Muffin Mania

Here's a couple of muffin recipes, submitted by my mom. Actually, one was a banana bread recipe that I made into muffins instead (just my preference, since I can eat one and freeze the others for later... but a loaf of banana bread? No control.). But you - make either of these recipes as you please - loaves, muffins - whatever! For the banana bread recipe, my mom uses the tried-and-true recipe from the 1967 edition of the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book" - which she purchased while she was in college simply because it included this "exotic" banana bread recipe ("When I started making it," she said, "bananas were scare in this Utah desert. You actually had to buy and store them on purpose if you were going to make the bread!"). As for the lemon poppy seed muffin recipe, I'm not sure where that recipe originated, but it's a semi-homemade recipe that my mom has perfected. The muffins are delicious and moist and lemony and fantastic. Sorry I don't have a picture, but I'd about had my quota of baking with the banana bread recipe!

Banana Bread Muffins
Submitted by Judy Angell

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into well-buttered loaf pan or lined muffing tins. Bake at 350 degrees; for loaves: 40-45 minutes, for muffins: 15-20 minutes.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Submitted by Judy Angell

• One pre-packaged lemon poppyseed muffin mix, available in the boxed cake mix section of the supermarket.
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 ounces lemon yogurt
• Zest of 1 fresh lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water

Glaze

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar

Combine boxed muffin mix with remainder of ingredients; mix well. Batter will be very thick. Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins; bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 18-20 minutes. Once muffins are golden, remove from tins and place on a cooling rack. Drizzle with glaze while muffins are still warm.