Mango Mandness Muffins

There is nothing more ono than fresh mangos; and boy are they in abundance during the summer months in Hawaii. I love making these simple and flavorful muffins.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups fresh diced mango
1/2 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, sift flower, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In another bowl, combine the eggs, butter, milk, and lime juice; add to the dry ingredients just until moistened. Do not over mix. Batter should be lumpy.
3. Stir in the mango and pecans.
4. Fill paper-lined or buttered muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Enjoy.

Anybody who knows me knows that I simply love food. I love talking about food, planning meals, deciphering ingredients, shopping at my local farmers markets, cooking, and finally feeding my loved ones.

I suspect this love of food was infused in me at a very early age…given that my mother is an amazing chef and has been cooking daily (for a while professionally) for as long as I can remember. In fact, my mom takes so much pleasure in telling people about the time I quietly disappeared into the kitchen at the age of 2 or 3 only to be found sitting in my diaper on the floor in a pool of broken eggs and flour with a large mixing bowl in front of me. When she asked me what I was up to I calmly, and confidently, responded that I was baking a cake.

Fortunately, I was exposed to a wide variety of ethnic foods growing up in Israel and in Los Angeles, CA. Israel’s diverse population makes it cuisine quite unique. People from more than seventy different countries and with many different food customs live in Israel. Eastern European Jews migrated to Israel and brought with them traditional dishes prepared in countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Russia. While Palestinians and Middle Eastern Jews enjoy a cuisine adapted from North Africa and the varied Arab nations of the region. My childhood food mostly consisted of a combination of North African and Middle Eastern dishes.

I was only 8 years old when my family moved to Los Angeles and it was there that I discovered my love for Mexican , Italian, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Peruvian, and other ethic cuisines. I am blessed that for as long as I can remember my diet has consisted of a combination of all of these foods and anyone who has ever dated me knows that one must have an open mind and a strong stomach to hang with me

My love for fresh fish and tropical ingredients came to the forefront when I moved the Hawaii in 2002 and the rest in history. Of course, jaunts across the ocean to places like Nepal, Thailand, and Indonesia have educated me further. Living of the North Shore of Oahu (hardly a culinary hotbed) has encouraged me to cook daily. We have hardly a handful of restaurants in Haleiwa town and not much in the way of ethnic foods.

This blog is a place for me to finally share some of my favorite recipes for dishes that my friends and family enjoy…. Aloha & Beteavon (Hebrew for Bon Apetit).