Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

I hope everyone is enjoying these precious last days of summer. My boys went back to school today, and my preschool started yesterday, so ours is somewhat over, but I am hanging on to the official season for dear life.

I decided to make a little treat for the preschool staff yesterday, to kick off the start of the school year.  I had some blueberries and some buttermilk that needed to be used, so I searched the web and found this recipe. 


The beauty of this recipe is you can use any berries you like and you can change up the citrus zest to create some yummy combinations.  They are moist and fluffy and were wonderful with my iced coffee!

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
(adapted from Joy of Baking. Original recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly Best Food Cookbook)



Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of one orange or lemon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Position rack in center of oven. Line with paper liners, or grease,  12 - 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.

In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest. Gently fold in the berries. With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough.

Fill each muffin cup almost full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 - 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rackand let cool for about 5 - 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

Note: If using frozen berries you may have to bake the muffins a little longer than the stated time.

Penne with Roasted Vegetables, Sausage, and Homemade Marinara

I have not done a very good job keeping up with my blog this summer. I was even going to work on another entry using the key lime pie ice cream from my last post, but I never got around to it. 


But, hopefully I can start making up for it.


And I feel like this is a good one to start with.


I just love this dish. It is such a wonderful way to use all of the fresh veggies you can get at the farmer's market or out of your own garden this time of year. The original version has no meat but I put a little Italian sausage in it so the manly men in my house will eat it. Of coarse each child picks out the veggies they don't like, but oh well, they at least get a few in with this meal.


I also want you to know that the marinara recipe is great. It's a little different than most I've seen, but is still very simple and my whole family loves it. 


Hope you like it!

Marinara
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' recipe on The Food Network)

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1/4-1/2 cup wine (optional)
2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté about 10 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper and Italian seasoning. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. 

Penne with Roasted vegetables and Sausage

(adapted from Giada's recipe on The Food Network)

2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-in wide strips
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-in cubes
2 squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-in cubes
1 small eggplant, sliced, sweated, and cut into 1-in cubes

4 cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound penne pasta
4-5 cups marinara sauce
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
Brown sausage in a small skillet over med heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, sausage, 3-4 cups of the marinara, cheeses, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining marinara and 1/3 cup parmesan. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.