Buttermilk Brown Butter Muffins with Strawberries

Muffins! For my first foodie post, I decided on strawberry muffins. They just feel like a perfect spring weekend breakfast and I have never made homemade muffins in spite of how ridiculously easy it turned out to be. I foresee many muffins in my future!

These bad boys are special for a couple reasons. Number one, I opted for butter over vegetable oil and not only butter, but the most magical kind---browned butter. In my kitchen, browned butter is a holy ingredient brightening and emboldening most every recipe it touches. In these muffins, the nutty brown butter flavor shines in every bite. Number two is buttermilk. The subtle tang that the buttermilk offers counters the sweetness of the berries and sugar and adds a unique depth of flavor. I don’t know about you, but I adore a muffin that’s not sickly sweet. If I wanted something sugary for breakfast, I could definitely have a donut or a bowl of Lucky Charms, which are both totally valid options. However, my concept of the ideal muffin is buttery, golden brown and moist inside with lots of fresh fruit and a lovely hit of sweetness. You can’t go wrong with a muffin like that.

Prior to mixing up your ingredients, I browned my butter on the stove top, which requires a little vigilance. First, you melt a stick of a butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Be sure to watch it carefully and swirl it often as it begins to sizzle. Within a minute or two, it will turn into a foam. This is crunch time. Once it turns to foam, it won’t be long until it browns. Your nose comes in handy at this step and you will begin to notice a nutty scent. That’s the ticket. Keep a close eye, stir often and remove from heat once it reaches a light golden brown color. It will continue browning even off the heat and eventually become a deeper golden brown. Black and burnt is obviously not the goal, so if you think yours is more black than brown, you’ve likely gone too far. After this, I set the butter aside in a small bowl and allowed it to cool completely before starting my mix. Warning: Pouring hot butter into your muffin mix may result in scrambled eggs. 

When it comes to muffins, the most important thing to remember is to avoid overmixing. You can totally use your fancy KitchenAid Mixer on its stir setting but I recommend going old fashioned and using elbow grease and a spoon. It takes no time and requires minimal effort. Once all of the ingredients are incorporated with few lumps, it’s hands-off and into the muffin tin.

You could really go for any kind of berry, but I chose strawberries. I diced them up and smashed them only slightly before folding them into the mix. This sort of releases the berry juice and adds an extra burst of strawberry flavor. Over mashing is not recommended. You still want the berries to be mostly intact.

While they’re cooling, brew yourself some coffee then enjoy your creation. Bring the butter dish too. You really can’t have too much.

Buttermilk Brown Butter Muffins with Strawberries

• 2 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
• ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• ½ Cup (1 Stick) Unsalted Butter
• 1 Cup Buttermilk
• 1 Cup (More or less-Your choice!) of Strawberries

Add one stick of butter to a medium skillet over medium heat. Allow it to melt, bubble and sizzle (3 to 4 minutes), swirling the pan often, When the butter is a medium golden brown, remove from the heat (it will continue browning in the pan over the next 30 seconds or so!) Pour butter (and any solids in the bottom of the pan) into a bowl and allow it to cool, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Roughly dice strawberries. Set aside.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, butter, and eggs. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork just until blended. Fold the strawberries into the batter and be careful not to over mix.

With a standard ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop the batter into the muffin cups, filling them around ⅔ of the way full.

Bake the muffins for 18-21 minutes, until golden brown. Allow time for cooling and enjoy!

What I Really, Really Want to Write About

At this point in this blog's uncertain infancy, I am sort of still, very much figuring things out. I've been on Spring Break this week and have subsequently been doing a great deal of journaling and working things out. Based on my last post, it's clear that my passions are varied and that writing is a big one. Writing is what brought me to blog writing in the first place, of course. The struggle is that I'm not quite sure what direction I'd like to move in writing. After much deliberation and stream of consciousness mumbo jumbo, I started to consider the possibility of combining two things I love most. Another huge interest of mine happens to be food. In particular, I effing love to bake...and eat. So, what about food and writing. Food writing! It totally makes sense. Content shouldn't be an issue. I love to play with new recipes and develop my own. I love to visit new spots and try new things in my city or elsewhere. A food adventure is my favorite kind! I love a good cheese or charcuterie board with some chardonnay and I am a real bonafide hipster for my sheer dedication to weekend brunch, so there's that. I already write Yelp reviews just for fun plus, I have a dozen fabulous cookbooks that desperately need a good dusting off and some much needed love.  I know there are no set qualifications for becoming a foodie blogger, but the stars sort of aligned with this possibility. I had already come up with the domain name, Kitsch&Scratch and thought it worked perfectly for what I hope will become a fun, quirky foodie blog that doesn't take itself too seriously.

The truth is, I have always been into whipping up goodness in the kitchen. Food Network and The Cooking Channel have been my jams for years. Both of my grandmothers combined with Ina Garten each played significant roles in my formative baking experiences. I have gone through many phases as most home bakers can likely attest to. I baked nothing but cake for awhile when Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss were on the rise. I became cupcake obsessed around 2009 with the rest of the nation and made everything from red velvet to lemon blueberry. I almost went to culinary school instead of graduate school last minute, but decided to go for Library Science instead. The beauty is that I still have cookbooks and the Interwebz to learn from even if I didn't pursue formal education. I have tips and tricks from my grannies and enough food television to inform a lifetime of baking education. I haven't yet had my foodie blogger period, but there is so much loveliness to uncover, so much butter waiting to be used and so many skills I've yet to learn. I want to give myself love and space as I navigate this new format. I would love to eventually establish something nicely consistent and dependable complete with quality photos, but for now, I am taking things one week at time and plan to savor every part along my way. A food adventure really is the best kind and I can't wait to see how this journey unfolds!

In Defense of the Multi-Passionate Dreamer

Hello dears,

I want to discuss indecision and what it means to be multi-passionate in this modern world. Personally, I have been grappling with my sense of identity around my career and various passions for as long as I can remember. As a sweeping prescription, our society has told us to make choices and lots of em'. Choose a school, choose a major, choose a path, etc. I've always held many interests and embraced the richness in all those parts of me, but I eventually felt tremendous pressure to focus on one specific avenue. This being said, I can say with absolute certainty that there isn’t a person out there who fits neatly into one role and identity their entire life whether you consider yourself multi-passionate or not. Many of us find ourselves tethered to the expectation of western society though and most educational pursuits imply that we will be saddled with our steady, stable dream career right out of college and will ideally stay there until retirement or death eventually comes and frees us from the workforce. If this doesn’t scream pressure, I don’t know what does. The pressure can be intense and, at least for me, the pressure became paralyzing.

A little while ago, I felt this paralysis hit me pretty hard. It came at a moment when I felt like all of my big decisions had been made and my life could be signed away at any moment.  It happened after grad school. It happened after a serious academic path had been chosen. I felt this strange ache in my soul like there were so many different lives I could be living and so many chances and ways to be happy. I could write, travel, open my own business... anything! For too long, I let myself feel thirsty for all of my options, and so stayed paralyzed. I had and continue to have no clue what the future may hold, but at a point, I had to give myself a say again. I let my intuition speak for a change. So, I gave myself the gift of time and gave up some of my regular working hours to essentially indulge my creative side.

This felt very uncomfortable at first. I didn't know how to talk about or express how I was using this new time. The truth is, it didn't matter how anyone felt bout my career and lifestyle but I ultimately had the ability to craft and present my story however I wanted. I didn't have to tell everyone every little part and parcel of my work. I didn't have to divulge my every idea. What I eventually came to realize is that my creativity isn't linear. It isn't always consistent. It looks different every, single day. I write and create meaningful things some days and total rubbish the next. Sometimes it looks like research or exploring new parts of town with a notebook and a camera. Sometimes I type on my computer at a local coffee shop. Most of the time, I sit on the corner of my sofa in sweatpants! I have secret projects I'm working on now that make me feel like I'm returning back to myself. I have been reading, cooking and baking. I have a home I love and more time to enjoy it. I feel fuller and happier than I've felt in years and it's because I gave myself the freedom to love myself with all of my passions intact. My creativity is a sacred part of me and a sacred center of my work and life. That's the truth.

I trust that these interests exist inside of me for a reason. I recognize that there is terrific power in harnessing my creativity on a daily basis in spite of anything well-meaning on-lookers may believe I should be doing with my time. I know now that it's possible to detach my identity from my career and status. As long as I am surviving and paying my bills, I maintain that agency over myself. I can choose to open myself up to the natural movement of the universe. I can experience seasons of rest, of creativity, of meditative physical labor. Some days, I can bake cookies in my spare time. Other days, I can create political collages or redecorate the bathroom. Every piece of this crazy life can be a testament to my ever-changing, expansive heart and all of its zany interests. I might write books for a season then read for a season. I might open a bakery one day or I might go back to school for my MFA or learn Kundalini yoga. The trick is to remember that you are not more you when you’re an investment banker, lawyer, runner, artist or student. You are the most you when you are aligned with your soul’s desire in the present moment. That’s good news, because you never have to choose or stay idle. You can be whole and fully alive in your multi-passionate being and the greatest decision you can ever make is to honor every strange, unique and messy part. Honor every part and never apologize.

Changing the Momentum of Your Day

I know intuitively that I should participate in more self-care when I'm feeling under the weather. However, I haven’t always practiced this concept well, slouching instead into a pinched sleep and foggily procrastinating my way into hustle-mode. I used to rise each morning with about 45 minutes to throw myself together, tend to my dog, make coffee and dash out the door either right in the nick of time or later than desired. My husband, refers to this as my old routine of frantically dropping things and cursing. With some personal life shifts, a move and getting married, along with stressful current events, my anxiety was at an all-time high beginning this winter. Not only could I feel a constant vibration of nervousness, my anxiety had begun manifesting itself in my daily interactions, my skin, eating habits and a terrific eye twitch that once lasted for a full two-week period. Fun times! With the onset of winter and the election of a certain evil, orange troll, any semblance of calm had totally retreated from my life. My complete lack of control over my mood was evident.

So, when Chris, my wonderful husband, finally suggested something seemingly very obvious--getting up a few minutes earlier each morning, I wondered why I hadn’t tried this before.  I tried just 15 minutes to start. The difference was insane. My entire day’s momentum changed! I disliked the idea of giving myself an unflinching alarm or rising time, so I decided to give myself an acceptable window of time to wake up. I feel as though I’ve given myself a gift: the gift of time and peace. My mornings no longer feel strangled or rigid, but rather light and filled with ease. I connect with myself more at this time of day than any other and the subsequent parts of my routine (my commute, work, etc.) play out in an easier pace. If you happen to be curious, here’s a little outline of my typical morning routine.

6:30-7:00

I set aside this time to gently ease into awake-mode. I spend time cuddling with my dog and husband and setting intentions in my head. I allow myself to check Instagram and TimeHop, while intentionally avoiding Facebook and Twitter, which have been known to put me into an immediately reactive place. I let our dog, Maggie, out and wash my face during this time too.

7:00-7:15

I feed Maggie. I also prepare my breakfast, which usually looks like toast or cereal with green juice and coffee. I like to listen to a podcast while I do this part.

7:15-8:00

This time is the delicious part! Most days, I write in my journal and include things I'm grateful for, my daily intentions and an affirmation for myself. Then, I eat and drink my coffee slowly while usually watching YouTube interviews (usually Oprah) or catching up on some reading. Sometimes I will indulge in both. I try to avoid watching the news or dramatic television during this time and opt instead for spiritual or educational content that lifts me up first thing in the morning. I let myself look at my phone but usually wait a couple of hours before checking Facebook or Twitter and postpone texts as well. This particular rule frees up my mind for more meaningful things that set a better vibration for the rest of the day.

8:00-8:35

I get dressed and ready for my day. Since I shower at night, this is a rather quick process and I try my best to lay out my clothes and toiletries the night before so that I avoid that frantic "I've-lost-my-deodorant!" feeling. This is another way I give things to my future self. I do the prep work, so future Jordan has an easier time in the morning. Gosh, I am so nice to me sometimes.

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So, there you have it; my morning routine! It isn’t anything fabulous, but it has worked wonders for my anxiety. I’ve always been interested in others’ morning routines and know now that there is no right or wrong way to have one. If you feel wound up all day long, try changing up your mornings. It doesn’t have to be anything special. I just try to do what lights me up intentionally and the day expands. Best of luck if you decide to give your own morning routine a shot and let me know how it goes!

A Life More Creative

Hello friends! I need a creative outlet. I need this outlet because I feel like I've turned down the volume on who I am lately and I'd like this to help me come back to myself. On the subject of turning down my own volume, I've also, unfortunately, lost touch with my calmer, more creative self. Adulting, though. It's a bitch. 2016 was one of the best and busiest years of my life. I traveled, worked two jobs and married the love of my life in March.  In the midst of such a beautiful, new and busy year, I look back and know that writing might have helped me process and reflect on my sweet transitions. So, you could say, I need this blog more than ever. I've always loved to write and tell stories, but I didn't know how or what kind to tell here. I struggled, at first, with what to bring to this blog; how to structure it and get it started.  I  want to be honest with you and try not to chain myself to any one subject. I'm only human, eh? So, this blog is part memoir, part meditation. It is my excuse to play and splash in words. It's a little church where I can lean in close to commune with myself. It's a giant letter to my past and future selves. It's my recipe box, my photo album, my folder of newspaper clippings and collected leaves. 

Have a lovely (albeit balmy) August afternoon.