You Can Make Those Muffins Now- Recipe

It was a damp rainy morning in northwest Georgia. The heavy fragrance of fresh fallen leaves lingered in the air. It was one of those mornings that beckon a night owl like me to permanently disable the alarm and sleep a while longer. It was on this day a new "situation" arose. One I had not been forced to address prior to becoming a SAHD (stay at home dad).

Indulge me a bit as I give you the details. Our house is located in a small, fairly quiet sub-division. There is no such thing as a flat road here. The hills are great for coasting on a bicycle, or racing down on a skateboard, but not so fun for walking. Nevertheless, it is less than 1/8 mile to the bus stop and there is only one hill to conquer- and it is not terribly steep. For some reason, my step-son Bryce saw my staying at home as an opportunity to catch a ride to the bus stop from dear old dad on this soggy October morning.

My initial thought was, "Tough luck, buddy! Get out of bed and hoof it to the bus stop just like I did every day." I'll admit it was difficult for me to muster any sympathy for him. I walked twice as far to school as Bryce every morning, barefoot in the snow, uphill, BOTH WAYS! Wait a minute; that was my dad's speech. Growing up in suburban Detroit I walked to school in the snow from the end of October until mid-April. What about rain you say? I could not wait to get out my umbrella and walk to school in the rain! My dad was at work before I went to school and my mom had an in-home day care. They weren't able to drive me to school even if I had wanted.

Anyway, as Bryce lumbered around the house, he was grumbling under his breath about having to walk to the bus stop in the rain! Imagine the horror! I'll admit it; I was enjoying this form of indirect torture so I remained slightly aloof as he ate breakfast. Abby was up. Joe was still fast asleep. He is so much like his daddy...

Ok, fine. I gave in and gave him a ride. I just made sure he knew this was an exception. Now, I don't want you to think that I'm such a mean dad that I can't take a few minutes to give my son a ride to the bus stop. The problem is both of the little ones are usually still asleep when Bryce leaves the house in the morning. I'm really uncomfortable going any further than the mailbox with either of them still in the house - even if they are sleeping soundly.

As we pulled the Explorer back into the garage, I turned to my little princess and I asked what she would like for breakfast. Normally she asks for a biscuit, which she pronounces "spick-it," but today she wanted a muffin. And not just any muffin, she wanted the kind that you, "Put some butter on the pan, then mix the flour and sugar and then put the sugar on top when they are finished." I was impressed. I don't make muffins (she was describing Breakfast Muffins) very often, but she apparently paid close attention the few times I have- and she had "helped."

As is customary in the morning, she requested I turn on cartoons. After a little searching we found a show in which she was interested, and I sat watching with her for a few minutes. (Sponge Bob was secretly written for adults, I am sure of it) After about 5 minutes, she turned to me and sweetly, yet matter-of-factly, and said, "Um, Dad? You can get up and go in the kitchen and make those muffins for me now."

I guess she was hungry.

And in case you are now hungry as well, here is the recipe...

Topping-

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Muffins-

1½ cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1½ tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup melted butter

*Set oven to 350 degrees.

Combine ¼ cup sugar and one teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

In a bowl stir together all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg and combine with the milk and melted butter. Add to the flour mixture and stir with large spoon just until moistened. Resist the urge to ‘beat' the batter. A few lumps should remain.

Grease muffin cups with butter, or Pam non-stick spray. My kids and I like to stick our fingers in the butter and spread it around the bottom of the muffin cups. You can also use paper liners if you prefer.

Fill each muffin cup no more than two thirds full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Immediately remove from pan and dip tops in butter (about 3 tbls melted will do the trick) and then into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. These are definitely best when warm. And they are Abby approved!