These are my smiling little children - The boy on the left is 12 months and the girl on the right is five years. Time has passed so quickly. It is funny I can look at them both and see them just as they were in the hospital - cradled in my arms for the first time. Their eyes squinting and unadjusted to the light all around them - unaware and scared of the world they had entered into. So tiny and red. Wrinkled and scented with what seemed the essence of purity itself.










I can recall flashes of memories, mainly feelings that awaken in brief instances. A mishmash of events carried out in a haphazard fashion, standard things every mother and father goes through.

In the begining the feelings of creating such a beautiful new life overtake - the tiredness, the aching, stress. All the agony and pain of labor seems to have washed away during this brief period.

Yet as the weeks progress, like in some cruel joke, nature inflicts upon us what seems like some maddash through parental basic training - unfortunately it is not a Drill Sargent you encounter, no, it is a screaming inconsolable infant.Which in some ways is worse. And slowly you feel the sleepless hours start to take there toll.

Your body is not in the physical shape you need it to be - you are ill equipped to be inching your way through mountains of laundry and dishes. You aren't ready to shimmy up the stairs, now starting to feel like a rope climb. Nor do you want to do laps around the house for forgotten infant equipment, that you think will somehow (hopefully) appease this baby. Nights turn into days as this baby turns your schedule topsy turvy. He has needs, and yours are trivial at best.....
And he has made his presence known.

But just like everything else, days turn into weeks and then into months, and that little screaming bundle of chaos grows into a babbling, toddling little person. One who can add the sweetest moments to your daily ritual. The days and nights slowly regain there proper momentum, and bedtimes are now a real thing to look forward to. Even though the demanding has changed from screaming into a more direct form, it somehow makes it more palatable.


I feel something that must be what only a mother's love can feel like --- the light in my children's eyes now blankets my heart, like I once swaddled and blanketed them. And when life's struggles and stresses creep in, and disrupt my mood - I can look at their faces and feel an instant wave of warmth, of joy rush over me and I can soldier on another day.

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | mom bloggers | mothers day | parenting | childbirth | mothers love | infants | about parenting | flickr |

When I experience something of taste worth noting, I archive it within the catacombs of my taste memories. There it is tagged and filed away - until there is new life breathed into it again, on some chance encounter with my taste buds.






My palate has slowly matured. I wasn't always one to remark on how great a microbrew was. But now I appreciate the bold, earthy and spicy undertones contained in the hoppy liquid. I appreciate the complexities of each type of brew. And every now and again these same taste memories resurface like amber ghosts haunting me with unequaled sweetness. I begin to ache for another chance - another dance with this foamy goodness.

My palate of course has not singled out microbrews exclusively, in it's maturity. I have taken on all types of complex tastes and textures not attractive to me in my younger years. This point is my life is very enlightening and I have entered a culinary awareness that rivals anything else I have experienced.

As humans we are drawn toward things we have noted in our brains - things which have left a good impression on our psyche. We cherish the taste memories stored there. And in bad times or discontent we call upon them again to boost our spirits, to remind us of comfort and joy.
A persons palate can only exceed his grasp, and for me living on a family budget means that not all my culinary whims are satisfied. For people who are also attending school this can mean even more cost saving measures. And as the economy becomes more and more disheveled, many of our budgets will continue to grow tighter.

This is a hard reality for me as a food blogger. Mainly from two different perspectives A.) I love food and I am very passionate about the actions leading up to the final product - it pains me to not be able to create more artistic creations at home, due to cost restrictions. B.) Once your blog enters the realm of "foodie-o-sphere" there is an unwritten expectation from readers and foodie peers to create and post pictures of your latest food masterpieces. Also I am unable to participate in all the food community challenges, which leaves me feeling isolated from my foodie peers.

The cost aspect that doesn't affect me however , is that I am not worried about having "trendy" kitchen gadgetry or appliances, I have always been thrifty in that way. I love to thrift shop for tools. I have found high end tools for a few dollars a piece. It is a great feeling to find a $60 tool for that price. The great thing about thrift stores is that people donate kitchen ware they bought on a whim / got as a gift , and never used. So most things are in great shape. I have a source that restaurants donate to, so you get high quality stock pots and stainless tools.

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | food bloggers | recipe | internet | bad economy | microbrews | pastry | photoblog | flickr |

Here are a list of Croissant related posts from Renaissance Culinaire:


Renaissance Culinaire Related Posts:

• Baking Theory Notes: Fermentation Chemistry
• The Story of The Croissant
• Technique: Shaping Croissants
• Technique: Chocolate croissant
• Walnut croissant & French turn overs
• Formula/recipe: Croissant with a starter
• My first competency has come and gone...
• Quotes from a pastry master...
• baking 101
  

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | bakign history | recipe | internet | croissant | dessert | pastry | photoblog | flickr |

The Publisher has been notified. All 5 of
the winners of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book Challenge were notified by email.
For the first contest conducted on Renaissance Culinaire, it went very
well. I will do this again soon when I have the opportunity.

I really appreciate everyone who took the time to follow the contest rules and that had kind comments to make. Thanks to everyone who featured a link on their site also.








The contest is over and the random drawing, thanks to random.org has come and gone.

Now to officially announce the winners:

1. Dan, of MN
2. Mark ,of IL
3. Curtis, of TX
4. Karin, of MN
5. Amy, of OH
   

CONGRATULATIONS!!


The publisher was forwarded the winners info, including email - in case she wants to verify your shipping address. You will then be shipped your brand new copy of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. Happy Baking!


I have created a little graphic if any of the winners would like to display a link in their blog post about winning the contest.



This is what it will look like on your site:















Copy & paste this code into your site template:


<a href="http://abstract2collective.blogspot.com/2008/05/and-winners-are-drum-roll-please.html" title="I won the Sweet Melissa Cookbook Challenge"><img alt="I won the Sweet Melissa Cookbook Challenge" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_JTFz14rWGzs/SBrB9frgv-I/AAAAAAAAAKU/gHL_oAhua2A/s200/250+seal.gif" /></a>





This is what it will look like on your site:










Copy & paste this code into your site template:


<a href="http://abstract2collective.blogspot.com/2008/05/and-winners-are-drum-roll-please.html" title="I won the Sweet Melissa Cookbook Challenge"><img alt="I won the Sweet Melissa Cookbook Challenge" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_JTFz14rWGzs/SBrBu_rgv9I/AAAAAAAAAKM/8And1-lme7s/s400/115seal.gif" /></a>




Related Posts:

• Contest : Cookbook For 5 Lucky Random Winners

• Review: Sweet Melissa Baking Book
• Hot Pepper Gingerbread Muffins with Orange-Maple Butter

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | cookbook contest winners | recipe | contests | The Sweet Melissa Baking Book | dessert | pastry | photoblog | flickr |

Thanks to *GigiAzevedo* for use of this photo.


Which 5 RANDOM contestants will emerge victorious and win the ultimate prize? A FREE Cookbook? We will find out Tommorow!


Thanks to everyone who participated! The contest is going smoothly. If you haven't entered The Sweet Melissa Baking Book Challenge yet, you need to do so before Midnight 04/30/2008 , tonight!

To enter the contest - just bookmark http://abstract2collective.blogspot.com (click on the links) to : (stumbleUpon ) (add it to del.) (Digg it!) (add to technorati favs ) or (blogroll it) . You can also see the original post.

Once you have added Renaissance Culinaire to any one of these 5 sites, email me at renaissanceculinaire [at] gmail [dot] com with :

1. your name
2. user name on the bookmark site you used
   

There is a link at the bottom of this post, which reads "contact me" -you can also use that.

All contestants will be assigned a number, and those numbers will be entered into a processor at random.org to create truly 5 random winners.

GOODLUCK!



Related Posts:

• Contest : Cookbook For 5 Lucky Random Winners

• Review: Sweet Melissa Baking Book
• Hot Pepper Gingerbread Muffins with Orange-Maple Butter

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | savory | recipe | internet | bread | dessert | pastry | photoblog | flickr |

Allot of people when they think of their industry, they think of big corporate outcroppings and a managerial team. Society and data tells us this is the way to money and success. While monetarily this may be true, what if you are looking for personal success? The kind of success not measured by your bosses' attendance sheet?

Have you ever wondered about having your own business? Not everyone is geared for the roles a business owner plays: Owner / advertiser / footman /On-call employee / Marketer / accountant --- the list goes on and on. Once you commit to your business - you are fully vested. Fully vested - meaning all your output, whether emotional / intellectual / physical / financial, is going toward your business. Most businesses require to be vested in all of the above, to truly function successfully. If you are not committed to this requirement, your business most likely will fail.


I have been thinking allot about my goals in life and I am currently researching (heavily) the process of having a baking related business, in Oregon, in my home. The official license and term for a home bakery is : Domestic Kitchen Bakery.

Currently there are 152 Licensed Domestic Bakeries in Oregon. Considering there are over 3,700,000 residents of Oregon, and 580 commercial bakeries operating in Oregon, the market is not what I would consider "flooded" with domestic bakeries .

If you got to the oregon.gov website and search "Domestic Kitchen Bakery", you will get a page of links pointing you to Commercial Bakery requirements. So much for key word specific searching. This is not very factual or pertinent to your search.

In order to get to the actual Domestic Kitchen Bakery requirements - you need to Download the pdf form. Or you can read it directly from http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/.....domkit.pdf

I found this pdf extremely helpful because it is geared for the home bakery and not intermixed with commercial bakery requirements. Also something else to consider - research your county specific regulations also, certain counties may have different requirements.

As for requirements for applying and obtaining a Domestic Kitchen Bakery, your kitchen must be in accordance with these rules (OAR 603-025-0200) :

• Doors - doors must be closed during business hours.
• People - No one besides the licensee or employees, may be engaged in production of your product.
• Children - No babies or kids allowed in the kitchen during business hour.
• Domestic activity (outside of business) - All activities must be completed before the hours of business / production starts.
• Pets - No pets allowed in kitchen during operating hours.
• Storage - Separate closed storage is required for your ingredients used in production. This must be separate from your home pantry items (i.e a separate cabinet) , and also use of a separate refrigerator. No medical supplies or cleaning agents are allowed to be stored in the licensed kitchen.
  
• All kitchens will be available for inspection by the food inspector 8 a.m to 5p.m weekdays or during other production times.
• All kitchens must have a usable water supply. If you have a well that water must be tested by a certified lab and test results sent to the food inspector, in order to be licensed.
• Packaged foods are required to be labeled with - Name of product, net weight, ingredient statement and address of the producer.
• No use of commercial equipment - not limited to hobart mixers, commercial ovens will be used - domestic equipment shall be used ONLY.
  

You can contact the Food Safety Division Office in Salem, OR for more info : (503) 986-4720. License duration is 1 year. If you move locations mid-year while under license - you MUST apply for another one. The Domestic Kitchen License is non-transferable.

License fees are as follows :

If your business annually produces Gross Sales of :

1. $0 - $50,000 fee = $146
2. $50,001 - $500,000 fee = $208
3. $500,000 - $1,000,000 fee= $312
4. $1,000,000,001 - $5,000,000,000 fee = $468
5. $5,000,000,000 - $10,000,000 fee = $624
6. Greater than $10,000,000 fee = $780

I will be adding future articles about Domestic Kitchen bakery business information, so please subscribe to my site feed.

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | savory | domestic kitchen bakery | internet | bakery business | researching home business | bakery in oregon | license fees | oregon |

In an effort to reawaken my poetry writing, I will be featuring a food photo that inspires me, then let the words that stem from that image fall onto the page. Enjoy! Comments welcomed and appreciated.




Muscular and artistic hands -
weaving the magic we call presentation.

I see the art,
fashioned of edible sculpture.

Your formulations
are
the
holy scripture.

you are profit of the palate,
to
your
unwavering congregation.

cutouts of cake, bases;
the pulpit
from
which
you preach
your decadent wisdom.

Dripping, oozing
thinning sauces.

Prepping, squeezing;
till heavenly visions
are realized.

Tuiles, chocolate decorations;
An offering
of snap,
of crispy symmetry;
Oh lovely visual revelations.

Is it enough to paint those lines,
to chase perfection
to gain
culinary
holy ground?




Amber © April 26 2008. My poetry. All rights reserved. No copies or reproductions shall be made without my permission.

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | food poetry | food photography | internet | plated desserts | dessert | pastry | photoblog | flickr |

I am having a contest! The first one in a series of many to come. The winners will all receive a new copy of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. You can read the review of this book here.


Once all emails have been submitted to me, I will use Random.org , to choose the final 5 winners. This will create a true random selection. For the sake of your privacy , I won't enter your email addresses into this sites form, because it is not secure, I will assign numbers to each email I receive. Then use the numbers to draw the random winners.

The rules are simple:

1.) You must click on the links below to submit this site to any of these 5 bookmarking sites:

del.icio.us Digg.com Technorati Favorites

Blogroll Me Stumble Me

2.) Once you have submitted Renaissance Culinaire using one of the above links, please email me with an email that you check often:


renaissanceculinaire [at] gmail [dot] com
Email me :

• Your real name (first name is fine)
  
• User name of the bookmarking site you used.

The Deadline is April 30th

Once the results have been collected, I will email the 5 winners to get their name and address information. This will then be sent to the publisher who will ship them right out to you.



Good Luck!



Related Posts:

• Review: Sweet Melissa Baking Book
• Hot Pepper Gingerbread Muffins with Orange-Maple Butter
  

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | contest | recipe | internet | cookbook | social networking | The Sweet Melissa Baking Book | cookbook giveaway | flickr |

On first glance, this book is a slightly smaller than the average
glossy cookbook, you know the kind - almost ready to feature as
a coffee table book, rather than a cookbook that goes on your shelf.
That kind of cookbook has really become a standard trend.

Unlike allot of other cookbooks, The Sweet Melissa Baking Book gets right to the point. There is no lengthy forward, just a few pages mentioning Melissa
Murphy's schooling and where she has gotten her restruant experience.
She explains her love of baking and why she bakes certain items at her bake shop - Sweet Melissa Patissarie in New York, which has been going strong for 10 yrs .

Reading the forward is enough to make you love this cookbook even more. The forward really sets the tone, and you began to see Melissa's thoughtfulness shine through in each and every recipe she features in this book. The recipes are all easy to follow and have detailed instructions from the procedure, through baking of the final product.

When it comes to cookbooks the trend is to have a glossy full size picture on every other page. This sometimes can deter the purpose of a cookbook - to showcase the recipe it's self. The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is mainly recipes, with a short insert of assorted glossy pictures, but the pictures in noway detract from the main purpose of this cookbook.

As for skill level, I would say that this book is great for all skill levels --- just pack a love of baking and an attention to details, so your recipes will come out just as yummy as they sound in this book.

As you start to delve into the contents, you will notice throughout the book Melissa offers her commentary with personal antidotes on how she feels about the baked goods, she features in each chapter. Also throughout the book there are special notations with instructions to "do it like the pros".


Highlights of this cookbook by Chapter:

01 The first section offers a fine selection of Quick breads, muffins, scones and other breakfast fare.

"...I've realized that it may seem odd to some of you to to eat dessert for breakfast...so I disguised it. But who are we kidding? You love sticky buns first thing in the morning just as much as I do!" - Melissa Murphy on Dessert for Breakfast.

My favorite recipes from this section include: Hot Pepper Muffins with Orange Maple Butter ; Guinness Gingerbread; and Raised Waffles with warm brown sugar bananas.

01a Prefaced with a story of her childhood involving her older brothers tricking her into eating creme donuts that had the least amount of creme, and her disappointment in the lack there of . She devoted this section to creme filled sweet buns - spawned from her love of donuts, but lack of equipment in her bake shop to fry them, she ingeniously created a great formula to bake in the oven.

" I Love the resulting compromise - sweet tender brioche style buns filled with pastry cream then dipped in honey caramel...Mm-mm-mm-yummy!" - Melissa Murphy on Bee Stings.

She outlines the formula for both the sweet buns and the pastry creme.

02 Devoted to yummy after school treats cookies and brownies - such as Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies, Black Bottom Brownies, and Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints.

"..The highlight of my day I remember was ...just baked batch of my favorite cookies. "- Melissa Murphy on After School Snack

03 Features a Step by step guide to assemble, crumb coat and frost a layer cake. Filled with tantalizing layer cakes , complete with lovely frostings and the fillings to accompany them.

"..one thing is for sure: You have to start with a great cake. This is essential, and to me, the best part." - Melissa Murphy on Special Layer Cakes

These recipes can all be used for wedding cakes, without any special formulation, just double or triple the recipes for more layers.

04 This section has many crust recipes. Your mouth will water when you read the titles of these recipes for various pies, tarts and and a master recipe for preserves. Examples are: Pear Cranberry Pie with Ginger Snap Crust, Strawberry-Ruby Grapefruit preserves.

05 Luscious recipes for puddings, Specialty Pies, Cheesecakes and more. Just read some of the titles : Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with Cornmeal Crumble Crust, Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake with Blackberry Glaze, Pumkin Bread Pudding with Caramel-Rum Glaze.

"My mom made dessert to end our meal, but she always made it on Sundays...you could smell it at the end of the driveway...she knew how to get her children to the..table" - Melissa Murphy on Sunday Suppers Grand Finale

06 The Last section deals with gifting of homemade candies, brittles and truffles.

" ..recipes in this chapter are even more special for gift giving because these are things people rarely make themselves. Honey Cream Caramels, Butterscotch Pralines, Peanut butter Truffles, Chocolate Peppermint Meringues---You can't buy these presents." - Melissa Murphy on Favorite Gifts

I think that The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is a purchase well spent. It will become a favorite addition to any cookbook or baking library.




Related Posts:

• Hot Pepper Muffins with Orange Maple Butter
• Contest : Cookbook For 5 Lucky Random Winners
  

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | contest | recipe | internet | cookbook | social networking | The Sweet Melissa Baking Book | cookbook giveaway | flickr |

|

I took these shots over a span of 2 years. There is allot of emotional attachment to them. It is about food. It isn't about people who were captured - their poses frozen in time. No, it is about the way I captured these images. I was a newly amateur photographer who was obsessed at getting enough pictures to fill my memory card at the end of the night. I have heard people say "you can't take decent pictures with a digital point and shoot, or anything under 8mp", that opinion is ridiculous.

When I first started taking pictures, I had this little point and shoot digital camera, it had only 3 mp. I got to know the limits of my camera by experimenting heavily in different lighting, conditions etc. I found what worked and I pushed those limits of my little camera, with sometimes amazing results. Then I moved on to a camera with more control, larger lens capacity and full manual functions, a digital with 5 mp. Not all my shots are great, but allot of the subject matter makes them unique. I like the irregularities in photographs --- liken it to the cracks and pops you hear when you play a vinyl record.

Taking pictures of food is an even harder media to work with. If you are looking for ways to better your food photographs, I suggest you start with the basics --- take lots of pictures of non-food related objects. Experiment - go outside, take pictures in the sunshine, pictures of objects with the sun behind them. Take photographs in the rain (not literally - stand under an overpass or porch. Get used to shadows and capturing the right color spectrum. If you have a digital, try using the "live view" LCD , this will help you visually see the way the lens reacts to different angle and light changes.

Get accustomed to what situation calls for flash - flash can either make or break a picture. Try taking the same picture from different angles and lengths using the flash at different points, then compare what works best.

When you have truly gotten to know your camera, then try taking pictures of food. You will now have a reference point to go back to and say - "right, my camera can capture this better from that angle". Then slowly you can introduce props .

I have found it is better to take a "on the fly" approach when capturing food production, no props, no special lighting. But then again I like action shots. In the future I will be taking on food photography again -- and this time it will be more "posed" shots.

Inspired by a recent thread on Blog Catalog that I read this morning., I thought I would start an active digg'r blogroll.


On many blog community sites, the topic in most forums is social networking. Social networking sites connect people with like minded interests, and introduce new content that other members of theses sites have bookmarked or posted about. Popular sites with bloggers include digg, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon , twitter. These sites can boost your readership and traffic. because not only do you have links to your posts submitted - but you can add a link to your blog within your profile. If people like what you are submitting, or just want to view the profiles of other members who have given their content a boost - the gives you a potential visitor.

In the blogosphere, links are very important. Potential visitors can view links to your content they otherwise might never have been exsposed to.

Many social networking sites also allow you to add widgets to your blog, or blog post footer, which allow readers to bookmark and promote your content within each specific social networking site.

As bloggers it is very important to reach out to as wide an audience as possible. Most blog posts get very minimal exposure. Even if the content is excellent and informative - if you do not work to promote your content then the effect on readership or traffic is not seen as positively reflective of your blog. The less exposure - the least amount of readers will stumble upon your blog content. If you are trying to gain traffic then this can be a real no-win situation. Especially if you are not a frequent participant in forums or part of a Publisher / Ad network. There is however a very fine line between promoting your content and seeming spammy.

In this post I am mainly referencing digg. Members of digg submit content that they like, which is then publically displayed in different categories - so that other members can "digg" or vote for the items they like. Members may also comment on , or add each item to their favorites, or "bury" the item if they don't think it is worthy, or stupid.

If you have a blog and frequent blog community sites such as entrecard , blogcatalog, or Mybloglog , you will see many groups devoted to social networking. There are alot of forum threads posting about digg exchanges. And I am all for promoting my fellow bloggers, I will digg a post if I believe it is well written and the content is believable and informative., even if it doesn't pertain to me or my niche. I will add someone to my digg friends if they will exchange diggs with me.

But the problem with digg exchanges is that many members will post their link, expecting everyone to friend them or digg their post, but then will NOT reciprocate. This creates a rift in the digg network. Not everyone understands what or how to participate in a digg exchange. That is fine, but I am talking about the chronic non-reciprocaters.

A lot of these non-reciprocaters will post "shouts" or messages , alerting their digg "friends" un-mercilessly, about content that needs a digg. The worst offenders post shouts sometimes 5-10 times a day - all the while ignoring friends shouts and NEVER digging something shared with them. These chronic offenders can turn off a new member to the digg exchange very quickly. It is also frustrating to have to remove these people from your own digg friends lists.

So inspired by these events, I am starting a blogroll listing bloggers who actively support their blogging peers through dig exchanges and digg friending. The Active Digg'r Blogroll
not only will provide a sense of community within the blogosphere, but will also be a way of promoting member's blogs and content.

Here is the button all members will display:

| Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | savory | recipe | internet | bread | dessert | pastry | photoblog | flickr |

Thanks Darwin Bell For Use of his Photo.



I found this recipe in The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, Which I will review in a future post.

This recipe sounds so good. I love ginger and cardamom. And maple butter is one of those taste memories from childhood- my grade school would have waffle days, and they would serve these waffles made from scratch, big pale yellow round ones the size of a plate. The waffles were barely browned - so that they were soft and warm and not crusty on the outside. And on the top they would serve a scoop of fluffy maple butter, so when you spread it onto the waffle, the maple butter would sink into the individual spaces in the grid, exploding into your mouth at each bite....yumm! I have never forgot that taste.


To Make Hot Pepper Gingerbread Muffins:
Preheat oven to 350°F , use the center rack. Line your muffin tin with muffin papers (or grease / spray).
Makes 12 muffins
(you can refrigerate this batter over night if you need to, just fill your muffin tin cups, then refrigerate.)

Ingredients :

• 1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. powdered dry mustard
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 freshly ground white pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3 TBsp. freshly grated gingerroot (use a microplane - best tool for the job)
• 2/3 cup strong boiling hot coffee

Procedure:

1. In a medium bowl whisk these dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt, powdered ginger, dry mustard, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, cardamom.
   
2. You will need a kitchenaide or other electric mixer with a whip attachment. Beat eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until thick. With a slow steady pour - add the oil and molasses. Stir in the ginger.
3. On medium speed add the dry ingredients in three batches. alternate with the hot coffee, mix well after adding each ingredient. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Pour the muffin batter into the prepped muffin tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Orange Maple Butter

Ingredients:

• 8 TBsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature.
• 2 tsp. freshly grated orange zest
• 2 TBsp. pure maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp fine grain salt

Procedure:

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, zest, maple syrup and salt until smooth. Serve at room temperature.


Serve the muffins with the orange maple butter. This butter keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Allow it to soften to room temperature, whip if necessary.

The Sweet Melissa Baking Book Recipe © Melissa Murphy. All Rights Reserved.


Related Posts:

• Contest : Cookbook For 5 Lucky Random Winners
• And The Winners Are - Drum Roll Please...
  

• Review: Sweet Melissa Baking Book
  
  

  | Blogs That Flickr | Renaissance Culinaire | savory | recipe | internet | bread | dessert | pastry | photoblog | flickr |