Wicked Good Muffins

(Recipe follows long, boring story).

I've always been fortunate that I am able to deal with difficult times by puttering in the kitchen. I figure, it could be worse were I "stress eating" than "stress baking" and the later has the benefit of making other people happy when you give it away. To get a good idea of my need for distraction these days, I have, in the past couple days baked:

1) Anisette biscotti
2) Rugelach
3) Graham crackers
4) Muffins
5) Cottage cheese biscuits
6) Coconut/Cherry quick bread

The muffins, pictured above come from a recipe that claims to be the recipe for the blueberry muffins at Jordan Marsh. In the event you arrived at this post doing a Google search for Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins-let me save you some time-they're not even close. Now, I'm not saying they aren't good, in fact they are very good…"wicked good" as I suggest in the post title, but not the fabled muffins of the Jordan Marsh department store in Boston. I also made mine with raspberries, blueberries and strawberries-not exactly traditional.

One of my first jobs out of college was working in the Men's Furnishings department at Jordan Marsh. Actually, given the recession at the time, I was lucky to find the job-I knew PhD's that were doing janitorial work. Sure, I had my share of creeps ask if I would measure their inseam (can you imagine? I'd usually tell them I'd get a more experienced salesperson to do it and when I'd return with one of the guys the jerks would suddenly remember that they wore a 31-inch inseam. Funny how those memory lapses work).

Clearly, the best part of the job was lunchtime and those wonderful muffins. I remained in the job longer than I might have otherwise simply to be closer to those sweets, fresh on a daily basis. Remember when you were young and could eat two or three at a time without getting sick? For readers that still have youth on their sides-for heaven's sake, go overindulge in some bakery goods-it is the only time in your life you'll really be able to. Trust me, age catches you off guard.

My son really loves muffins. I think the appeal is partly the compact shape. Danny wandered into the kitchen after his nap as I was transferring graham crackers to the cooling rack.

"What are those?' He asked.
"Those are graham crackers." I answered, a little annoyed that he was asking about something he already knew quite well.
"No. THOSE." He informed me, pointing to the tray of muffins I had placed (I thought) out of view for later.

Busted. It is as though the child has a muffin-radar that can detect baking powder from five rooms away. I poured him a glass of milk and let him tear into one. Turning back to arranging graham crackers I heard Danny say in an excited-marveling sort of voice:

"Oh mama, they are blue AND pink."

It takes so little to impress a two year old. (The 46 year old liked them as well).


You Will Need:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

½ cup shortening
1-cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups flour
½ cup milk
1-teaspoon vanilla
2 cups total of berries (use whatever combination you prefer)

Cream together shortening, sugar and salt for three minutes. Add baking powder and eggs. Add flour, milk and vanilla and mix well. Fold in berries. Fill muffin cups to top of pan, greasing the tops so the mushroom top won't stick. Fill cups to the top and add a pinch of sugar to the top of each. Bake for five minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Cool on racks.