Muffins inspired by Big Little Lies #FoodiesRead

Have you read Big Little Lies by Liane Moriaty yet?  I ordered it up on audible.com after several of my friends recommended it.

I LOVED it.  It was like reading a night time soap opera.  It reminded me very much of Desperate Housewives.  Oh,  I loved that show.  It made me laugh and so did this novel.

This novel also made me cry.  It follows the lives of 3 women, Madeline, Celeste and Jane, who live in a small beach town in Australia. It shares their interaction each other and with others who live in this town that only has one elementary school that all of their children attend.  Each of these women have secrets in their lives, as we all tend to do.  Secrets that we don't share with others. Big Little Lies that we try to make ourselves believe as we play act through our lives.

I loved these three women.  I want to be their friend.  I want to sit with them in the mornings, drinking coffee, gossiping and occasionally sipping an early morning glass of champagne.  I want to be their confidant.  I want to tell them that these burdens they carry are not theirs alone.  That many (most?  all?) of us have Big Little Lies that we tell ourselves and others as we live through our daily lives.

There are some references to food but the first and most often food mentioned is Muffins.  Jane brings muffins the first time that she is invited to Madeline's so that their children can have a play date.  Jane is famous for her muffins that she bakes but never eats.  It is a muffin given to her by Tom, the owner of the local coffee shop, that starts her journey back from five years of suffering an eating disorder.

There is, of course, a murder and these three women, with their Big Little Lies, are completely tangled up in it.  Each chapter starts and ends with a q&a session between the detective investigating the murder and the people in this small town who think they know Madeline, Celeste and Jane but are very busy dealing with their own Big Little Lies.

The narration of this novel was spot on.  I even awoke one morning at 3 am and had to get out of bed, go in the other room, so as to not disturb Frank, and listen to this story that had me so enthralled.

Do yourself a favor.  Order up this book.  Bake these muffins.  Brew a pot of coffee.  Carve out a free afternoon and curl up on the couch for the long haul.  You are not going to want to put this book down so make sure you give yourself plenty of time.  The audible version was 15 hrs., so perhaps you will need a couple of days of relaxation.  Perfect to take with you on your next vacation.

Now I am going to share one of my Big Little Lies.....I secretly adore JIF Peanut Butter. Oh, I know that you should eat natural peanut butter or even better yet, natural butters made from other nuts. And I do.  And I tout all their health benefits  But in my heart of hearts....none of them soothe and comfort me like JIF.

You know why Jif tastes so good?  Because it is filled with sugar.  So to offset that and the sugar in the banana and chocolate, I only added an additional 2 Tablespoons of sugar to the batter.  They are still very decadent and another guilty pleasure you can secretly enjoy....adding to your Big Little Lies.

I am sharing this review over at Foodies Read.  Stop by and see what books the others are reading and reviewing this month.

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips

2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
1/3 c. peanut butter
1 c. milk
1 egg
3 T. butter, melted
1 very ripe banana
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, milk, egg and butter until smooth. Dump the peanut butter mixture into the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until just incorporated.  Mash the banana and stir into the batter along with the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups that have been treated with baking spray.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 15-20  minutes, until a skewer inserted removes cleanly.  Let cool in pan on wire rack before removing to cool completely.