In the Kitchen: Bacon and Cheese Muffins

I originally found this recipe in the newspaper -- it was an AP piece. I made it once, decided it had possibilities, and then fiddled with the recipe. My version is better (or so I think).

One note: I usually make this as muffins, but one of these days I'm going to try simply baking it in a dish instead. That would eliminate the hassle of washing the muffin tins. I freeze these and then thaw them on the counter or in microwave (about 30 seconds.)

With a piece of fruit, makes a great lunch or breakfast. (They're filling!)

• 3 cups flour (swap a cup of whole wheat for white if you want to)
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/3 c. buttermilk
• 2 T. canola oil
• 4 T. butter, melted
• 1/3 c. minced scallion
• 4-5 slices bacon
• 1 c. grated cheese; use whatever you want. Maytag Cheddar is especially yummy!
• 1/2 c. diced green pepper

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Oven to 400 degrees. Grease the muffin cups or baking dish.

Fry the bacon until quite crisp (so you can crumble it into bite-size bits)  In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil. If the melted butter is still hot, stir in a couple of spoonfuls of this mixture to temper its heat. (Otherwise the hot butter will curdle the milk.)

Then add the butter to the rest of the wet ingredients.  Stir the scallions, cheese, bacon, and green pepper into the wet ingredients. I recommend using a large fork so you can separate and mix these bits into the liquid.

 Add wet ingredients to dry, using a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until just moistened.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins (they will be full) or baking dish.  Bake until the tops are browned, 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 10 or 15 minutes. Loosen edges with knife and remove.