Pear Stuffin' Muffins

This muffin will never win a beauty contest.

Next to the blueberries, the cranberries, the banana walnut muffins, this muffin is chunky, freckled, and crumbly. 

It might be voted prom queen, though, because the inner beauty of this Pear Stuffin' Muffin far outshines it's exterior.

It is delicious. 

Thanksgiving in July.

(Because who doesn't want to spend the hottest day of the summer in front of the oven?)

So line up your contestants and hand out the blue ribbon to the Pear Stuffin' Muffin.

This is Joann Fluke's Stuffin' Muffins, gone pear.

Pear Stuffin' Muffin

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped pear (unpeeled)
1 teaspoon powdered sage
1 teaspoon powdered thyme
1 teaspoon ground oregano
5 cups stuffing (or 1 - 6 oz package)
1 sleeve crushed saltines
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons melted butter
2/3 cup chicken broth


Step #1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.


Step #2: Chop that pear, onion and celery. (whew)


Step #3: Melt your butter (8 tablespoons) in a big saucepan on the stove.


Step #4: Add in onion, celery and pear over medium heat and stir.


Step #5: Add in sage, thyme and oregano and saute for about 5 minutes.


Step #6: In a large bowl, mix saltines and stuffing.


Step #7: Beat eggs and pour over stuffing mixture.


Step #8: Add salt and pepper to stuffing mixture and mix.


Step #9: Add melted butter (5 tablespoons) to stuffing mixture and chicken broth and mix.


Step #10: Add saucepan mixture to stuffing mixture and mix.  Just use your hands to make sure the stuffing and saltines are coated.

Step #11: Pour stuffing mixture into muffin tin.  I did this by just dumping it carefully on top of the muffin tin, and then using my hands to portion it out among the cups.  They were mounded slightly above the top of each cup - really pack it down in there.


Step #12: Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.


Step #13: Serve! Yum!