Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

One of my Dad's neighbors has HUGE blueberry bushes the size of houses with the most amazing blueberries. She doesn't charge to pick them and people who know her drive from states away to come pick her berries. My father brought me a gallon of blueberries this past weekend. I was in heaven.

Since it was a co-workers birthday yesterday, I decided to try out a new recipe that has been formatting itself in my head for awhile. A cross between my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and the Blueberry Muffins I love so much.

I think they need a little tweaking to notch that flavor up a level but they are yummy just the same!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Heat oven to 375° F. Lightly coat a 12-cup standard muffin tin with oil and set aside. Mix 8 ounces (one block) cream cheese, 1 egg, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
Splash of vanilla
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 3/4 to the top.

Place two teaspoonfuls of cream cheese filling in the center of each cup. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

I use a cookie scoop to fill muffin cups. So I used two scoops of blueberry batter and one scoop of cream cheese mixture.

Monday? AGAIN? Really?

This week is going to be a really crazy week at the Gourmet House. I have classes over the next two nights at the church and a ton of canning to do! I picked enough beans to over fill a banker box plus that many carrots, two gallons of tomatoes and a gallon of cucumbers! Plus my dad brought me at least a gallon if not more of blueberries and my neighbor brought me figs! So I have preserves to make and freezing to do!

I have definitely got my work cut out for me. In addition, I need to tie up my heirloom tomatoes and Roma’s (the late crop) and string my field pea poles plus weed. Given the craziness of the week, it looks like the cooking will suffer.

Tentative Menu:
Rotisserie chicken and salad (from the Grocery Deli!)

Spaghetti

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins (for breakfasts)

Grit casserole

Squash fritters

Zuchini Bread (to have on hand for quests this weekend)

Lots of Sandwiches!

Canning:
Carrots
Greenbeans
Tomatoes
Fig Preserves

Freezing:
Blueberries

Happy 4th of July Menu Monday

I spent all weekend practically in my garden. Pumpkins and field peas are planted. More marigolds and petunias are planted. Black plastic is down in spots I'm reserving for august plantings. Tomatoes are tied up and picked. I got 2 gallons of small yellow tomatoes that I'm going to use for salads and can for sauce. Parts of the large garden have been mowed down. There are still a few rows that I've got to mow down but the lawnmower died and has to be repaired. We lost some plants in the recent heat wave but we are back to irrigating so hopefully we will get produce again soon. We are getting cucumbers and tomatoes currently and are new crop of beans are starting to run. I have not cooked much lately though I have a few recipes to throw up here when I get a few minutes including my chocolate chip zucchini bread. SO YUM! This week:

Blueberry Muffins
Blackberry dumplings

Biscuits, egg, bacon and tomato

Chicken and spinach alfredo

Garden Pizza

Chicken Tender Salad with Honey mustard

Turkey melts

Our July 4th holiday was very quiet this year. We grilled with another couple and went to a movie. On the fourth we actually worked in the garden, took a quick dip in the pool, rented movies and spent a quiet evening at home with banana splits. I'm a very social person so it was a bit odd to me but we have had so much to do and had issues with the pool that it was really nice to just relax after accomplishing so much this weekend which included (taking down part of our pasture fence, staking tomatoes, planting garden, putting down plastic, weeding, getting the pool clear AGAIN and dealing with a pump/leak issue, mowing down part of the big garden to better manage weed issues, cleaning the house.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th.

Doesn't that just Beet all?

I'm a Southern farm girl...who doesn't like beets. I think I may possibly be the only person in my family that doesn't like them. Unlike my grown-up love for broccoli, my beet palate never developed in an enjoyable manner.

Since my husband enjoys them on occasion and my parents had plenty in their garden (which they are fun to harvest) I decided to be a loving wife and try my hand at canning/pickling beets.

1) Rubber Gloves are your friend if you do not want stained fingers
2) No matter how neat you try to be your kitchen will still look like you slaughtered something large.

It's definitely interesting to note the change during cooking. It goes from black lumps boiling in a pot that smells (as my friend Beth put it) like cooking dirt to an aromatic pot of jars that are truly a beautiful deep fuchsia color. I love the end result and while messy, it really is easy. I may (or may not) do some more. Why? Because I can and they are free...and if Armageddon happens I can choke down beets to survive. LOL

To Can beets:
Boil with parts of the tops (stems) on to reduce "bleeding". When soft, remove tops and roots. quarter or half depending on size. Place in clean hot jars. On stove boil 1 cup water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 cup of sugar. If you have whole cloves, place about five in each pint jar. If you have crushed cloves use about a tablespoon in the boiling mixture. Once it comes to a boil, pour the hot liquid over the jars. (you may have to make more if you have a lot of jars. Mine did about 4 jars but I didn't pack the beets tight. Place lids and rings on. In a large pot or canner, place the jars completely submerged (to a 1/2 inche over the lids)and bring to a boil. Turn off and let cool slightly. Remove the jars and let cool and dry.

Menu Monday

Another week has passed in a flash. I feel like I missed two days because I slept it away thanks to a beesting and benedryl. I hate beestings and their affects on me! I was very fortunate it wasn’t a yellow jacket or something I’m more allergic too. I’m pretty sure it was a wasp and let me tell you, it hurt like the dickens! My arm is no longer swollen and other than a discolored bruise, you can no longer tell. (FIVE DAYS LATER…jeesh).

We made a lot of progress on the yard and pool this weekend the big garden leaves much to be desired. The morning glory vines that are reminiscent of the killer vines in The Ruins, have taken over out there. I tried picking beans Saturday morning and less than ¼ of the way down the vines were so thick they were tripping me and keeping me from finding my beans. Steve was supposed to take the weed eater through there but he was sidetracked by stringing up tomatoes. One of my new goals is to get a lightweight weed eater that I can handle so I don’t have to depend on him and his schedule. (because you all know I’m super impatient so it KILLS me waiting on someone).

My little garden is doing very well this year though. It’s driving me insane that part of my boxes are not planted but I’m reserving space for fall crops! I did get green beans canned last week and this week I’m going to work on canning some beets and tomatoes!

So what’s for dinner? A Very uncoordinated plan of things that probably do not go together but that’s okay:

Green beans and new potatoes and corn (probably served up with Turkey Melts)
Turkey Melts
Veggie Pizza
Baked Spaghetti
Biscuits, eggs, grits

I have a long weekend coming up, and I have lofty goals of yardwork/gardening but I have this dream in the back of my mind that I can and make preserves etc. I guess we shall see which one wins out!

Happy Summer ya’ll!

Coconut Cream Trifle

For my mom’s birthday (which falls at Father’s Day every year), I had planned on making coconut cream cupcakes. Due to a wedding I forgot we had to go to, I decided it would be a little simpler to make a trifle instead so I didn’t have to wait on cooling to ice etc. This turned out really well. It is SO rich. Mom claims it’s the best thing she’s ever eaten, but she may be a little biased and I’m not sure anyone loves coconut as much as she does.

This took a little longer than I expected just because of the cooling times for the cream. Assembling it is a breeze and would be awesome with some slivered almonds, chocolate chips or fruit like pineapple to give the layers more color and depth!

Ingredients:
1 white cake mix baked per instructions
1 15oz can of Cream of Coconut
½ cup sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
2 cups heavy cream
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp coconut extract
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 bag shredded coconut

Directions:
Bake Cake per instructions and set aside to cool. (I used a bunt pan).

In a 350 degree oven (I did this while the cake was cooking), spread the shredded coconut on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 7-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Be careful. It burns easily. Set aside to cool.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat bring coconut cream, sugar and cornstarch to a slow boil. Stir constantly. Reduce heat to medium low and stir until mixture is slightly thick. Pour into a glass bowl and let cool. Stir occasionally to release heat to cool it faster.

In a stand mixer, beat cream until whipped. Once stiff peaks have formed halve the mixture. Place one half with half of the cooled coconut cream mixture, folding together and refrigerate until assembly. Whip the other half for a minute more adding the coconut extract and powdered sugar till blended. You can store this in the refrigerator as well until needed.

To assemble: Stir the condensed milk into the coconut cream mixture (the half that doesn’t have the whipped cream in it). Set out all your layers: Cake (cubed), coconut Cream, Whipped coconut cream, whipped cream, toasted coconut. Start your layers in your trifle bowl with cake. Pour 1/3 of the coconut cream. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Add 1/3 of the whipped coconut cream, sprinkle with coconut and then 1/3 of the whipped cream. Repeat 2 more times, topping with the remaining toasted coconut. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving for best taste.

Menu Monday

Another week has passed. Where does the time go? One minute I’m sweating over weeds in a garden and picking beans, the next I’m back at work on a Monday wondering what I’m going to prepare this week. I have no time to cook in the evenings with all this gardening going on!

I did get a chance to bake this weekend for father’s day. I made my father a squash pie and my mom (it was her birthday) a Coconut Cream Trifle. I will get those recipes posted soon!

I’m going to attempt to make these items this week as I need to cook out of the freezer to make room for all the veggies I need to put up as well as cook some of these veggies!!

Menu:
Buttermilk chicken Tenders
Garlic Roasted Chicken
Chicken salad (made from roasted chicken leftovers)
Fried Cabbage
Squash Pie (I have filling left over so I just need to make or buy a crust)
Squash Fritters
Japanese Stir Fry (Homemade)
Grilled cheeseburgers with homemade coleslaw
Zuchini Bread (for breakfasts)
Veggie Gratin
Green Beans with Potatoes (have some getting soft) and corn (from a can)
Glazed Sautéed beets and carrots

What’s In the garden this week?
Beets and carrots (from Mom’s garden)
Onions
Squash
Zucchini
Green beans
Salad tomatoes
Cucumbers(will have them by the end of the week)

Fruit in Season: Peaches, blueberries and Blackberries

Also, It's the first day of SUMMER!! Happy Longest Day of the Year!