The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
The only English muffins I really have access to are those ones, you know, in the store. They have good texture and good nooks and crannies. But they don't taste that good! You discover this when you let them cool down.
That bothers me. I will happily pay for someone else to go through the tedious process of cooking the darn things in a skillet if they would only taste good. But if they don't, I'm sorry, I don't want to pay. I've tried. I try to make myself just buy them already, because no one else cares. But I can't.
So either they can go to the store themselves and buy them, or I will make them. I've been trying for a few months now. Since I make my dough by rote, I always forget at the last minute to leave it extra loose. For that is the key to the holes.
This time I did it.
The dough is a standard roll dough (choose a recipe with milk and eggs and just a little sugar). Instead of butter, I added about 1/4 cup of sour cream that needed to be cooked (you know the drill — something is left in the fridge — it isn't absolutely spoiled — but it isn't fine for eating just like that — so bake with it!). Just don't put as much flour as usual — MUCH less than you think! Or, conversely, add more liquid.
After it's risen, heat up your skillet, put in some cornmeal, flatten your balls of dough gently, and cook until puffy. Then flip and cook a bit more. Split with a fork when cool (next day, really, because that's a lot of work right there).
So sorry, I don't have a recipe. You knew that. But now that I've succeeded in making really believable English muffins (not that anyone complained, ever, about the others), I will try to take note of what I did. These were… just right!
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Let's think about decorating and DIY!
- What I love about Under the Sycamore is Ashley Ann's hacker vibe. Everything is pretty but she doesn't make me feel like doing her projects would be impossible or expensive. If you need some work tables fast, here you go!
- Do you feel that things are just not quite right at your house, decorating-wise? Here are four fixes from Apartment Therapy. Just don't put a lone artwork up high.
Let's have fun with parenting!
- Kung fu parenting technique. Works great with a cooperative toddler!
- What if you toddler won't cooperate? Especially during homeschool time? Kelly Mantoan to the rescue with some tips: Love #6 — hogtying should totally work. (Reminds me of this little bit of advice I gave on April *ahem* 1st. Use these tips together for maximum effectiveness!)
- Wondering if those higher ed programs are worth it? Wondering what to tell your offspring who are pursuing higher degrees in the arts? They may have their value, but “competence on its own is deadly.” Flannery O'Connor on the MFA writing program.
Blatant “ask the audience” —
- Did you catch Whit Stillman's new TV pilot, Cosmopolitans? What did you think? Did you see this New Yorker piece about it? We're so looking for a new series to watch (*cough* Sherlock *cough*).
Heavier reads (and by the way, download the Send to Kindle app on your computer or other device, open the link to the longer article, click on the big “K” on your menu bar — and voila! your long article is on your Kindle, which I have been finding way easier to handle):
- Dr. Paul McHugh, former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins, who threw out the devastating and borderline criminal department founded by Dr. John Money there, on transgender sex change. “People who promote sexual reassignment surgery are collaborating with and promoting a mental disorder.”
- And speaking of the meaning of the body, David B. Hart writes appreciatively (from an Orthodox perspective) about John Paul II's Theology of the Body vs. today's eugenics-as-no-big-deal-what's-a-little-sterilization-or-abortion-among-friends.
- Strong, clear words from Monsignor Pope: The ugliness of divorce.
Finally, here is dear Chief's roundup of links from his site!
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
BridgetAnn says
Ahhhh, please please jot down a recipe next time! 🙂 My husband and I really like Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat British Muffins- yes “British” no copyright infringement for TJ’s, haha- and we go through *alot* of them. We’d love to make them at home! I love your blog; just sent a friend a link from an older post last night. God bless you ladies.
Leila says
BridgetAnn, I will try.
I know, I know. Trader Joe’s. There just isn’t one near me!
Laura Jeanne says
I understand your feelings about store-bought English muffins completely. The texture is great but they do taste weird when they cool down, or if they are getting stale…I think it is because they really contain a lot of preservatives. I have been thinking of trying homemade ones for some time, maybe I will after seeing your post.
Thank you for the article about the ugliness of divorce. I enjoyed it an it was very timely for me right now.
A. says
I miss Sherlock too! If you’re looking for a substitute (though of course there can be none) might I suggest Endeavour? It’s the prequel series to Inspector Morse, a detective series which ran on the BBC in the 1990s, so it follows the young Inspector Morse through his first years as a detective with the Oxford City Police. Not quite as witty as Sherlock, but a well-written and well-acted crime drama and fun to see as a period piece with all the costumes of the early 1960s. We haven’t watched any of Inspector Morse but now that we’ve finished with Endeavour we just might! Happy weekend to all!
WendyinVA says
Oh, do watch Inspector Morse! Dh and I have watched the entire series twice. The sequel, Lewis, is also one of our favorites.
NY Mom says
Hot Earl Grey tea, marmalade, and a toasted, buttered English muffin are my ultimate comfort foods, taken together on a cold morning. A good antidote to an increasingly uncivilized world!
Those photos are tantalizing to say the least! I concur with the first post-er who is encouraging you to perhaps share more detail sometime, maybe a skeletal recipe to start?
Margo, Thrift at Home says
I tried to make good English muffins years ago and failed. I should try again – thanks for the tip on the loose dough. I buy the store ones when they’re on sale and they’re fine, but I MUCH prefer to make things at home in my crunchy thrifty way 🙂
polly says
I agree with O’Connor’s assessment of MFA programs. I’ve got mine and I was fully-funded. I thought the other 14 writers in my program were also on full scholarship until someone mentioned their loans. And the fear gripped my heart–people were going into debt….$20K worth of debt??!!….for an MFA?! That’s an albatross a writer does not need.
The program was fun and worthwhile for me as a newlywed who didn’t have to pay for it, but it was sort of a boondoggle!
Mary says
Thank you for that link to the divorce article. You know what’s hard? The fact that children of divorce are victimized by the divorce and a very common psychological result of the family breakup is the children feel the disordered need to “parent” and protect their parents. They then never feel free to talk from a firsthand perspective of how divorce DOES hurt children (no matter how amicable it was) due to that same disordered but understandable protection of the parents. There are so many hurting adult children of divorce who are silenced by their loyalty to the parents and I think that is one reason we don’t hear enough about how divorce poisons our culture. Not that I would know anything about that 😉
Leila says
Mary, I think you are right. That in combination with the determination to just soldier on, not really examining what the root issue is.
Also, children of divorced parents have a hard time making commitments. That is a big reason for cohabitation. So it becomes a big self-fulfilling prophecy…
Kate says
I have a recipe for something called “English Muffin Loaf” baked in a small coffee can. After the bread is baked and cooled, you slice pieces off to toast. I used to make it often as a newlywed and also give it as Christmas gifts (which people raved about), but for some reason I stopped making it. Maybe it was because my husband started buying whole bean coffee and grinding his own, so I didn’t have any coffee cans. Who knows? Childbearing has obliterated much of my memory. I’ll have to dig it up (the recipe, not my memory) and see if I still think it good. I love English muffins, but realistically I don’t see myself doing the authentic thing at the griddle.
Joy says
Hi,
I need to try making English muffins. I’ve never tried before. Thanks for the idea.
Thank you also for the send it to Kindle app for my browser. This is going to revolutionize my reading habits!