Orange Poppyseed Muffins

A variation on a classic muffin these Orange Poppyseed Muffins with bring you a burst of citrus and Spring in your step!

Orange Poppyseed Muffins

Citrus is in abundance right now and what better way to use all the bright flavors it gives to you than to put it into your baked goods.  We are going to take the ever popular Lemon Poppyseed Muffin and give it a twist. Juicy oranges create a bright flavor that's hard to resist and they turn these breakfast muffins into something special.

Muffins are part of the quick bread family.  They are EASY to make!  You don't need a mixer to make muffins.  No, No! no creaming of the butter and sugar here as this is not meant to be a perfect cake.  One bowl will do!  Done in under 30 minutes, and you have a wonderful baked item on your table. 

What Ingredients do I need?

• eggs
• milk
• orange zest
• canola oil
• flour
• sugar
• baking powder
• salt
• poppyseeds

What different ways can I serve muffins?

• breakfast
• brunch
• snacks
• with coffee or tea
• dessert
• perfect for grab and go breakfast or snack
• bridal showers
• baby showers
• garden tea parties

Substitutions and Variations

• Vary the type of orange you use.  I use Cara Cara.  Navel would be another perfect orange.
• Use Tangerines as your citrus
• You can do 1/2 the amount of flour in whole wheat flour if you like
• Use a sugar substitute suited for baking if you like.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• 1st rule of them when making muffins is not to "overmix" the batter.  You want it batter to just come together.  Little spots of flour is okay.
• To get high muffin tops turn your oven up to 400 degrees.
• Make sure you are using fresh baking powder.  To test put 1/2 teaspoon into 1/4 cup of boiling water.  If it bubbles, you are good.
• Purchase a 6 well muffin tin for small batches.
• Double the recipe for 12 muffins.
• Muffins can be frozen individually and kept for 3 months.
• Fill the muffin tin almost to the top for nice big muffins.

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Orange Poppyseed Muffins

yield:  6 muffins

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon poppyseeds

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 6 well muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

To a large bowl add the egg, milk, canola oil, and orange extract.  Whisk to combine.  Add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and orange zest to the bowl.  Stir until just combined.  Do not overmix.  Fold in the poppyseeds.

Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter evenly among the 6 muffin wells.  Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown and set.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.  Serve.

Other Muffin recipes you may like:

• Mexican Hot Chocolate Muffins
• Cherry Almond Muffins
• Celebration Muffins
• Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins
• Strawberry Sour Cream Muffins
• Three Citrus Muffins

Tangerine Ricotta Toast with Strawberries and Honey

Country bread that's toasted golden is topped with a blend of ricotta and tangerine, then topped off with sliced strawberries and a drizzle of honey.  Move over avocado toast, ricotta toast is here!

Tangerine Ricotta Toast with Strawberries and Honey

Spring is almost here and it's time to start introducing some lighter meals into our daily menus.  Today's post is a wonderfully light breakfast idea that's extremely easy to make.  As an alternate to spreading butter or cream cheese on your morning toast why not try some ricotta cheese that gives your a burst of protein?  Ricotta is a wonderful fresh cheese that is great as a spread mixed with a little tangerine zest for a burst of flavor, then topped with some fresh strawberries and a drizzle of honey for sweetness.  What a great way to eat toast!

Be sure to come up with your own varieties of ricotta toast as the there is no limit but your imagination.  With all the fresh fruits that are coming up in this season you can make a different ricotta toast every day!

What ways can you serve ricotta toast?

• Perfect for breakfast
• Great as a snack
• Dessert
• Made savory as an appetizer
• Great for brunch
• Perfect for bridal or baby showers
• Garden tea menu item

What Ingredients do I need?

• Ricotta cheese
• A Tangerine or Orange
• Strawberries
• Honey
• Country Bread

Substitutions and Variations

• Any berry or chopped fruit can be substituted for the sliced strawberry topping
• Mix in fresh herbs with the ricotta for a savory spread
• Mix in any citrus zest with the ricotta
• Go savory and top with sauted mushrooms or grape tomatoes 
• Use different types of bread such as a french baguette, pumpernickel, or whole grain

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Use the freshest ingredients for the best results since this is all about uncooked freshness
• Cut your toast on the diagonal for cut toast points
• Make crostini from a french baguette for smaller appetizer portions
• There are no right or wrong ways to make this toast - use your imagination!

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Tangerine Ricotta Toast with Strawberries and Honey

serves 4

4 slices Country Bread

1/3 cup fresh Ricotta cheese

zest of one tangerine (or orange)

6-8 strawberries sliced

honey for drizzling

Toast the bread slices and cut in half.  

In a small bowl add the ricotta cheese and the zest of the tangerine (or orange).  Stir until combined well.

Spread the ricotta on each bread slice.  Top with sliced strawberries and then drizzle with honey.  Serve immediately.

Hot Ham and Swiss Pockets

Ham and Swiss cheese just go together, but put it in a flaky puff pastry pocket and you have one hot delectable lunch!

Hot Ham and Swiss Pockets

I have another wonderful lunch idea for you that easy to put together.  I love my lunchtime sandwiches and even better is when it is a hot sandwich.  This one is the ultimate flavor combination of scrumptious ham and Swiss cheese, hot and melty, and baked inside a delicate puff pastry pocket.  Yum!  A take on a classic hot Ham and Swiss sandwich, but soooo much better!

This sandwich is very easy to put together with the help of store bought puff pastry, deli ham and sliced Swiss cheese.  You really just need to cut out some squares for the crusts and assemble.  Throw them in the oven to bake and your sandwich will puff into heavenly goodness!  We served these for lunch but they would make a great dinner item, or make them tiny into bite size appetizers.  They are fabulous any way  you serve them.

How do you serve them?

• For lunch with a side salad and fruit
• As a light dinner with a bowl of soup and a side salad
• As an appetizer, just make the pockets into smaller sizes

What Ingredients do I need?

• Puff pastry (I use a 5x5" pastry squares that I found at a Middle Eastern Market - see picture.) Pepperidge Farms are readily available.

• Spicy Brown Mustard
• Deli Ham slices
• Swiss Cheese slices
• Egg

Substitutions and Variations

• Use Honey Ham or Black Forest Ham
• Use Turkey instead of Ham
• Use Pastrami instead of Ham
• Use Gruyere Cheese
• Use Dijon Mustard
• Use Mayonnaise instead of Mustard
• Mix Spicy Mustard and Mayo together
• Add in some spinach
• Add in tomato slices
• Make a turkey, mushroom, Swiss pocket

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• NOTE: The recipe doesn't have amounts for the ham and Swiss cheese.  I bought 1/2 lb of ham and a package of sliced Swiss.  I used 2-3 slices of ham and 1-2 slices of cheese per sandwich.  Estimate what you would like, but keep in mind if you stuff them too much you will have more difficulty sealing them and the possibility of the filling oozing out!
• Use a pizza wheel to easily cut the pastry dough
• I used 5x5" squares, you can use any size you want.  
• You can also take on pastry square and place the filling on half and fold it over for triangle pockets
• Make small triangle appetizers
• Another method would be to leave a large puff pastry sheet whole, layer on the ingredients, place the top sheet over and bake.  Once baked then you can cut squares or slices to your liking.
• Watch the puff pastry when it's baking so that it doesn't get too brown or burn on top.
• To make an egg wash just add a little water to an egg and beat together.

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Hot Ham and Swiss Pockets

1 package frozen puff pastry, defrosted 
Spicy Brown mustard
deli ham, sliced
Swiss cheese, sliced
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 

Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board.  Cut in to squares about 5x5".  Cut 2 squares per sandwich and make as many as you like.  Place the bottoms on the sheet pan and brush the center with the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Place several slices of ham and then 1-2 slices of cheese, also leaving a 1-inch border. 

Brush the border with the egg wash using a pastry or silicone brush.  Place the second sheet of puff pastry square on top, lining up the edges.   Crimp the edges together using the fork tongs.  Brush the top with egg wash and cut two small slits in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.  

Bake for 18-20, or until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes, slice on the diagonal and serve.