I love a good breakfast but I don’t eat a great breakfast often. Usually my breakfast is a quick bowl of cereal and a cup of barely warm coffee. Sometimes I eat the kids’ left over oatmeal. it is cold and mushy but still tastes good…to me. Our mornings are rushed despite their early rising time. Why? I don’t know. I am still trying to figure out how to make our mornings less chaotic. Will there be a time when they get dressed right away instead of 3 reminders that it is time to get dressed? Will there be a time when I don’t have to remind one them that they need to put pants on? Will our crazy dog stop eating the toilet paper off the roll? Yes, but not today, not anytime soon.

This week I am sick of eating cereal and cold oatmeal so I made muffins: cranberry orange muffins. A few years ago, I purchased Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything: the basics. This is a great go to cookbook for new cooks. He literally teaches you the basics of cooking with lots of pictures and easy to follow text. I used his basic muffin recipe and came up with a moist and not too sweet cranberry orange muffin that tastes great with a cup of coffee, even if it is barely warm!

I love seeing bags of cranberries displayed at the grocery store almost, as much as, I love the holiday cups at Dunkin’ Donuts. I love the when the holidays arrive… and I love when they leave.

The combination of cranberries and orange zest in this muffin is perfect. The cranberries add a subtle tartness to this mildly sweet muffin while the orange zest delivers a nice freshness. Oranges and cranberries work as well together as oranges and chocolate. Maybe next time I will add chocolate chips.

I separated 2 large eggs. The yolks went into the batter immediately. I beat the egg whites until they formed stiff peaks and gently folded them into the prepared batter which made the muffins lighter and less dense.

I baked the muffins at 375 for about 20 minutes. They taste best, slightly warm, the day they are made, but they will keep for a couple of days stored in an air tight container at room temperature. Maybe toast the day old muffins and top them with a dollop of cinnamon honey or orange butter. These muffins come together quickly so making them the morning of a holiday gathering or celebration is possible and your house will smell great!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

recipe inspired by Mark Bittman’s Muffins, Infinite Ways

Makes 12

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup cornmeal ( I used stone ground)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. of ground cinnamon

3 tsp. of baking powder

3 Tbsp. canola oil (3 tbsp. of melted butter will also work)

2 eggs, separated

1 cup of whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. orange zest

1 cup of fresh cranberries ( You can also use frozen cranberries here. Do not defrost them.)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375 and line a 12 tin muffin pan with paper or foil cups. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. Set aside.

Separate your eggs. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and add the milk, oil and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined. Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, on the second highest setting, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Turn your beater upside down. If the peak holds you are all set. If they fold over, keep beating them. Set aside.

Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients except for the egg whites. With a wooden spoon or spatula mix the ingredients by folding them until all the dry ingredients are just moist. If the batter seems too dry add a little more milk. Next fold in the cranberries and orange zest. Gently, fold in the egg whites until they disappear into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and allow to cool for a bit longer before serving or to room temperature. I think they are best served warm with a cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy!

5 Holiday Breakfast Recipes You Should Try

We head to Philly in couple of weeks to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws. Emails are flying around about what to make and who should make it. We put so much emphasis on the big meal, as we should, but what about the most important meal of the day? I found 5 mouth-watering breakfast recipes and I hope to try all of them this holiday season. Check them out!

Maybe go for a run or a hike before diving into these breakfast buns. You’ll feel less guilty.

I make these salty sweet treats on Christmas morning. Try them, you won’t be disappointed.

If you really want to start your day off right this holiday season, make this healthy breakfast.

We love pancakes in our house. Maybe I’ll top them with this syrup.

If you like eggs, prosciutto and squash separately, maybe try them together. Find the recipe here.