I remember my days working as chef/manager for food service cafeterias. People loved muffins for breakfast! We used dry muffin mixes or large tubs of various, premade muffin batters; scooped the batter into muffin tins and made dozens of mini, regular and large sizes daily. I love topping the muffins with garnishes like oats, chocolate chips, streusel, nuts etc... Morning Glory was my favorite, I bet I baked thousands of muffins in my five years at Gardner Merchant!


I think my 'go to' muffin is a delicious, corn muffin grilled with butter on a plancha-New Jersey diner style!

Muffins for Beginner's

I crave homemade, baked goods, especially in the afternoon with coffee. My wife is a pastry chef so I don't bake too often but I wanted to create a delicious, easy muffin recipe to share.

I spent weeks preparing muffin recipes to better understand how sour cream, creme fraiche, butter, yogurt, coconut milk, olive oil, etc... taste in muffins.

It turned out to be very challenging to develop a great, 'beginner's' muffin recipe.

The recipe I chose was given to me by my daughter Faith-a school teacher/ artist/ baker. It's a winner!


A good, basic muffin recipe calls for the dry ingredients and wet ingredients to be measured separately, then gently mixed together. It's very important not to overwork the batter so it doesn't get chewy. I found that baking the muffins at 400° F gave a good rise (a little dark color though).


Sugar seemed to be the best ingredient for flavor; AP and Cake flour both worked well.

I like using Baking Powder and Baking Soda but leaving out the Cream of Tartar.


Yogurt adds moisture and tenderness, it helps to cut back on the fat in the recipe. There is also the benefit of protein, that's important for some people.

Beginner's Muffins

Prep Time: 30 min

Yield:  12 ea


Ingredients                                          

1 ea           Lemon zest and juice

2/3 C        Sugar

2 C           AP Flour

2 tsp       Baking Powder

1/4 tsp    Baking Soda

1/4 tsp    Salt

3/4 C       Yogurt

2 ea         Eggs, room temperature

1 tsp       Vanilla

8 Tbsp  Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled to room temperature


4 Tbsp   Poppy Seeds (optional)



How to Prepare Muffins

Step 1 Mise en place

Preheat the oven to 400 °F;

Line the muffin pan with 12 paper muffin cups.

Gather the ingredients for the muffins.


This photo has ingredients for blackberry muffins.



Blend the sugar and lemon zest  together with a fork until evenly mixed-it will smell amazing!







Step 2 Mixing the Batter

Mix/sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.






In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and butter together, until well mixed.







Slowly pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking gently to combine; do not overmix!


Stir in garnish (poppy seeds).






Step 3: Baking the Muffins

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup (leave about 1/2 inch from the top); gently tap the pan so that the batter gets under and around the berries. (gently!) Lower the oven to 350 °F. Place the muffin tin onto a sheet tray (to catch drippings) into the center of oven (middle rack).










Bake the muffins until lightly browned and firm to the touch-about 18 minutes, turn off the oven, leaving the door closed.


Let the muffins cool in the oven for 10 minutes.







In this photo, I experiemented with herbed, berry muffins:

3 with dill, 3 with basil and 3 with mint-it added a nice flavor. The top 4 have toasted nuts with blackberries.

Beginners recipe: Vegetable Stock

By Tom Griffiths • January 16, 2026
I recently volunteered to prepare vegetable paella for a church Bible group potluck. I was very excited to develop a delicious, new paella recipe and spent time preparing fresh vegetable stock with flavors of the Mediterranean. I always prepare vegetable and fish stocks fresh, as I intend to use them. I’m not a fan of bases or frozen stocks but I sometimes add a small amount of quality base to my stocks.  A vegetable stock with mirepoix, cabbage, mushrooms makes sense in certain applications, for certain recipes—but why would we use a mushroom or cabbage-forward stock in a paella? It doesn’t make culinary sense. Paella is a Mediterranean dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain as a humble meal cooked on an open fire. I’ve enjoyed wonderful paella meals in Valencia prepared with water-not stock, prepared with rabbit, snails and local beans. While traveling through Spain this spring I researched and sampled many styles of paella… no mushrooms, no carrots, no celery and no cabbage.

Beginners recipe: Breakfast Burritos

By Tom Griffiths • January 16, 2026
I still remember cooking breakfast burritos with my son Daniel, for volunteer workers at church events—simple, hearty, and made to fuel a long day of service. The workers were always so appreciative. Years later, I served a crowd favorite, nicknamed “The Bacon-ator,” a breakfast superstar inspired by the over-the-top spirit of fast-food indulgence. We had a popular food booth at the local country fair, where we cooked hundreds of breakfast burritos each day-stuffed with Mexican cheeses, extra bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and fresh salsa—nothing pre-made, nothing rushed. Every burrito was warm, fresh, and full of flavor. When food is made with love, even the most straightforward breakfast is memorable.

Beginners recipe: Stuffed Peppers

By Tom Griffiths • January 15, 2026
Chefs often share a bond that transcends politics, religion, and borders. While working in Saudi Arabia with a diverse group of chefs, I experienced this firsthand on my final day. To mark the occasion, they prepared special dishes representing their home countries—a generous feast rooted in tradition and pride. At the center of the table was a beautiful tray of stuffed peppers, zucchini, cabbages, squash, and other vegetables, each prepared with care and respect. As we shared the meal, the chefs beamed with pride, and the room filled with a sense of genuine camaraderie. It was a powerful reminder that food remains one of the most universal languages we have.

Beginners recipe: Cutting Zuchini

By Tom Griffiths • January 15, 2026
I remember a chef teaching me to carefully slice the center seeds from a zucchini and then prepare beautiful dices for a ratatouilli. The seeds and center area get soft and mushy before the outer 'meaty' section of the squash cooks.

Macaroni and Cheese

By Tom Griffiths • January 15, 2026
Lobster macaroni and cheese is my all time favorite version of Mac and Cheese... I make it by preparing a classic lobster sauce, (flambé and all) and blending it with Béchamel sauce, macaroni and sweet, tender chunks of freshly poached lobster. Macaroni and cheese with pancetta

Culinary Basics; The Art of Stocks-Vegetable Stock

By Tom Griffiths • January 13, 2026
Culinary Basics: The Art of preparing Stocks

Paella

By Tom Griffiths • January 13, 2026
Paella is a Mediterranean dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain. It is a humble meal, originally cooked on an open fire. I’ve enjoyed many wonderful paella meals in Spain. In Valencia I had a local paella with rabbit, snails and local beans. Short-grained rice is always used to prepare Paella, there are several great Spanish varieties like Bomba and Calasparra , prized for absorbing the delicious, flavorful stock and flavors of the ingredients without getting mushy. This is important for creating the dish's signature, crusty bottom layer called the socarrat. Paella is all about the rice!

Copy of Beginners Recipe: Breakfast Burrito

By Tom Griffiths • January 7, 2026
I still remember cooking breakfast burritos with my son Daniel, for volunteer workers at church events—simple, hearty, and made to fuel a long day of service. The workers were always so appreciative. Years later, I served a crowd favorite, nicknamed “The Bacon-ator,” a breakfast superstar inspired by the over-the-top spirit of fast-food indulgence. We had a popular food booth at the local country fair, where we cooked hundreds of breakfast burritos each day-stuffed with Mexican cheeses, extra bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and fresh salsa—nothing pre-made, nothing rushed. Every burrito was warm, fresh, and full of flavor. When food is made with love, even the most straightforward breakfast is memorable. 

Tenderloin Steak

By Tom Griffiths • January 6, 2026
Beef Wellington is a restaurant classic! Chefs prepare whole tenderloins, wrapped in pastry as well as individually portioned Wellingtons. Culinary historians widely agree that Beef Wellington evolved from French preparations such as filet de bœuf en croûte, which paired beef tenderloin with mushrooms and pastry—techniques well established in French haute cuisine.

Zesting and cutting Orange Supremes

By Tom Griffiths • January 4, 2026
Oranges are fantastic in Baking & Pastry. I developed a delicious dessert for the CMC exam (Healthy Cooking) challenge featuring Orange Creamsicle Sorbet with Roasted, Candied Pineapple and Fruit Strudel... with plenty of guidance from the amazing CIA Pastry Instructors! Types of Oranges: There are several distinct varieties of oranges, each with unique characteristics and flavors. The most common type is the Navel orange , recognized for its seedless, sweet flesh and thick, easy-to-peel skin. Valencia oranges are another popular variety, primarily known for their juiciness and are often used for making orange juice. Other notable types include Blood oranges , which have a deep red interior and a distinct berry-like flavor, and Cara Cara oranges , characterized by their pinkish-red flesh and sweet taste. Additionally, Seville oranges , known for their bitterness, are mainly used in making marmalade and flavoring liqueurs.