Strawberry and Banana Muffin

Have you ever had a hankering for a sweet muffin in the middle of the night? Well, not so much middle of the night, but pretty late into the evening, say around 9pm? When it's a tiny bit too early to hit the sack, but too late to drag yourself off the couch, into the car, and to the store for just one market leftover muffin? That was the kind of evening I experienced when I made these.
I was perusing this recipe on one of my most frequented blogs at around 9pm. I saw the ingredients and realized I, for once, had all the ingredients (no substitutions)! Upon further analysis, I even noticed how little of each ingredient I needed. That is, instead of making a whole dozen muffins or more (let's face it, I did just want ONE), I would only be making six! That's enough for possibly a second helping tonight and another one for breakfast in the morning and for any sticky fingers that may make their way to the cake pedestal.
The recipe was so condensed, it wasn't even worth taking out a mixer! I put it all together in an individual soup bowl. Can you believe it? Minimal clean up can be added to the list. You gotta love it. Once out of the oven, my craving was satisfied with the sweet flavor and aroma of strawberry and banana and the fluffiness of a wonderful muffin.

Strawberry Banana Muffins adapted from une-deuxsenses

3/4 cup chopped strawberries

2 tbsn. agave

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 banana, mashed

2 tbsn. applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 6 muffin tins with paper liners, spray the paper liners with non stick spray (this MUST be done or else they stick to the liners like crazy), set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine the chopped strawberries and agave, let sit.

3. In the meantime, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl combine the mashed banana, egg, applesauce and vanilla.

4. Add the dry mixture to the banana mixture. Mix with a fork until just combined. Fold in the strawberry mixture then spoon into the muffin tin, filling to the top as they don't rise much.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.Enjoy!

Mini Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

I have been recovering from the summer flu this whole week. It started Sunday night and every night I would think that I would feel a lot better the next morning after a good night's rest, but I was wrong 4 out of 5 times. Many, many pills and 10 gallons of fluid later, I'm finally feeling better today and I will be back on my feet this Monday 100% and fully productive.
Did I ever mention that I'm going back to school? I'm pursuing a M.S. in Food Science at Chapman University! I was supposed to begin in the fall, but I decided to start early with summer school. I'm taking a class entitled Food Flavors on Saturdays. It's an interesting, yet unconventional class and allows me to apply my chemistry background to my liking.
It's such an exciting time in my life right now. Some of the most important people in my life are beginning new chapters in their lives as well. This fall my sig-o is going to Pharmacy school at USC and my sister just graduated high school and will be continuing her education NYU in the fall!
I recently found this blog "HowDoesShe". It's a blog collaboration of three mothers who love crafting and cooking. When I saw these mini lemon meringue cupcakes on their site, I knew I had to make them. I love all things sour and tangy, among other flavors. These were just my cup of tea. After making them, I only wished I made them the full size cupcake.

Enjoy and stay healthy!

Mini Lemon Meringue Cupcakes adapted from HowDoesShe

Cupcake
1½ cups flour ½ teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt ½ cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened 1-2/3 cups sugar, plus more for decorating

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line mini-muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup sugar and the lemon peel and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping down the sides between additions. On low speed, beat in a third of the dry ingredients, then a third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat, alternating ingredients, until the batter is smooth.

3. Spoon the batter into each liner, about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool on a rack.

Lemon Curd 3 lemons 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature 4 extra-large eggs 1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons) 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:

1. Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.

2. Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

3. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

Meringue

4 egg whites
6 tbsp. white sugar

Directions:

1. In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Assembly

Spread the lemon curd on the baked cakes. If you like, you could inject the curd straight into the cake with a piping bag and a medium sized tip. Pipe the meringue onto the cake. Place the assembled cakes on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler until the meringue has browned slightly.