Yummy Blueberry Muffins

What a gorgeous day we had in MA today!  The comfy temps and the bright sunshine made it a perfect day to visit Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA.  Admission to this outdoor (1830's era) living history museum with original buildings was free courtesy of the Highland Street Foundation.  Today was the last Friday of FREE FUN FRIDAYS 2011 sponsored by this generous foundation.  Families enjoyed their visit and everyone learned while having fun!  What a great place to visit and the large number of visitors all lived in another century for the day!

It has been a day filled with fun!  Tomorrow, we will finish preparing for Irene who will be visiting us in MA on Sunday.  Tomorrow, lawn chairs and planters will be stored and drains cleaned.  Yes, staple foods have already  been purchased and we'll hunker down.

A couple of weeks ago I had baked Yummy Blueberry Muffins.  One batch yields 22 muffins.  Sometimes, there is enough batter for that one extra muffin.  :)  These muffins are delicious and also freeze very well, so some were stored in our freezer for another day.  Sunday will be that day!  Tomorrow the last remaining 6 pack of Yummy Blueberry Muffins will defrosted.  WooHoo!

Yummy Blueberry Muffins - printable recipe card

Oven Temperature:  375°F
Time:  26 Minutes
Yield:  22 Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Butter/Margarine
1 and 1/4 Cups Sugar
1 Whole Egg + 2 Egg Whites
2 Cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional, but a wonderful addition)
1/2 Cup Milk (can be Soy Milk)
2 - 2 and 1/2 Cups Blueberries (fresh or frozen that have been defrosted)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place paper liners in muffin tins.
3. In large bowl cream butter/margarine with Sugar and beat until light.
4. Add Egg + 2 Egg Whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon and 1/2 of Flour.  Beat.
6. Add 1/2 of Milk, beat.
7. Add remaining Flour, beat.
8. Then, add remaining Milk, beat.
9. Gently add in Blueberries.  Stir in with Spatula or large Spoon.
10. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
11. Bake 26 Minutes or until muffins are lightly browned.

It's always wonderful to reach into the freezer and locate a bag of these delicious muffins filled with Blueberries!  Do you freeze muffins to enjoy later?

Enjoy!
Yummy!
Stay safe this weekend, my Friends!

     

Blueberry Season is here!!!

The local blueberries are available at roadside stands!  On Friday afternoon it was time to stop working on my sewing project.  My blue shorts were put on hold.  My DH & I drove out to Calabrese Farms in Southwick to purchase our year's supply of blueberries.  For me it is a tradition started in  my childhood to prepare & freeze the sweet, juicy, blue fruits of the summer.  Years ago (we'll forget about the number), my family would spend a day in August picking these tasty small pieces of fruit and pay for them by the pound.  There was a procedure involved - first the buckets were weighed after arriving at the blueberry fields.  I prefer my new method - purchase a large quantity of quarts already picked.  :)  

Later on Friday afternoon a large amount of the scrumptious berries were prepared to be frozen.  After going through them, they were double washed, drained, packed in Ziploc Freezer bags, labeled and dated.  

Now, Blueberries are also in our fridge!  Who can resist reaching into a container and getting a handful, especially when so many are available?  Rinse and a tasty, healthy snack awaits!  Oh, there has been snacking.  One batch of Blueberry Freezer Jam was made yesterday and another today.  

I also see a batch of Yummy Blueberry Muffins on the horizon.  If you'd like my recipe, click and print a  recipe card.  I use an Egg and also Egg Whites when baking these light, yummy muffins.  Cinnamon is also added.  One batch yields 22 muffins and they also freeze very well!  So good!       

Are local blueberries available to you?  Do you add them to cold cereal?  Have you made Blueberry Freezer Jam?  It's easy to make and tastes delicious!  Does you family like Blueberry Muffins?

Yummy!
Enjoy!

                     



               

Blueberry Banana Bread

The past few days have been a tad hot! In New England we know that the weather will change while we blink our eyes. And it sure has! On Friday I placed a package of frozen blueberries in the fridge to defrost, so Yummy Blueberry Muffins could be baked the next day. My Hubby and I had plans for Sunday - drive in and visit our son and his family. Well, we did drive in, had a great time, but brought no muffins.

This morning I opened the fridge door and lo and behold – defrosted Blueberries. Over the weekend while we were wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts, the three bananas that were sitting in the fruit bowl really ripened. Ohhh! Now, Bananas plus Blueberries!

It was the perfect opportunity to search for a new recipe. A Bread Recipe with the ingredients of Blueberries, Bananas and Vegetable Oil. I now replace Vegetable Oil with Olive Oil when baking dessert breads, so I set out to “Google”. The find is oh so yummy! Two loaves of Blueberry Banana Bread are sitting on my counter. Well, maybe one is a partial loaf now that it has been sliced. The other loaf is intact. :)

While googling, I located the recipe Kelly's Blueberry Banana Bread that Wildflour shared on recipezaar.com. It is below. 

Click here for the direct link: http://bit.ly/amOatr

Kelly’s Blueberry Banana Bread shared by Wildflour.

Bake in 350ºF for 55-60 minutes Yield: 2 Loaves

· 2 1/2 cups flour
· 1/2 cup reg. sugar
· 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
· 1 tablespoon baking powder, plus
· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
· 1/4 cup coconut
· 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
· 1/3 cup milk
· 1 egg
· 2 teaspoons vanilla
· 3 medium mashed bananas
· 1 cup chopped pecans
· 2 cups frozen blueberries

1. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except blueberries for about 30 seconds.
2. Fold in frozen berries.
3. Pour into 2 greased 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 loaf pans that have been greased on the bottoms only.
4. Bake in 350º oven for 55-60 minutes, til toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool slightly, loosen sides with knife from sides of pan, turn out onto rack to cool.
6. When cool, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, keep refrigerated.
7. Best the next day!
8. *Ialways bake blueberries frozen in breads and muffins so they hold up perfectly, and you don't end up with a hollow blue hole, lol.

* * *
While preparing the batter I did make a few changes –

• I added 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg.
• Did not Use Coconut nor Pecans
• My Blueberries were already defrosted.
• I used Olive Oil - for sauteeing and baking - rather than Vegetable Oil. The batter is a bit dry, so I also added an additional one Tablespoon Olive Oil.
• My bread pans are 9-Inch Loaf Pans.

I was so pleased to locate a recipe containing both Blueberries and those three overripe Bananas that were sitting on my counter. This Bread is absolutely delicious! Have you ever combined these two fruits?

Sunday was full of surprises! Driving down the Mass Pike we learned that our younger son and his girlfriend were at the Riverside T station. After stopping there we all headed to our son’s and daughter-in-law’s home - I celebrated Mother’s Day a week early. Sweet!  What a beautiful day!

To all you Mom’s – Happy Mother’s Day!

Ah, Yes! Yummy Blueberry Muffins!

Yesterday, I took a bag of frozen Blueberries out of our freezer and placed them in our fridge to defrost. Those bags of Blueberries that were packaged in the summer sure come in handy! Purchasing fresh berries in the grocery store is an option, but it’s great to just walk downstairs, open the freezer and locate a Ziploc Freezer bag of Blueberries to use when needed.

Valentine’s Day is approaching and I need to start thinking about tasty treats. A goodie that can be enjoyed at Breakfast and also just because… Yummy Blueberry Muffins are light and tasty. This is my favorite Blueberry Muffin recipe (click here for recipe card). I use one Egg plus two Egg Whites and also Soy Milk when preparing them.

Twenty-two muffins are usually the result of baking one batch. These Blueberry treats taste even better the day after they are baked. That is, if we can wait that long before eating any. They also freeze well! No, we will not wait until Sunday to enjoy them! Yummy!

YUMMY BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Oven temperature: 375° F, Time: 26 Minutes
Yield: 22 Muffins

Ingredients:
½ Cup Butter /Margarine
1 ¼ Cups Sugar
1 Egg + 2 Egg Whites
2 Cups Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Cinnamon (Optional, but great addition)
½ Cup Milk (can be Soy Milk)
2 – 2 ½ Cups Blueberries (can be frozen & then defrosted or use fresh)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Put paper liners in muffin tins. (Makes 22 muffins)
3. In large bowl cream butter/margarine with sugar until light.
4. Add Egg + Whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon and ½ the flour. Beat.
6. Add ½ of Milk, beat.
7. Then add remaining Flour, beat.
8. Add remainder of Milk. Beat.
9. Gently add Blueberries, stir in by hand with spatula or spoon.
10. Fill muffin cups ¾ full.
11. Bake 26 Minutes or until muffins are slightly browned.

Are you baking any special treats?

Enjoy!

YUMMY!!!