Thursday, May 7, 2009

Bread: Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

From Tracy Carey

Streusel Topping
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Muffins
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan.

Streusel topping:
In a food processor, combine the butter, sugar, and flour. Pulse until the mixture is the consistency of oatmeal. Transfer to a bowl and work the mixture with your hands until it will stick together when squeezed between your palms. The streusel should be lumpy so you’ll have big streusel crumbs on your muffins. Cover and refrigerate while you make the muffin batter.

Muffins:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt. In another small bowl, combine the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, using and electric mixer set on medium speed, cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the milk mixture. Mix until just moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Gently fold in the blueberries, taking care not to break the fruit or overmix.

Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim. Sprinkle each muffin with some of the streusel topping, dividing it evenly among the muffins.

(Note from Shelly - I put the filled muffin (already topped with streusel) tins in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes, to keep the streusel topping a little chilled, as it seemed "pasty" when it came out of the food processor. Not sure if it helped, or not, but I would think that if I left it in the "pasty" consistency, that the butter wouldn't have stayed in a "crumb" shape, and would've probably just melted? Just a guess...)

Bake until golden and springy to the touch, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before unmolding.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Entree / Vegetarian: Macaroni and Cheese

From Jackie Schuler

Ingredients
2 cups dry macaroni (or other pasta shape)
4 teaspoons minced onion
6 Tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
3 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cups shredded (8 oz) extra sharp Cheddar cheese (reserve some for top
½ cup dry bread crumbs

Directions
Cook pasta. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, sauté the onion in 3 Tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour and mix well. Stir in the milk. Cool until slightly thickened. Add the mustard, salt, pepper and cheese. Do not boil. Mixture will curdle if the heat is too high. Pour mixture into a 3 quart dish. Top with reserved cheese and bread crumbs. Dot with remaining 3 Tablespoons butter. Bake for 20 minutes.

Bread: Ann Schmidt's Blueberry Muffins

From Mary Carey

Ingredients
1 ¼ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg beaten slightly
¾ cups butter or some milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
6 teaspoons sugar

Directions
Heat oven to 375. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or grease (only) bottoms with vegetable oil cooking spray. In small bowl, combine blueberries and ½ cup sugar; set aside. In large bowl combine dry ingredients. Stir in egg, buttermilk and oil just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in blueberry mixture. Spoon butter into muffin cups. Sprinkle top of each muffin with ½ teaspoon sugar. Bake 25 minutes.


Yields 12 muffins.

Dessert / Cookies: Lori's Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Mary Carey

Ingredients
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
¾ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Dessert / Cookies: Saltine Toffee Cookies

From Shelly Carey

Ingredients
4 ounces saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with saltine crackers in a single layer. In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers immediately.

Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Appetizer: 40 Party Cream Puffs

From Mary Carey and Jackie Schuler
Note: You can stuff these cream puffs with something savory like egg or tuna salad or something sweet, like cream.

Ingredients
½ cup water
1 ½ cups sifted flour
¼ cup butter
2 eggs

Directions
Heat water and butter to boiling point in saucepan. Mix in all flour at once. Stir constantly until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms into a ball – about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cool about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Whip mixture until velvety. Drop by leveled teaspoons in small mounds onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake in hot oven 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool. Cut off tops and fill with favorite filling. Note: level spoon makes very small puffs. You can make them larger, if you prefer.

Dessert / Cookies: Peanut Butter Cookies

From Mary Carey

Ingredients
1 ¾ cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup Peter Pan creamy peanut butter
½ cup brown sugar

Directions
Mix and sift flour, baking soda and salt. Cream butter and peanut butter; add sugars gradually and cream until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Add sifted ingredients gradually and mix. Using about one Tablespoon dough for each and shape into balls; crease each cookie with the tines of a fork to flatten to about 3/8 inch thickness. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.

Bake on ungreased baking sheets in a preheated 350 degree oven about 10 minutes.

Yields 3 dozen.