Blueberry Corn Muffins Recipe

These grainy muffins are just the right amount of sweet. We split them and grill them in a dab of light olive oil until they turn golden and sizzling around the edges. The warmth brings out the taste of the blueberries.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-muffin cupcake pan.

Whisk together the dry ingredients:

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup millet or buckwheat

3/4 cup sorghum or brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca or potato starch (not potato flour), or cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

3/4 cup organic light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add:

1/4 cup light olive oil

1 tablespoon honey or raw agave nectar

2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon light tasting vinegar

1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water (or 2 large eggs)

3/4 cup warm water

Beat well to form a smooth sticky batter. If the batter seems a tad dry or stiff, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more warm water.

Stir in:

1 rounded cup fresh blueberries

Plop the batter into twelve muffin cups and using wet fingers smooth the tops a bit. I like to add 2 or 3 extra blueberries to the muffin tops.

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes- depending upon your oven and altitude.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins from the pan and cool them directly on the rack (this keeps the bottoms from getting soggy).

Wrap extras in foil and freeze for easy on-the-go gluten-free treats (I've been known to sneak my gluten-free muffin into Starbucks- but don't tell.)

Makes one dozen muffins.

Brownie Time

Hey Treen - Just in case your were wondering, here are the brownies you at when we saw you last. They are from the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book I bough back in our college days.

I usually triple it so that I can put it into a cookie sheet. We all love them, and I make them way too often for our own good!

EASY FUDGE BROWNIES

1/2 c. butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped (but I don't chop it. I am lazy that way)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 c chopped nuts (I don't usually add those)

Grease an 8x8x2 inch pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate over low heat.(Try not to let it boil. They turn out better.) Remove from heat. Stir in sugar eggs and vanilla. ( make sure it has cooled a little bit so that the egg whites don't cook a little) Using a wooden spoon, lightly beat the mixture just until combined - don't over-beat of the brownies will rise too high then fall. Stir in flour and chopped nuts. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Brickle bars: Prepare as above, except omit the nuts. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle 3/4 cup almond brickle pieces and 1/2 c miniature semisweet chocolate pieces evenly over top of batter. Bake. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

101 Simple Salads for the Season

Trina, you asked for summer dishes and the NY Times provided an answer. You do have to sign up, but it is free. Just follow this link for some fabulous ideas. YUM!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?_r=5

FRESH AND FRESHER Clockwise, from top left: tuna, egg, green beans (No. 56); carrots, blueberries, sunflower seeds (7); croutons, tomatoes, mozzarella (42); walnuts, blue cheese, raspberries (49); couscous, oranges, honey (95); strawberries, tomatoes, Parmesan (13).

Butternut Mac and cheese

This is a Rachael Ray recipe and it was so yummy that I had to share it. We made it last night and the kids ate it up!

• 1 butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 box of pasta - I used Whole Wheat Shells
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk - I used Rice Milk, could also use Chicken Stock to make it even healthier
• A pinch of nutmeg
• A pinch of cinnamon
• 5 to 6 sage leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• I also sprinkled a bit of Parmesan Cheese on top

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place squash halves on a baking sheet and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon EVOO, salt and pepper. Place them cut side down and transfer to the oven. Roast until tender, about an hour. Remove from oven and cool.

Once cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the squash and transfer it to a food processor. Process until smooth.

Place a pot of water over high heat for the pasta. Once at a boil, add some salt and the pasta, and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the pot it was cooked in.

While the pasta water is heating up, place a small skillet over medium-high heat with the butter. Once melted, add the flour and cook about a minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until the liquids come up to a bubble and the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes. Add the squash puree, nutmeg, cinnamon and sage, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the sauce to the pot with the reserved cooked pasta and toss to coat. Turn everything out into a baking dish and sprinkle the top with cheeses. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cheese is brown and bubbly, 10-15 minutes.

Zucchini Bread

I had a few pieces of zucchini and I didn't feel like cooking them the "boring" way, so I found this recipe that I used to love when I was little and growing up with Baptist picnics on the grounds, but which I haven't had since.

Jeff walked in as I was making it and asked what it was. I answered that it was zucchini bread, but then made him promise to try it before he wrinkled his nose. He said it was awesome...and Maddie loves it too. Very sweet and cinnamon-y!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 egg, beaten

1 C sugar

1 C freshly shredded zicchini, with skin (about 1/2 a zucchini, but I doubled the recipe and used a whole one, since a single recipe only makes one loaf)

1/4 C cooking oil

1/2 C chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the mixture; set aside.

4. In another medium bowl, combine egg, sugar, zucchini, and oil.

5. Add zucchini mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Fold in nuts.

6. Spoon into loaf pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ritz Cracker Baked Chicken

I had a package of chicken leg quarters that I had to use, so I dug this recipe out of my tried-and-true wedding gift "Better Homes and Gardens" cookbook. It was simple and delicious...Jeffery said I had hit the jackpot and to definitely make it again.

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten

3 Tbsp milk
1 1/4 C crushed Ritz crackers
1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

2 1/2 to 3 lb chicken pieces, skinned

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. In a small bowl, combione egg and milk.

3. In a shallow dish, combine crushed crackers, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper; stir in melted butter.

4. Dip chicken pieces, one at a time, in egg mixture, then coat with crumb mixture.

5. In a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan, arrange chicken, bone side down, so the pieces aren't touching. Sprinkle chicken pieces with any remaining crumb mixture.

6. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

P.S. I served this with sweet corn on the cob, and it felt like an at-home cook-out!

penne with mushrooms

Number 30 was Lauren's baked beef ziti, which tasted a lot like lasagna to me. My notes are on that blog post.

Number 31 - penne with mushrooms from AllRecipes.com.

• (8 ounce) package dry penne pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to box directions, drain.
Heat olive oil in skillet, cook garlic and mushrooms until tender. Season with salt and pepper, then mix in the butter.
Toss the pasta (a little at a time) with the mushrooms/garlic. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley.

I used 2 cloves of garlic, crushed. I used dried parsley. I sprinkled in the parm and the parsley until it was the way I wanted it - I didn't measure either thing.

I added a little bit more olive oil when I was tossing it, because I had twice as much pasta as it called for (I made the full 1-pound box of penne). The proportions weren't off with the mushrooms, so it was fine. I also added the pasta only a little at a time to make sure it all went together okay.

I love mushrooms, so I really liked this. We had it with steamed broccoli.