Featured

Blueberry Sweet Muffins

Taking advantage of summer blueberries, I finally got around to making these blueberry sweet muffins, a recipe I had been eyeing out of Southern Living Comfort Food: A Delicious Trip Down Memory Lane.

But before I get to the muffins, somebody pinch me!! 63 degrees in Dallas, TEXAS in the middle of August???? I couldn’t believe it! So, instead of sleeping in late on this Saturday morning, I figured I better take advantage of the nice weather and go for a run.

Morning runs are the best despite getting up at the crack of dawn. 🙂 However, once I’m up, I’m good to go for the rest of the day!

texas sunrise — Enjoying the cool weather and sunrise. Gorgeous view except for the power lines!

The great thing about these muffins is that they are a cinch to whip up. After running, I didn’t have much patience for waiting around for breakfast, and was able to get these on the table in under 30 minutes from start to finish!

The recipe is almost effortless, plus I can almost guarantee you’ll have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Start by whisking the egg, milk and oil together in a small bowl.

blue — Combine the flour, soda, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl.

I actually substituted white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour. I think using 100% all-purpose would taste better, but they say white whole wheat is better for you, thus I wanted to try it out.

So what’s the difference between whole wheat flour and white whole-wheat flour? It’s the type of wheat used. White whole wheat flour is made with white wheat, which lacks bran color. It is milder in flavor and lighter in color. Nutritionally it is the same. Think of white whole wheat flour as a sort of albino version. To learn more, click HERE.

To finish making the muffins, you’ll pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones, and stir until just combined. Then you’ll fold in your blueberries. That’s it! Then just scoop the batter into lined muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Let the muffins cool slightly in the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

I like mine hot so that I can drizzle them with some Colorado honey. Enjoy!!

blueberry muffins

For those living in Dallas, did you enjoy the cooler weather this morning? What is your favorite breakfast muffin?

Blueberry Sweet Muffins

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 10

Recipe adapted from Southern Living Comfort Food: a delicious trip down memory lane

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
1/ 2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup milk (I used skim)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp. sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
Stir together milk, oil, and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.
Spoon into greased or paper-lined standard muffin pans, filling two-thirds full. Sprinkle batter with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden. (I baked mine at 375 degrees F in a convection oven for 20 minutes). Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Baked Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal

Anyone love blueberries at much as I do? If so, here’s a new baked oatmeal recipe that you must try!

My sister first made it for my mom when they visited each other about a month ago in Michigan. My sister is a major health nut and left out the brown sugar. I don’t recommend that, but supposedly it was still good according to my mom.

When my mom returned home to Texas, she decided to try the baked blueberry coconut oatmeal again… this time with brown sugar, and guess what? She was hooked!

For the past month, my mom has been making a batch of this oatmeal every week for her breakfast. She’s sent me picture after picture via email showing me how good it was!

So, being good daughter that I am, I finally made the oatmeal for myself to try. Guess what? I LOVE it just as much as she does!

Talk about easy. Simply combine the oats, coconut, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl.

Then whisk together the milk, egg, coconut oil and vanilla.

Next, sprinkle two-thirds of the blueberries on the bottom of the pan.

Pour your oat mixture evenly over blueberries.

Then pour the milk mixture over oats. Gently shake the baking dish to make sure milk covers oat mixture.

Sprinkle remaining blueberries on top. (For a quicker prep time, you can mix your wet and dry ingredients plus your blueberries all together in a large bowl. Then pour the contents of the bowl into the prepared baking dish.)

Finally, place the baking dish in 350 degree F oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes and then dig in!

It’s healthy and pretty! If you’ve never tried the coconut and blueberry combination, put it on your things to-do-list because the flavors are outstanding!

Spoon into individual bowls and eat by itself, add a splash or milk or cream, or if you’re like me, add a touch of vanilla yogurt!

Looking for other blueberry recipes? Here’s a few of my favorites:

Banana Blueberry Bread

Blueberry Muffins with Doughnut Topping

Cornmeal Blueberry Cookies

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal (sans the coconut)

Peach and Blueberry Crumbles

Baked Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 6

Recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups skim milk
1 large egg
3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pint fresh blueberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8-inch square baking dish and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, coconut, brown sugar ,baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, coconut oil and vanilla. The coconut oil might get a little lumpy/congealed, but that’s okay. It will melt when baking.
Arrange two-thirds of the blueberries on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour the oat mixture evenly over the berries. Pour the milk mixture over the oats. Gently shake the baking dish to make sure the milk covers the oats evenly. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top of the oats.
Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is golden and oatmeal is set. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

Notes

*Note: Alternatively, when preparing this dish, you can combine the dry mixture with the wet mixture along with the blueberries. Then take that entire mixture and pour it into the prepared baking dish all at once.

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Ginger Lime Dressing

Here’s a very colorful fruit salad, perfect as a side dish for all your summer grilling. The dressing has a perfect balance of sweet and tangy from the unique blend of honey, ginger and lime.

Matt didn’t “rave” about this fresh fruit salad, but he didn’t complain either. If you’re looking to really impress your guest with a colorful table setting, you’ve got to make this. I thought it was good, and perfect for summertime. My only complaint… after only a day, the peaches turned brown, like you would expect bananas to do. Therefore, make this fruit salad just prior to serving time.

Enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Ginger Lime Dressing
Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
2 cups sliced peeled peaches (about 2)
1 cup blueberries
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

Directions
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
2. Combine peaches, blueberries, and grapes in a bowl. Drizzle juice mixture; toss gently to coat. Chill at least 1 hour.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup).
Recipe from: Cooking Light June 2007

Fresh Fruit Tart

I apologize for not blogging in what feels like forever. Between birthdays, family get togethers and just day-to-day work, I put Dallas Duo on the back burner, and I’m sorry! 😦

My birthday was last Saturday and mom made this gorgeous and delicious tasting fruit tart. I normally request Mrs. Kelm’s chocolate cake (it’s a classic), carrot cake or Oreo cheesecake, but I was in the mood for fresh fruit since the weather in Dallas has been so warm….it feels like Spring already!

This was a new recipe for us to make from The Barefoot Contessa, one of my favorite Food Network Chefs. The tart was light, creamy, sweet, and semi-healthy with all the fruit. My mother-in-law said the filling tasted like cheesecake.

In less than 2 weeks, we’ll officially be introduced to Spring, so bookmark this recipe so you can try it! Enjoy!

Combine sugar, graham cracker crumbs and butter and bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Prepare filling and refrigerate until cold.

Pour filling into baked and cooled tart shell.

Layer with fresh fruit.

Drizzle raspberry jelly (thinned with hot water) as a glaze and dig in!

Fresh Fruit Tart
Ingredients
For the Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (approx. 14 whole crackers crushed)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 lb (1 stick) butter

For the filling:
6 extra large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp.unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. Cognac or Brandy (we omitted)
Fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries
Apricot or raspberry jelly, for the glaze

Directions
1. For the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the graham crackers, sugar, and butter in a small bowl and mix well a wood spoon. Lightly press the mixture into an 11-inch tart pan with removable sides. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.
2. For the Filling: In the bowl of an electric mixture using a paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat egg yolks and sugar until mixture is pale yellow and falls back into the bowl in a ribbon (about 3 minutes).
3. On low speed, beat in cornstarch.
4. Bring mik to a boil in a large saucepan and, with the mixer on low, slowly pour it into the egg mixture. Then pour mixture back into the saucepan.
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon, until mixture is thick, bringing mixture slowly to a boil.
6. Once mixture is to a boil, cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Remove from heat and mix in butter, vanilla, cream and Cognac (optional).
7. Strain into storage container. Place plastic wrap on top of the pastry cream and refrigerate until cold.

Assembly
1. Fill tart shell with pastry cream.
2. Add seasonal fruit.
3. Optional: Brush with glaze (melted apricot or raspberry jelly thinned out with hot tap water) to make it look shiny and pretty!

Recipe adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Looking for a new breakfast dish? Well, I found the perfect one in Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen called Baked Oatmeal! I bookmarked this recipe back in April when I visited my sister at Oklahoma State University to run a 10k, and I’ve been meaning to make it ever since… I don’t know why I waited for so long!

I’ve made this baked oatmeal twice, once using blueberries, natural cane sugar and pecans. The second time I made it with raspberries, maple syrup, and walnuts. Both were amazing; it’s probably the best baked oatmeal I’ve had in my entire life! It tastes like a cross between a berry crisp/crumble and blueberry/berry pie!

You can use maple or natural cane sugar. Both add a subtle sweetness to the baked The sweetness from the natural cane sugar adds a subtle flavor, while the combination of blueberries and/or raspberries and bananas cannot be beat. I think what really gives this oatmeal its flavor, is the 1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. The cinnamon is warm and reminds me of fall, but is not overly powerful. The pecans or walnut finish off the oatmeal and gives it the “crunch” you’d be looking for.

Drizzle your oatmeal with extra maple syrup for an even sweeter taste…but I think the juicy blueberries and/or raspberries add enough moisture and sweetness that you may not even want syrup.

*Note…You can make this over the weekend and enjoy it for breakfast for the next few mornings. Yum!

Mix together the oats, half of the nuts, cinnamon, natural cane sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Meanwhile, combine the egg, milk, half of the melted butter, and vanilla.

Slice bananas and layer onto the bottom of a greased baking dish.

Top with two-thirds of the berries.

Sprinkle the oat mixture on top.

Next, pour the milk mixture over the oats.

Finally, top with the remaining blueberries and nuts.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 375 degrees F or until top is nicely golden and set.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup walnut pieces, chopped (can substitute pecans)
1/3 cup natural cane sugar or maple syrup, plus more for serving
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
scant 1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt
2 cups milk (I used skim)
1 large egg
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups blueberries, raspberries or mixed berries

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish.
2. In a bowl, mix together the oats, half the walnuts, the sugar, if using, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, if using, the milk, egg, half of the butter, and the vanilla.
4. Arrange the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Gently give the baking dish a couple thwacks on the countertop to make sure the milk moves through the oats. Scatter the remaining berries and remaining walnuts across the top.
5. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Drizzle the remaining melted butter on the top and serve. Sprinkle with a bit more sugar or drizzle with maple syrup if you want it a bit sweeter.

Yield: 6 generously, or 12 as part of a larger brunch spread
Recipe from: Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson

Cornmeal Blueberry Cookies

As you probably have already figured out, my mom and I LOVE to make COOKIES…all types of cookies! We saw this is Kim Boyce’s cookbook called “Good to the Grain”, a healthy cookbook we bought in Colorado. When we saw the recipe and picture for these Cornmeal Blueberry Cookies, we had to give them a try! They are the weirdest tasting cookie I’ve ever eaten, but I say that in a good way 🙂 This recipe is a cross between eating cornbread and cookies. Sounds weird doesn’t it??? But, they are sooo good! I ate 3 the first day and one the next morning; they are quite addicting. I love the dried blueberries in them, and I feel like I am eating healthy because these cookies are not super sweet…you can definitely taste the cornmeal in them. The sprinkled sugar on top adds the perfect amount of sweetness, and they look like crinkle cookies/ gingersnaps.

I definitely recommend making Cornmeal Blueberry Cookies if you are in the mood for something new! My husband is extremely picky and he even said these were “okay”, so I would say that is pretty good. He absolutely hates trying new recipes and would rather me just make chocolate chip cookies, tacos, or spaghetti every single day. He is a creature of habit. I, on the other hand, love to experiment, so here is to trying something new!!!

Cornmeal Blueberry Cookies
Ingredients
DRY MIX
2 cups corn flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely ground cornmeal (do not use medium or coarse grind)
1 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
2 tsp kosher salt

WET MIX
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup dried blueberries (unsweetened or lightly sweetened)

FINISH
1/2 cup sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rub two baking sheets with butter.
2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back into the bowl any bits of grain or other ingredients that main remain in the sifter, and set aside.
3. Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until the butter and sugar are combined, then increase the mixer speed to medium and cream for 2 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is combined.
4. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend on low speed until the flour is barely combined, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and blueberries. Slowly mix until the dough is evenly combined.
5. Pour the finished sugar into a bowl. Scoop mounds of dough, each about 3 tablespoons in size, form them into balls and set them on a plate. Dip each ball into the sugar, coating it lightly. Arrange the balls on the baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between them. The balls of dough that don’t fit on this round of baking can be dipped in sugar and chilled.
6. Bake the cookies for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. The cookies will puff up and crack at the tops and are ready to come out when the sugar crust is golden brown and the cracks are still faintly yellow.
7. Repeat with the remaining dough. These cookies are best eaten warm from the oven or later that same day. They’ll keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Recipe from: “Good to the Grain” by Kim Boyce