An Everyday Breakfast

Our everyday breakfasts are simple.    Fresh fruit (usually in season) and bread in some form -- sometimes toast, sometimes English muffins, sometimes bagels and sometimes freshly baked muffins.

Some days we'll fix eggs to go along with bread and fruit.

We do like freshly baked muffins (we don't abhor last week's muffins which we had frozen for later but . . .)

And a freshly baked muffin day is a good day!

The breakfast room -- being used for breakfast!

I like to use a tablecloth and always a floral or fruit centerpiece.

A bowl for fruit, a plate for muffin and a cup for tea . . . and a napkin to genteelly wipe your mouth and fingers!

The blue and white china (of course!), the weekly napkin in a silver napkin ring and one of the English butter knives.

A napkin keeps the fresh from the muffins warm.

Freshly baked muffins this morning -- but just four (which is two for breakfast and two for tea, really) in a napkin lined basket.

I prefer a tea cup and saucer -- husband Jim likes a mug!

A Spode pot to serve morning tea.

A weekday breakfast at Linderhof

Sometimes Husband Jim joins his cronies for morning coffee leaving me to breakfast on my own.    The table, however, is the same as even when it is me, I like to do things nicely!

The muffins are great and one of the best recipes I've found.    They're called Donna Morgan's Ice Box English Muffins.    They're not really an "English" muffin, however.    But I like the "Ice Box" part -- for you can make them and keep them in the "ice box" baking off as many as you need.    So we can have freshly baked muffins several times a week without having to eat a dozen muffins in one day!

DONNA MORGAN’S ICE BOX ENGLISH TEA MUFFINS

2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

3/4 c. sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg

1 cup milk

3/4 c. raisins

TOPPING:

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/4 c. chopped pecans

1 t. ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350.   Grease muffin cups or use baking cups.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.   Using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl.    Beat in egg.    Add flour mixture to egg mixture about one third at a time, alternating with milk and ending with flour.    Stir just until blended.    Fold in raisins.

Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl.

Muffins may be baked right away, or batter and topping may be covered tightly in separate containers and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.    Stir before baking.

Scoop batter into muffin cups, using just over 1/4 cup for each.    Sprinkle with topping.    Bake about 20 mnutes or until springy to the touch in the center.    Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans.

It's Thursday and I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

And because it's tea for breakfast, I'm joining Bernideen for tea in the garden.