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I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed their time with family, friends and the Easter bunny!

It was tough, with it being the first real holiday without my mom, but we got together as a family and enjoyed each other’s company. I got to spend time with both Aly’s family, and mine, and it was just a wonderful time.

With the early Easter this year, we have a bit of time now until the gardening season begins or that anything major is coming up, so this will just be a general recipe column with some of my favorites. There may not be any theme or rhyme or reason to them, but they all do have one thing in common: they are DELICIOUS!

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LEMON POPPYSEED MUFFINS

FOR THE STREUSEL:

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

2 tbsp. coarse sanding sugar, divided

1 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cubed 

FOR THE MUFFINS:

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

1/2 c. buttermilk, room temperature

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Yellow gel paste food coloring (optional)

FOR THE GLAZE:

1 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Yellow gel paste food coloring (optional)

For the streusel: In a medium bowl, rub together the granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons of coarse sanding sugar, and lemon zest with your fingertips until fragrant and damp. Whisk in the flour and salt until combined. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut it in until the mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Continue working until some pea-sized clumps have formed, then refrigerate until ready to use.

For the muffins: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners and set aside. 

In a large bowl, rub together the sugar and lemon zest with your fingertips until fragrant and damp; set aside for 15 minutes. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice, butter, eggs, and vanilla. If desired, whisk in a few drops of food coloring until the mixture is a bright, sunny yellow. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix (it's fine if there are still some streaks of flour in the batter). Divide the batter evenly into the cups of the muffin tin.

Top with the streusel and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of coarse sanding sugar. Transfer to the oven and bake, rotating the tin once halfway through baking, until the muffins are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs attached, 18 to 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze: Once the muffins have cooled, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice, along with a few drops of yellow food coloring, if desired. Drizzle the muffins with the glaze and allow to set briefly before serving.

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If you have some leftover Easter ham, try this out. It’s a unique twist on a simple food!

HAM, SWISS & PEAR PANINI

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives

1/4 tsp. dried dill

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

8 thin slices Swiss cheese

12 oz. leftover ham, thinly sliced

1 ripe pear, thinly sliced

4 ciabatta rolls, split

Cooking spray

In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Add the parsley, chives, dill, and salt, and stir to blend.

Divide the Swiss cheese, ham, and pear slices among the roll bottoms. Spread the cut sides of the roll tops with the herbed cream cheese, and close the sandwiches.

Heat a grill pan or griddle over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Working in batches, grill the paninis, pressing them down 

with a heavy pan, until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes per side (you can also do this in a panini press).

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CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN

FOR THE CHICKEN:

1 c. whole buttermilk

1/4 c. pickle juice (from the jar)

1 large egg

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 1/2 c. self-rising flour

1 tbsp. seasoned salt

2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

FOR THE GRAVY:

1/4 c. salted butter 

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

4 c. warm whole milk, divided

3/4 tsp. salt, plus more taste

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more to taste

For the chicken: Whisk together the buttermilk, pickle juice, and egg in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the chicken to the buttermilk mixture; cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours.)

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 10 minutes before frying. In a medium shallow bowl, stir together the flour, seasoned salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the chicken marinade until well combined (the mixture will be pebble-y). Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, patting to coat. Shake off the excess flour, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Add oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°.

Preheat the oven to 200°.

When the oil is hot enough, fry the chicken, in batches, until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. (The internal temperature of the chicken should read 165° on an instant read thermometer when finished.) Transfer the cooked chicken to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven. 

For the gravy: Discard the remaining oil in the skillet; wipe the skillet clean. Add the butter to the skillet; heat on medium until the butter melts. Sprinkle the flour over the butter; cook, whisking constantly, until the flour smells toasty and turns light golden brown, about two minutes.

Gradually add three cups of the milk, whisking to break up any clumps. Add salt and pepper, and bring to gentle simmer. Cook, whisking frequently, until the gravy is smooth and thickened, about three minutes. Add more milk, if needed; season with additional salt and black pepper.

Divide the chicken among plates; spoon the warm gravy on top. Sprinkle with more black pepper.

TFD: The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need tomorrow.

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