on the heels of our first viking fest this past saturday, j and i decided to tackle a hike up green mountain.
our initial brush with this area occurred a few weeks ago, when we decided on an impromptu afternoon trip up via the wildcat trail head. as a novice hiker, cupcake enthusiast, and long-term flatland dweller, i made it just a few miles uphill before asking how much further we had to go. we had snapped a photo of the map before beginning, but were still unfamiliar with the scale of the trail, and decided to head back down to return another day with more supplies, a bottle of water, and a little more information.
it turns out the wildcat trail is a much longer and steeper alternative to the gold creek trail up to the summit. if you happen to be looking for a break from civilization on your hikes, you don't even need to reach the mountain to begin. our wilderness adventure started in the car; as we lost cell reception en route as we wound through the hills toward green mountain. this was kind of fun to note on the way to our hike, but was decidedly less amusing on the way home as we tried to order pizza to pick up for dinner.
lemon poppyseed muffins
we've been starting our days the carby way with my new favorite muffin recipe. they do have high sugar content comparative to other recipes i've found, which means surprise, surprise these taste better. [ha] the end result has a wonderfully sweet crusted top with a soft, spongy, flavorful bottom. the variations you could make from the batter are pretty endless as well; blueberry, raspberry lemon, chocolate chip, banana, etc.
these store wonderfully (probably thanks to that higher-than-average sugar content) and can be frozen, so they have earned a firm spot in our regular repertoire.
| ingredients |
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
zest and juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
clear sprinkles or turbinado sugar
| method |
preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
in a small bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.
in a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar for a couple minutes until light and fluffy. add the eggs, beating after each addition and the vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and poppy seeds. mix until thoroughly incorporated.
add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, then mix until combined. add 1/3 of the milk and beat until combined, then another 1/3 of the flour mixture, alternating with the milk and flour until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one 3/4 full and sprinkle the tops with sprinkles or turbinado sugar. bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
remove muffins from the pan to a wire rack to cool. once at room temperature store by placing in a ziplock bag, and remove excess air with a straw. muffins will last about 3-4 days sealed at room temperature.