all things small

mini muffins and finger sandwiches

5x5” pastel / Vicki Smith

Hello,

What is it about ordinary objects scaled down to dollhouse size that we find so appealing? Miniature tea sets, matchbox cars, plastic action figures, and tiny barnyard animals entertain children, but even when we have outgrown them as toys, they still beckon to some of us. Mary Norton, the author of The Borrowers series, was nearsighted as a child and focused her gaze on low-lying vegetation rather than open vistas, and liked to imagine the lives of small creatures living in the bushes and puddles. The main characters in her children’s fantasy novels are the Clock family: Pod, Homily, and their somewhat feisty pre-teen daughter, Arriety. The Clocks are diminutive versions of people and live in a large house in the British countryside, under the kitchen floorboards. They “borrow” discarded matchboxes, buttons, thimbles, safety pins, and stamps from the household to repurpose and furnish their quarters. The tension centers on their fear of being discovered, particularly by the evil cook Mrs. Driver or the human boy whom Arriety eventually befriends.

My fourth-grade teacher was new to the profession, and like all children, I could easily recognize when a teacher had difficulty filling the day with meaningful activity. Being a male teacher, a novelty in grade school, and tall, there wasn’t a problem with discipline. His weakness was his reliance on filmstrips (the PowerPoint of an earlier age) and crafty projects that were judged, with winners rewarded with candy bars. One project involved turning a shoe box into a diorama to illustrate a favorite book. Of course, I picked The Borrowers, and the assignment gave me the perfect opportunity to gather bits and bobs from around the house and my mom’s sewing basket. I copied the cover illustrations by Beth and Joe Krush, cut them out, and taped them atop empty spools of thread. I won first place, and I heard my classmate Eric say, “I don’t see why she won. She just filled the box with junk.” Eric had picked Mary Poppins. He had drawn Mary Poppins and attached a string to her hat that was threaded through a hole in the top of the vertically designed box. Pull the thread, and Mary flies. Eric probably does not even remember his Mary Poppins diorama, but I thought it was rather clever. And still do.

In keeping with the theme, I’ve included a recipe for mini banana muffins and some ideas for finger sandwiches. Bakery muffins and restaurant sandwiches seem to grow bigger each year, but sometimes a dainty treat is in order. Teatime, anyone?

Mini Banana Muffins

No Added Sugar Banana Muffins

Ingredients

2 eggs

1/4 c. neutral oil

5-6 ripe bananas, mashed

1 t. vanilla

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Mix. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture. Mix. Place mini cupcake liners in a mini cupcake tin. (yields about 18 muffins) Fill each about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the top springs back up when pressed.

Finger Sandwiches or Tea Sandwiches

Finger sandwiches and tea sandwiches are apparently not interchangeable, as I learned here. I did my research after experimenting with fillings. A must for both types of sandwich is to remove the crusts from a lightly textured bread. I tried egg salad, an olive tapenade, softened brie with fig preserves, and cream cheese with raspberry jam. The egg salad was a bit messy, but the others worked well.

Thanks for visiting!

Vicki