THE Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

 

It's been a long time since I have found a THE recipe, but after trying for years to find a good lemon poppyseed bread/muffin, the New York Times recipe is a winner! There's a glaze in that recipe, but honestly, the texture is so good with the perfect amount of sweetness that I didn't bother making the glaze.

NYT Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

2½ cups all-purpose flour 

1½ teaspoons baking powder 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

¾ cup granulated sugar 

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly 

½ cup whole milk (I used 2%)

½ cup sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)

2 large eggs 

2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons) 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

4 teaspoons poppy seeds (I only had 1 T)

Step 1 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners. 

Step 2 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, milk, sour cream, eggs, lemon zest and juice, and poppy seeds until well combined. 

Step 3 With a large rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cups and bake until puffed and set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the muffins, in the tin, to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins and let cool completely on the rack.

Pasta with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

 I love Mel's recipes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. This one is a keeper! I made a couple adjustments to this recipe based on what I had.

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/skillet-chicken-with-broccoli-pasta-and-parmesan/

 

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares (I used the Instapot to quickly cook 3 frozen chicken breasts and then, shredded the chicken in my KitchenAid mixer)

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 medium onion, minced 

4 medium cloves garlic, minced 

½ teaspoon dried oregano 

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

12 ounces ziti or penne pasta 

3 cups water 

2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth 

4-5 cups broccoli florets (i thawed frozen broccoli so I didn't need to steam it beforehand)

½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped coarse (I used 1/2 cup of oven roasted tomatoes I froze from this summer)

¾ cup heavy cream (I used 1.5 c of whole milk)

1 teaspoon cornstarch (1 T cornstarch)

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 lemon, juiced and zested

Prepared chicken as mentioned above.

Soften onion in canola oil, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

Add the pasta, water and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes. I added the lid to my skillet. There should still be a little bit of liquid in the bottom of the skillet, but the pasta should be tender. I added water a couple times because I had pasta sticking to the cast iron skillet.

Add the broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir lightly to incorporate them into the pasta mixture. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes. While the broccoli is cooking, whisk the milk and cornstarch together. Uncover the skillet and stir in the milk, Parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and zest. Then, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, topped with extra Parmesa