Blueberry Muffins

I can't get enough of blueberry muffins especially when they are in season. Yes, here is another one for you to try.  I guess some people may have this problem with chocolate chip cookies but with me it is blueberry muffins. They taste so good when they are nice and warm. Also, the kids help me bake the muffins which I think is the best part. These muffins have a nice subtle taste. They aren't too sweet but just enough sweetness to counter the berries. Normally, I double the amount of berries but I couldn't today. My daughter told me that she found a worm in one of her berries so I should throw them all out. (I picked the berries myself so I guess I must have brought home a friend with the berries.)I made a deal with her if we cut open three berries and there were no worms then I could use the berries. After cutting open four berries, no worms were found. Any berries that were soft and not perfect were discarded. My daughter was happy and she ate her blueberry muffin. These muffins even taste good the next day.

Blueberry Muffins (Makes 20 muffins)

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
6 oz. butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 eggs
2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking poder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, lemon zest, and eggs.
5. With a fork, stir in the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture until just blended.
6. Gently, fold in the blueberries. 
7. Evenly distribute the batter into the paper liners filling them almost full.
8. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe by Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook.

One year ago...............................I made Snickerdoodle Cookies.
Two years ago.............................I made Victoria Sandwich Cake.

Did you already know.................
-Blueberries grow on bushes in clusters.
-Blueberries are native to America.
-To prepare for winter, Native Americans would smoke blueberries to preserve them.

Nutella Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Lately, my husband is complaining that I should not hid vegetables in his food.  He thinks I should disclose any added vegetables to his food so he has a choice. So, I figured I would see his reaction when I asked him to try my chocolate zucchini bread. He hesitated in taking the bread and I had to convince him that he would like it. He did and couldn't believe the bread had a vegetable in it. My sister said that she couldn't see any zucchini in her piece. I said it's because I coated it in cocoa powder. I even used two medium zucchinis for this bread.

Nutella Chocolate Zucchini Bread
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 cups zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Nutella
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray two bread pans with nonstick baking spray.
3. Dust the bread pans with cocoa powder and tap off any excess cocoa powder.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and shredded zucchini.
5. Add the vegetable oil, Nutella, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate.
6. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until combined.
7. Fold in the chocolate chips.
8. Evenly distribute the batter between the two pans.
9. Bake the bread for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

One year ago..........................I made Double Roasted Chicken.
Two years ago........................I made Peacharine Cream Cheese Tart.

Did you already know......................
-Zucchini is native to Central America.
-The largest recorded zucchini weighed 65 pounds.
-Zucchini can be eaten cooked or raw.

Travel: The first weekend of August

Alright, I know I've been slacking on my posts but I've been spending some quality time with the family. Every weekend our goal is to do something new. Since we are having such a great time, I would like to share some of the places we've been. This weekend we headed to the White Mountains. We went to Diana's Baths. It was beautiful and fun. The kids liked going into the pools of mountain water. I thought the water would be warmer than the Maine ocean water but I was wrong. My kids are true Mainers so they are immune to such coldness.

To get to Diana's Baths, we had to walk for slightly over half a mile. The walk is pretty easy. I saw people pushing strollers into the park. There is a wooden bridge the kids loved walking over. We told them to be careful of the trolls but it didn't make them any less quiet. When we were close, we could hear the rushing water. There are several levels which we had to climb up but each level had pools of water. We talked the kids into going near the falls. 

If you want to see some small water falls and bath in some pools of mountain water, this is the place to go. Just remember, the water is cold.

I guess it's time for a hair cut!

We didn't have to pay to enter Diana's Baths but we did pick to pay for the closer parking which
only cost $3.00. 

There are the giant granite boulders which are common in New England. The giant rocks are one of the best things I love about New England. My sister and I would climb them when we were young. As an adult, I tend to go around them most of the time. What a great day!

Did you already know..................
-Diana's Baths are located in the White Mountains National Forest.
-Lucy Brook is the water source for Diana's Baths.
-In the Spring, the water falls will be at their peak due to the melting snow from Big Attitash Mountain.

Ravioli with Roasted Vegetables

You would think I'm trying to torture my children by making a dish with a lot of vegetables but they liked it. My husband thought we were torturing him though. He did eat the ravioli and some of the chard but nothing else. No eggplant for him. I tried cooking the ravioli by boiling then in a skillet and baking. I think the baking way is easier since I just added the ravioli with the roasted vegetables. The skillet way tends to give a nice crispness but it sticks easier to the pan. I'm going to use the baking method since I like the easier method plus less cleanup after.

Ravioli with roasted vegetables
3 medium zucchini, chopped
1 eggplant, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 cup swiss chard
1 package frozen ravioli
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil for the ravioli.  
3. Arrange the zucchini, eggplant, onion, and garlic onto a baking sheet.  
4. Toss the vegetables with the oregano and the olive oil.
5.  Season with salt and pepper.   
6. Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes.
7. Cook the swiss chard and ravioli in the boiling water for 8 minutes.
8. Drain the water from the swiss chard and ravioli.
9. Turn the vegetables.
10.  Add the swiss chard and ravioli to the baking sheet. 
11. Bake the ravioli and vegetable for 15 minutes.
12. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and melted butter.
13. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago............................I made Lots of Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Two years ago..........................I made Bangers and Mash.

Did you already know............
-The small and medium zucchini has more flavor than the larger ones.
-Zucchini has more potassium than a banana.
Other names for zucchini are courgette, summer squash, green squash, and Italian squash.

Tri-berry Pancakes

Oh, I love berries. I love them so much that my husband was willing to go with me to pick some raspberry and blueberries. The kids elected to head to camp since they were going to the beach. I'm not saying I blamed them but when they arrived home they thought I was going to share my berries. (I did tell my husband this was the first time I actually made it home with 3 containers still full of berries.) I did reluctantly shared my berries and I mean reluctantly. Then I was nice and made tri-berry pancakes for supper. I even shared with my Mom and sister. My Mom and I were unsure how the combination would go with cherries but I loved them.

Tri-berry Pancakes
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup chopped cherries
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk in a large bowl. 
2. Whisk in the baking soda until combined.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk until incorporated.
4. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla.
5. Heat a frying pan over medium heat.
6. Add a little oil to the pan and wait about 30 seconds.
7. Pour 1/2 cup of the batter into the frying pan. 
8. Top the pancakes in the pan with some of each berry. 
9. When bubbles form on top of the pancake, flip the pancake over.
10. Cook the pancake until the bottom is golden brown.
11. Use any remaining berries for topping. 

Recipe adapted from here.

One year ago.........................I made Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies.
Two years ago.......................I made Raspberry Cream Cheese Scones.

He is trying to make his teeth blue!

Did you already know............
-It is believed red raspberries originated from Turkey.
-Black raspberries are native to America.
-Black raspberries are different from blackberries.