THE world's best blueberry muffins

little baby muffins make a great breakfast on the go... freeze em and take em out as you need em...boy likes em.

these are my extra-super favorite...

ingredients for muffins:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk



what makes them extra-special:

a good 2 cups of blueberries
(mine were big ripe berries we froze from this summer)

2 tbs flax seed
(for extra fiber and omega-3)



and of course the cinnamon-y sweet topping:

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter softened

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar



pre-heat your oven to 375. line your muffin tins... i use foil liners cause they hold up to the ooey-gooeyness of these muffins. mix flour, white and brown sugars, salt and baking powder. stir oil, eggs and milk until the lumps are gone. gently fold in blueberries. fill muffin tins, i like mine nice and full for a good muffin top.


for topping, mix flour, butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. sprinkle a little on top (or a lot).

bake for about 12 to 15 minutes if using small muffin tin (20 to 30 minutes for larger muffins).

the extra berries make these muffins almost like a tart. a little crunchy sweet muffin wrapped around a yummy blueberry filling... mmm...

chefin' it: homemade apple sauce for baby boy

made homemade applesauce for boy last night.

it is really easy, really yummy, and all natural.

what you need:

*fuji apples

(i used 8 large apples and made about 3 cups)

a food processor

and well that's about it

peel, core, and cut

(i'm not fancy enough for a corer or peeler, so a good old knife was used)

i sliced my apples into eighths.

baked for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

stirred once to keep the apples on top from drying out.

(put a baking sheet under them just in case they bubble over)

dumped into the food processor, juice and all,

and ran until the apples were a good smooth consistency.

i poured the apple sauce into ice trays and froze.
then just pop them out, put in freezer bags and i have
fresh apple sauce in perfect boy portions any time.

*fuji apples are very sweet and crisp. they bake well, not turning mushy.
no need to add sugar to the sauce.

i have even used them in apple pies,
cut the sugar from the recipe,
and it's still sweet and delicious!

chefin' it: my favorite fall meal

the rules are simple... the first cold night you make a big pot of stew.

it's really easy and really yummy.

what you will need:

a pound or so of stew meat
(any cut of meat cubed will work)
half an onion diced
a large clove of garlic minced
(about 1/2 tsp of garlic powder will work)
about 2 cups of frozen veggies mix
(any flavor you like, mine has green beans, carrots, peas, and corn)
about 5 potatoes cubed
an 8oz can of tomato sauce
a little worcestershire
a tbs of beef base
(or a couple beef boullon cubes)

saute onions and garlic in a bit of oil
brown meat (the house is already smelling yummy)
add veggies and potatoes and stir
add can of tomato sauce and enough water to cover meat and veggies well
add beef base, cover and let simmer
when potatoes are done i add a splash of worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
(if it is too tomato-y add a bit of brown sugar, you can also thicken it a bit by combining a tbs of flower and with water and mixing well then stirring the mixture into the stew)


now i know some people would say your potatoes need to cook for a while before you add the rest of the veggies blah, blah, blah... i am here to tell you that it does not matter. when the potatoes are done (you can smash'em with a fork) it's cooked long enough. now it will be better if you let it keep cooking over a low heat a little longer and it will be EVEN BETTER heated up tomorrow.




add a big slab of sweet cornbread from grandma's recipe and its
pure, soul-warming, goodness in a bowl...

what more tomatoes? your kidding right? no sir, i'm not.

tomatoes: round three

let me tell you, if you have never experienced oven roasted tomatoes, this easy recipe is for you... try it! yummyness!

i started by quartering my 'maters (this is redneck for tomatoes boys and girls). If you're using small romas, just cut them in half. anything larger, quarter them.

place tomatoes in a large bowl. drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. mixing with care until everything is coated.

arrange tomatoes in a single layer, skins down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. mince garlic and sprinkle over tomatoes. drizzle a little more olive oil over the top.

place in oven (preheated to 325) and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours, depending on the size of your tomatoes. keep an eye on them after about 2 -2 1/2.

when the juices have dried up and the tomatoes start to get dark around the edges they are good to go.
so good... smell good, taste good, look good (well maybe that's pushing it), taste good... smell good, taste good...

freeze em, eat em, cook with em, puree for a spread...

num yummy tomato sauce

salsa making is done and there are still tomatoes, so now... fresh, homemade, num yummy tomato sauce.

start by cutting an X in the bottom of each tomato (about 20) and placing them X-side up on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

mmmm... juicy ripe tomatoes
roast tomatoes about 30 minutes, in oven preheated to 375F, until skin begins to pull away at X. remove from pan and let cool...

when cool enough to handle, core each tomato and peel away skin, working over a nonreactive bowl to catch the juice...


while peeling tomatoes, saute in olive oil: 6 to 8 garlic cloves thickly sliced, 1/2 cup torn fresh basil, and 2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar...


add cut or crushed (with hands for fun) tomatoes to pot, add 1 teaspoon sea salt and ground black pepper, and simmer for one hour... you can't imagine how good this smells... if i had a smell widget for my blog i would let you smell it... heavenly...

when cooled, puree in food processor. label clean glass jars, freezer boxes, or bags. fill 2/3 full and freeze for up to 6 months...

summer goodness all winter long!





*if sauce is too acidic, add a little brown sugar to taste, just a pinch at a time