Mini Cherry Muffins

It's been almost a week since I last blogged. I have been concentrating on making the beds for a small garden. I went to the farm Monday and brought back some shavings from the horse stalls. I have plots for lettuce and tomatoes ready now.  I planted lettuce seeds on the 16th and they are up and will be transplanted when they are about two inches tall. I haven't bought any tomato plants yet, but I am ready for them.
I have to continue working with the dirt. I have two old leaky galvanized troughs, that came from the barn, that I am going to use as planters for the mini white pumpkins. We have an old wicker etegere that has finally given up holding anything so I am going to strip the metal frame of the wicker, wire the shelves to the frame, and plant the mini pumpkins in the trough to run up on the etegere.
I also found some old tent posts in the barn that Daddy used for electric fence post at Spring Creek. They have pointed metal tips so it's easy to push them in the sand. I plan to use these as a tee pee frame for the pumpkins to run on also. I also have bamboo that I will use to make frames for the pumpkins and the loofa gourds. The loofas are going to be growing on the wooden fence running down the East side of the house.
I also have spots picked out for eggplants and squash to grow. I am thinking about planting a few okra plants too on the North side of the house. I am afraid the southern exposure will have too much wind for the stalks to stand tall. Along with herbs of oregano, parsley, sage and thyme, and rosemary and lavender that will be the contents of my garden.
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Yesterday afternoon I made some muffins for Wade to have with his coffee for breakfast. They are delicious. Here's the recipe. Have a great day.

Cherry Mini Muffins

1 1/2 cup Pecans chopped
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Butter room temp.
2 Egg Yolks well beaten
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Cake flour sifted
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder sifted with flour
2 Egg Whites, stiffly beaten
1 jar of Maraschino Cherries, drained

• Separate your eggs while they are cold set yolks aside at room temp. Set the whites back in refrigerator until you are ready to beat them.
• Set butter out until room temp
• Drain Cherries
• Chop pecans in small pieces set aside
• Sift flour and baking soda set aside
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease mini muffin tins and sprinkle chopped pecans in bottom of each. This recipe makes 36 muffins.
• Cut drained Cherries in half set aside
• Beat egg whites until stiff set aside

Cream sugars and room temperature butter together until fluffy.
Add the egg yolks and vanilla, beat well.
Slowly add sifted flour and baking powder, blending well.
Turn off mixer and fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Using a teaspoon dip the batter on top of the pecans in the muffin tins and place a cut cherry half in the center of each.

Bake for 10 mins. Remove muffins from tins and place on rack then when all are removed while still warm place in a large bowl or platter and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Allow to cool completely. Store in air tight container.

These muffins are great to carry for an early morning get together. I made them for a large group and used mini cupcake liners and instead of rolling them in powdered sugar I made a glaze with a little milk and confectioner's sugar and drizzled the tops. It's neater when you are having "finger type" food. 
The same recipe would also be good with raspberry or cranberry instead of cherry and add a little orange or lemon zest.
One of my favorite treats for myself is to go to Seaside early in the morning and go to Modica Market and get a Cranberry Orange Muffin and a cup of coffee and go to one of the pavillions on the beach and sit quietly.....may do that when the rain is gone. :)

I planted some of these day lilies this week! Can't wait to see them bloom. These pictures are from spring 2008.

Sweet Baby we called "Chrome."