Jalapeno Jack and Potato Mini Muffins

I had such a good Mother’s Day.

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We relaxed, cooked, and (yay!) my sister came down from Nashville for a visit. On Saturday, my husband and kids wanted to celebrate early because:

1.   My husband has no patience.

2.   My family is the sweetest ever.

3.   My husband has no patience.

My sweet husband has a history when it comes to gifts. If he gets me something he’s excited about he absolutely cannot wait, therefore he has a hard time surprising me. Let me give you my favorite example.

Our second Christmas together, we were in the mall shopping for gifts and decided to split up for a little while. After about an hour or so he ran up to me and handed me a box – he had a look on his face like he was five years old – he said “open it, this is your Christmas gift.”

I said, “Mark, it’s not Christmas.”

He said, “I know. Open it.”

I said, “Are you sure, I mean Christmas is two weeks away?”

“OPEN IT!”

My God, that man has no patience to save his life.

It was a stunning necklace that I would have never expected. If there’s one thing Mark has, it’s the ability to score when he’s trying.

This year for Mother’s Day, they gave me fun stuff for my camera (score), and my daughter gave me a fabulous bracelet (another score). She has such good taste. They also told me that on Sunday I could stay in the kitchen and play until my heart was content; they had the laundry, the grocery shopping, etc. What a gift.

I love my family.

But, I just wondered….aren’t they aware that I’m in the kitchen cooking every Sunday anyway? Were they just trying to give me a guilt-free day? That had to be the case – and of course it’s much more fun when there are no obligations getting in the way of my kitchen play.

So, keeping with tradition, my sister and I did our normal routine during her visits….cooked, talked, cooked, had wine, cooked, etc. 

You get the picture.

Saturday night we decided to make comfort food… Salisbury Steak and mashed potatoes. Ok, saying that we went a bit overboard with the amount of potatoes we made is an understatement. I had two pyrex bowls full of them when we cleaned up. Hey – it’s the Southern way – you cook like you’re going to feed the entire freakin’ neighborhood. I have no idea why, that’s just what our mothers raised us to do.

So…what does a girl do with a Sunday free to do whatever she wants and an ass load of leftover mashed potatoes?

She makes Potato Mini Muffins. With pepper jack cheese, of course.

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Monterey Jack and Potato Mini Muffins

Makes 24 mini muffins

1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 cup whole milk

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400° and spray a mini muffin pan with baking spray. I used two pans that yield 12 muffins each.

In a stand mixer on low, combine all ingredients until completely incorporated. Spoon evenly into muffin tins and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until slightly brown. You may want to set the timer for 10 and watch them since all of our ovens cook differently!

They are so moist – butter is so optional.

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Now you’ll rethink throwing out those leftover mashed potatoes.

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xoxo

~Dixie Chik~

Author

  • Shea

    Shea Goldstein is a writer and the voice behind Dixie Chik Cooks. She's also a recipe developer and brand ambassador. She has been published in several media platforms such as Redbook, Parade, Food Blogger Magazine and more. She has been developing recipes and writing since 2009. Shea is a Southern Belle Who's Thinking About What's For Dinner While Eating Lunch

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Potatoes’ are my fav and you seem to have made them more yummy! 😀

    Minnie (@thelady8home)

  2. Oh god, I´m exactly like your husband with the gifts! You had the sweetest mother´s day… great how they took care of you with the little things that you love!
    The mini muffins look yummy! Mashed potato adds such a great texture

  3. Genêt

    Okay Shea, you need to be specific about all those fancy camera accessories you scored on Mother’s Day (belated happy one by the way) because your pictures of those scrumptious muffins are over-the-top gorgeous!

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