Bridal Shower Bites - Aunt Carol's Panakakua

Mom and Dad were up to visit recently - we had a lot of fun going to see the Boston Commonwealth Shakespeare Company perform Two Gentlemen of Verona in the Boston Commons! I was eager to invite them over for brunch, partly to show off all our new china and partly to make this for them: Aunt Carol's Panakakua (Finnish Pancake).

Bridal Shower Bites - Mom's English Muffin Loaf

I called my mom as soon as I got the Bridal Shower invitation - apparently she knew all about it but didn't want to spill the beans. Anyway, the first thing she said was, "I have no idea what recipe to send you. You already have all of my recipes!" And I do. Mom made a cookbook for me as a college graduation present that has all of the recipes I loved from growing up, and she keeps sending me new ones that she's tried or thinks look interesting. I send her recipes, too, so we have a pretty fluid recipe sharing system already set up. Which means that it was hard for either one of us to think of a recipe that she has that I don't, and she didn't want to send just any recipe without trying it out first. I told her she didn't have to send any, since she's already given me so many, but Mom likes to play by the rules.  So she went on a mission!

Is it a muffin, or is it bread??

Bridal Shower Bites - Aunt Linda's Granola

So it's been a while...
 I was so touched when I received this:

The Muffin Man

Matt is one of those people who doesn't eat breakfast.  I don't understand those people, since I basically wake up hungry, but he doesn't seem to have that problem.  I never knew this about him until I got laid off and am home in the mornings now.  Before, I'd leave for work while he was still asleep (ah, the life of a grad student), so I had no idea how he sustained himself in my absence (and I still don't know that).  No breakfast certainly doesn't work for me - I get cranky, and quickly - but I guess it works for him.  Until now (mwahahahaha). 

I've become something of a breakfast-pusher, and muffins are my gateway breakfast food.  Everyone loves a muffin, right?  And since his last assignment for the semester is due today, I thought some warm homemade muffins would be just the thing to help him cross the finish line!  I mean, that would totally work for me. 

What he really wants in the morning.