Blueberry cupcakes

I bookmark recipes from cooking blogs all the time. I have to make myself go through the bookmarks just to remind myself what I have bookmarked, so I won't forget to try all the yummy things out there. I got some fresh blueberries a while back, but didn't really have a plan for them, so I froze them to use later. Yesterday, we were at home (for the second day in a row) and my sweet angels :) were getting a little stir crazy, so we got in the kitchen together.

I found this recipe at How To Eat A Cupcake
Blueberry Cupcakes (plus her specific directions)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a regular muffin pan.
With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs (one at a time) to the creamed mixture and beat well.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Beat portions of the dry ingredients into the cream mixture alternating with the milk.

*Lick the beaters!!!!!!* Mix for 3 minutes (I don’t know why the recipe says this. It’s not a good idea. I only mixed until the flour was almost fully incorporated.). With a spatula, fold in the vanilla and blueberries.

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 3/4 full with batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine were done at 18) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

I frosted them with a regular vanilla frosting. She made an awesome looking blueberry buttercream, but I was already out of blueberries. YUM! Not blueberry muffins, blueberry cupcakes!

4th of July food fun- An Exchange program

If there is one positive things to come out of this blogging, I have made friends I never would have "met" otherwise. I started my personal family blog in the fall of '07, and have loved reconnecting with old friends and getting to know some new ones.
Even though I am new to the cooking blog scene, there have been several people that found me and continue to check in and actually leave comments! One sweet friend is Sonya. She is an American living in The Netherlands, and has a cooking blog. She found me and started commenting, so I started reading her blog. She does a great job of learning and bringing in the Dutch culture, but she frequently laments how hard it is to get good American items. They are either not available or ridiculously overpriced. She drives to Germany just to get chocolate chips!!!!
So I proposed an exchange. I would send her items I could get here easily and cheaper, and she would send me fun Dutch treats. Let's be honest- I will more than likely never make it to The Netherlands, but now I feel like I have!!! I sent her a package last month, and I just got my package of Dutch treats a few days ago. I had my family over last night to do fireworks (we live outside city limits), and we opened the box and tried all the treats. It was so fun! We pretty muchly enjoyed everything, and it is interesting to see how other people eat.

Our package of goodies!!

Sonya's 2 favorite cookies from The Netherlands.
I loved the waffle cookies with a caramel-like filling.
Lots of yummy lollipops for the kiddos to eat. Even the brown salty caramel lollipops weren't that bad. Apparently, they are crazy about salty treats over there.
A cola flavored lollipop

My sister made the awesome brownie burgers that I saw on Bakerella. She did a GREAT job- they looked perfect and they were so yummy!! I want to do those myself, and the yummy sugar cookie fries.

Cutest thing EVER

Bakerella is incredible!! This is literally the cutest thing I have ever seen. It's all edible- and sweet!!! I am seriously thinking of trying this. Cupcake buns, brownie burger with frosting condiments and sugar cookie french fries. She even has the links for the templates for the basket and paper. She is so thorough, too. In the post, she shows pictures and outlines every step. Have you ever seen anything so precious?

Carrot and Cream Cheese Muffins

I think I have said this before, but I should probably have a "cream cheese" label. Anytime I see cream cheese in a recipe, it is hard for me to pass it up!! I saw this recipe on Full Bellies, Happy Kids and got the ingredients I was missing to make this immediately. These muffins are moist, with that line of cream cheese goodness running through the middle- OH!!! They are really great, and easy to make.
Carrot and Cream Cheese Muffins

1- 15 oz. can sliced carrots, drained
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon each ground allspice, cloves and nutmeg
egg
1/3 cup canola oil
FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar

Puree the carrots in a food processor. Whisk carrots, egg and oil in bowl.Mix dry ingredients- flour, sugar, spices, salt and baking sodaAdd dry ingredients to carrot mixture.
Fill muffin tin 1/3 of the way full with carrot muffin batter.Mix filling ingredients- cream cheese, egg and sugar.

Drop tablespoon size spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture on top of carrot batter.Top with a dollup of carrot batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350.
Mine baked for 24 minutes.

Peanut Butter Rice Kripsie Treats

My friend made these for a playdate we had a few weeks ago. I love Rice Krispie treats and love recipes that they kiddos can help me with. These are sweet, and yummy! They were absolutely incredible the first day, but a little stale tasting the next day. Not sure if that was the store brand Rice Krispies I used, or that just happens to these. I did make the chocolate topping, but my daughter requested some without chocolate topping, so we had it both ways. I really liked the chocolate, personally, but they were good either way. Get in the kitchen with your kiddos and have fun!!

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
1 cup sugar
1 cup KARO syrup
1 cup Peanut Butter (I used creamy)
5-6 cups Rice Krispies

Chocolate topping (optional)
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup semi sweet chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. milk

Measure 5-6 cups of Rice Krispies, and grease a 13x9 dish.

Put sugar and KARO syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil.Add peanut butter and stir to combine. Take off heat.

Combine Rice Krispies and peanut butter mixture in 13x9 dish and stir together. Spread evenly

Make chocolate topping. Melt chocolate chips in microwave at 30 second intervals. When melted, add vanilla and milk to chocolate. Pour over Rice Krispie treats, and let cool and set up. I didn't put mine in the fridge because I really don't like cold Rice Krispie treats, but you definitely could do that to get a firmer bar.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Buns

I love my Google Reader. It's so much easier to check that for all my blog updates, rather than actually going to each blog. It's really a great time saver, especially since I love to check up on so many food blogs. It's a time saver, and who doesn't love those??!! I learned a great tip yesterday. I was at a dinner for moms and they had an organizing expert come and talk to us. One thing I love, besides fruit and cream cheese together, is organizing. I am not a great cleaner, but I love organizing!! She had plenty of great tips, but one I liked was to turn on a timer when you get on the computer and get off when your timer goes off. So you don't end up wasting your whole day on the computer when there are pressing issues to get to. Like these babies....

This recipe is from Bake or Break

Strawberry Cream Cheese Buns
1 cup + 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/4- 1/3 cup preserves ( I used strawberry in some, and blackberry in some- you could also use raspberry)

Mix 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar together.Add one egg at a time.Add flour mixture, alternately...with milk.Add last 3/4 cup flour and mix until combined.
Scoop batter into muffin tins. I used a small ice cream scoop.I got 18 regular sized muffins out of the batter. Put 2 small dollups of strawberry (or raspberry, or blackberry)
preserves on each scoop of batter.Swirl the preserves into the batter with a knife.
Bake at 350 for 16-19 minutes.
These are a little dark, they went a minute or two long. Just one of the many side effects of having two preschoolers around the house- you don't always get to oven in time...
These were lovely. They are a little sweeter than muffins, more cake-like. The preserves are a nice touch. They are not wow-y, but they are easy and yummy. My kids LOVE them.

Amish Friendship Bread

This has been the most fun!!! I got a "starter" from one of my husband's co-workers several weeks ago, and have been baking delicious bread every 10 days ever since!!! After I made my first batch, I kept a bag for myself, so I could make more 10 days later. The first batch, I made the original Friendship bread from the recipe, with the cinnamon sugar topping. It's moist, sweet and oh-so good!! Then, I saw a post on How To Eat A Cupcake- she had gotten a starter, too!! She made hers, but did some variations on her bread. She made a lemon blueberry that is SO good, I made that one on my second go 'round. I found a very informative site that gives the instructions, LOTS of variations, and you can purchase a starter from them if you can't find anyone to give you one.

I HAVE A STARTER TO GIVE YOU!!!
(precious 3-year old NOT included!)If you want one, I have 2 right now, and will have 3 more in 10 days. Email me at icooktexasATgmailDOTCOM with your address and I will send you one.
On Day 10, you bake the bread and separate it out to give to 3
(or 4 if you don't keep one for yourself) of your friends.
Add milk, flour and sugar to the batter from your bag. Put it in a glass bowl. No metal.
Using one gallon bags, label each bag with the days so your friend will know what day they are on. I label mine with Day 1, Day 6, and Day 10.
Day 6 you add ingredients, and Day 10 you bake it.
Take one cup of the batter,
and pour it in the bag. I keep one for myself, so I can make more bread,
and give the other 3 away.
With the batter that is left after dividing it into 4 bags, add the ingredients per your instructions.
This is where it gets fun. The original recipe calls for box of vanilla pudding and cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top. We made it that way the first time, then we have been mixing it up since then! I used lemon pudding and a carton of blueberries for the lemon blueberry bread,
and today, my daughter suggested chocolate chips. I tossed them in flour, so they won't sink to the bottom of the bread,
and added them to the batter.

You can use one bundt pan or two loaf pans.
Bake for 1 hour- 1 hour and 15 min. at 325.

It's so good, y'all! A nice, moist, sweet bread that is great for a snack or for breakfast! I got it out of the pan a little early, so I could get pictures for you. I even spread a little butter on a warm piece and ate it for you. Just so I could tell you that-it's heaven, people.