The Fun Just Has To Stop...

Yesterday.  Hot, humid.  Stuck in the house because there's a chance the couple from Denver will want a second viewing--this according to my realtor who talked to their realtor.  (Have I dropped into a bad movie plot??)

So, as the day goes by and it's less and less likely anyone is coming, I decide to test out this muffin recipe.  Yeah, yeah, I know:  It's hot as Hell, no normal person would turn on the oven, but wait!  Sometimes there's actually a method to my madness...

My mother is moving this weekend.  She's downsizing into a smaller place.  I was watching this cooking show a few days ago whilst eating my breakfast, and one item on the menu were these yummy looking Good Morning Muffins.  I'm thinking, since everyone is showing up at my Mom's place at 9:00 on Saturday morning, that maybe I'll see if these muffins wouldn't be a good thing for everyone to eat when they arrive at her door.

I have to try them first though.  And now that it's nearly 5:30, I've pretty much ruled out the Denver couple, so I forge ahead.

No doubt it would have been just as easy to stick the muffin tin outside on the deck to cook instead of turning on the oven at all.  But still.  No matter the meltdown in heating the kitchen to a temperature rivaling nuclear fusion, I'm gonna do this.

Brief aside here:  I make a mess when I cook.  Stuff on the counters, often dripping down the cabinets, always something stuck to my shoes.  I don't know why this is the way I cook.  It just is. 

Okay, I've put the muffins in the oven--they look really good--and I turn to survey the mess.  This is just the sink area.  I have a big kitchen.  You don't want to see the rest, believe me.

The phone rings.  It's a different realtor, with another couple who want to see the house.  I glance at the clock.  It's nearly 6:00.  "Right now?" I ask, as I watch a long drip of melted butter run down the cabinet, and plop on the kitchen floor into a dusting of either flour or sugar.  "Would fifteen minutes be all right?" she says.

You're kidding me.

Not only do I have to somehow clean the kitchen, but there's other stuff I put away when someone is coming to view the place, like the dog toys that are scattered all over the floor and down the hall, and my laptop and tablets and pens, my cameras and books and Kindle.  Well, just holy crap and damnation.

What can I do?  Am I trying to sell the place, or what?  "Give me half an hour," I say and practically hang up on the woman, before switching into maniacal overdrive.  Did I mention it's hot and humid? 

Just as I finished slamming the door on the dishwasher, the timer went off, the realtor pulls in, the dogs bark, and the phone rings.  I stood in the kitchen sweating like a long distance runner, shirt stuck to me front and back--and believe me, not in a good, sexy way--and I just had to laugh.

I really think all these days of unrelenting heat have finally damaged my brain.  I was still laughing as I answered the phone, took the muffins out of the oven, threw them on the stove top, then dashed to the front door to shoo the dogs away and let the people in.  My realtor--on the phone--asked me if I was all right.  That made me laugh harder.  I told her to call me later.

Long story short.  The people were very nice, and to give them some time to wander around, I took the boys on the 15 minute walk to the mailbox.  By the time we got back, they were just leaving, so everything worked out in the end.  And I was finally able to get a good look at the muffins.

I cut the recipe in half, in case I didn't like it, then I would only have to deal with 12 mistakes instead of 24, but they looked so good with their little crunchy tops...

I waited a bit, then tasted one, and they're pretty good.  Perfect for those days when there's no time for breakfast, or when camping, hiking, any time a nice, substantial muffin might come in handy.  I've decided to make the full batch of 24 for the Saturday morning moving crew.

So, the recipe is easy, tasty and even in the midst of chaos, they came out just fine.  You can't ask for much more than that...

N.B.  I didn't have any marmalade so used apricot preserves instead.  The muffins are very cake-like, and dense.  I like them, though the reviews on the Food Network site aren't all that good.  Guess it's a matter of taste.  Or maybe my apricots tasted better than marmalade!?