Muffins & Sliders That POP!

Hey there! It never slows down around here but I hope you guys are having a great week! I've been praying about a specific area in my life recently and God may have opened a door today which is really exciting! Even if that specific door isn't quite where I'm supposed to go, the possibility has caused me to find some exciting things and my life is going to be getting a lot more busy soon - scary....but exciting! More on that later......

For now, I'm sharing with you two more recipes from the baby shower. First up - Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. Sweet and tangy. Moist and fluffy. They're the perfect on-the-go summer breakfast - paired with your favorite cup of coffee. Or, in the evening, a refreshing end to that summer picnic. Who doesn't love one of these? They're beautiful to look at and delicious to eat! They also happen to be a favorite of mine and my sister's.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze (original here)

2/3 cup sugar

grated zest of 2 lemons

juice of 1 lemon

2 cups AP flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare muffin pan. Rub together lemon zest and sugar until sugar is moist and the smell of lemon is strong. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with sugar-lemon zest mixture until well blended. In another bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and butter until blended and pour over dry ingredients. Stir gently with spatula, being careful not to overmix. Gently stir in poppy seeds. Fill muffin pans (each liner about 2/3 full) and bake about 18-20 minutes until lightly browned and tester inserted in center comes out clean. Leave in pans 5 minutes then remove and cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, put the confectioner's sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice.  Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. Then drizzle lines of icing over the tops of the muffins or coat the tops entirely.

Here's what they looked like at the party:

Sorry they aren't clearer. I forgot to take a close up of them at the party. Don't you just love those polka dot liners? I think they are super cute. PYP had them in four different colors and, yes, I bought all three! :)

Second, we have Ham & Swiss Poppy Seed Sliders and Turkey & Cheddar Poppy Seed Sliders. Again, sorry about the unclear photo. I was so busy that day that I didn't get close-ups of everything. Most things. But not everything.

Poppy Seed Sliders (source)

24 good white dinner rolls

24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip

Poppy seed sauce:

1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

Tomorrow I'll share a few decoration projects I did (I know, me, the non-DIYer) that will make you all proud. Be sure to stop by Wait Til Your Father Gets Home where I'm guest posting today and read about these delicious Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes just in time for back-to-school!

 While you're there, don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway hosted by a TON of fabulous bloggers. Until next time, happy reading and, more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!