Blackberry Poppyseed Muffins

I’m getting up early.  My to-do list? Work by 8:00; a huge lunch bag to pack with mini- bagels, granola, fresh fruit, and a turkey sandwich; and animals–one cat and one dog, both demanding attention.

I don’t know how you working moms do it.

The first thing I do is thrown on a baggy sweatshirt, slip on my shoes, and take Margot for a short walk. My street is quiet, it’s early morning in a neighborhood overflowing with college students, and I feel like it’s me, Margot and the birds.

I come back home and twist my hair into knots. My arms ache after ten minutes of pinning and twisting, but I keep them up by telling myself, “Hold on just five seconds more.”

And then I spread a thin layer of oil on my face. I check the size of my pores and dot concealer beneath my eyes. The packing of lunch, the wiping of counters, the constant checking of time.

It is all so routine, and yet in those quiet morning hours, I remember them.

All the people who have left me. All the people that remain by my side.

Sisters, mothers, friends, strangers. The way my sister’s bird would chirp in the afternoon, his feathers fluttering as his claws scooted across the metal bar.  

There is a sacredness to mornings—no matter how rushed they may feel, no matter how long the list—and I’m thankful I stop to recognize it more.

And isn’t that what makes breakfast delightful? A quiet whisper in the air that says, “You deserve this. A nourishing meal. Something that wakes your taste buds, promises a day of flavor and health.”

Ryan and I made these muffins on Tuesday night, and I took one with me as I walked Margot on Wednesday morning. The plump berries and the crunchy poppy seeds were just what I needed as I watched bees buzz around the blooming bushes in the alley behind our house.

Blackberry Poppyseed Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 TBSP poppyseeds
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fresh blackberries, roughly diced
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Grease either a standard, 12-tin muffin pan or a 24-tin mini muffin pan. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together your flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and poppyseeds with a large spoon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, milk and vanilla extract. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Batter will be thick. Do not overmix.

3. Fold in the blackberries to the batter. Again, do not overmix.

4. Divide evenly into prepared muffin pan and bake in preheated oven for 12-18 minutes, depending on size of muffins. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing to wired rack.

Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores