Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

A few weeks ago a Facebook friend posted about a local grocery store having containers on blueberries on sell for $1.39. My daughter likes them, and I had a few recipes to try, so I stopped by to get some. These weren't the puny regular size blueberry containers; these batboys were 18-ounce containers of blueberries! I bought four. I really didn't know what all I was going to do with them, but I knew they wouldn't go to waste. I've already blogged Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins, now this one. I also made a mixed berry pound cake that I will probably blog as well. This recipe was really good. The lemon just adds something amazing to it, and bumps it up a notch. But really, the glaze is one of the best parts of this recipe - absolutely delicious!

1 cup butter
1¾ cups sugar
zest of one lemon
3 eggs
½ tsp vanilla
¾ cup buttermilk
3 cups fresh blueberries
2½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Lemon Glaze
1½ cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsps lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest

2 tsps almond extract

If you need buttermilk, you can make it by combining 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar and topping that off with 1 cup of milk. Do this first to allow time for the milk to curdle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a separate large bowl, mix and combine dry ingredients together. Toss the blueberries with about 1/4 cup of flour.

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest together for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time and beat an additional minute per egg.

Add dry ingredients alternatively with the buttermilk to the butter/sugar/lemon zest/egg mixture. Typically, thirds with the flour works best - 1/3 of the flour; 1/2 of the buttermilk; 1/3 of the flour; 1/2 of the buttermilk; remaining 1/3 of the flour.

Fold in blueberries.

Grease and flour either two large bread pans, three small bread pans, or a bundt pan, and pour batter into prepared pan(s).

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 to 60 min. Let pound cake cool completely. I prefer this so that the heat of the cake doesn't make the glaze run too much.

To prepare the lemon glaze, whisk ingredients together until smooth.

Pour glaze on the cake, and enjoy!

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

I have become a cranberry convert this past year. I love cranberries. I also love oatmeal in cookies - oatmeal raisin, no bake chocolate oatmeal, etc. I also love white chocolate, and I've been fascinated with using cinnamon chips. Soooo... why don't we combine all of that together into a cookie? Can there be anything wrong with that? Well, I'm here to tell you that there is in fact nothing at all wrong with that. These cookies are freaking awesome! I start them the same as the old Quaker Oatmeal Raisin recipe, and then I take a hard left. 

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon, heaping
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups oats
1 1/2 cups dried sweetened cranberries
12 ounces white chocolate chips
6 ounces cinnamon chips (half a bag)

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk together. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla extract, and blend until combined.

Add flour mixture, and blend until incorporated. Mix in the oatmeal, cranberries, white chocolate chips, and cinnamon chips.

Heap by rounded teaspoon full, or medium cookie scoop if you have one, onto parchment lined cookie baking sheet.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-12 minutes until cookies begin to turn golden brown. Cookies will continue to cook and set after being removed from the oven, so do not overcook. Allow cookies to rest on the pan for 3-5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to completely cool.

Vegetable Beef Soup

Imagine it's cold outside, and maybe even raining. What can you prepare for dinner? While chili or beans are good options for a cold winter's day meal, maybe you should give this recipe a try also. This is a soup my dad used to make, and I've taken it and made it my own. I hope you try it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as me and my family do.

2 lbs stew meat
1 large can tomato juice
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
1-2 12-ounce cans tomato paste
4-5 lbs potatoes, diced
2 cans lima beans
2 cans sweetened corn
2 cans garbanzo beans
salt, season all salt, pepper

First, cut the stew meat into bite size pieces. Some will be in half, others in thirds, and still others may be in fourths. There's no science to it, just cut it up.

Place in a very large stew pot. Add 3-4 Tbsps of season all salt and 2-3 Tbsps of pepper. This seems like a lot, but you will be filling up this entire pot before you're done. Just cover the stew meat with water.

Put on large stove eye on high heat. Once it begins to boil turn down between medium and medium-high. Allow to cook until water reduces and stew meat is cooked through.

Next add the tomato juice, tomato sauce, and one of the tomato paste cans. This will thicken the sauce of the soup, but if you need the second can of paste to thicken more then add it.

Allow to cook for 30 minutes. While it cooks, peel and dice the potatoes. Add carefully to the tomato and meat mixture.

Cook on medium-high heat stirring frequently to prevent the potatoes sticking until the potatoes are fork tender. If stew is boiling too much, then turn heat down to medium. This should take 1-2 hours to get the potatoes cooked. Remember, stir often and be sure to reach the bottom of the pot. Once the potatoes seem to be getting close to done, open and drain the lima beans, corn, and garbanzo beans.

Once the potatoes are tender, add the corn, garbanzo beans, and lima beans. Cook for 30 minutes to an hour until beans are cooked and tender.

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in your favorite bowl with a heaping pile of saltine crackers.

Savor and enjoy!

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

Listen to me carefully: you really must try this recipe. The good news is that it is versatile. My first attempt I just swapped a little of the vanilla extract for almond extract, and baked it in a 8x8 like the original Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake. It was very good, but I thought it could be even better, so I went for a second batch. This time I increased the sugar by 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsps and used the full 1 tsp vanilla and added a 1/2 tsp of almond, but the biggest difference is that I baked them as muffins. These are the best blueberry muffins I think I've ever tasted. I assure you that I will be making these muffins again. They are just slightly sweet, with a bit of tartness from the blueberries and lemon. The sugar on the topping creates a wonderful crust, and the batter itself is soft, fluffy and airy.

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
Zest from 1 large lemon (about 2 tsps)
1 1/4 cup sugar plus about 1 tablespoon sugar for topping
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour (set aside about 1/8 cup to toss with the blueberries)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk

If you don't have buttermilk you can make some. The ratio is 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar and top off to the 1 cup line with milk. In this case, we only need a 1/2 cup, so put 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar into measuring cup and top to the 1/2 cup line with milk. You need to do this first to allow your milk time to curdle.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.

Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until combined.

Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/8 cup of flour.

Whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.

Fold in the blueberries.

Grease a 9-inch or 8-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray, or prepare two muffin tins (I just used paper liners). Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Bake square pan for 40-50 minutes, or the muffins for 15-20 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness.

 Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Instructions

Put 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar into measuring cup and top to the 1/2 cup line with milk. You need to do this first to allow your milk time to curdle.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.

Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until combined.

Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/8 cup of flou

Whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.

Fold in the blueberries.

Grease a 9-inch or 8-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray, or prepare two muffin tins (I just used paper liners). Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Bake square pan for 40-50 minutes, or the muffins for 15-20 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy! If you store in an air-tight container, the lovely sugar crust on top will get moist and soften. Do not seal the container you store them in and they should last several days.