Spiced Chiffon Muffins

I got the baking urge today as I was flipping through some magazines. Bon Appetit's January issue from last year had a section on traditional, comfort desserts with a twist. The recipe for Caramelized Winter Fruit Custards included in it Spiced Chiffon Muffins. I had all the ingredients, so I made them. Just the muffins, that is. The rest of the dessert, well, I'll have to plan ahead for that.

Michael seemed to love the muffins, as did I. They have ground clove in them, one of my new favorite spices. You whip the egg whites before folding them in to the batter, so they're super light and airy. I'd make them again! And please pardon me for not re-typing the recipe :)

A frost, and a dog

My garden's had a rough last couple of weeks. First, there was the frost. Three whole nights of it. I know that doesn't sound like a cold worth complaining about to those in the rest of the country, but for us, it was cold. And I had just planted my garden. So there.

The citrus trees are a wreck. The leaves are all shriveled. The more cold hardy trees fared better, and the peach is starting to turn green, so I still have hope. Maybe not for the strawberries, but the bok choy seemed to like it!

Then there was the dog. My sister's dog came to stay with us for a weekend, and let's just say she likes eating poop. I think she thought there was some cat poop in there, and she went to town. So I gave up on that seed batch, and started over yesterday. I just hope something grows. I don't care where.




On the plus side, I got a lovely present from my mommy in the mail yesterday. She sent me a book! A gardening book! With recipes! I've just read a few pages, but it's already awesome. It's called From Seed to Skillet. I'll let you know how the rest is. Thanks momma!