My first carrot muffins

As a beginner cook, I find my tastes leaning toward the simpler recipes, whether it's sweet or savory stuff. I must be lucky in that I don't have a problem resisting the temptation of many scrumptious Pinoy dishes that are a cholesterol watcher's hell. Adobo? I have the occasional craving, and then only for chicken adobo. Mechado? Kaldereta? Morcon? Tocino? They all form a large part of my childhood memories, but easily resisted in the present day. And perhaps it's not really that difficult, since I made the decision more than a decade ago to virtually cut out all red meat from my diet, for health reasons and some form of nutty compassion for pigs and cows. (I know, I know, what about fish and chicken? Ah well, it's a half-baked commitment what can I say).

Learning to bake, I am more fascinated by the prospect of making simple yeastbreads and sourdough loaves than cakemaking. The transformation of flour and water into the simple goodness of bread - it's almost magical.

Muffins are another darling to make. So easy and healthy! These carrot muffins are based on a recipe from the Williams-Sonoma Collection: Bread cookbook. I used a miniature muffin pan because I've always thought the standard size somewhat intimidatingly large!