Spring in Jersey - Fresh Strawberry Muffins

Mornings have always been a special time for me, as they were for my father. As a child, I was always up at the break of dawn, as soon as the sun was up and I could hear the birds singing. I grew up without air conditioning, so we slept with the windows open, so it was easy to hear the birds singing very early. There was nothing like having the birds to wake you up every morning. 

I can remember well one of my dad's favorite sayings which he quoted to us often. It was, "early to bed, early to rise. Makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise." Something I'm sure that he got from his father who was a farmer. As a farmer, it is a must to get up early, even before the sun comes up, to get a head-start on all of the chores that need to be done before the hot temperatures of the afternoon.

Now a days, I love the smell of a steaming, hot cup of fresh brewed coffee when I wake up, something my husband gets going while I am still asleep, and I still love the sound of the birds singing to start my morning. It is also nice to have a fresh baked muffin or bagel to go with that hot cup of fresh coffee. 

This year when the Jersey strawberries came out, I decided that I wanted to put them in muffins, which is not something I have done before. The result was amazing. They were delicious. They were good just plain the way they were after baking them, but they were also delicious grilled with butter. They were quite simple to make, and well worth the effort. Give them a try with your morning coffee. 😋☕

What you will need: 1 cup of all-purpose flour - 1 cup of whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup of sugar - 1 1/2 tsps. of baking soda - 2 eggs - 1 cup of Stonyfield whole milk vanilla yogurt (or any brand of vanilla yogurt of your choice, this is just my preference) - 1/4 cup of butter, melted - 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract - 1 cup of chopped fresh strawberries

How to Make: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix together flours, sugar, and baking soda. In another bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla. Toss strawberries into the flour mixture. Then pour yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir. Spoon batter into a 12 muffin greased muffin tin, or use 12 cupcake liners. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until tops are golden brown, and knife inserted in center comes out clean.