Blueberry Muffins

These are such good muffins, that I can hardly wait for fresh blueberry to be in season and make sure that I freeze lots.
I got the recipe from my friend Helga and they have been one of our family favorites that I would love to share with you. Just so you know that what is in the ( ) are how I changed them up to suit our families life style, the changes don't hinder the wonderful deliciously sweet muffins at all.

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil, or melted butter (1/2 c. oil)
• 2 cups sour cream (plain yogurt)
• 2 cups sugar ( 1 cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• ( I used 2 cups unbleached flour and mixed 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup oat bran minus two tablespoons which I replaced with ground flax seed)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 cups blueberries (you can never have too many ;^D)

1. Combine eggs, oil, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
2. Sift dry ingredients together in separate bowl.
3. Add to wet mixture, stirring until moistened, yet still a little lumpy.
4. Add blueberries and stir lightly to distribute them evenly in the batter.
5. Pour into greased muffin tins.
6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This is the season when Zucchini's are offered by neighbors or are easily affordable. I have been making this recipe since I was married 31 years ago. I got it from my mom by love Pauline. It is easy and quick and never fails. It stores well and can be frozen.

• 4 cups of cubed zucchini ( you can see the cubes in the blender)
• 4 farm fresh eggs
• 2/3 cup canola oil . .or other light oil
• 2 cups fresh walnuts. .very coarsely chopped I like the walnuts left big. . but you can chop them fine. You can also leave them out or subsitute with another nut of your choice.
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)
• 1 12 ounce bag of mini chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or maple flavouring

1. Preheat oven to 350 º.
2. Put the zucchini cubes, eggs, and oil in the blender. Blend on high speed until smooth.
3. In large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
4. Add the zucchini mixture and stir with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts.
6. Pour into a greased tube pan or two 9 X 5 loaf pans.
7. Bake for 60 - 75 minutes. Test with toothpick.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

What is a tea without Scones and Devonshire Cream? Devonshire Cream can be purchased in the grocery store near the cream cheese. If you can't find Devonshire Cream. . . you can substitute 2 parts whipping cream with one part mascarpone cheese and a tablespoon of sugar.


This scone recipe is easy to prepare with no butter to cut into the flour. Just a quick pat onto a cookie sheet. . score into scones and bake. The recipe takes under 10 minutes to have ready for the oven.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 large farm fresh egg
• the finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoons poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 425 º
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Combine all the wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl. .egg first and whisking it until light.
4. Add the poppy seeds and the lemon rind to the dry ingredients.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in all the wet ingredients.
6. Stir with a fork. . .just until the dry is gone.
7. Transfer the dough onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. . patting it into an eight inch circle.
8. Cut the circle into 6 pieces. . .but don't move the dough to separate.
9. Bake about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Scone glaze

1. Combine the juice from the 1/2 lemon with enough icing sugar to make a thin pourable glaze.
2. Pour over the scones while still warm.

If you are making this for a tea. Double the recipe and put all the dough into a large rectangle on the cookie sheet. Cut into 3 inch squares and then cut across to make triangles.
These are best served slightly warm. . or the same day.
Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
I made some gluten free scones for my niece.
I used

• 2 cups of gluten free muffin mix in place of all the dry ingredients.
• I used the wet ingredients and the lemon and poppy seed as I listed and did the method exactly the same.
• I turned the oven down to 375 º and baked them for 15 minutes.

Bran Muffins

Betty often tells me about these wonderful Bran Muffins she is serving for breakfast. This weekend she emailed me the recipe. This yummy picture is the result of baking those for our breakfast this morning.

Bran Muffins

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp molasses(optional)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 cups bran

Add enough buttermilk to make a smooth batter but still quite thick..approx 1 cup

3/4 cup raisins or blueberries

Beat butter and sugar till creamy, beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and dump in bowl alternately with buttermilk and mix just until moistened. Fold in raisins or berries.

Bake at 350 for 30 min

12 large muffins or 18 regular size
(note: If making regular size or smaller reduce cooking time to 20 minutes)

Alvina's Cinnamon Twists

Alvina is my cousin by marriage and has always lived about 1500 miles from us, but the visits we’ve had as families have been the best! Besides being an excellent cook and home- maker, Alvina has a wonderful warm personality and the best laugh! It’s on one of our visits to their place, that I first remember seeing these tempting little twists on her counter and enjoying them, of course. I love having sweet reminders of our times together and when I make these now and wish that the highway between our houses would not be so long.

Ingredients:

Your favorite biscuit or scone pastry. I use:

• 2 c flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
• 6 Tbsp butter, room temp.
• 1 c buttermilk or milk

filling and icing:

• 2 - 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 3/4 c brown sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp flour
• 3/4 c icing (confectioner's) sugar

Method: 

 

1. In medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter with pastry blender. Add buttermilk, stirring with fork until dough holds together. Shape into a ball.
2. Divide pastry in half and pat into a rectangular shape on lightly floured surface.
3. Roll each half out to 6 x 12 inch strip.
4. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon.
5. Starting from long side, fold over twice, so that you have a 2 inch strip that has 3 layers.
6. Cut into 3/4 inch slices and twist each slice so that it looks like the figure 8. (right hand twists away from you and left hand toward you)
7. Place on greased and floured (or parchment paper lined) cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 400F until golden. About 12 min. Yield: approx. 30 mini twists
9. 

Icing:
Fill a 1 c measuring cup 3/4 full of icing sugar. Stir while adding a little water at a time, until it has a good spreading consistency. Drizzle or brush over warm twists. (If you did not use

parchment paper, remove twists from sheet with lifter before sugar, that has run out, hardens.)

Moist Banana Bread

Banana Bread is the simplest of quick breads to bake but it can go quite wrong. . .too many bananas or not enough bananas. . .and well this is just one recipe of many good recipes.

Banana Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a large 9 X 5 loaf pan with parchment paper. . leaving the ends without is fine. I just find that this helps in baking the loaf evenly. . .not too brown a crust. Give it a spray of Pam.

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup of oatmeal .. .I used porridge oats that had bran and flax added
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together these ingredients and set aside

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 cups of mashed very ripe bananas .. .I used 5 medium
• 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts .. optional
• 1/2 cup of fine coconut. . . optional
• the nuts and coconut just add a bit of crunch. . .if you like crunch

1. Cream together the soft butter and brown sugar .. you can use a wooden spoon or a mixer for this.
2. Add the beaten eggs and the bananas.
3. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and the optional nuts and coconut.
4. Turn the batter into the loaf pan and Bake for 60 minutes. Poke a toothpick in the cracked top and it should come out quite clean. My toothpick still had a wee bit of dampness on it but I declared it done and once sliced .. . it was.