So I was the lucky girl who got to participate in Aleta's Blueberry Muffin Round Robin. This is how it worked. Whoever wanted to participated in taste testing signed up and whoever wanted to submit their blueberry muffin recipe as the BEST RECIPE EVER could do so. I was assigned Recipe A and Recipe C to make and test. It's a hard life I lead.



First up, Recipe A (These recipes are halved. To make a full dozen, double it).



Batter:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1/2 egg (2 tbsp-I beat the egg then measured it out)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh blueberries


Topping:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp finely chopped pecans


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and pecans in a large bowl.
3. Whisk buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; stir just until combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Allow batter for 15 minutes before dividing evenly among paper-lined muffin cups.
4. Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Spoon 2 tsp over each muffin, then sprinkle with 1 tsp of finely chopped pecans.
5. Bake muffins at 375 for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Now up, Recipe C.



Batter:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup & 2 tbsp milk
1/2 egg (about 2 tbsp-I beat the egg and then measured it out)
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 tbsp lemon zest


Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp & 2 tsp flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp butter, softened


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Make the batter by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, butter, milk and egg. Blend with an electric mixer. Gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest. Set aside.
3. For the topping combine the first four ingredients. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
4. Grease muffin tins. Spoon batter into tins (fill 2/3 full), then top with streusel mixture. Bake on middle rack approximately 20-25 minutes.

So I taste-tested, I took both to my pals Jen and Kelly and they taste-tested and I had hubby taste them. BY FAR the winner was. . .

RECIPE A!!

SERIOUSLY GOOD. I'm not even kidding people. You need to make this. Both of the recipes were actually good. Hubby preferred Recipe C, but the rest of us were all about A. I think it was the brown sugar that put Recipe A over the top. I will be making these again and again and again.

I bought the Hungry Girl book awhile back and have been slowly making meals from it. The thing that I really like about this book is that everything is given to you in directions for one serving. Which is great when you just want to make lunch for yourself. And everything has been really good too.

Fish & Chips

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
• salt
• black pepper
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 20 oz uncooked cod, four 5 oz fillets
• red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Place potato wedges on one baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray; season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes.
3. Whisk milk and mustard together in a shallow dish. Place bread crumbs in another shallow dish and put flour in a third shallow dish. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper.
4. Place fish in the flour and turn to coat. Then place fish into milk mixture and turn to coat. Finally place fish in the bread crumbs and turn to coat.
5. Place fish on the second baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Serve fish and potatoes with the red wine vinegar on the side.

I'm a little family of two. Well, three if you count the dog but she eats kibble. So that means cooking for two. Which sucks. Most of the recipes out there are for four or more people which means a lot of leftovers. And my hubby is not a big fan of leftovers. Plus, we are eating a whole lot healthier in this house so there are definetely some challenges. So I'm working on coming up with two people recipes that are YUMMY and HEALTHY. Not always the easiest thing to do but I will prevail! As I do I'll share my recipes with you here! First up, chicken pot pie.

I read a lot of blogs. A LOT. And I would say a quarter of them are food/cooking blogs. That's a lot of recipes. One of my favorite cooking blogs has to be We Are Not Martha. These girls whip up some pretty tasty stuff and often it's not all that bad for you. And most of the recipes are very user friendly. I tested out one of their recipes a few days ago and it was really good. Hubs enjoyed it too. The original recipe is from the Mayo Clinic of all places and I followed that one more exactly than the one on We Are Not Martha. Without further ado:

I made some YUMMY food tonight. And I totally forgot to take pictures. I suck. BUT I did want to share the recipes! Because they are DELISH! I stole all these from a very old Rachel Ray magazine (yes, I know Mamasita, you HATE her, but it's good stuff!), so ENJOY!




Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken
(I cut this recipe in half b/c there is only two of us)
1/4 cup of Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 4 pounds)
Salt
1 pineapple - peeled, cored & cut into 8 thick rings (or buy canned like I did!)

1. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the honey, hot pepper sauce and chili powder and simmer for 1 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and set aside.

2. Preheat a grill or large grill pan to medium-high. Rub the chicken with the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive olil and season with salt. Grill until well marked, about 7 minutes. Flip and cook until the bottoms are well marked and the chicken is cooked trough, another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and brush with the reserved honey glaze. Cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, grill the pineapple until well marked on one side, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve with the chicken.



Serve with:



Grilled Corn with Parmesan Butter
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 ears corn, husked
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


1. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, cheese and pepper until creamy. Spoon onto a sheet of plastic wrap or waxed paper, roll into a log and freeze until chilled, at least 20 minutes or up to 2 days.

2. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Cut the corncobs in half. Brush them lightly with olive oil and grill, turning occasionally, until the corn is tender and just getting charred, 12 to 15 minutes. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and serve with the corn.

And for dessert:

Berry Cakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 large eggs, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
2 tablespoons plus 1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup mixed fresh berries, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons canfectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a muffin pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 3/4 granualted sugar until pale, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cream, the vanilaa and the salt and mix until combined, scraping as necessary. Beat in the flour until incorporated. Using a spatula, gently stir in the berries.

2. Spoon the batter into each muffin, cup and about three-quarters full. Top each cake with a few berries and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar over the cakes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the pan, then run a knife around the edges and remove.

3. In a small bowl, whip the remaining 1 cup cream with the confectioners' sugar and cinnamon until soft peaks form. Serve with the cakes.

Enjoy people!!

I think the Hubby liked dinner tonight. I did good! I took a little of that recipe and a little of that recipe and made my own! YEA ME!!

Bree's Breakfast Casserole
2 medium potatoes chopped into small squares
1/2 medium white onion chopped
1/2 polish sausage chopped
1/2 cup of milk
3 eggs
Cheddar cheese
Monterey Jack cheese

After you chop up your potatoes put them in the microwave them and zap them for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile saute your onions until they are slightly brown. Add your sausage for about 2 minutes. Preheat your oven to 325.

Once your potatoes are done put them in your baking dish and put them in the oven for 25 minutes. After they are done add your onion/sausage mix and stir. Add milk and stir. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of cheese in and stir. Beat eggs with salt and pepper and then stir into the baking dish. Add as much cheese as you want. Place in oven and back for 30 minutes. AND VIOLA!

I realize I probably didn' t type this recipe up just like I should but it's how I made it! And it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDD!!!