September is here, another Summer has come to an end.
September marks the end of Summer and the beginning of a new fresh start. As I wrote before, I have a hard time letting go of the beautiful sunshine and amazing mood of Summer, with it’s long starry nights and sandy feet on the beach. Goodbye flip flops and goodbye straw hats, see you next year!
September is one of my favorite months.
The sun is so warm and ripe, the bees so busy and the Aster so pretty in the fields. September is the month of sniffling noses in the morning, of the cool air at night that makes me want to start baking again, reminds me of the deliciousness of a busy kitchen full of delightful smells. Soon the apples will start falling from the trees and the fun will start: apple cakes, apple muffins, apple galettes, apple pancakes and so on. Fall is on its way and Fall is the time to start baking!
This is why, today, on a lovely, sunny day I got the inspiration to bake some Lemon walnut muffins. My son is about to turn 13 and lately it seems impossible to satisfy his hunger. When, this afternoon, I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 4 p.m., I quickly came up with a snack idea, that I knew, my son would love. He is a great muffin lover and this recipe is called Muffin Madness. I guess the name says it all.
MUFFIN MADNESS: Lemon walnut muffins
Basic wet ingredients
2 Large Eggs
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 cup Vegetable
3/4-1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Lemon, zest and juice
Basic Dry Ingredients
2 Cups Unbleached White Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 cup Walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and walnuts. Spoon the batter into oiled standard muffins tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. (If you are using mini muffin tins,bake for 10 to 15 minutes.) A knife inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.
These muffins will keep in a sealed container for 3 to 4 days, if they escape being devoured hot from the oven!
I am feeling very inspired now. September does this to me. I want to share a creative tip with all of you. Since the lavender is ready to be harvested in the fields, take the dry flowers off the stem, inhale the heavenly smell and gather them in a basket. Take some old cotton cloth, or muslin that you do not mind cutting up. Cut out squares of the size most convenient to your needs. Stuff the squares with lavender flowers and sew together the cloth squares, either by hand or by sewing machine. Use these lavender pillows to refresh your nicely organized closet, ready for the new school year to start!