Today, Chickens, I’m going to introduce you to my Dad … my Papi … my Pops. Last year I spent 9 months living with Dad, supporting him through his journey with cancer. Dad passed away in September. Our time together was special and I’m so grateful to have had the privilege to have this quality time with him. No matter what the day brought, there was always room for laughter.
My Dad was an amazing husband, father, grandfather, friend. He coached our baseball and softball teams and he never missed a recital or tournament. Dad traveled thousands of miles (literally!) to cheer on his six grandkids as well. He endured Mother Nature at soccer games and track meets and smiled proudly through ballet, violin and piano recitals and volleyball tournaments. When I was a young teen, Dad built us a beautiful cedar cabin at a local lake and we spent summers windsurfing and canoeing and playing cards for hours. As an adult, I had the pleasure of traveling to far off and wonderful places with my parents: China, Bangladesh, Nepal and Costa Rica. We had so many adventures and laughs. Through Dad’s illness, we spent many hours reminiscing about the sights, sounds and tastes of our travels.
Chemotherapy caused Dad’s taste buds to change so there was a period where he didn’t enjoy anything too sweet … don’t worry, that changed (as you’ll see in future posts!). My favorite cookbook did not let me down when I was looking for something a little more savory. I came upon this recipe for Cheddar Chive Muffins from Donna Royer of Largo, Florida. Here we go …
Cheddar Chive Muffins
1 ¼ cups milk
¾ cup mashed potato flakes
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1. In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in potato flakes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Whip with a fork until smooth; cool slightly. Transfer to a large bowl. Beat in the egg, oil and cheese. Combine the flour, sugar, chives, parsley, baking powder and salt; stir into potato mixture just until moistened (batter will be thick).
2. Fill greased muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.
First, these muffins are very flavorful! The fresh chives create such a nice, savory taste. And, they go perfectly with a big bowl of homemade soup. But the texture of the batter was very strange. Too thick, it looked like lumpy mashed potatoes. I added a bit more milk but they were still so thick, the batter didn’t really come together, the shape of the muffin didn’t change at all when baked.
Dad really enjoyed the muffins … although they looked weird, they had a lovely taste and the cooked texture was just fine.
Chickens, please give these a try and let me know what you think I might have done wrong!
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