My First Cookbook

Muffin love nuggets.

The cookbook.

This is the very first cookbook I ever bought as a real woman. I was only 20, but I had been married a total of 6 days, and I purchased this book with some wedding money we had received from someone we loved I'm sure. I may only use 1 recipe in the whole book, but it is well worth the purchase price.

I had a room mate down at BYU that first introduced me to the wonders inside the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. She was a beautiful red head who was very domestic and cooked for herself and others while going to college. I wouldn't say anything I did could have been considered cooking or domestic. I was really good at adding water to Krusteez pancake mix and fixing me a pancake that I then slathered with peanut butter and syrup. This wasn't usually a breakfast meal, but dinner. I budgeted $15 a week for groceries, and I was very thankful for the "onion farmer's" daughter roommate who supplied us with cases of onions, and also for the "potato farmer's" daughter roommate who supplied us with tators all year long. I was a forced vegetarian for quite some time as well. Meat's expensive on a summer lifeguarding job budget.

My saving grace was a really nice returned missionary who was desperately trying to get me to realize that I didn't want to "wait" for MY other missionary, but to love him. He would take me to lunch or dinner probably 3-4 times a week. He introduced me to Katsu Curry, sticky rice, and Udon noodles. Thank you Jason! He was such a nice kid, and I feel really bad about using him to keep my tummy full, but he knew where I stood:)

Well back to the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. One Saturday morning my roommate made the most wonderful muffins for all of us starving students for breakfast. They were white and plain, but rolled in glorious cinnamon sugar. Sometimes there is nothing better than cinnamon sugar. I'm sure one or more of my brother's would have starved to death without Cinnamon Toast in their diets. These muffins were lovely and delicious. I was determined then and there that one day I would be domestic and make my loved ones these wonderful little muffins. But first I must get my hands on the recipe. The recipe had come from within the pages of the famous red and white checked cookbook. I would have one, one day.

The day came a few years later. You know--------6 days after I married James!! I may have not had many culinary skills at that time, but I had learned how to make a perfect muffin when I was 10, in Cooking 4H. I could do this. Let's fast forward 17 years. The muffins were never a huge hit until last week. I don't know, James just didn't have that wonderful muffin moment that I had had. So I didn't make them again until a few Saturday's ago. I made them for my 4 kidlets. James just happened to be out of town. The kids had that same moment of bliss in eating these muffins as I had 17 years earlier. A hit at the Clawson home now. Who cares what James thinks, (even though he ate 4 of them the last time Emma made them.) Emma can make them by herself as well and my life is getting more pleasant by the day. Some guy is going to be lucky to get her.......in 30 years that is!

French Breakfast Puffs

We call them Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

From the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 12 medium muffin cups, 2 1/2x1 1/4 inches.

Mix butter, 1/2 cup sugar and the egg thoroughly in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg alternately with milk. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll hot muffins immediately in melted butter, then in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Serve hot. (don't use margarine in these or to dip the muffins in after. It just tastes nasty.)