The Best Muffin Ever

I have been on a muffin mission, looking for a muffin that is tender, moist, flavorful and “as light as bog-cotton,” as the Irish say. In other words, the all-time best muffin.

This may seem a shallow quest but, believe me, a warm, freshly baked muffin the first thing in the morning is a great way to start your day.

I love this recipe. It’s easy to memorize and easy to make. It makes 24 muffins or two 9-inch cake layers, and you can halve the recipe if it’s more than you want. After you’ve made these muffins once or twice, you can easily measure, mix and bake and have them ready to eat within 20 minutes.

Vegetable Barley Porridge is a complete meal in a bowl. Lots of people don’t like the word porridge, but it always means wholesome and comforting to me. The mixture of oats, barley and vegetables is slightly different and very satisfying. Serve with warm buttered toast.

THE MUFFIN

A cook’s trick I like to use to save on cleanup is to measure the 2 cups of buttermilk in a 1-quart liquid measuring cup, then measure the oil on top of the buttermilk (2 1/2 cups total liquid) and stir the eggs right into the measuring cup with the liquid. It’s one less bowl to worry about.

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl. Stir with hand or fork or whisk to mix well. Set aside.

Combine buttermilk and oil stir briskly with fork. Add eggs and stir until well mixed. Pour into flour mixture and stir with large spoon. (Note: There may be some tiny lumps, but as long as there are no dry streaks on sides or bottom of bowl, you have mixed enough.)

Grease, butter or use cooking spray on each muffin cup. Fill each 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake at 375 degrees until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or center of muffin feels springy, not moist, when pressed gently, 10 to 13 minutes.

Let rest in pan 5 minutes, then remove and eat warm with butter. (Note: Put muffins you don’t plan to eat in the next few hours in storage bags and freeze.)

24 muffins. Each muffin:

162 calories; 125 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

VEGETABLE BARLEY PORRIDGE

Pearl barley may be used, but hulled is much better.

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, halved and sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

8 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup hulled barley

Salt, pepper

2 zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 cup firmly packed fresh spinach

1/2 cup rolled oats

Melt butter in 5-quart heavy-bottomed soup pot and add onion, carrots and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, barley and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent barley from sticking to bottom of pot, until barley is tender, 1 hour.

Add zucchini, spinach and oats and simmer 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.

4 servings. Each serving:

300 calories; 1,746 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams protein; 2.15 grams fiber.