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.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

I finally made ice cream this summer!


I love this recipe, because it embodies so much of the greatness of key lime pie. It is tart and refreshing and the graham cracker crumbs balance it perfectly. This could very easily become my favorite flavor to make at home.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
(adapted from the Neely's recipe on Food Network)


1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 to 6 graham crackers, for garnish

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate until cold. Pour into ice cream maker and mix according to manufacturer's instructions. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs. Transfer to another container and place plastic wrap on ice cream and cover container tightly with a lid. Place in freezer for several hours.

When ready to serve, garnish with graham crackers.

Bruschetta

Rodney and I first had bruschetta on our honeymoon. It was almost 18 years ago, we were only 20 years old, and we thought it was about the best thing we had ever eaten.


Well, a lot of time has past and we have tried hundreds of new foods and it still remains one of my favorite things to make and eat at home.


In case you've never had it, bruschetta is toast made with olive oil and garlic. You can eat it as-is, or you can top it with all kinds of toppings. 


I made it the other day and topped it with goat cheese and the traditional tomato and basil combo and also topped some with an olive tapenade that I bought at the grocery store. It's a great way to eat up all those garden tomatoes that are starting to come around!

Bruschetta
1/2 French baguette or Italian bread, sliced 
olive oil 
1 clove of garlic, peeled 




Line a baking sheet with the baguette slices.  Drizzle or brush each piece of bread with olive oil and toast under the broiler until golden. (I don't time it, I keep the oven door cracked and watch it. It doesn't take long at all so keep a close eye on the bread to prevent burning.)


When the toast is done, rub each slice with the clove of garlic. 


Tomato and Basil Topping


15-20 cherry tomatoes, quartered
6-7 basil leaves, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt 
pepper


Combine tomatoes and basil, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar(to taste) and season with salt and pepper (to taste).


To assemble, spread each slice of toast with a thin layer of goat cheese, and top with tomato mixture or olive spread.

Happy 4th of July!

I made this beautiful sangria for a 4th of July party.

What I love about sangria, is that you can change it up, depending on your mood or what you like. You can very easily replace the fruit with whatever you like or use the traditional red wine instead of white. 

It's the perfect summer drink, in my opinion: cold and refreshing.    

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th!

God Bless America! 

Red White and Blue Sangria
(adapted from recipe girl)


2 bottles dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is good)
1 cup triple sec
1/2 cup berry-flavored vodka*
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup simple syrup (see tips below)
1 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks*

1 liter bottle of club soda

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large pitcher(I had to split it between two smaller pitchers) and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Add club soda just before serving and stir. Serve well-chilled with a good scoop of fruit floating in each drink, or serve over ice.

* To make the berry infused vodka, I placed 1/4 cup blueberries in a mason jar and gently smashed them down, just enough to break open the berries. Then I sliced 3 or 4 strawberries and placed them in the jar, then poured 3/4 cup vodka over the berries and sealed it up and let it sit in the fridge for 3 days.

*To make star-shaped pineapple pieces, cut long & wide pieces of pineapple off the side of the fresh fruit. Use a star cutter to cut shapes.

Red White and Blue Pancakes

That's right, another pancake recipe. And, yes, we have an addiction.


We make pancakes almost every Saturday morning for the boys and just can't resist a new fun way to make them.


I have seen a few recipes for Red Velvet pancakes over the last several months and have had them in the back of my mind for a while.  Then I saw this idea on i am mommy, for patriotic pancakes!  


I also loved The Pioneer Woman's idea of Berry Butter,
so I decided to make my own version of  4th of July Pancakes, integrating the two ideas.  The end result was awesome.  


The berry butter is delicious, and would be great on so many other things (e.i., toast, muffins, french toast...). And, my boys totally devoured the red velvet pancakes!  I really think everyone should give this a try. :)

Red Velvet Pancakes
(by i am mommy)


1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 large egg

3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk plus 1 Tbls vinegar)

1/4 cup sour cream

1/8 tsp red gel food coloring

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cocoa powder) in large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, sour cream, food coloring, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry, and mix until just combined.Pour about 1/3 cup onto med. high griddle and lightly brown on both sides.

Berry Butter

(adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup blueberries

Add berries to butter and mix together with a fork, smashing blueberries slightly.

Turn mixture out onto a long sheet of plastic wrap set over a long sheet of foil. Use the wrap/foil to roll the butter into a cylinder: first seal the plastic wrap around the cylinder, then secure the foil around it. Twist the ends, gradually applying more pressure as you twist in order to make the cylinder taut.

Once it's a nice, neat cylinder of foil, place into the freezer for 30 minutes in order to quickly solidify it, then transfer it to the fridge until you're ready to use it. Butter should be nice and firm.


Find Rod's Fluffy Pancakes here.

Taco Pizza with Beer Crust

"This is the best pizza I've ever had!"

That's what my 14 year old said about this pizza.  

The idea came about from me trying to figure out what to do with some left overs.  I had some grilled chicken and some toppings left from fajitas from the night before and was just going to make burritos, but then I remembered this idea.

Taco pizza was my favorite as a kid.  It usually cost more than the other pizzas at our local pizza place, so we only got it every once in a while, which was always a treat. 

This recipe is very reminiscent of those flavors and is worth the little extra effort. Although the crust is homemade, the beer helps in making it a little quicker, since you don't have to wait for it to rise.

It was fun to make something a little different than the usual, and introduce an idea that was kind of "retro" to the boys.

Taco Pizza

1 pizza crust (recipe follows)

refried beans

chicken or beef

cheddar cheese

lettuce

salsa 

other taco toppings of choice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Lightly grease pizza pan with cooking spray or olive oil.  Spread dough out to desired thickness. Spread beans into a thin layer over the crust. Top with meat and cheese.  Bake for 12-15 min or until golden.

Remove from oven and top with remaining toppings.

*I apologize for having another recipe without the exact quantities. It really is a matter of taste, just remember to not load the pizza up too much or the crust won't cook properly.

Beer Pizza Crust

(from food.com)

3 cups unbleached flour (plus more for dusting)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (12 ounce) can beer (I use light)
olive oil

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour in the beer and mix well (the dough will be sticky). Spread a handful of flour on your work surface and dump the dough onto it. Toss the dough around to coat it with flour and prevent it from sticking. Knead it 2 or 3 times to make it pliable. Shape the dough into a ball and divide it in two if you are making 2 thin crust pizzas.

 

For a deep dish pie do not divide.