Blueberry, Lemon, Cream Cheese Muffins - Bringing the sunshine back

I was poised in front of the kitchen window this morning drinking in the sunlight spilling in. I've been a bit blue this week.  It's been cold, dark, and rainy as of late, not really a combination I enjoy one bit. Maybe it's all the work I did over the holidays catching up to me or finally having a few quite moments of reflection.

I'll heard good news and it brings my smile back quickly.  Then I hear bad news and it rips off the band-aid to a wound that hasn't quite yet healed.  I try not to let it all keep me down, but sometimes I just need to stop for a moment and really let it all soak in.

I let this week be a blue week, but next week I'm bringing back the sunshine.  I'm looking ahead and switching course.  It's a new year and it's time for new memories, hopefully more new friends and who knows what else is possible.    

I for one have so many things already on my want-to-do list.  Furniture yet to find and redesign, recipes already sketched out in my mind, parties I want to throw, crafts to glitter and bedazzle, places I want to visit. (Seriously, you have no idea how bad I need a vacation?  In fact so much so I've solicited a Heavy Metal band to be their roadie just so I can get a free European vacation.) (You thinking I'm kidding here, huh?)  I find looking ahead is my way out of where I'm stuck at.

I decided to change up this coffee cake recipe from Sunset just for kicks!

Blueberry layer:
12 ounces frozen blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

Batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut up into 1/2" sized pieces
Zest from one lemon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 large eggs

Cream cheese mixture:
5 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Also needed:
1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted, salted almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1) In a sauce pan over medium heat bring blueberries, sugar, and water to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for about 3 minutes.  In a small bowl blend cornstarch and water.  Add cornstarch mixture to pan, stir until thickened.  Let cool.

2)  In a food processor add flour, sugar, butter, and lemon zest.  Pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Reserve 1/2 cup; pour remaining into a large bowl.  Stir in baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir to combine.  If you don't have a food processor, a pastry blender works great.

3)  Add yogurt, vanilla, lemon juice, and eggs; stir into flour mixture until incorporated.

4)  Use a muffin pan with 12 cups, line the cups with paper or aluminum liners and fill the 12 cups with the batter mixture evenly divided.  Make a slight indent in the center with a spoon.

5)  In a food processor (or bowl) mix together cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth.  Divide this mixture evenly over the batter.

6)  Divide the blueberry mixture over the cream cheese layer.

7)  Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top of the blueberry layer.

8)  Divide the nuts evenly over the 12 muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Do you have any big plans for the year ahead?

Gina

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Apple-Raspberry Sauce

I was on a mission this morning to clean the house, catch up the laundry, and clean out the fridge.  I was on a roll until I got half way into cleaning out the fridge.  Before you go thinking it's because I'm a slacker let me assure you there is a perfectly good reason why I didn't ever finish cleaning out the fridge.

I was busy pulling out all the items in the way back of the fridge that expired way too long ago when a half eaten container of raspberries (due to expire at a moment's notice) caught my eye, then a couple of lonely apples that were on their last legs.  I had to drop everything and do something about their desperate situation.

I decided to fix a small batch of apple-raspberry sauce and while I was pulling out a pot I noticed a loaf of sourdough bread on the counter that had been there so long it was as hard as a rock. (Cough, cough.) It's not that I'm usually that neglectful with my ingredients; its just things got a little hectic around here this weekend with my daughter going to homecoming.

Before I knew it I was whipping up a batch of bread pudding to accompany the sauce.  Besides bread pudding always scores me bonus points with Hot Dog Dude, it's his favorite dessert on the planet.

Sourdough Bread Pudding

4 cups milk

4 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar + 2 teaspoons

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 loaf sourdough French bread, cut in 1-inch cubes

2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped in large pieces

2-3 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cut the loaf of bread up into 1/2" cubes and place into a buttered 9" x 13" x 2" baking pan.

Heat milk in a saucepan on medium heat until bubbles appear around the outside edges, remove from the heat.

In a large bowl add the 2 whole eggs and separate the other 2 and add only the yolks, save the whites for an omelet or something.  Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Beat together to combine.

Slowly drizzle in the warm milk while whisking.  Strain the milk mixture with a fine sieve and pour over the top of the bread cubes.  Let sit for 15 minutes.

Cut up the chocolate and sprinkle over the top of the bread mixture.  Cut the butter up into thin slices and add to the bread mixture and sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.

Bake for 50 minutes or until the edges of the cubes start to brown a bit and most of the milk is absorbed.

Apple-Raspberry Sauce

2 medium apples, skin removed, cored, and chopped in 1/4" pieces

1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice

3-4 ounces fresh raspberries

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Add the diced apples and juice to a small saucepan and cook on medium to medium-low heat for 8 minutes with the lid on and then add the raspberries and sugar and cook for 5-6 more minutes uncovered.  Once all the fruit is tender, turn the heat off and puree the mixture with a handheld immersion blender or food processor.

Tangy sourdough bread, melty dark chocolate and a zippy fruit sauce, maybe I will add this dessert to my all-time favorites list or at least until the next time I have dessert anyways.  I'm anticipating my next dessert to be within the next 48 hours because I like to keep myself on a strict dessert schedule.  I like to think it compensates for my lenient housekeeping schedule.

Enjoy,

Gina

My Daughter's Favorite - Banana, Chocolate Chip and Walnut Muffins

Do your kids have that one special thing they ask for over and over again?  Well for my younger daughter, its banana muffins and they must have chocolate chips and walnuts in there too.  College girl is back up at school, it's just her and me now and even though I was trying to cut back on the sweets; how could I say no to a muffin request.

Besides I had these hideous looking bananas staring at me on the counter.  I think they contracted the rare banana-spot-itious.  I always think how do they get this disease, come to think of it I didn't see them break out with this rash until I brought home some sexy pears and sat them next the bananas.  Do you think the bananas had a rash of jealousy?  Isn't it funny how we food writing people love to only photograph pretty food?  As ugly as these were, I felt they had a smile only a mother could love.

Banana, Chocolate Chip and Walnut Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp. milk

2 large eggs

3 ripe bananas, smashed

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a bowl or mixer add flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda, salt, melted butter, milk, eggs, smashed bananas and mix until combined.  (Some dark rum would be a great substitute for the milk).

Next add the walnuts and chocolate chips and stir in by hand.

Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray and fill each cup full of batter.  Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10-11 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Makes 24 mini muffins.

That guy in the front with the smirk on his face and beady eyes was just begging to be eaten.  Don't worry folks; it was done quickly and humanely. 

I'm going share a few easy things with you this week, because this momma is darn tired.  I'm sure all of you are in the same boat with school starting and fall creeping up on us so quickly.  Go, relax, make some muffins and curl up on the couch.

Enjoy,

Gina