Blueberry streusel muffins. (Easy!)

Impossible to resist!

With the abundance of summer produce comes a deluge of those lovely plump berries that suddenly seem to be juicier and sweeter when June rolls around. There are only so many bowls of cereal with blueberries one can eat, although I must confess, I’ve yet to reach my limit. Just the same, here’s a great recipe you can whip up in under a half hour, from pantry to breakfast table (or afternoon tea!). Makes a perfect dozen, and they freeze like a dream.

for the muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries (more if you’d like)
1/2 cup white sugar

for the streusel:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter (half a stick), melted
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and cinnamon in small mixing bowl. Pour in melted butter; stir and set aside.

In a one-cup measure, pour in the milk and then the oil; crack in the egg and beat lightly with a fork; set aside.

In medium mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, and baking soda. Stir wet ingredients into dry and then fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Top with the streusel. Bake for 20 minutes and then allow to cool on rack in pan for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and allow to cool completely (if you can wait that long!) or serve warm.

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Peach cobbler: the perfect ending to baked ham dinner.

There are lots of peach cobbler recipes out there, mainly due to the fact that so many people define a ‘cobbler’ differently. Lots of folks (especially north of the Mason-Dixon line) expect to be served a ‘crumble’ and are disappointed when the baked fruit doesn’t arrive with a crunchy topping.

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They say it’s your birthday…

My birthday cake!

Ugh. I don’t know why I hate birthdays so much. But whatever. I’m making myself a cake today. Sort of counter-intuitive for a devout birthday hater, but it seemed like the thing to do. Since no one will probably be eating it but me, I’ve decided upon a classic yellow cake with white buttercream frosting and shaved coconut.

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Don’t EVER buy self-rising flour.

Although most groceries carry sacks of self-rising flour, there is no need to ever buy it. Aside from the fact that it is hardly ever used in recipes, it most likely has been sitting on the grocery shelf for a very long time and is, well, frankly — stale. It’s easy just to make your own on an as-needed basis.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Just be certain that your baking powder hasn’t been sitting in the pantry since the Bush administration. Old baking powder will not provide the lift you need in whatever it is you’re hoping to ‘rise’ in your recipe.

So now you know.

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