Fresh Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Fresh Blueberry Streusel Muffins

These muffins are a perfect recipe for early summer when sweet blueberries are being harvested. Try this recipe for a fun twist on the "regular" blueberry muffin.

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking bowder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, washed, dried, and stems plucked
3 tablespoons of fruit preserves or jam, if desired
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

Whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Cut the butter (only 1 stick) into the mixture with a pastry blender. Butter should be in the smallest pieces possible and will create a crumbly look to the mix. Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside for topping later.

Fold in the blueberries to the dry mix along with the lemon juice. Add egg/milk/vanilla mixture and gently combine. Evenly distribute batter to muffin cups. If you would like to add a little extra flavor to the muffin batter itself, microwave 3 tablespoons of jam/jelly/preserves for 30 seconds and then mix into the batter.

For the streusel topping, melt the 3 remaining tablespoons of butter and mix with the cup of dry mixture previously set aside. This should look crumbly once combined. Evenly distribute the topping to all of the muffins. This will be approximately one tablespoon per muffin.

Bake in oven on center rack for 20-24 minutes, until slightly golden. A toothpick, once inserted, should come out clean once muffins are done.

Sweet Blueberry Crisp

Sweet Blueberry Crisp

I recently invented this concoction, after altering my delicious apple crisp recipe. It is perfect for springtime and early summer when there is an abundance of fresh, ripe, and sweet blueberries.

Ingredients

Filling
3 pints blueberries, washed, dried, stems plucked off
3/4 cup sugar
2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch

Crisp/Topping
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oats
1 stick unsalted butter (COLD)


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour into the bottom of a square cake pan or glass baking dish, and even out.

Place all crisp/topping ingredients in a large bowl. (You can use the same large bowl from the filling. The residue will not bother the topping). Cut together with a pastry blender until crumbly. Evenly pour the mixture on top of the blueberries. Lightly pat down. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour. Topping should be golden brown and blueberries should be bubbling.

Enjoy with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Layered Squash and Tomato Casserole

It's pretty hard to believe that I have made this dish TWICE in the past seven days. It really is that good. It's extremely easy to make, and I consider it a revelation in culinary simplicity. It takes almost no time to prepare, but needs to sit in the oven for a little while. It is delicious! Not to mention, it is topped with bacon and cheese. The grease from the bacon slips through the layers of vegetables and creates the ultimate savory dish, perfect for any day of the week.

Layered Squash and Tomato Casserole

Ingredients
3 large summer squash (any variety)
2 large tomatoes
1 medium onion
3/4 pound sliced and smoked bacon (preferably from a farmers' market, as those tend to have the MOST flavor)
2 cups cheese (any flavor)
seasonings (I generally like garlic, salt, and pepper, but I have also added fresh herbs)


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray the bottom of a 10" casserole dish with cooking spray. Using a mandoline, slice the squash, tomatoes, and onion on the thinnest setting that your mandoline comes with. Keep vegetables separate from one another.

Thinly Layer the bottom of the pan with squash. Season. Thinly layer the onion. Season. Thinly layer the tomatoes. Season. Repeat until all of the vegetables have been used. It should be noted that you don't need to season all layers heavily; a slight dusting will do.

Lay the bacon across the top of the squash. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. The liquid in the dish should be bubbling so that the squash can cook adequately.

Remove dish from oven. Carefully, drain most of the water from the dish. Top with cheese and return to oven for 15 minutes.

Serve with a slotted spoon, as there will still be liquid in the pan.

Homemade Blueberry Cheesecake

Homemade Blueberry Cheesecake

Wow, this stuff is good. Normally, I am not a cheesecake kind of gal, but that is all set aside when I make this delicious blueberry cheesecake. The blueberries can be substituted for blackberries, strawberries, or whatever other berry you choose.


Ingredients

1 box vanilla wafers
1/2 cup pecans
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter, unsalted
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 packages 8 ounce cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups blueberries (or other berries)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place entire box of vanilla wafers and pecans in a food processor; pulse until they are all crumbs. Add butter and vanilla and pulse until combined. Pat into the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan lined with parchment paper.

In a different bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Mix in sour cream. Pour mixture over top of the crust. Bake for one hour. Remove from oven, cool completely.

Add the berries, sugar, and water to a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil and cook for five more minutes, turning the heat to medium. Remove from heat, and allow the sauce to cool slightly.

Pour berries over the cheesecake, and then put the pan in the fridge to cool overnight.

Pull parchment paper out of pan, and cut cheesecake.

Enjoy!

Kale Chips

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

One bunch of fresh kale
olive oil spray (or Pam spray)
salt, garlic, pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300F. Wash kale and make sure there are no worms on it. Dry it COMPLETELY. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and place dry kale on top, in a shallow layer. Spray olive oil on evenly (but not generously) until a slight shine is on the kale. Lightly season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Place on middle rack of oven and set timer for intervals of 3 minutes, checking each time. When the kale turns brown and crispy, it is ready. If there are any softer pieces of kale, leave it in the oven and wait for them to finish. Any soft/wet kale will ruin the rest of the batch if they are taken out too early.

Sage Sausage and Gravy

This is a Southern staple; without sausage and gravy, farms would not be plowed, homes would not be built, and sermons would not be given. It is the heartiest of all breakfasts that fueled the South.


Sage Sausage and Gravy

Ingredients:
1 lb. sage sausage (bulk)
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper
Biscuits, prepared and warm

Preparation:

Brown the sausage in a large skillet, making sure to crumble the sausage as it is cooking. Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in about half of the flour and allow the sausage grease to soak it up. Continue to gradually add flour until all is gone. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk, and stir constantly.

Allow the gravy to thicken by keeping it on medium-low heat and stirring it. Expect this to take several minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (more pepper than salt), and continue to cook and stir until the gravy is thick. Add more milk if gravy becomes too thick.

Cut biscuits in half and spread open on a plate. Spoon gravy (generously!) onto biscuits, and serve hot.

 

 

Andouille Spaghetti Squash

I tried this sauce recipe for the first time last night and LOVED IT! The sausage, tomato sauce, and squash went together perfectly and created a slightly spicy, tangy, low-carb dish!

Andouille Spaghetti Squash


Ingredients:
1 lb. Andouille sausage, thawed
1 extra large spaghetti squash
1 jar of favorite pasta sauce
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450F. Wash and cut the spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and thoroughly coat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the squash open-side down on the sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender on the inside. The outside may still be a little hard.

While the squash is baking, cook sausage in a large skillet on medium heat until it is brown. Dice onions and garlic and add to skillet. Saute for 5 minutes. Add pasta sauce and turn heat to simmer. Allow flavors to marry until the spaghetti squash has finished cooking.

When the squash is done, take a fork and carefully "string" the fibers of the squash into a dish.

Spoon sauce onto individual servings of squash. An extra large spaghetti squash will make 2 entree servings, or 4 side-dish servings.