Parmesan Rosemary Muffins - A Game Changer

Seven years ago, I saw this magazine in the newstand called Weekend.

The cover drew me in. A beautiful photo, great design, intriguing headlines.  I bought the magazine and quickly became a fan.  I bought a few more when they came out.  

I struggled with reading a magazine called "Weekend" since my life, with young children felt like it never included a weekend.  Of course, there were Saturdays and Sundays, but not what I would consider a weekend. Groundhog Day, you know?  Every day is much the same, and when the weekend comes,  while there is a shift in schedule, the days are still filled with bottom wiping, meal preparing, disciplining, noisiness, exhaustion and duties.  It is hard to relate to a magazine called Weekend that features articles about day trips, house projects and book reviews.  And includes photos of people lying on rafts in floppy hats, and napping and reading novels, and hosting candlelight dinner parties with adult friends.


However, I really liked the magazine and decided to just re-title the magazine in my mind.  So I would think of the title as: "Someday" or "Occasional Escape" or "The Dreamy Life".  One of the first issues I got had this great section on Muffins (which I am especially fond of).  They use a basic muffin recipe and then provide multiple unique muffins that are adaptations of the orginal muffins.  They range from Breakfast In Your Hand Muffin (I call Power Muffins) to Blueberry, to Chocolate Coconut Flake to these incredible Parmesan Rosemary ones.  I made a couple of varieties when I first got the magazine and then tore out the pages to keep.  I recently made these again and they were all that I remembered them to be.  

These muffins are a game changer, or at least a meal changer.  You can have a simple, even mediocre meal and add these special savory treats and voila! you have a special dinner.

I am super excited for the fall weather and all it brings. 

Soup is at the top of the list.  I love, love soup and my goal this season is to win my 10 year old over to soup.  He is tolerant.  He likes a couple of my soups, but I want him to really like them and to expand beyond the couple of "safe soups" I make often.

These muffins are fabulous with soup! I plan on ramping up soup nights (I might add these beauties on Day 2 of serving the soup).

Some of my soups you can check out are:

Tomato Basil Soup, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Baked Potato

Soup, Veggie Chili & DIY Tortilla Soup

Parmesan Rosemary Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper

1 1/3 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese (divided- 1 cup in recipe, 1/3 on top)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup ricotta cheese (or plain greek yogurt)

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375˚
Spray standard 12-muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, rosemary and 1 cup

parmesan cheese.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and ricotta (or yogurt)

until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.  Add butter, whisking vigorously until

combined.  Whisk in milk until combined.  Using a spatula add egg mixture and stir

just until batter is lumpy and streaks of flour remain.

Spoon batter into prepared tin, filling each cup to the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup

of parmesan cheese.  Bake until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick

inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Cool tin on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from

tin and cool on wire rack.  Makes 12 muffins.

breakfast!

For breakfast, I split a leftover muffin in 1/2, warmed it, and sandwiched an egg white and several spinach leaves in between for a savory, delicious breakfast this morning! A game changing breakfast, indeed.  Dave tasted it and regretted having already scarfed down his breakfast.


**Side note: You may omit the rosemary, if you feel like Lucy does about rosemary. (See the photo to the left to capture Lucy's feelings on the subject. This was her reaction when Dave brought it in from the garden.  It is pungent, but I think it's oh so yummy in these savory muffins.)

P.S. Unfortunately, the magazine didn't have a long stint.  It wasn't many months before the magazine folded and it was no longer available. I'm not sure why.

So, I'll hold onto my couple of issues of Weekend magazine, in hopes that someday when my weekends feel like "weekends", I'll have a guide for how to further enjoy them.  For now, in this season of my life,  I'll seek joy in the 4 year old's soccer games,
middle school carnivals, church community bon fires –
piles of laundry, homework to complete –
and try to squeeze in a walk, a little porch swinging and some muffin making and eating!