in honor of the last regular season michigan game today, i’m blogging about blueberry citrus muffins.  blueberry, for michigan (duh, right?) and orange, in hopes of a good bowl game to watch on january 1!

these muffins are a perfect balance of citrus and sweet.  something i’d like to try for next time would be to add a crunchy crumble topping, because no blueberry muffin is complete without it.

source: browneyedbaker

• grated zest of one orange
• juice of one orange
• 3/4 c buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 c sugar
• 2 c flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c blueberries
• decorating sugar or crumble topping, optional

1. pre-heat the oven to 400°.  line a regular size muffin pan with liners.
2. pour the orange juice into a large pyrex liquid measuring cup (think 4 cup sized) and then add enough buttermilk to make 1 cup.  whisk in eggs, honey and melted butter.  set aside.
3. in a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together, using your fingers, until the sugar is moist and you can smell oranges.  in the orange sugar mixture, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
4. pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir them together, using the same whisk.  the batter will be lumpy and that is ok.  stir in the blueberries and then divide the batter evenly among your muffin cups.
5. bake for 22-25 minutes.  muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of them comes out clean.  allow to cool in the pan on a rack for 5 min.

hi, my name is jess and i am a chocoholic.  (hi, jess)  i’ll take chocolate pretty much anyway that i can get it.  i made up a batch of these cupcakes for a superbowl party this weekend.  with all of the junkfood available for consumption, these would just be another log on the fire.  :)  i’d highly recommend making a batch of them for your valentine.

the cupcakes are from martha stewart’s recipe for one bowl chocolate cupcakes and it is true, they really are.  the frosting recipe is a swiss meringue buttercream (swbc), my second attempt at this type of frosting.  if you’ll recall, the first one that i used had too much butter.  i found a very helpful tutorial on howtoeatacupcake.net.  i am much happier with the results, but i still want to make a few more tweaks.  overall, the frosting is great for piping, as long as it is cold.

chocolate cupcakes

slightly adapted from: marthastewart.com

• 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 c warm water
• 3/4 buttermilk (if you don’t have this on hand, add 3/4 tbsp of white vinegar to a liquid measuring glass.  fill to the 3/4 c mark with milk.  let sit for 5 min.  voila!  instant buttermilk.)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. pre-heat oven to 350°.  line standard cupcake pans with paper liners, set aside.  addcocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl, stir to combine.  add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 3 min.  scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
2. divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each about 1/2 full.  (warning!  this is the soupiest cake batter i have ever made.  prepare yourself to wipe drips from the cupcake pan.)  bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 min, rotating pans once if needed.  transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

swiss meringue buttercream, enough to frost 24 cupcakes.

source: howtoeatacupcake.net

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 c unsalted butter, at room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water.  whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm, 160°.  (see picture above, a candy thermometer works wonders for this step  and no, i don’t have purple burners.  the pic is kinda weird.)
2. pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks.  continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 min.
3. switch to the paddle attachment.  with mixer on medium-low, add butter 2 tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition.  increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 min.  reduce speed to low; add vanilla extract and continue beating 2 min. to eliminate air bubbles.
4. refrigerate frosting for 30 min. and frost cupcakes, as desired.

enjoy!

the perfect compliment to gumbo is this cornbread.  this is another dish where tom and i had to negotiate.  i love sweet cornbread; tom calls sweet cornbread “cupcakes” and asks for a side of frosting.  i cut back on the sugar in the recipe and added cheese…  two kinds!  definitely a win-win for the shoemaker household.

slightly adapted from: allrecipes.com

• 1 1/2 c cornmeal
• 1/2 c flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped.  (leave the seeds and the white parts in for kicked up cornbread)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c buttermilk
• 1/4 c evoo
• 1 1/2 c shredded cheese (i used mild cheddar and pepper jack)

1. in a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.  in another bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and oil.  add to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.  fold in the cheese.  pour into a greased 9″ square baking dish or a muffin pan, divided in 12 parts.
2. bake at 400° for 15 min (muffins), or 20 min (square pan) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

enjoy!

i love ranch dressing.  i don’t love the calories, but i think that this may have an edge on store-bought varieties because it lacks preservatives.  it’s also delicious.  i think i might try using fresh chives next time and also mincing up green onion to use in addition to onion powder.  and maybe doubling the garlic powder.  it’s a work in progress.  :)

• 1/2 c light mayo
• 1/4 or 1/2 c light sour cream (1/4 c for salads, 1/2 c for dip)
• 3/4 or 1/4 c buttermilk (3/4 c for salads, 1/2 c for dip)
• 1/2 tsp dried chives
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1. in a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients.
2. cover and refrigerate for 30 min. before serving.

enjoy!

i’m fan of chicken strips.  i like that you can eat them with a variety of dips and they always taste good.  i also like that you can get them at just about any restaurant.  chicken strips are always a safety net for me.  anyways, i’ve struggled with finding a really good chicken strip recipe that you can make at home, you know, sans the deep fryer, messy batter and extra fat and calories.  i think i’ve finally found it!

• 12-14 chicken tenderloins
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c buttermilk
• 1 1/2 c dried bread crumbs
• 1/3 c grated parmesan cheese
• 1 packet hidden valley ranch dressing mix
• salt and pepper to taste

1. preheat oven to 400°.
2. in a small bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk.  in a larger bowl, mix together bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing mix, salt and pepper.
3. dip each tenderloin into the buttermilk/egg mixture and then place into bread crumb bowl.  cover each tenderloin well.  place tenderloins in a single layer on a greased 9×13″ baking dish.
4. bake in oven for 15 or until golden brown.
5. try dipping them in bbq, ranch or honey mustard!

enjoy!

these babies are the BEST pancakes i have ever had.  they’re so tender and perfect.  pancakes can’t get any better than this.  the key is in the buttermilk.  i’ve never understood why, but buttermilk always comes in pint size containers, nothing smaller.  when i make a recipe using buttermilk, i never use it all up.  i’m not going to complain about that anymore, though.  i’m going to make a batch of these.

they’re pictured above, served tom-style with peanut butter and syrup.

• 3 c all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 c buttermilk
• 1/2 c milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 c butter, melted

1. in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  in a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk eggs and melted butter.  keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2. heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.  you can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it’s ready!
3. pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend.  stir until it’s just blended together.  do not over stir!  the little lumps of flour do your pancakes good!  pour or scoop batter onto the griddle, using approx. 1/2 c for each pancake.  brown on both sides and serve hot.

enjoy!