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". 

Happy Birthday to My Mom

 

This is me and my awesome mom about five years ago. I found the pic when skimming through photos, and I just love it. I love you mom, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday! See you in a month! :)

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

I know it's not quite summer yet, but it sure feels like it in Beijing! Our apartment gets pretty warm throughout the day, and the last thing I want to do is stand over the stove for a meal. Let's just say, we've been eating a lot of sandwiches lately. This pasta salad however, I can handle. If you can stomach the thought of boiling water for pasta, then you have a pretty tasty lunch awaiting you. With real summer heat on the horizon, this salad would be great for barbecues and picnics, not to mention, a great way to take advantage of summer's wonderful produce. 

The recipe below indicates the veggies I chose to use, but you can really use any veggies you have on hand, as this is of course a highly adaptable recipe. Just try to make it as colorful as possible! The vinaigrette is also quite tasty, and is much lighter then it's creamy cousin, so it doesn't feel too heavy.

One a side note, I bought my plane ticket back to the states last night, and couldn't be more thrilled. I'll be home just in time for the 4th of July, and am looking forward to grilling, swimming, and being around family and friends. I've already demanded we have hot dogs, baked beans, and cake. It will be glorious. 

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Pasta 

12 oz. pasta (smaller shapes work best)

2 medium Roma tomatoes

1 medium zucchini

1 medium broccoli crown

1/2 medium red onion

1 bell pepper (I used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow, because that's what I had on hand)

1/2 bunch parsley (I used a good pinch of dry parsley, as I can't find fresh here)

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried oregano, or herb of choice

1 large clove garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook al dente according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and let cool.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Wash them, then cut into bite sized pieces (especially the broccoli). 

In a very large bowl, prepare the vinaigrette by simply whisking all the ingredients together until fully combined. Add cooled pasta and veggies, and stir until everything is coated in the vinaigrette. 

At this point you can either dig in, or put in the fridge to cool completely and let the flavors marry. I prefer my pasta salad cold. 

Recipe Source: adapted from Budget Bytes

Dal Nirvana

I am so excited about this dish. I have been craving Indian food for the better part of a year, and could finally wait no more. It is one of my favorite cuisines. You may be surprised, but when I was living in Cincinnati, I could get incredible Indian food at about 3 or more different restaurants within walking distance of my apartment. Incredible Indian restaurants in the midwest? Yes, I kid you not. I don't know why, but I never complained. Wow, just thinking about it is making me excited about being back in the Queen City.

My favorite dish is chicken tikka masala, and I order it every time. It's probably one of my most favorite meals on the planet actually. Though this isn't tikka masala, this dal nirvana is...well...nirvana. It completely hit the spot. It was just spicy enough, though could set your mouth on fire if you wanted it to, and was ever so flavorful. I also had barely enough lentils left in the cabinet, so this was perfect, as I'm trying to use stuff up since we're moving back to the states next month.

If you're not really familiar with Indian food, I urge you to give this dish a try. It was incredibly easy to make, and I just loved it. I wish I had more leftover! It fed me and Chris, and we'll probably have just enough for a meal tomorrow, or *ahem* maybe even dinner tonight. Also, see that beautiful stack of naan? Yeah...I made them (does happy dance). I want to play around with the recipe more before sharing, but for now, here is the recipe for this divine meal. Enjoy!

Dal Nirvana

Ingredients

1 cup dry brown lentils

2 gloves garlic

1 inch fresh ginger 

1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (the amount depends on how spicy you want it...I used 1/2 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (this spice isn't as common I guess, and is optional, but I loved the addition)

4 tablespoons butter

1 15oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes

1 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup cream

Chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

Directions

Pick through lentils, and remove any stones if you find any (I've never found any until today!). Place lentils in a pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the lentils in a colander.

While the lentils are boiling, mince the garlic, and peel and grate the ginger (using a small hole cheese grater).*

Over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the garlic, ginger, cayenne, turmeric, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 1 minute. Add the lentils, tomatoes, and water. Stir it all together. Bring it to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, and cover. The mixture should be soft and thick after a half hour. If it's not, continue to simmer, adding more water if it dries out. You want the end product to be thick, not watery.

Once cooked, remove from heat, and stir in the cream. Garnish with cilantro, and serve over rice or with naan for dipping. Or better yet, both like we did!

*I started keeping fresh ginger in the freezer, as I could never seem to use it all. Just pull it out, peel the amount you plan to use and you can grate it while frozen. When you're done, throw it back in the freezer for later use. Alternately, you could grate all the ginger, then freeze, pulling off chunks as you need it. No more wasted ginger! :)

Recipe Source: adapted from Budget Bytes