Rosemary & Goat Cheese Corn Muffins

Is anybody else's behind getting kicked by the time change? Because mine majorly is. I mean, I like the extra hour of daylight, blah blah blah...but I don't like not being able to fall asleep and then waking up even earlier than usual. Even my run game is off. To be fair, I know I run better in the morning than at, say, 4 PM. But something was just wonky.

This. This is what I felt like after my run. Just...unset. Kind of wiggly. 

I'd rather feel like this. Together. Sweet. Buttery? Ugh, let's just shake it out and make fancied up corn muffins.

Let's be real. It's just like making cornbread except it's in muffin form. You'll need: flour, cornmeal, buttermilk, an egg, goat cheese, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Chop the rosemary until you don't have any super big pieces left.

Add the rosemary, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the flour and cornmeal.

Mix with a fork until everything is evenly distributed.

Crack the egg into your buttermilk and give it a vigorous whisk. I definitely used the same fork I stirred the dry ingredients with. I must mention the buttermilk I used. If you're in South Carolina, try to find milk from Hickory Hill Farm. It's seriously the best buttermilk I've ever used.

Wet goes into dry and mixing brings it all together.

Crumble in some goat cheese and gently fold it in.

Scoop the corn muffin batter into a greased muffin tin. It's a pretty thick batter, so scooping is easy.

Bake until the tops are golden and set. I mean, I don't think I've every made a cuter muffin. 

So you know how I don't believe in sweet cornbread? Well in the spirit of contradiction, I recommend finding some good preserves and smearing them over warm, buttered corn muffins. Such a good breakfast.

A drizzle of honey ain't bad either, y'all. 

Rosemary & Goat Cheese Corn Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

1 c cornmeal

1 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Heaping tablespoon chopped rosemary

1 c buttermilk

1 egg

1/3 c goat cheese, crumbled

• Preheat oven to 375º. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and rosemary.
• Measure the buttermilk and crack the egg into the cup. Whisk together until combined.
• Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the goat cheese. 
• Portion the batter into the muffin cups. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
• When muffins are cool enough to handle, take them out of the tin and let cool. Serve warm with butter (and honey or preserves if you like it on the sweet side).

Classic Cornbread

Things that make my life better:

• Puddin' and Daisy

• Soft blankets.  Don't underestimate the power of a nice blanket.  Will's mom gave me my favorite blanket ever for Christmas two years ago.  Now Puddin' likes it too.
• A glass of wine.  I don't think I need to explain this really.  It's a nice way to relax in the evening.
• Football.  Win or lose, it makes my heart pound and my pulse race.  Winning is better obvi.
• Cornbread from scratch.  C'mon, one of these had to be about food.

So cornbread from scratch pretty much makes my world go 'round.  I have a few rules about cornbread.  The biggest is that it should not be sweet.  Sweet cornbread really chaps my behind.  I know that Jiffy mix is tempting, and I have used it before.  But it makes something closer to spoonbread I think.  Maybe I'm talkin' out of my chapped behind, but I'm just particular about most of the cornbread I eat.  This is not to say it doesn't have sugar it.  The sugar just isn't noticeable.  A couple of months ago we got a loaf of cornbread from a higher-end grocer who shall remain nameless.  The fact that it was in a loaf probably should've been the first tip-off, but one bite of the bread and you could tell it was more like pound cake made with corn meal.  Kind of gross.  And completely disappointing.  

The second rule is that cornbread is best when made in a cast iron skillet.  It adds a nice touch, and I like the crust it makes better.  The third rule is that under no circumstances should cornbread be dry.  That's just sad.  Dry cornbread is like a featherless penguin.  It gets rejected, and no body wants to mess with it.  Luckily the penguin was able to grow its feathers after some love and care by aquarium workers.  The cornbread isn't so lucky.

Y'know good cornbread isn't hard to make.  A little of this, a little of that.  A pat of butter.