This month is going by so fast! We’ve finished the major holidays for the month, and I’ve swept and vacuumed matzoh crumbs off the floor several times. Why the matzoh seems to gravitate towards the floor is beyond me, but it does. I also finally found a recipe that I could fuss around with for those potato muffins I wrote about. My grandmother would have been proud. I’m posting the recipe below.
Now, we’re looking forward to May and the beginnings of weather changes. I have a deliciously warm comforter on the bed. It’s red and blue and makes me feel happy and energized even when the weather is slightly off. But it’s way too warm for warmer nights. I decided to switch up the color scheme and sent for a pale aqua and sea green on white quilt. That color scheme should make me feel cooler in the midst of summer heat – at least I hope so. It’s a Laura Ashley brand so it should also make me feel as if I’m in the midst of an English village.
That reminds me -- in May we’re reading a cozy mystery that takes place in an English village. It’s by Rebecca Tope and titled A Cotswold Killing. It should be a quick and fun read. Of course, next week we meet and get to hear from our visiting author, Misty Simon aka Gabby Allan. I read Something Fishy This Way Comes, a Whit and Whiskers mystery. I enjoyed meeting Whitney and her best friend Mirabel as well as Pops and Goldy. Goldy is cleverly portrayed. She’s a bit Bohemian but also quite clever with merchandising. It makes for an interesting character study. Whit, Goldy’s granddaughter, becomes more self-confident as the novel progresses. I hope that Gabby Allan’s notion is to make this a several book series. It will be interesting to see how Whit and her boyfriend, Felix, develop their relationship, learn more about Whit’s parents, and see if Mirabel’s situation is developed. We can ask all of these questions and more when we see Gabby next week.
POTATO MUFFINS
Ingredients:
1 egg
2/3 C milk
1 ½ C all – purpose flour (or 1 C potato starch)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ C mashed potatoes
Instructions:
--Grease muffin cups (I used rendered chicken fat, but you can use whatever you prefer)
--In a bowl, beat egg and milk
--Combine flour, baking powder & salt
--Stir into egg mixture
--Fold in potatoes
--Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full
--Bake at 4000 for 30-35 minutes
--Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan
--Serve warm
While you’re waiting (or while you’re cooking, if you’re brave) for the muffins to bake, have a Rosé Aperol Spritz. It’s a fun and refreshing drink and pairs with anything, from seafood to red meat.
Ingredients:
1 sweet citrus fruit, such as orange, clementine or tangerine
3 ounces sparkling rosé, preferably rosé prosecco
2 ounces Aperol or other bitter orange liqueur
Sparkling water, seltzer or soda water
Instructions:
1. Wash the citrus well, then cut in half and cut out a slice from the center. Reserve the slice, then squeeze ½ to 1 ounce juice from the citrus halves, depending on how sweet you want your cocktail.
2. Fill a glass with ice. Add the citrus juice, rosé and Aperol and stir. Slide in the reserved citrus slice and top off with sparkling water.