Buttermilk Pumpkin and Oat Muffins

I don't have anything to intro with.  I had pumpkin puree in the freezer from last fall when we got a ton of sugar pumpkins from a friend.  I knew I'd be home today.  I felt like making muffins.  They were awesome.  There's not much else to say.

It's St. Patrick's Day... and there's really nothing Irish about these muffins.  I mean, I'm sure they have pumpkins and muffins in Ireland, so they could be Irish.  But that wasn't really my intention or anything.  I'm just going to use it as an excuse for an Irish tune.  Justin had Dropkick Murphys' "Good Rats" on today, so that's what I'm using.  -jen

BUTTERMILK PUMPKIN AND OAT MUFFINS
Prep Time:  20 minutes
Cook Time:  22-25 minutes
Makes:  12 muffins

Topping:

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Muffins:

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins or cranberries
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• zest of 1 orange (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups.

In a small bowl, combine all topping ingredients, mix and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, pecans, raisins, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger,  baking soda, salt and orange zest.  Mix to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together just until dry ingredients are moist.  (Do not over-mix.)

Spoon evenly into paper cups.  Sprinkle with topping and bake for 22-25 minutes, until golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes. 

Crab Bisque

So, when we did the crab stuffed sole, we had some canned, lump crab left over and were trying to decide what to do with it.  We "kicked" around a couple of ideas regarding croissants, avocados, Swiss cheese, and other accoutre mounts, but settled on a crab bisque since we both love soup and had been craving creamy, savory goodness for some time.  This was another amazingly simple meal to throw together with the crab on hand and took about 40 minutes to do, total.  Include some bread to sop up soup with, and maybe some steamed or roasted veggies, or a carb like rice or potatoes, and you're all set.

I was enjoying some Dropkick Murphys, live on St Patty's Day, 2002, as I made the bisque since they are the quintessential, east-coast punk rock Irish band.  And their ode, "Boys on the Docks" only seems all too appropriate for this recipe.  This is a later video but that's okay because how would you like to be this close to the stage in such a small venue for the Dropkicks?! - justin

CRAB BISQUE

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons shallots (or sweet onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups crab meat
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon very dry sherry
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste

Add the olive oil to a medium saucepan that's heated to medium-high heat.  Add shallots and cook until golden brown.  Add garlic and lemon zest and cook 2 minutes.  Add flour and butter and cook 2 more minutes.  Add crab and parsley and cook 3 minutes, scraping,  making sure the mixture doesn't stick to the pan.  Add chicken broth and sherry, cover partially, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add cream, cayenne, and white pepper, and add salt to taste.

Bread is a must for this soup!  This is rich and savory and creamy.  Some sourdough or crusty Italian bread will do nicely!  The sourdough is a nice accent to the richness of the soup and the Italian style loaves tend to be dryer and more absorbent.