blackberry muffins

I first made these back in May to take to my scrap buddies house.  i always try to bring a sweet treat because they appreciate it so.  I always leave what i bring too, that way I don't have to worry about eating it all!  Our local grocer had blackberries on sale for 69cents a 1/2 pt. WOW you can't beat that.  So I also made a fruit salad with some and then made another batch of muffins to take to work.  They were a big hit.  

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (320g) all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (236ml) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 8 Tbsp warm melted butter (1 stick, 112 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups (about 5-6 oz, about 150g) of blackberries, fresh or frozen (if using fresh berries, cut them in half, if using frozen berries, defrost first, drain excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour)

Method

1 Preheat oven, prepare muffin pan: Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a standard 12 muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups. (Actually, with the berries you'll have more batter than just for 12 muffins. This batch made 18 muffins.)

2 Combine dry ingredients:   Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

3 Combine wet ingredients and sugar: In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla.

4 Add wet ingredients to dry, then add berries: Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, then drain the excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour.)

Do not over-mix! Over-mixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth, but rather lumpy.

5 Put into muffin cups and bake: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake at 400°F (200°C) until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes (or longer).

6: Let cool: Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.

Sure hope you give these a try, they would be great for a bunch or a breakfast treat.  I went back to the grocer and bought more and put them in the freezer.  May have to go get a couple of more.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things You L♥ve.

Donna

Cherry Almond Scones

I made these back in April for a baby shower I went to.  I also made the chocolate chip toffee ones found here.  These are really very tasty and a must to make.  Sure hope you give them a try.  Scones are really not difficult to make and are a great added to treat for any occasion. 

Ingredients

3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces (1 stick)
7 ounces almond paste, frozen ( grated using the large-hole side of a box grater
1 cup buttermilk or greek yogurt
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ heaping cup fresh marachino cherries, whole small or cut larger  in half
1 egg
1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon cold water
Coarse sugar for topping
Sliced almonds for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Using a pastry blender cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some larger pea size chunks of butter still remaining.
Fold in the grated almond paste using a rubber spatula.
In a large measuring cup combine the buttermilk, almond extract and 1 egg. Blend with a small whisk until combined.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour and butter mixture. Fold together using the spatula until a dough starts to come together. Do not over mix. Gently fold in cherries.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead gently to combine. Press the dough into a ¾ inch thick round and cut into scones using a 2½ inch biscuit cutter, or whatever shape you like.
Place the scones 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush each scone with the egg and water mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, then sliced almonds, then a little more coarse sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.

I also made the toffee chocolate chip ones, here a photo of them all together ready to take to the shower.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the Time to DO all the Things YOU L♥ve.

Donna

Pork Stir Fry with lo mein noodles

• I was really in the mood for a stir fry.  It was my day off so thought time to give this recipe a try.  It's realy worth taking the time to make.  Has a lot of ingredients but goes together fairly quickly.  My Middle grandson wanted to take the entire pot upstairs.  :) so I would say it's a hit and something to make again.

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound (450g) fresh lo mein noodles
• 1 pound (450g) country-style boneless pork ribs or boneless pork loin chops
• 1 teaspoon (3g) baking soda
• 3 tablespoons (40g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) Chinese black or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Asian fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15g) cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) neutral oil, such as grapeseed, peanut, or canola, divided
• 1 (3-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons; 12g)
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 4 scallions, white parts cut in 1-inch pieces, light green parts very thinly sliced; divided
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cored purple cabbage (5 ounces; 150g)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Chinese broccoli or cored Napa cabbage (5 ounces; 150g)
• 1 cup julienned carrots (2 1/2 ounces; 75g)
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
• Sambal oelek (chili paste), for serving (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions, stirring regularly with tongs or long chopsticks, until al dente and separated.   Drain noodles and set aside.Trim pork of excess fat and cut into thin strips, about 1/4 inch wide by 2 inches long. In a bowl, stir together baking soda and 1/2 cup cold water. Add pork, stir until thoroughly coated, then let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.   Then, in a med whisk together sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, wine, fish sauce, and cornstarch until sugar is dissolved. Set sauce aside Drain pork well, rinse with cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Add pork back to rinsed and dried bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons (15ml) of the sauce and mix well.  

  

In a wok or large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ginger, garlic, and white scallion pieces and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Increase heat to high and add purple cabbage, Chinese broccoli (or Napa cabbage), and carrots. Cook, stirring and tossing, until vegetables are charred in spots and just softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.  Add 1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil to wok or skillet and heat over high heat until smoking. Add pork, spreading it out in a single layer, and let cook on one side until crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring and tossing, until just cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to plate with vegetables.  

Wipe out wok or skillet, then add remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil and heat over high heat until smoking. Add noodles and cook, tossing and stirring, until hot. 

 Add remaining sauce, vegetables, and pork to noodles and toss well over heat to combine. Transfer lo mein to a platter and sprinkle sliced green scallions all over, along with sesame seeds, if using. Serve right away, passing sambal oelek at the table if desired.

Thanks for taking time to stop by,  have a great week and Always Remember to Find the time to do ALL the things You L♥ve,
Donna

Dutch Apple Bread

Dutch Apple Bread

1/2 cup softened butter (1 cube)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups diced peeled green apple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Topping:

5 TBSP cold butter
1/3 cup flour
2 TBSP granulated sugar
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze: (Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Set aside.)

1 TBSP melted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a bread pan with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray. (I use a 10″ bread pan but this recipe works in a standard 8″ pan as well. The bakes bread will just be taller.)

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add in eggs, milk and vanilla and stir to incorporate. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder.  Fold in apples and nuts. Transfer mixture to prepared baking pan.

For topping, combine all ingredients and mix with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter in pan.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean. (Internal temperature of bread will be 200 degrees F when fully cooked.)

Let cool. Remove from pan and drizzle top with vanilla glaze. Slice and serve.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the Time to DO ALL the things You L♥ve.
Donna