I'd like to tell you a story...

Do you ever have a memory about a certain food and every time you recall that memory, it's almost like you can taste each bite...you're literally transported back in time to that particular delicious moment! For some, it's a special dessert and for others maybe it's a perfectly grilled steak or an appetizer that you simply must order at your favorite restaurant. We all have that one food that puts a smile on our face just thinking about it. Well, for me, it's a muffin! I can't remember what it was called, but I remember everything else about it which is amazing because this memory is about two decades old. My children will vouch for the fact that I can barely remember what I did yesterday let alone twenty years ago, so the fact that I am able to recapture details from so long ago is truly a phenomenon!

Here's the story...

Once upon a time, I worked for a law firm in downtown Denver. I lived in the mountains and had quite the commute each day. I was pregnant and not allowed to drive because I had hypoglycemia and would occasionally pass out. It only happened twice and never while I was driving, but the doctors didn't want me to take a chance. So, I would hop (okay, not really hop - I was pregnant after all, but you get the picture) on the bus for my hour and a half joyride. Did I read, sleep or possibly crochet cute little booties and bonnets on my way down the mountain, you ask? Nope. Wrong. None of the above. I sat in my seat and quietly reflected on one thing and one thing only. Yep, you guessed it...food! A muffin to be exact.

I spent all my time thinking about an orange muffin. Not just about what it would taste like, but whether they would have run out by the time I got there (God forbid, and it happened more than once and nearly brought me to my knees) and whether or not I should get three on Friday so that I would have one for Saturday and Sunday. I was truly obsessed about this muffin. I can still picture the little kiosk at the bus station.

And then one day the kiosk was gone! I spent the next six months searching downtown bakeries for my beloved orange muffin to no avail. I got desperate and branched out to the surrounding towns and even went as far as Boulder to try and find a suitable substitute. Nada. I tried to duplicate the recipe for years and never found the right combination. Even back then I loved to bake, but I was still relatively inexperienced at coming up with my own recipes not to mention the fact that I now had a beautiful, precious little baby girl that took up every waking moment that I wasn't at work.

So, what did I do? I pushed the memory aside and simply would not allow myself to think about it any longer. Enough was enough. I had to let it go. I was driving myself and everyone around me crazy over a silly little muffin! And, like all true loves that end tragically, the pain slowly, slowly subsided until it became nothing but a distant memory.

And so, two decades later, here we are and although hidden among the cobwebs, that muffin came back and reared it's ugly (albeit sugar-coated) head when I started throwing around the idea of adding muffins to the menu at Torilyn's Cupcakes. And I want you all to know that after all that, the story has a happy ending. A blissfully, happy ending. I did it! I really, truly and absolutely nailed it. I baked and baked until I finally got it right and, Oh My Goodness was it worth it! It's called the Orange Blossom Muffin and I'm in love all over again!!

I'd love to hear about your favorite muffin memories. Go ahead, dust off the file cabinet in your mind and let the memories flow :)

Much Cupcake Love -

Victoria