Hello to everyone.  It has been quite some time since I posted, but with very good reason.  My beautiful family and I have been off caravanning for the last few months.  In fact we were away for exactly 90 days taking in the sights, sounds and beautiful landscapes of New South Wales.

This was the first of several caravan trips we plan to take over the next few years to see Australia.  Each year we will take about 3 months to explore a particular region.  For us that is a perfect length of time – not too long away from school and ‘regular routine’.  Next year we will visit Western Australia during the wildflower season.  Can’t wait!

While away, I didn’t blog about cooking but did actually blog about our adventures.  This was a great way for family and friends to stay posted of our travels.  So if you’re interested in reading more and seeing some great photos, head on over to Meandering McArthurs (I do have the last few weeks to add yet).

After being on such a great trip, I was worried about everyone settling back to ‘normality’ but it’s amazing how quickly this happened.  In fact, the weekend we were back we decided to move all the rooms around in the house and have a ‘cleanse’.  Having lived in a caravan for 3 months you realize how much ‘stuff’ you can do without.

It was also great timing as the school fete was looming and they were looking for all sorts of donations.  So far we have taken about 16 large cartons of rubbish, unused toys, magazines, books and other bits and pieces out of the house.  It’s amazing how clutter has its own breeding cycle and builds its own clutter.

Another thing that felt quite different when I first returned was the kitchen.  After preparing and cooking food in such a small space, my home kitchen felt huge (didn’t take long for that to change though).  I’ve really enjoyed getting back into the full swing of cooking since I’ve returned and have been cooking up a storm.  In fact the first night we returned home-cooked pizzas were on the menu – something we dearly missed (see Easy Pizza Dough).

I did very little baking on the trip.  The whole process of beating butter and sugar etc, etc, was just too hard in the confined space of a caravan.  Muffins were something I had planned to make as they are quick, easy and only need one bowl.  However, I discovered very early that my 12 hole muffin pan was too big for the caravan’s oven (should have checked before we left).  So that was the end of that.

I’ve made up for it since though and as it’s orange season here at the moment, I’ve made several batches of these Orange Muffins since returning.  The kids just love muffins and thanks to the buttermilk in this recipe, they are lovely and light and won’t last long.  Enjoy!

Orange Muffins

Ingredients

2 ½ cups self raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (375F) or 160C (320F) fan forced.  Grease a 12-hole muffin pan or line holes with muffin cases.

Combine the flour, sugar and orange rind in a large bowl.

In a jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, juice and egg.

Stir wet mixture into flour mixture until just combined.

Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until an inserted skewers comes out clean.

Dust with icing sugar and serve.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

• Buttermilk makes these muffins nice and light.  If you don’t have any on hand combine one cup of milk plus one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar, and allow to stand for ten minutes before using.
• Try other citrus flavours such as lemon or lime (or a combination).

It’s good to be back and I look forward to bringing you lots more cooking.  If you have any comments or feedback, please feel free to leave them below.

Muffins, muffins, muffins – we just can’t seem to get enough of them in our house (see Strawberry Muffins, Cheese Muffins).  These Banana Spice Muffins are the latest favourites which I’m sure will change once another flavor is introduced.

Muffins are a great way to use up overripe fruit and the flavor is ‘spiced’ up a bit in this banana muffin recipe.  If you have an excess of bananas, peel and freeze them for later use in this recipe or others (Chocolate Banana Bread).  Alternatively you can add them to smoothies.

Banana Spice Muffins

Banana Spice Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup mashed banana

Method

Preheat oven to 200C.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases or grease.  Combine flour, sugar and spice in a bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add egg, milk and butter.  Mix together lightly until just combined (the mixture should stay lumpy) then stir through the banana.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin, dividing evenly among the holes.  Each hole should be about ¾ full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Test the muffins are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of a muffin.  When cooked, it will come out clean.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

• Mixed spice combines cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.  If it’s not available any one of these would suffice.
• The muffins can be frozen.  For an easy lunchbox addition, seal in individual bags and grab from the freezer as required.

What’s your favourite muffin flavour? Please post it below in the comments area.

Muffins have been a bit of a feature in our kitchen lately (see Strawberry Muffins) including this savoury Cheese Muffin version being added to the repertoire.

There is a good reason they’re such a staple as muffins are really the ultimate in family cooking – easy to make, eaten by all and extremely versatile.  The latter is because you can take a basic muffin mix and using whatever ingredients are on hand, turn them into a dozen yummy muffins that won’t last a day (in my house anyway).  The other great thing about muffins is that they freeze well and can always be on hand to pop into lunchboxes, picnic baskets or for a quick morning tea treat.

This Cheese Muffin recipe with a hint of herbs is fantastic for dunking in soups or soaking up stew juices.  They offer an alternative to bread for serving with meals and add a bit of variety.

Cheese Muffin

Cheese Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups self-raising flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 200C (390F) and lightly grease a 12 hole muffin pan.  Alternatively place muffin cases into the pan holes.

Add the flour to a mixing bowl and make a well.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.  Stir until the ingredients are just combined.  The mixture should still be pretty lumpy.

Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin holes filling each to about 1/2 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Test the muffins are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of a muffin.  When cooked, it will come out clean.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

• Use whatever herbs or spices are on hand to create a different flavor each time.
• Store in an airtight container for 1-2 days or freeze immediately.
• Next time your serving soup, try these cheese muffins as a delicious alternative to bread.

Do you have any savoury muffins you’d like to share?

Other easy baking recipes you might like:

Strawberry Muffins

Vanilla Birthday Cake

Nanna’s Ginger Biscuits

Fabulous big, fat, juicy strawberries are everywhere in our local markets at the moment.  It is a great time to make the most of them as not only are they at their lowest prices, they are at their best quality too.  Whenever we hit this time of year I make plenty of fresh Strawberry Muffins which are great for lunchboxes, morning tea and any other time.  The kids love them and any extras can be easily frozen for later use.

Strawberry Muffins

Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour
½ cup caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
250g fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 200C.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases or grease.  Combine dry ingredients.  Make a well and add egg, milk and butter.  Mix together lightly until just combined (the mixture should stay lumpy) then stir through strawberries.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin, dividing evenly among the holes.  Each hole should be about ¾ full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Test the muffins are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of a muffin.  When cooked, it will come out clean.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

• Mixture can be used to make 24 mini muffins or 12 large muffins.
• If fresh strawberries aren’t available, use frozen or canned.  Other berries can also be substituted.
• Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze immediately.

With still plenty of strawberries to come, I’ll be making plenty of these strawberry muffins.  This year, I’m also contemplating my first strawberry jam experiment.  I’ll keep you posted.

Any favourite strawberry recipes to share?