Have I told you guys that I love to shop? I do. Usually, clothing shopping is my favorite, but I love when we move and I get to buy new stuff for the home too. And now, I love shopping for the kitchen/blog too. That’s a bad one…I get carried away buying cutesy stuff to use for the blog.
Since moving to the Virgin islands, my shopping habit has been severely crippled. Sure, I can still shop online, but there’s a shocking number of retailers that don’t ship here, even though we have USPS, UPS, and FedEx. Some of them even charge International shipping…even though we have USPS, UPS, and FedEx. There aren’t a lot of options locally for clothing (there are zero options for cutesy blog doo dads), but there is one little boutique downtown that sells some of the prettiest dresses ever.
I’ve become a pretty regular face in there…even when I’m not buying, just browsing is such great retail therapy. The problem, though? The woman that runs the place is insultingly terrible at judging sizes and weights. Seriously.
Every time I go in there, the woman insists that I’m trying on a size that will be too small. She’s all like, “Oh…….. you think you should try that one on? Hm. Well, why don’t I go ahead and put the next size up in the fitting room too?” And I’m all like, “Lady, for real. Back off.”
Of course, it’s always immensely satisfying to come out in the smaller of the two sizes and have it fit perfectly… At least until she sees me. It always goes something like this, “Oh. You had to go with the larger size, huh?” And I say, “No. Actually, this is the smaller, but thanks for the vote of confidence.” Then she looks me up and down, and I could swear she’s trying to decide whether or not to call me a liar. You would think that after a year of shopping there, she would get the hint.
Her latest remark is always that “this particular dress runs small in the rib cage.” I want to ask her how she ever sells anything when she’s so insulting, but I never do. Then, I decide that I’m never spending my money there again. But I end up desperate for a shopping trip…not just a point, click, and pay trip, but a try-on-pretty-stuff-and-charge-it trip, and I always go back……… I’m like, “Alright. If this woman tries to tell you you’re too big for something, just leave. You don’t need to put up with it. She’s not the only person selling cute dresses around here.” Then I remember that actually, she is the only person selling cute dresses around here… It’s a vicious cycle, but I don’t think I should be held accountable the day that I go postal on her. She’s asking for it every time she eyes me with her snob goggles.
Maybe I should just lay off the muffins?
…
Well, we all know that’s not gonna happen.
Especially when I make muffins like these. I mean, really…a savory, spicy muffin that is actually fantastic with breakfast, lunch, and dinner?! Resistance is futile.
Today’s cast of characters: shredded cheddar cheese, all-purpose flour, roasted red peppers (diced), buttermilk, olive oil, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chives, and parsley. Plus some chile powder.
I think this batter is so pretty. All the herbs and the bright red from the peppers just looks so yummy.
Plus, they’re just as pretty once they’re baked. They have these lovely, domed, golden tops, and the peppers are still a beautiful, deep red.
Then there’s the inside. They have such a fluffy texture, and all the herbs and spices are very flavorful. These are an excellent accompaniment to any dinner, but they’re also fantastic with fresh scrambled eggs and ham for a hearty breakfast. You can even mix and match the herbs and spices to suit your needs. The bread itself is a great base for any savory muffin. However you decide to have these, enjoy!
Chili Cheddar Muffins [Printable Version]
Makes 12 standard muffins
Ingredients
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) roasted red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Lightly oil a muffin pan (I used non-stick cooking spray with flour in it).
In a small bowl, combine the cheddar, red pepper, chives, and parsley; set aside.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, chili powder, and salt.
Gently mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until just combined and pretty smooth (a few lumps are ok). Fold the cheddar mixture into the batter until evenly distributed.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (about 2 1/2 tablespoons per cup). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe by Darla
YA! Blog’s up!
I HATE people like that… terrible customer service.
Snob goggles!!! LOL …. love that! I can just see the whole picture if I close my eyes!
Glad the blog is working out for you today!! Great recipe : )
When I lived in Japan saleswomen were always trying to give me larger sizes too! I’m sure they were thinking “A white woman could never be as small as a Japanese!” I was tiny then though so I often got to shove it in their faces
How rude… I can’t believe people sometimes! I’m sure these muffins made it all better… delish!
Some people are just Rude… But these muffins are sure to make everything beautiful and better. Love the red sparkles of roasted peppers!! Thanks for sharing.
Totally just pinned this recipe.
How convenient, because I was just talking to a friend yesterday about roasting peppers.
I just bought the ingredients to make these tonight. The lady in line behind me gave me the stink-eye because I don’t grow my own chives. I told her that I kill every plant under my care, but I promised her that if I like this recipe, I would consider growing my own. I see a pot of dying chives in my future.
Yup. Gonna need to find me a chive plant now. These muffins are good.
Those muffins look awesome — savory ones are underrated — but the nerve of your dressmonger! I say before you go in next time, grab a business card from one of the local eye doctors and if/when she says something inappropriate, you can pull out the card and say, “That reminds me. I’ve been meaning to share this with you to help you with your, uhm, condition.” I mean, honestly!
What awful customer service! I don’t think I could remain as polite as you – I would have definitely gone ballistic on her by now!
On a side note – these muffins sound incredible! I love the savory heat in this!
I don’t usually make savory muffins, but these look incredible. The batter looks delish – I could eat it just like that!
Hi, I know this has nothing to do with the delicious looking muffin recipe directly above this comment, but I was wondering if you could have a recipe showing us how to make crystallized pineapple, (Horace Slughorn’s favorite
Do they sell this at Honeydukes in WWHP? I read somewhere that they did…….Thanks 
P.S. Thanks for the Pottermore info, I got in!! Username: LeviosaFrog136
Those look so delicious! I’m always looking for something new to serve at dinner – plain old dinner rolls are boring! I’ll be adding these to our menu for sure
oh man, that’s really funny as an observer. But that would make me feel horrible! Thank goodness I’ve never encountered a person like that.
I wish for you that you can find a strong voice around her to tell her to shut up, or some version of that.
That is so annoying. CG moved us to small town Oregon and there is NOTHING here. It’s so frustrating. So I do my shopping online too. It’s so hard to go clothes shopping online. At least my kids don’t have to try stuff on.
I got into Pottermore too – AccioPotion35.
I should make some of your confections for that awesome day when the email comes to tell me I can get in.
Oh goodness…these look SO good. I have yet to make savory muffins. Now I think it’s time..thanks for the great post!
Your stories are always so funny, and of course your recipe makes me want to run to the store and bake the rest of the day, responsibilities be damned. But what actually almost got me in trouble at work for literally laughing out loud was your little ‘say cheese’ in the batter photo. And i’m sure you thought you were so sneaky
Haha! I had forgotten all about my little Say Cheese!! You’re the on;y person who seems to have noticed. I couldn’t resist…when I saw the pic, I saw all the cheese and my reflection in the little scoop… What can I say?! I’m a goof.
Darla, you are the very first, VERY first foodie blog I ever followed and I never get tired of it.
I just love reading it and really REALLY should come by more often to tell you that.
In fact I was humbly just nominated for the “One Lovely Blog Award” and I had to nominate you for it as well. You are welcome to stop by my latest post to see my toast to you and your blog – you can find it here. http://www.thebutterdish.net/2011/08/a-lovely-blog-award-and-7-facts-about-me/
You know I adore your site and now I’ve told everyone (well my growing readership anyway
) about it. !
Here’s to creativity and BUTTER BEER!
Maybe just tell her what you feel about her “comments” ?
People like this dont know what to respond usually. And even if – what could she respond ?
I’ve got a lot of catching up to do! These look GREAT!!!!
hi darla, great blog, you are very creative, i would like to try the chile cheddar muffins, but I want to know what is the difference between chile powder and chili powder, and the recipe calls for one teaspoon of chile, is it gonna be hot (very spicy), did you use sharp or midum cheddar i would appreciate your quick reply, cause i can’t wait to try it, thanks a lot.
Chile powder is ground chiles, while chili powder is a blend of ground chiles and a few spices. I would venture to say that Chile powder is slightly spicier, although I’ve never detected a difference. I feel confident saying that you could use either powder and have great results. As for the cheese, I used sharp cheddar, but medium would be equally delicious. I hope this is helpful.