Before I forget I will be the Author of the Day for Cookstr. com on Monday November 9. Take a look at their site:

Check out these scrumptious moist muffins I make and keep on hand for holiday breakfasts.

What’s a muffin? I have heard people call them cup cakes since they resemble one another, but they are entirely different. A muffin is usually based on a quick bread recipe that is often baked in a loaf pan. Quick breads by definition use baking powder, soda or cream of tartar to leaven the breads rather than yeast. They also are made quickly and with little stirring so that the ingredients have the ability to rise. They may have a streusel or glaze topping but you won’t see a muffin topped with a butter cream frosting.

Muffins are a breakfast time treat but frankly I like them any time of day or evening. Slightly moist and crumbly, muffins are my kind of comfort food. These spiced pumpkin muffins are rich, golden nuggets of pumpkin goodness. Flavorings like nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice are especially welcome this time of year. When my daughter was young I would have a platter of these waiting after school for her and her friends. As the holidays arrive, I’ll serve these with a mug of hot spiced apple cider when friends drop by for a visit.

I love these spiced muffins. To enhance them further I add orange juice and zest and plump golden raisins. I use a good quality unsalted butter that gives them a wonderful buttery mouthfeel. If you want to make sure that you have muffins that rise and have a pleasing consistency, here are a few tips:

• Measure out the dry ingredients in a bowl or on a large sheet of wax paper.
• Cream the butter and sugar and then add the remaining wet ingredients until nicely blended.
• Whatever you do, DO NOT overmix or you will have dense, short, heavy muffins.
• Make sure to spray the muffin tins carefully and evenly with baking spray.
• Freeze any remaining muffins in plastic lock-top bags. Defrost and warm slightly before serving.
• Serve these warm with warm honey butter or honey and mascarpone blended together.

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 large muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup unsalted butter, (1/2 stick) softened

1/2 cup +2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350^oF. Prepare a 12 muffin tin by greasing each muffin tin cup well with baking spray.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl or on a sheet of wax papper and reserve.

3. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and both of the sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs, orange zest, orange juice and pumpkin and blend on low speed until just blended.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture on low speed, mixing until just blended. DO NOT OVER MIX. Add the raisins and mix just enough to combine.

5. Divide the mixture evenly into the muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan at for least 15 minutes and then turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For those of you who are fascinated by culinary history, this is the story of beef Stroganoff. According to John Ayto of An A to Z of Food and Drink, Oxford University Press, “Beef stroganoff is a dish consisting of strips of lean beef sauteed and served in a sour-cream sauce with onions and mushrooms. The recipe, which is of Russian origin, has been known since the eighteenth century, but its name appears to come from County Paul Stroganoff, a nineteeth-century Russian diplomat. Legend has it that when he was stationed in deepest Siberia, his chef discovered that the beef was frozen so solid that it could only be coped with by cutting it into very thin strips. The first English cookery book to include it seems to have been Ambrose Heath’s Good Food (1932).”

I never knew all those facts when I decided to try making this dish as a freshman in college. It sounded yummy and pretty easy to make. I prepared it from my first cookbook Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I didn’t know that adding sour cream and heating it can sometimes have unpleasant consequences. It can curdle but if you add flour and don’t boil the sauce, you will have a deliciously creamy sauce. I made that dish for years and then of course, it feel out of fashion. Creamy sauces were out. Recently I prepared this for a group of friends and realized that this dish belongs on the table again. It is as delicious as ever. The key to enjoying dishes like this is smaller portions and using less cream. This recipe uses a scant 1/3 cup of crème fraiche for 6 people.

Today many of us prefer dishes grilled with light sauces and marinades but there are times when the weather and the situation are the perfect time for a dish like Beef Stroganoff. I have made a few changes in this dish that reflect my love for leeks and the brown cremini mushroom. Slightly browned and caramelized leeks and mushrooms are the flavoring for the tender strips of beef.

Tomato paste, Dijon mustard and a big squirt of lemon juice balances out the beef broth and crème fraiche. I prefer using crème fraiche for this because it has a mild, sweet yet slightly nutty flavor and has less of a chance of curdling when heated. Sour cream is of course an option. Serve this on a bed of wide egg noodles in a shallow soup bowl for a pretty presentation.

I like to begin this menu with a butter lettuce salad with shavings of Parmesan cheese and thinly sliced pears in a lemon vinaigrette. Serve sliced French bread on the side. If you want a green vegetable a side of braised spinach leaves would be lovely. Accompany this with a Rhone red wine like a Syrah or try a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Help is on the Way:

• For an even lighter version try this with strips of chicken or turkey instead of the beef.
• Use wild mushrooms, if available.
• Serve the stroganoff on a bed of couscous.
• This should be prepared just before serving.

Beef Stroganoff

Serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 pounds top sirloin, cut into 2 x 1×1/8-ich strips

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 leeks, light green and white part only, cleaned and finely chopped

1 pound brown (cremini) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups beef broth

1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet on high heat. Dry the beef off with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Saute the beef in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan, about 1 minute on a side or until nicely browned on both sides and still pinkish. Remove to a side bowl and reserve. Repeat with another 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and the remaining meat. Reserve

2. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the butter to the skillet. Saute the leeks until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until nicely browned, about 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook a minute or until lightly browned. Sprinkle over the flour and cook another minute. Add the broth, turn up the heat to high and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Let boil a minute and then reduce the heat to medium. Add the cream, mustard and lemon juice and cook another minute until nicely blended. Taste for seasoning. Return the meat and any juices to the sauce and cook no more than 2 minutes or until just hot. Serve immediately over noodles and garnish with parsley.