recipe

Better-than-the-Bakery Blueberry Muffins

July 21, 2014 by Amy 5 Comments

Do you like real blueberry muffins – the kind oozing with purplish blueberry goo?

If you do, then these are the muffins for you. They’re a bit of work, coming with multiple steps and all, but I think you’ll find the finished product to be well worth it.

We love to pick our own blueberries at a no-spray, all-natural field every June. We get up early and make the trek to the next county over, where we pick bucket after bucket of blueberries. We eat lots of them when we get home, but we freeze pounds of them – and then we can make these muffins all year long.

You can make your own better-than-the-bakery muffins at home:

Yum

Better-than-the-Bakery Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups fresh blueberries
1 c. + 1 t. sugar
1 T. water
2 1/2 c. white-wheat flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
Streusel:
3 T. sugar
3 T. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
5 T. melted butter
5 T butter
1 c. buttermilk
2 t. vanilla

Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring 1 c. berries, 1 t. sugar, and water to a simmer. Cook and mash with a potato masher until reduced by half. Cool while you mix batter.
Melt butter for batter and allow to cool a bit.
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
Stir together eggs and sugar in a medium bowl. Slowly stir in butter.
To the wet ingredients, add buttermilk and vanilla.
Fold wet ingredients and blueberries into dry ingredients.
Place a heaping spoonful of batter into prepared muffin tins (I used paper liners). Batter should completely fill muffin cups.
Place a small spoonful of cooked blueberries into the center of the batter in each cup and swirl slightly.
Preheat oven to 350.
To make streusel topping, mix all ingredients together. (I needed to add extra flour and brown sugar to get a good crumbly consistency.)
Sprinkle streusel over the top of each muffin.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until firm.
Serve warm. Enjoy!

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What’s your favorite muffin flavor?

Applesauce Muffins

July 21, 2014 by Amy

I mixed up these muffins during the morning rush one day, and everyone stopped as they came through the kitchen.

“What’s that smell?” they all asked, stopping and sniffing some more. “It that our breakfast?”

With cinnamon and apples wafting on the air, they hurried to the table, eager to sample these muffins. My Big Helper didn’t have time to add one to her already-full breakfast plate, and upon the promise of one after school, marched off.

When she returned, she walked in the door, immediately asking for her muffin. Apparently it was on her mind all day.

When the mere smell of something sticks with you throughout seven hours of classes and crazy testing, it must be good.

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. softened butter
2 eggs
2 c. white-wheat flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. applesauce

To make your muffins, just:

Cream the sugar and the butter.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add alternately with the applesauce.
Mix until just combined.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes.

Makes 1 – 1 1/2 dozen muffins.

What are you serving for breakfast today?

The BECW (or, the Bacon Egg Cheddar Waffle)

July 21, 2014 by Amy

You hit snooze a few too many times. Now you’re rushing to get breakfast and out the door while stepping on Legos and trying to avoid the dog’s tail, which seems to be everywhere you try to put your foot.

Familiar?

Well, in my house it might be more like packing lunches, figuring out breakfast, braiding hair, grabbing printables and trying to get kids dressed who would rather be reading – and then finding missing shoes on your way out the door.

Either way, mornings can be hectic, but I’ve found a make-ahead breakfast that doesn’t have to be.

Think egg sandwich meets a waffle. It’s sweet. It’s savory. It’s whole grains and proteins, and if you add some spinach or tomatoes, it’ll even have veggies.

Yum.

Here’s how to make your own Bacon Egg Cheddar Waffle.

Ingredients & Directions:

3 1/2 c. white wheat flour
4 eggs
3 c. sour milk
4 T. butter, melted
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt

Whisk above ingredients together. Begin making your waffles …

1 lb. of bacon, fried/baked/crispy 🙂
8 eggs + milk for mixing
1/2 c. cheddar
butter for pan prep

Now …

Whisk your eggs and milk together. In a warm pan, prepare the eggs omelet-style. I like to use a pan that’s about the same size as my waffle will be, so I sometimes cook the eggs in batches for easier assembly later.
Add the cheese to the eggs when they’re almost cooked.
Cook the waffles to your desired crispness.
Slide one omelet between two waffles and top with several strips of bacon.
Slice along the divider lines in your waffle (In my waffle maker, each waffle is divided into four sections, so each complete waffle sandwich divides into four smaller pieces for me).
Serve immediately, or wrap with waxed paper and place into a zip-seal bag. Freeze for later use.

What’s your favorite to-go breakfast?

Apple Pie Enchiladas

July 21, 2014 by Amy

A few days ago I was thinking about all the things I’d like to do with a few bushels of apples – but I only had two Granny Smiths in the fridge. After thinking over my options and our need for a quick, yummy breakfast, I came up with this dish.

The kids and I loved the cinnamon sugar snowflakes we made out of tortillas last winter, and crepes stuffed with cinnamon apples make a great treat, so I combined the two to get these breakfast enchiladas. They’re quick and healthy but “fancy” enough for company, too.

So here’s how to make your own Apple Pie Enchiladas:

Ingredients:

2 Granny Smith apples
2 T. honey
1/4 c. water
3 T. butter, softened & divided
1 1/2 t. cinnamon-sugar mixture
2 8-inch whole wheat tortillas
1 t. cinnamon

To make your enchiladas:

Peel and slice your apples into thin pieces.
Place them in a small frying pan with the cinnamon, honey, and half of the butter.
Saute the apples over medium heat until they are caramelized and cooked through.
Spread a thin layer of the remaining butter over the tortillas.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the tortillas. I keep a shaker of this in my cupboard, and I don’t measure how to make it. Just mix a few teaspoons of cinnamon with a few tablespoons of sugar until it’s a happy soft brown color.
Place half the apples into a tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and place it in a baking dish. Repeat with the second tortilla.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until tortilla begins to get crispy. Watch carefully – you don’t want it to burn!
Enjoy plain or with whipped cream. This would be a super fun dessert with ice cream, too, and lots simpler than making an apple pie – though those are fun, too.

What’s your favorite way to eat an apple?

Strawberry Watermelon Smoothies

July 21, 2014 by Amy

My husband is the smoothie maker in our house, mostly because he’s good at fixing my flubs. This recipe, though, is simple enough that even I can make it, despite my being smoothie-challenged.

So to make your own Sweet Strawberry-Watermelon Smoothie, here’s what you need:

1 c. frozen strawberry halves
2 c. watermelon chunks, not frozen
a splash of honey (optional)

To make your smoothie, just:

Start with the watermelon chunks. Blend them until smooth.
Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth.
Pour into your favorite fun glass.
Enjoy!

Taco Won-tons

July 21, 2014 by Amy

My Big Helper and I decided to make our favorite dinner the other day: a snack supper. We often do this on Sunday nights. We throw together simple things that we can serve on platters and put them where we can all reach them, and then we watch a movie, play a game, or do some other family type activity. Usually it’s pretty basic – chicken, sliced apples, cheese wedges, crackers, carrots, something like that.

But not this week.

I saw on Pinterest where someone used won-ton wrappers to make little cupcake-like appetizers, and while there weren’t specific directions given for what to put inside them, we got busy.

The whole family liked these, and while they were cute and fun to eat, they were also filling and fairly healthy. Even My Little Man, who didn’t want to try them, finally did and yelled, “I like these guys!”

First, we browned 1/2 lb. of ground beef with 1/2 of an onion and 1/2 of a green pepper.
After draining it, we added 1 c. of black beans, 1 c. of frozen corn, and 1 t. of mesquite seasoning.
Toss that around in a hot skillet just a bit, then add 1/2 c. salsa and 3 oz. of cream cheese.
Stir over low heat until the cream cheese is melted and incorporated well. (I did these first few steps in advance, partly because of our schedule that day, and partly so that the filling would be cold when My Big Helper helped me put these together. You wouldn’t need to do this in advance – this pulls together very quickly.)
Place your won-ton wrappers in mini muffin cups and fill with the above seasoning. Top with a pinch of shredded cheddar.
Bake at 400 degrees for 4-6 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
Top with diced tomato, fresh cilantro, a mini-dollop of sour cream, or your favorite salsa. Yum!

This was our first won-ton adventure. They’re quite fun to work with. I wonder what else we could put inside. Any ideas??

Strawberry Mango Salsa

July 21, 2014 by Amy

Salsa is a totally fun food to me. You can do so many things with it – as a dip, as a topping for meat, as a fun addition to a wrap or sandwich – and fruity, spicy ones are my favorite kinds. When I heard about a strawberry-mango combination last week, I decided to try it.

The kids and I mixed this up last night. It’s super simple and has a great fresh, summery taste. We ate it in grilled haddock wraps, and we’re planning to scoop some up with cinnamon-sugar tortilla points next, and then on grilled jerk chicken after that. I think it would be great in a salad, too!

Ingredients:

1 c. diced mango (about 1 whole)
1 c. diced strawberries
2 T. lemon juice
1/3 c. diced red onion
dash of freshly ground salt
dash of freshly ground black pepper

This is so simple to make!

Dice and combine all ingredients.
Allow flavors to meld in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.

I wanted to share a picture of our wraps, but we ate them too fast! There was nothing left to photograph.

So how would you eat your strawberry-mango salsa?

Cinnamon Apple Nachos

July 21, 2014 by Amy

Last week I made this for my lunch. The kids were happily playing in another room and didn’t seem to be hungry yet, so I sliced up my apple, prepped my nachos, and headed off hungrily to eat.

The peaceful lunch I had planned didn’t last long.

One of the kids ran through the kitchen, headed to find a specific toy, when she noticed my nachos.

“Oh, Mommy, I want that for lunch!” she yelled over her shoulder.

Pretty soon the other one came trotting along to see what looked good in the kitchen, and instead of asking, I found grimy little fingers heading towards my plate.

In the end I shared my nachos, but next time I’ll just make more. It’ll be easier than batting at all of the hands sneaking towards my plate.

Ingredients:

1 apple, washed and sliced thin
2 T. peanut butter
2 T. Cinnamon Almond Granola

Directions:

Arrange your apple slices on a plate to maximize your surface area.
Melt the peanut butter, the drizzle it across the sliced apples.
Sprinkle the granola on top of the peanut butter.
Eat quickly before someone else does!

What do you like on your nachos?

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

July 21, 2014 by Amy

These chicken bites are savory and sweet all at the same time. The crispiness of the bacon sets off the tenderness of the chicken perfectly. I served this as the protein part of our dinner one night because I just couldn’t wait any longer to try them – and now that I have, they’ll be a regular part of our party menu.

These wraps are super simple to make, and if you are making them for a party, you could have them prepped ahead and in the fridge, ready to pop in the oven when your guests arrive.

Here’s what I did:

Cut a pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenders into one-inch square pieces. Cut 1/2 pound of bacon strips into 1/3s.

Wrap each piece of chicken with a strip of bacon and ‘pin’ with a toothpick. (I also stuck a small sliver of onion into each. It tasted great, but I think it would’ve been better if I had caramelized the onions first so that the texture would be more similar to that of the chicken.)

In a small dish, combine:

2/3 c. brown sugar
1 t. ground red pepper
1 t. chili powder
dash of freshly ground black pepper

Dredge each appetizer in the brown sugar mixture and place on a baking rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. (I used a broiler pan, which kept most of my meat out of the grease.)

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Grilled Jalepeno Poppers

July 21, 2014 by Amy

I’ve been trying to post this recipe for weeks because these little poppers are a great addition to any picnic or fun summer meal. They make great appetizers or a side to a good grilled steak or piece of chicken. While occasionally one will seem super spicy and make you locate your drink in a hurry, generally they’re simply cheesy, flavorful bites. That you can carry them in your hand, can eat them without acquiring sticky fingers, and can be eaten in only two bites – if not one – makes them the perfect party food.

I’ve been trying – but although I’ve made them several times, I can’t seem to get a good picture of them.

They always get eaten too fast.

Last time there was a single popper left on the plate after dinner. So that’s the lonely popper I’m showing you. Next time I make them I’ll take a picture of them on the grill grates themselves since nobody can eat them there.

Until then, please use a bit of imagination when you see these, please. Think hot, gooey cheese inside a slightly-spicy pepper boat, with crisp skin and juicy flesh … Maybe I should just go make another batch.

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers

1 lb jalapeno peppers, sliced lengthwise and seeded, membranes removed (wear gloves!)
8 oz. of cream cheese, softened
8 oz. of shredded cheese – cheddar or a Monterey Jack/cheddar blend
bacon crumbles (optional)

To make your poppers:

Mix together the cream cheese and shredded cheese. A hand mixer makes quick work of this process.
Fill each pepper half with the cheesy mixture. I use a butter knife to spread it inside and level the top.
Press bacon crumbles to the top of the cheese, if using.
Place pepper halves onto a hot grill. Grill until the bottoms of the peppers begin to blister, usually about 20 minutes with the grill at 350 degrees. (This also works in the oven at the same time and temps.

** So, writing this post really made me hungry for these poppers! Fortunately, my husband came home late from work and I was able to snap a few pictures. Here you go!

What do you like to eat at a picnic or party?