Before I write anything else I have to tell y’all that today is Bops’s birthday. Otherwise known as my daddy. Not everyone is fortunate enough to grow up with a dad who creates a lasting example of all that is good and right in a person, but I did. He is one of the best men I have ever known and I am so honored that he’s my dad. Of all the gifts God has given me, he’s toward the very top of the list.
Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you so much. And I’ll be bringing you a pecan pie later because nothing says I love you like pecans coated in karo syrup.
And now I am going to do something I haven’t done in forever.
Post a recipe.
Because my day yesterday consisted of some writing. And I mailed some stuff off at the UPS store. And then I answered some email, picked up Caroline from school, went to Target, cooked dinner, and put Caroline to bed just in time for P and I to watch a bunch of hunting shows.
Spoiler alert: The deer always dies.
Anyway, Caroline has a friend named Ella. And Ella’s mom is a gourmet cook. Caroline often wonders why her lunches don’t look like Ella’s lunches. Where do I begin? With the lack of creativity? Or basic culinary skills?
I usually just explain that some kids would consider Lunchables to be a special lunch in and of itself. I mean, where else can you find a hunk of fake cheese and three pieces of fake ham all conveniently wrapped in plastic?
And before you judge me, I’ll have you know that I always include an apple. Most of the time. Unless I’m out of apples.
Caroline doesn’t eat lunch until 12:45 every day which, let’s be honest, is absurd. It means that, in addition to packing her a lunch every day, I have to pack her a snack for snack time. This is what some may refer to as a beating at 7 a.m.
So it came as no real surprise when Caroline told me that she wished I’d make her Morning Glory Muffins for snack like Ella’s mom. Apparently the goldfish crackers I throw in a Ziploc baggie every morning paled in comparison.
But I decided I can bake some muffins. I emailed Ella’s mom to get the recipe and she sent it back to me. Then I baked an entire batch of Morning Glory Muffins and officially became Caroline’s hero.
Well, at least in the snack department. She doesn’t believe I know anything about finding distances on a map after yesterday’s homework.
And she may be right.
Anyway, I decided I’d share the recipe for the muffins instead of rambling on and on about nothing. It looks like I’m 342 words too late.
Morning Glory Muffins
Mix together:
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbs. cinnamon
2 tsp.baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Add:
1/2 cup coconut (I left the coconut out because I didn’t have it)
3/4 cup raisins
1 large apple peeled and grated
2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I also left these out because I didn’t have them)
Stir to combine
In a separate bowl mix together:
3 large eggs
1 cup veg oil (Ella’s mom says you can use 1/2 cup. I used a whole cup.)
1 tsp. vanilla (I used two teaspoons because I love vanilla)
Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture.
Spoon into muffin cups and bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.
(I added about 1/4 flax seed because I felt like it might offset the effects of the Lunchables.)
And that’s it.
They’re actually really good. And perfect for breakfast or snack or just to eat right out of the oven while you’re cooking dinner.
Hypothetically speaking.
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Making a school lunch day after day can be vexing. Maybe Ella’s mom would do a public service for us school lunch challenged individuals and offer up some ideas? I will be mixing up a batch of these muffins. They sound delicious.
Happy Birthday Bops! Hope you have a great day (and enjoy the pecan pie!).
I am just going to pay Ella’s Mom to make an extra dozen and send them my way. I have learned not to try and make things that she makes. I have 3 items on my do not make list now because they cannot compare (yes, my child actually said that!). But, have gotten pretty good at lunches! My youngest will not eat the school food and honestly, that is a good thing!
That recipe looks delightful, but I’m going to follow Laura B’s example and purchase a dozen freshly baked muffins from Ella’s Mom, if you will kindly supply her contact info.
Have you ever thought of preparing C’s lunch the night before? I grumbled for years about having to get up at 5 AM to fix my husband’s lunches (I was blessed to be a stay-at-home Mom, so there really was no excuse for complaining, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I am a Whiner by trade), until one day the idea struck me (probably as the result of having read it in a magazine article) that I could prepare those lunches in the evening and sleep until 7 AM!
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. BOPS!!!
Happy Birthday Bops!! The Gulleys and Fishers love you!!
Happy birthday to your Dad! Is he as funny as you are? Just wondering.
wow, lunch at 12:45? My younger boys eat at 10:15 and 10:45! Seriously? They are still fresh off the eggs & waffles or oatmeal I made that morning. That’s why we have snacks in the afternoon and they are starving by pick up – thus the snack bag I keep in my van. I pack lunches and snacks every morning and will gladly make this recipe a part of of my repertoire. We need some new ideas.
Happy Birthday to your Dad! I am sure miss mine .. so sweet to see how much you love him.
Haapy Birthday to Bops!
I love the times he has written in the comments and given us a glimpse into his perspective of you as a young adult.
Melanie, what a lovely tribute you wrote to him. You are blessed to have a man like that for your dad, and very wise to recognize it is a blessing. Also, I love that you do not take it for granted you have him in your life.
The rest of the post was hilarious – you have been on a streak of comedy genius lately!
So love you and your gift of writing!
I can’t even tell you the angst packing 3 lunches everyday gives me, plus adding the snack in for the 2 littles. Well, sometimes it’s just TOO MUCH! (I do realize that is some serious first world problems right there!)
Happy Birthday Bops!
Happy birthday bops! U must rock,! Way to go! Must be nice to have such a great daughter who makes me laugh daily.
Ok Ellas mom, does she blog, will she share a few more recipes with us please,please.
Good job on the funny side.
Bless you,
Amanda
My new status post on Facebook:
“Eureka! Big Mama posted the recipe to Morning Glory muffins this morning! Which means I don’t have to beg and plead anymore for someone to go to eat at the Coffee Tree with me on Saturday mornings so that my order will cost more than $5 so that the evil lady running the place will accept my payment by debit card (because I NEVER have cash.) This assuming I have the time and the will to go to Walmart first, of course, because being such the cook that I am I would never just have the ingredients on hand. But that’s why it’s so good that I live to plan ahead and make lists!!!
)”
Do you have a FB page, Big Mama? Because I need to go “Like” it if you do!
Happy Birthday Bops!!
My kids actually beg me to buy them lunchables. I’m not sure what this says about my cooking. But I will definitely be making these muffins!
Piper
Happy Birthday Bops!!!! Hope you enjoy your very special day!
Loved the spoiler alert Mel.
I had a mom who was an amazing cook and incredibly creative. I begged for lunchables (and almost never got them, although my mom did recreate a few of them for me… which was NOT the same). You just can’t win (until you make Morning Glory Muffins apparently).
Happy Birthday to Bops! Today is my Dad’s birthday too! Your comments about your Dad sound exactly like you’re describing my Dad. My Dad is the greatest man I’ve ever known and he has been such a blessing to our entire family. We’re so lucky to have him!
Happy Birthday Bops!! Wish I knew you…I can tell you are wonderful!
Oh, and thanks for the recipe! I buy these at Panera Bread and LOVE them!
Well thanks! Now I HAVE to go make muffins because I am starved for some after reading your post and all the comments!! Thanks for all you do for us readers!! Making people smile is worth a lot!! Hey, I have a little verse I found in a book published 1895 (so no worries about copyright) and thought I’d send it…maybe it will be a blessing to you.
If any little word of mine
May make a life the brighter,
If any little song of mine
May make a heart the lighter,
God help me speak the little word
And take my bit of singing,
And drop it in some lonely vale
To set the echoes ringing. –Anon
Sweet little prayer, thought I’d share! Have a lovely day!
I can vouch for this recipe! I have made them before and we all love them.
Happy Birthday to Bops….best softball coach ever to a crazy bunch of 9 year-old girls!
Recipe sounds delicious. We need to shake up the menu around here, too! Will give this a try!
Happy Birthday Bops! Ask him if we can all hang out soon, except that by “hang out” I mean that he can go to work and leave us with the keys to his car so that we can drive around town acting cool, and then he can take us to dinner on the Riverwalk. Because I’m sure that was the best summer of his life and doesn’t he want to relive it for his birthday?
I enjoy reading your blog. You make me laugh EVERY SINGLE TIME! Laughter is the best pick me up so, thanks!
‘. . .nothing says I love you like pecans coated in karo syrup.” Yum, I wish someone loved me like that today. . .especially if they stopped by Starbuck’s, too. Perfection!
Happy, happy birthday, Bops! You have a very special daughter (but I guess you probably know that).
Happy Birthday Bops!! You share a birthday with my wonderful Daddy who would have been 85 today. Your daughter always brings a smile to my face and laughter to my heart. May blessings abound to you all.
I don’t comment much anymore because I got smart and subscribed to your blog now and I read it every day in my email. But that means that I hardly ever come over to the actual site to comment, and I’m sorry for that. Not that you’ve missed me.
I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOPS! You sound like such a wonderful dad and grandfather.. If you are half as funny as Melanie, I wish you wrote a blog, too!!
Melanie, I still love your blog, still read it first thing every single morning, and still can’t wait to read your book when it comes out!! Thank you for writing, you make my day…
Thanks so much for posting the recipe! They sounded so yummy–and even just this side of healthy too–so I had to try them (minus the raisins and coconut, which I didn’t have). My daughter helped me bake them this afternoon and not only did we have fun they turned out dee-lish!
What a beautiful tribute to your Dad. You truly are blessed. I was in San Antonio today,visiting from Canada and so wanted to meet up with you. (Just kidding). You truly make me laugh. Thanks for that.
The day that my husband and I decided that we needed to pay for the hot lunch for our son at his school is one of the best days of my life to this date. I am not even kidding. One day a week we still have to send a lunch and it just about does me in every time. He begs me for Lunchables. He thinks they’re the best thing ever. Too bad he and Caroline aren’t in the same class…she’d be getting all kinds of admiration.
I have been known to send him to school with a slice of buttered bread, a cheese stick and/or tortilla chips and guacamole. If I have carrots, I’ll stick five in a baggie just so no one calls the authorities. 
Happy Birthday to your dad!
Happy birthday, belatedly, to Bops!
and miss M, you are a tease…thought we were getting a pecan pie recipe! but will try the muffins when the remodelers give us a kitchen. for now it goes in the “to try” pile.
I made them, kids ate them, win.