Blueberry Muffins

I only have a few fresh blueberries left from my blueberry picking expedition a few weeks ago.  I have really enjoyed using them to make muffins and cobblers, and they have been wonderful just to eat.  On Saturdays, I try to make something for breakfast since we typically have cereal or some type of breakfast bars during the week.  My children love blueberry muffins, so I whipped up a batch.  The recipe is from What's Cookin'.  This cookbook was compiled and published by the University of West Alabama National Alumni Association, of which my husband is a member.  It has many great recipes in it. 

Here is the recipe.

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups self rising flour

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

Mix all ingredients together and bake in muffin tins at 375 for 25 minutes.  You can substitue the self rising flour with plain flour, but add 1/2 tsp. salt and 2 tsps. baking powder.

Notes:  I did not have self rising flour, so I substituted the plain flour, salt, and baking powder.  It worked fine.  I put about one more tablespoon of oil than it called for because I have made these before, and they were a little dry.  They were perfectly moist this time.  I baked these on 350, and it only took about 12 minutes.  My oven bakes really fast, though, and it has a tendency to burn breads and cakes.  I would recommend spraying your muffin tin liners before putting the batter in.  This made 15 regular size muffins.  You could also make mini muffins if you wanted to.

Here are some pictures of the steps.

Wash and drain blueberries

Add blueberries to batter

Fill muffin tins

Enjoy!

 

Happy Trails To You!

My family loves trail mix.  If I buy it, it is usually gone in a day or two.  I have always thought that trail mix is a little pricey (I have been known to be a little frugal :), so I decided to make some myself and do a cost comaprison between store bought trail mix and make your own.  I went to Target today to buy all of the ingredients to make the trail mix.  We like the basic mix with peanuts, M&Ms, raisins, and peanut butter chips.  The Target brand trail mix with these ingredients is $6.99 for 2.25 pounds.  The price breakdown for the individual ingredients are listed below, and I did not have any coupons for any of the items.

M&Ms................................$2.99
Reeses Pieces.......................$2.99 (they did not have peanut butter chips)
Peanuts.................................$2.49
Raisins...................................$2.14

Total:                                     $10.63

After mixing all of the ingredients together in a plastic zip top bag, I weighed it on my handy dandy digital food scale that I could not live without.  It weighed in at 3.5 pounds.  The price comes out to be about $3.03 per pound.  The premixed trail mix came out to be $3.11 per pound.  The difference was actually a lot less than I thought it would be.  However, the advantages to making your own are that you can add what you want, and with trail mix, the sky is the limit!  Also, it seemed a little fresher than the premixed. 

The bottom line is that the difference, price and otherwise, between the two mixes is very minimal.

Elizabeth gives her seal of approval!

Happy Trails!

 

Salmon and Sugar Snap Peas

After the heavy food that we had over the weekend (and leftovers last night), I decided to make something a little lighter for dinner tonight.  I love salmon, and it is very healthy.  We always hear about the wonderful Omega-3 fatty acids, but I never realized that a four ounce serving of wild salmon provides a full day’s requirement of vitamin D.  That same piece of fish contains over half of the necessary B12, niacin, and selenium, and is an excellent source of B6 and magnesium.  Finding foods that are not only good, but good for you is always a plus!  The salmon that I bought was previously frozen, and I had been letting it thaw in the refrigerator for a few days.  I transferred it to a plastic bag and marinated it in Light Raspberry Vinaigrette salad dressing.  I just poured the dressing, not measuring, until each piece was covered with, probably using about 1/3 of the bottle.  I allowed it to marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before cooking. 

When I got ready to cook it, I lined a baking sheet with foil and sprayed it with cooking spray.  I placed each piece on the sheet, and drizzled it with a little teriyaki sauce and sesame oil. 

Sesame seed oil is something that is fairly new to me.  I had never cooked with it until a few months ago.  I found a recipe for Chicken Fried Rice in Southern Living that I wanted to try, and the recipe called for it.  It can be found on the ethnic foods aisle with the Asian foods.  It is unbelievable what a difference it makes in Asian dishes.  It has a really good flavor that is different from regular vegetable or canola oil.  Just remember, though, that a little bit goes a long way!

I preheated the oven to 400, and baked the salmon for about 15 to 20 minutes.  My oven cooks really fast, so the key to knowing when salmon is done is to try to cut it with a fork.  If it flakes, it is done. 

For a side dish, I made sugar snap peas.  I got the kind that you can steam in the bag, but I wanted them to be a little more exciting.  I added about a tablespoon of sesame seed oil and teriyaki sauce each to my frying pan and turned the heat on medium.  After the pan got hot, I put the sugar snap peas in and stirred them so that they were coated with the oil and sauce.  I cooked them for about 20 minutes, stirring them often.  After this time, I tried one, and they were a little crunchier than I like.  I covered them and let them cook for about 15 minutes more.  The amount of time they need to cook just depends on how crunchy you like them.  They were very good!  They would also be good with other stir fry vegetables like carrots, broccoli, or peppers.

The salmon was very good, too.  There was a hint of the raspberry vinaigrette in each bite.  Yum!

 

Broccoli Salad

This recipe is one that I love!  I love to make salads, but then you have the problem of having to have a salad dressing that everyone likes (and is in date!) on hand.  Also, most salads are best when served fresh.  This one, however, is an exception.  I actually enjoy it more after it has been sitting in the fridge for a day or two.  There are many variations of this recipe, but this one comes from a cookbook published by the Telephone Pioneers of America called Celebrations.  It was first printed in 1999.  I am not sure if it has been reprinted or updated.  They have another excellent series of cookbooks called Calling All Cooks.  I like the Celebrations cookbook because instead of dividing the recipes by appetizers, desserts, etc., they categorize them by occasion.  For example, they have recipes for Easter Dinner, Cinco de Mayo, Tailgating, and many more.  This particular broccoli salad recipe was from the Valentine's Party section of the cookbook.  Be sure to read my notes first if you decide to make it.

Broccoli Salad
2 bunches broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
6 slices of crisp fried bacon

Combine the broccoli, cheese, onion, raisins, bacon, and pecans in a salad bowl.  Blend the mayonnaise, with the vinegar and sugar in a bowl.  Add to the broccoli mixture and toss until well mixed.  Chill, covered, until serving time.  Yield 8-10 servings.

Notes:  The broccoli was very lightly coated with dressing.  If you like a lot of dressing, I would recommend only using 1 1/2 bunches of broccoli or doubling or "1 and one-halfing" the dressing ingredients.  It just depends on your taste.  Also, I omitted the onion and pecans from this because I knew that my kids wouldn't eat it.  I have seen lots of variations for this recipe.  Some have sunflower seeds, peanuts, or green onions.  Any combination of these ingredients would probably be good.  As for the bacon, I had a little bit left from the green bean bundles that I made, and it was probably about 3 slices.  This was plenty for me.  You can also use the precooked bacon or bacon bits to make it a little easier.  I used light mayonnaise, but you can use any kind you have on hand.  I made this about 4 hours before serving, and it was great.  We also enjoyed it the night after we originally had it.

Here are some pictures.

All of the ingredients are in the bowl and ready to be stirred.

This is the dressing made from the mayo, vinegar, and sugar.



Ready to serve!

This salad goes well with almost any meal.  My kids enjoy it, too!




Simple Macaroni and Cheese and Other Southern Goodness

We had some friends over for dinner last night, and as soon as they confirmed that they were coming, I immediately got out my cookbooks to try to decide what to serve. The problem for me, however, became what not to serve. There are so many wonderful recipes that I love to make, and narrowing it down to just a few is hard. I decided on oven fried parmesan chicken for my entree. Since I knew that kids would be enjoying this meal with us, I decided to go with something a little more kid friendly for my sides. The most kid friendly dish that I can think of is good old fashioned macaroni and cheese. This is possibly my favorite food in the whold world! My macaroni and cheese is adapted from my grandmother's recipe. I make it a little different each time, depending on what ingredients I have on hand. Here is the recipe along with some pictures:

Nan's Macaroni and Cheese
8 oz. elbow noodles
8oz. cheese (I use medium cheddar block - not pre-grated)
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. butter
1 large egg

See the notes at the bottom of the recipe before making.

Boil the noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse. Return the noodles to the pot that you boiled them in. Turn the burner on low. Add the butter (you can use margerine, but why would you want to? ;) Add the egg and beat it lightly. Add enough milk to make it creamy, but not soupy. Add about 3/4 of the block of cheese, or more or less depending on how cheesy you like it. Let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it does not stick. Transfer to a 9x13 dish (sprayed with cooking spray) and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Notes: I happened to have whipping cream on hand, so I used it instead of milk. You can use anything from whipping cream, half and half, whole milk, skim milk, or anything in between. Of course, the heavier it is, the creamier it will be - and fattier - if that is a word). The reason that I like block cheese is that I think cheese melts better when it is freshly grated. The pre shredded cheese is definitely more convenient, and you can certainly use it, this is just my personal preference. My grandmother added a little Velveeta to her mac and cheese. I do, too, if I happen to have any. This makes it a little creamier, but it does not alter the taste very much if you choose to use it or not.  Also, she would often serve hers from the boiler rather than baking it in the oven.  Either way, it is yummy!

This is what it looks like before adding the final cheese. This serves a lot of people, and it is very good left over!
Here is another recipe that my mom makes. It is a favorite in our family.

Green Bean Bundles
2 cans of whole green beans
1 package of bacon
garlic powder
brown sugar

Prepare a 9x13 pan by spraying with cooking spray. Drain green beans in a collander.

Cut bacon into thirds (see picture).

I line a plate with a paper towel and place individual strips of bacon on the paper towel. Microwave for 30 seconds. Let cool. Wrap 3-4 green beans in one strip of bacon.

Place your wrapped bundle into the pan. Continue wrapping until you run out of beans or bacon. I had a little bacon left, but I used four beans per bundle. If you want to make them go further, use three beans. I had enough to fill a 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle the bundles generously with garlic powder and brown sugar. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the brown sugar becomes syrupy.

Yum!! (This is a picture of them before baking.)


Now, for dessert! I made some homemade ice cream, and I had some fresh blueberries that I picked recently. I decided to make my mother's blueberry cobbler. It is to die for and can be made with any type of fresh fruit.

Mom's Fruit Cobbler
1 stick of margerine or butter
2 cups of fresh fruit (peeled and sliced, if applicable) (blueberries, peaches, apples, etc.)
2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of plain flour
2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
3/4 cup of milk

Melt butter in a deep dish. I usually use an oval or round 2 quart dish, but you can also use a square 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Heat the oven to 350, and place the stick of butter in the dish and place it in the oven until melted. Place the fruit in a bowl and top with 1 cup of sugar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Add milk and stir. Pour over melted butter. Do not stir. Put fruit on top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Disclaimer: This is definitely a recipe to be filed under "something I want to eat when I do not care about calories and/or fat". It is yummy, but very rich!

My New Blog: The Homemaker's Journal

I have wanted to create a blog about recipes and other homemaking endeavors for awhile. I decided to have the format of this blog as not only a journal to share with others, but as a record of things that I have tried or created. I hope to post at least once or twice a week. Stay tuned!