn and retain just how long certain kitchen tasks are going to take me.  I have been cooking for well over 50 years, having started young.  So I reasoned that since I didn't have time to cut margarine into the dry ingredients, I would just use oil and make these into muffins, shortening both the prep time and the baking time.  I baked the muffins for 20 minutes at 375º, but do test them to be sure.  That was just about right for mine, give or take a minute.

I don't care for caraway and didn't have any orange peel,  so I used a scant half-teaspoon of orange extract.  If I had an orange on hand, I would have used the peel.

The muffins were delicious!  In fact, they were so good that I might bake another batch today.  Not very sweet, so they are good with hearty dishes like the Irish coddle I made last night.  Good with coffee too, and I imagine they would be top-notch with tea!

Not gluten free?  You are blessed.  Sometimes I look at all of my old, beloved bread recipes and nearly cry,  thinking how good they were.  (Although thankfully, there are some wonderful recipe sites out there to make up for it.)  But anyway, if you just want a regular, and very good, Irish Soda Bread, this is the one in the picture.

Linking today with Gooseberry Patch's St. Patrick’s Day recipe round-up.

Gluten-free Buttermilk Corn Muffins

Photo by The Baking Beauties

A month or so after I stopped eating wheat, someone gave me a used gluten-free cookbook.  Most of the recipes were pretty good, and for a long time it was my go-to source for gluten free recipes.  One of them was a cornbread recipe which I baked often.

After finding The Baking Beauties , I entered a whole new world of gluten-free baking.  As I've said before, Jeanine just seems to have a gift for developing recipes that are gluten free but don't taste like it.  One day I wanted to make cornbread but just didn't want to take the time, so I took a moment to do a search and see if Jeanine had a corn muffin recipe.  She did, and this is it: Buttermilk Corn Muffins
.
I tried the recipe and found that these muffins are simply delicious; I have served them to company who never knew they were gluten free. I do change a couple of things which makes them a wee bit healthier and does not affect the taste. Instead of 1/2 cup butter, I use 1/3 cup canola oil. And I use only 1/3 cup sugar rather than 2/3. I keep these in a plastic bag or container in the freezer. When I need a quick muffin to accompany soup, I just heat one in the microwave for 25 seconds and it tastes fresh baked!

And I should add that I have also poured this batter into a pan and made it into cornbread when I am in a hurry.  It has to bake for longer than the muffins, but is quicker to make with no muffin tins to fill.

Gluten-free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Photo by The Baking Beauties

I try to keep gluten-free muffins on hand in the freezer.  As I mentioned in the post about raisin bran muffins, up until I found The Baking Beauties , I was having a difficult time finding good gluten free muffin recipes.  I found one fruit muffin recipe that tasted good and just kept making that over and over, using different fruits.  However, since finding Jeanine's site, I have great choices to try for muffin recipes.  She has recipes for several varieties of baked doughnuts, too -- yum!

This gluten free banana chocolate chip muffin recipe is delicious and a great use for leftover bananas.  I used milk chocolate chips (rather than semi-sweet) because I just really like the taste of milk chocolate and bananas together.  Hope your family enjoys these muffins if you try them!

Gluten-free Raisin Bran Muffins

Photo by The Baking Beauties

 In my wheat-eating days, one thing I loved was raisin bran muffins -- especially the ones from the supermarket bakery!  I would often get one to enjoy with coffee as a reward after all of the groceries were put away.

Sadly, they seemed off-limits now.  In fact, I had only found one gluten free muffin recipe that I liked.  And even it was sort of squishy and soft -- not really my sort of muffin, but I baked them anyway because I missed muffins so much.  It was far better than nothing.

Then I found The Baking Beauties.  Jeanine's recipes have not let me down yet.  I was delighted to find her recipe for gluten free raisin bran muffins  When I first tried them, I had no rice bran or flax, so tried them as some suggested using quick oats for the bran or flax component.  Excellent!  They tasted just like oatmeal muffins I'd made years ago and loved.

Next time, I used ground flax for the entire amount of flax/bran called for.  Delicious!  They are very close to my old favorite raisin bran muffins.  Maybe your family would enjoy them too!

Blueberry Coconut Muffins

My dad's blueberry bushes are producing some yummy fruit right now and so I just had to make some muffins.  Thankfully the weather was cool enough for baking.  I made a batch of regular blueberry muffins for everyone else and then a batch of gluten free ones for myself.  I keep them in a covered plastic box in the freezer and heat them up one by one as needed.

This is the recipe I used: Gluten Free Fruit Muffins.  It is the tried and true recipe from King Arthur that I love.  I skip the streusel topping as it is just not necessary.  So for these I added 1 and 1/2 cups blueberries and then, on a whim, I added about 3/4 cup of flaked coconut.  The muffins turned out perfectly!  Perhaps your family would enjoy them, too.

Gluten-free fruit muffins

(Photo by kingarthur.com)

Here is a recipe I tried before we went on our getaway.  We always like to get a couple of those large grocery-store muffins  [I know, I know.  Most unhealthy!] to take along and enjoy with coffee, and of course that was out for me this time since I have stopped eating wheat.  I tried this recipe from the King Arthur web site: Gluten Free Fruit Muffins and took a few of those along instead.  They were very good!

The recipe calls for a streusel topping, but I chose to leave it off to save time and calories.  I'm sure it would be good, but the muffins were tasty enough that a topping really wasn't necessary.  The recipe calls for either blueberries or chopped apples, but I chose to use raspberries and was pleased with the result.  Other variations, such as cranberry orange, were suggested and I think they would be wonderful as well.  This is one of the best gluten free baking recipes I have tried!

2-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins

(Photo from Diary of a Working Mom)

Just had to share this recipe link:  2-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins.  Hard to believe, but yes, there are only two ingredients -- a can of pumpkin and a spice cake mix!  Nothing else.  If you grow and cook your own pureed pumpkin, use 2 cups of it, as that's about how much is in a can of pumpkin.  I did sprinkle some cinnamon chips on top of my muffins, as I had a few of those to use up.  They would also be good with chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or cinnamon-sugar on top.  I was only able to make a dozen muffins from the recipe, which stated it would yield 15. We liked these a lot.  They are flavorful and nice and moist.  Not quite as good as a from-scratch pumpkin muffin, but very tasty!

Favorite Ingredients Friday for September 14

Today I'm going to share a very favorite muffin recipe I've been making for years. It seems like a nice treat for fall.

DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cardamom, optional
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
Melted butter and cinnamon-sugar for top

Sift together the first 7 ingredients; set aside. In a bowl, combine
the oil, egg, and milk; stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
Batter will be lumpy. Place batter in 12 greased muffin cups, filling
the cups only half full. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 20 to 25
minutes until golden brown. While muffins are still hot, remove from
tins and dip the tops in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. Place
on a wire rack to cool, or serve immediately. 1/4 cup margarine will be
more than enough for dipping the muffins.

Yield: 12 muffins

These are probably our very favorite muffins in our family. They are
quick and easy to make.

** If you don't have cinnamon-sugar on hand, you can do this: Mix 3/4
cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Use what you need for this recipe;
store the remainder in a jar or tin for future use. **

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Here are some yummy muffins that I made this week to have along with chicken soup for supper one night. I've been making these for years, but it had been a while. These have a nice compact texture, thanks to the cornmeal, and a lovely cranberry-citrus flavor.

CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS

1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Sugar for tops (optional)

In a small bowl, stir together the cranberries and 2 tablespoons sugar.  Using a hand chopper, chop the cranberries until they are as fine as you like.  Chopping them with the sugar is much easier than chopping just the cranberries, for the sugar keeps your chopper from sticking to the berries as much.  Stir in the boiling water. Let stand while proceeding with recipe.
 
Heat oven to 400º. Sift together flour, cornmeal, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add milk and oil; beat until smooth. Stir in the orange peel and the
cranberry mixture. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients until just combined. 

Divide batter evenly among 12 greased muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with sugar,  if desired. Bake at 400º for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool several minutes before removing from cups. 

Yield: 12 muffins.

I don't remember where this recipe came from, but it's been in my handwritten cookbook for years. When my mother-in-law worked nights, she often stopped by our house for breakfast. This was a favorite baked treat to serve to her with coffee.