Lemon Olive Oil Muffins

I've not posted in a while, which makes me sad, but I feel like I haven't been cooking much, either. There have been a number of evenings in the last few weeks when I have succumbed to the frozen pizza dinner. Or even the exponentially more lazy dinner that consists of a bottle of beer, a bowl of mixed nuts, and a bag of Sour Patch Kids. Pathetic, I know. Delicious, yes, but arguably the lowest of the low when it comes to a real meal. So my friends, I haven't had much to say.

However, I have been saving this one for a rainy day. I read an article in Cooking Light about how breakfast is a very important meal. For me, breakfast has never really carried much weight. I might eat a granola bar, an apple,  maybe a piece of toast (no oats in my bread, please). The only time I had a big breakfast was weekend mornings when my sister and I would roll out of bed at an obscenely late hour to the smell of bacon and sausage and the sound of pans banging in the kitchen. My dad would have the onions sweating and the cheesy eggs scrambled and on standby. There is an old joke in my house that it isn't a real breakfast unless there are three types of breakfast meats. In the years after, I've tried to replicate the morning feasts. My eggs always stick, and bacon has given way to fruit as I try to watch my girlish figure. Anyways, now that I'm working, I decided I need to eat something in the mornings before work. In the same Cooking Light magazine  were some recipes for low(ish) calorie muffins. I decided to try one of the recipes.

The best sounding one, and the one which I had the most ingredients for at the time, was the Tuscan Lemon Muffins. As I've said before, I'm not a baker. I also have no muffin pan. So I improvised. I have a tin that makes mini loaves, so I figured that would work. Guess what? It did.

They aren't too sweet, and have a ton of flavor because you use olive oil. I used my good oil since I figured you would taste a lot of it - it was a good decision. You get the savory-fruitiness from the oil and a tart citrus from the lemon. Half a loaf equals a muffin (according to serving sizes of the recipe) and so I eat half a loaf for breakfast, heated in the microwave for 20 seconds. It is delicious.

I liked the muffins so much I tore out the recipe from the magazine for safe keeping. And now I can't locate the little strip of paper that stored this little gem. Here are the instructions from the web:

Tuscan Lemon Muffins

• 7 9/10 ounces all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (I didn't include, and it is just fine)

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
• 2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt); make a well in center. Combine ricotta and next 5 ingredients (through egg). Add ricotta mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
• 3. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups; coat with cooking spray. Divide batter among muffin cups. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over batter. Bake at 375° for 16 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.
• Question of the Day: Favorite everyday breakfast food? And on the other hand, what is your favorite breakfast splurge?