Classic Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

I know..I've been totally MIA these past few weeks, and I hate to say it, but it may also be the case for the next two weeks as well, as they are my last two weeks in China. I'm running low on food, and am starting the process of packing up my life before making the big move back home. Once I'm home though, my mom, sister, and I have big plans to make homemade jelly, and of course goodies for 4th of July. So stay tuned! Some serious pool time is also in my near future, and I can't wait. 

In the meantime, I do (finally) have a recipe to share, and it comes from good ole Betty Crocker. I grew up with the 1992 edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook, and when I went off to college, my mom bought me the same edition (thank you ebay!), as well as when my sister went off to college a year later. I'm not sure if this exact recipe is in the same cookbook or not, as I had to leave my cookbooks in the states, but they turned out exactly how I remember them. They're slightly cakey and sweet with a crunchy crumb on top. Whenever I eat a muffin, I usually pull the bottom off first then eat the muffin top, but with the streusel on top, it made that a little more difficult and messy. Like I care, these totally hit the spot.

Classic Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons cold butter

Muffins:

3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Line 12 regular sized muffins cups with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, prepare the struesel by mixing the 1/4 cup flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter using a fork or pastry cutter, until mixture is crumbly; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, oil, and egg until well blended. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt all at once and stir until just moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently stir in blueberries. Divide evenly among muffins cups and sprinkle each with about 1 tablespoon streusel.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If muffins were baking in paper liners, immediately remove from pan to cooling rack. If muffins were baked in a spray pan, leave in pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm or cooled. 

Recipe Source: Betty Crocker

Biscuits for Two

I'm lucky to have grown up in a house with a mother who could cook. We grew up eating lots of fruit and veggies, and most of our food was made from scratch. That being said, we weren't "deprived" of boxed macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, potato chips, etc. but overall there was balance.

In the past few years I've gotten more and more into cooking (obviously). Along the way, I feel like I constantly called my mom to ask her for help and recipes. The thing about my mom though, is that she does a lot of "cooking from the heart". She's experienced, so it's easier for her to do this, and I sometimes got fluffy answers. Here are some examples:

Me: "I don't want to kill the yeast, how warm should the water be?"

Mom: "Cozy"

Another of my favorites is in regards to her Thanksgiving stuffing:

Me: "How much stock do I add"

Mom: "Enough to where it's not too wet, and not too dry. You definitely don't want it to be dry though." 

Me: "Um...okay"

Oddly enough, it usually works for me. Maybe it's because I understand her, but I want to start writing down these recipes in a way that's a little more precise. I want to do this not only for myself, but for the rest of my family, and anyone who reads my little ole blog! I'll be labeling these recipes "Mom's Recipes".

I thought these biscuits would be the perfect recipe to start with. My mom made these biscuits all the time, and understandably so. They're so easy, flaky, and wonderful. They're also pretty much fool proof...trust me. My favorite way to eat them is with her sausage gravy. I have been craving biscuits and gravy like you wouldn't believe and will definitely post a recipe when I'm home in July. It would be an injustice to the world not to. In the meantime, here is this wonderful little recipe. This is enough for two people (4.5 biscuits), but she always made more then this, so I think it's safe to say it can easily be doubled.

I know this post is getting long, but I should mention that I'll be submitting this to BYOB: Bake Your Own Bread.

What's your favorite way to eat a biscuit? Honey, jam, with gravy? I always do a combo, like one biscuit with jam, the other with honey. With sausage gravy though, it's always just the gravy.

Biscuits for Two

Ingredients

1 cup self-rising flour*

1 rounded tablespoon shortening or butter, cold

1/2 cup milk or even buttermilk if you have it**

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper; set aside.*** 

In a medium bowl, cut shortening into the flour using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers. I always use my fingers, because it's easier for me.

Add milk, and stir until just combined. It should just clean the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead about five times, flattening the dough until it's about 3/4 inch thick. Do not overwork the dough. Using a glass or a round cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits. Place on prepared baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on top.

*If you don't have self-rising flour, you can make your own by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup all purpose flour.

**You could also add more milk and make them drop biscuits.
***As noted in the comments below, my mom never greased her pan or used parchment. Then again, she always used a well seasoned cast iron skillet, which is pretty much non stick. "Follow your heart".