Blueberry Muffins

I made these a few weeks back and wanted to make more today BUT WE'RE LOW ON FLOUR.  How is that possible!

Anyway... these were definitely different from the Chocolate Chip Muffins!  Whilst the Chocolate Chip Muffins were more dry and scone-like, these Blueberry Muffins were super moist!  I thought these were more muffin-like, but Tim said he liked the Chocolate Chip Muffin-texture better.  I think this Blueberry Muffins recipe was less "healthy" because of the buttah and sour cream... but that was probably why it was so moist!  :)



Some organic blueberries!

 

All the dry ingredients together

The egg, sugar, butter, sour cream concoction!  It was super thick and smooth.



Pop 'em in the oven at 350 degrees.  I topped them off and they turned out fine.

All done!



Instagram-ed  :)

Blueberry Muffins
By Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 tablespoon baking powder
 ½ teaspoon salt
 1 egg
 1 cup granulated sugar
 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
 1¼ cups sour cream
 1½ cups frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F*. Line standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk the egg in a separate medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until thick, about 30 seconds. Add the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add the sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.

3. Add the berries to the dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add the sour cream mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and the berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds. Small spots of flour may remain and the batter will be very thick. Do not overmix.

4. Using a large spoon or a cookie scoop sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, divide the batter amount the muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time. Immediately remove muffins to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.



Can you SEE how moist they are? :D

They took a little more "work" than the other muffins I've made -- mainly because of the butter and sour cream part.  But they were super delicious!  You can taste the buttah.  haha.  I made these as a trial batch intended for my BFF new parents, but I haven't actually gotten around to making a second batch for them.  Maybe sometime this week!

What's your favorite blueberry muffin recipe?  Do you like 'em more dry and scone-like or more moist?
                                

Breakfast Casserole

So last week, we also dropped off a Breakfast Casserole for our new-parents friends!

 

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It's super easy to make and it's good for other occasions that involve a lot of people eating.  :)  It's a great Thanksgiving/Christmas morning thing.  It's a great out-of-town guest thing.  It's a one-pan wonder!

 

Breakfast Casserole

Recipe courtesy of new-mom herself, Katrina!

 

8 slices of bread, cut off crust, tear into pieces
1 pound bulk sausage
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
8 eggs
2 cups milk

 

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Spray a 9x11 casserole dish
- Cook the sausage in frying pan, drain off ALL grease.  It helps to spread the sausage onto a paper towel while you prep the other ingrediants.
- Lay the pieces of bread out  on the bottom of the dish
- Then spread sausage on top of bread - top this with cheese
- Beat the eggs and milk together -- then pour evenly over top
- Cook at 350 degrees for 35 min or until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean
*It is best if you fix this the night before and put it in the fridge and cook it in the morning

 

You can also mix in other ingredients and goodies like mushrooms, bell peppers, bacon, etc.  This is also good for brunches and well, really any time of the day.  :)

 

What are your favorite breakfast dishes to cook for large groups of people?  Or breakfast dishes for new parents?

                                       

Japanese Brown Curry from a Box!

Continuing on the impromptu cooking for new parents series, on Wednesday, we dropped off more food for my BFF and her husband.

I made Japanese brown curry and rice, egg, sausage, and cheese casserole, more chocolate chip muffins, and some pastries from Bread of Life! (Packaged in environmentally unfriendly but so convinient plastic boxes). :) And I couldn't resist buying the mini cha-siu baos (BBQ buns).  They were so cute!

I ran around Oakland Chinatown looking for curry blocks (I went to at least four stores) and it seemed the only kind I could find was Golden Curry, in the small size. So I had to pick up two (which were kinda expensive!) for enough food for 4 people (plus leftovers).

 

 

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I usually use and like Vermont Curry. Tim is weirded by the advertised with a touch of apple and honey, but after trying Golden Curry, we both agreed Vermont Curry has a better flavor. :) You can usually find one or the other (or both!) at your local Asian supermarket.
 

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Japanese brown curry from a box is pretty easy! You just follow the directions on the box, and even then you just have to mostly get the measurements for water correct (and the rest is really kind of flexible in my opinion). :oP


Japanese Brown Curry from a Box!

Makes a giant pot.

• 1 Box Sauce Mix (preferably Vermont Curry) ~ 8.8oz size (large box)
• 1.5 cup of cubed chicken (or beef or pork, but I've only tried chicken before)
• 1/2 a large onion or 1-2 medium onions
• 3-4 medium potatoes
• 1-2 medium carrots
• Cooked rice

1. Cut meat, onions, carrot and potatoes into bite-size pieces. Sauté in saucepan until lightly browned. Add 5-3/4 cups water (if using large box) and bring to boil. Cook over low to medium heat about 20 minutes, or until tender.
2. Remove from heat. Break curry sauce mix into pieces and add to saucepan.
3. Cook over low heat about 20 minutes, or until curry thickens. Serve over cooked rice.

Note: The large box says it's 12 servings. (But I think it feeds more like.... 4 really hungry people, possibly to 6. Maybe the Japanese are conservative eaters. haha.) When using a half packet, please add half the amount of the ingredients mentioned and 3-1/2 cups of of water.

This was a staple for feeding friends in college.  All.  The. Time.  :)

Have you made Japanese Brown Curry from a box before?  What's your favorite brand/flavor?
                           

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Here are the chocolate chip muffins I mentioned yesterday. For some reason, I stated on Facebook that they were the first muffins I've baked from scratch. Then I found out I had made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins before!  :oP

 

Do you like the new oven mitt Tim got me for Christmas?  :)

 

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from allrecipies.com 

(I made some adjustments based on the comments/feedback people posted on the original recipe.)

 

Makes 12 muffins.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1egg

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin pan with baking cups.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg; blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.) DON'T OVER STIR.
3. Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with the brown sugar.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan.

I haven't figured out why my batter was so FOAMY -- it was like the consistency of steamed egg! So my first batch last Saturday actually kinda turned out tasting like scones? Scone muffins Tim called them! And the second batch from Tuesday night were still foamy, though I tried to mix it less so maybe that helped. I also filled the cups 2/3 full the firs time like instructed, but they didn't rise very much so I put more in the second time and they came out better then. If I didn't fill them mostly (if not all) full, they did not have any sort of muffin top, and I was able to make ~15 muffins. I would say it's probably worth just using all the batter for 12 muffins and disregarding the 3/4 rule.

 

I want to try making blueberry muffins, and then hopefully will expand to other kinds as well.  :)  And hopefully figure out how to make them more moist and less crackly-like, though that's kind of tasty in its own way.  :)

 

What are your favorite kinds of muffins?  To eat?  To make?

                        

Meals for new parents

My BFF just had her first kid!  So I've been learning about cooking meals for new parents.  Though I'm beginning to think it's really just my excuse to go over there to hold little Sammy (short for Samuel).  :)

Hello Sammy!!!

 Last Saturday we brought over enchiladas to share with them, then a Mexican rice casserole for later, chocolate chip muffins, and cinnamon buns!  From the last time some friends had a baby in Boston, I learned (from reading blogs) that new parents often receive many freezable meals like lasagna and casseroles, but don't have things to eat for breakfast!  Since then I've tried to include muffins in addition to bringing over a meal.  In this case I happen to know the dad loves cinnamon rolls, so I grabbed a tube of that at the grocery store.  The muffins I made from scratch and will feature tomorrow!

We went Pillsbury on this one!

Chocolate Chip Muffin!

We got a Costco rotisserie chicken that day and put it to good use in the enchiladas and Mexican rice casserole.  The Mexican rice casserole is one of my favorites to make because it's so easy.  I liken it to Mexican fried rice, without any cooking.  (Just mixing and baking!) 

The recipe is from Sugarcrafter's "Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake"!  (Sorry no pictures.)  She includes a bunch of cheeses I usually don't have, so I usually adapt it to what I have on hand.

So here's my version, adapted from Sugarcrafter:

1 1/2 cup chicken breast, cooked and shredded

4  cooked white rice

1 can sweet corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes (or dice up a fresh one)

1 tsp ground cilantro

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

1/2 to 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it)

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (sometimes I forget this one if we don't have any)

Extra cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add all the ingredients together, except for the last line (extra cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro), in a large bowl.  Transfer into a greased 9x13 pan.  Put extra cheddar cheese on top and then pop it into the oven!  Bake for ~20 minutes or until it's warmed through.

It makes for fabulous leftovers since it's a pile of stuff all mixed together already anyway.  :)  One issue we found was that if you make it for new parents or put it unbaked in the fridge (overnight) before baking, it may dry out a bit (rice soaks up the sour cream/liquids?)  So you may want to have some extra sour cream handy and/or hot sauce!  Sometimes I throw in some Tapitio Hot Sauce in while I'm mixing it or if it's with others and someone might not eat spicy, I just add it to my plate. 

If you're cooking for new parents or other people, make sure to check whether they can eat spicy, have certain ingredients they don't like, or if they're allergic to any food items!

Have you cooked for new parents?  What are some favorite new parents you've made or have received?  Or have recipes that freeze well?  Please share!
                                                          

Life in Pictures - FFF

I've been terrible at blogging but I've been good about taking pictures.  Sort of.  I kinda joined the Instagram bandwagon.  AND I LIKE IT.  :]  So here are some life adventures.  In five foto fun installments.  :]

Random dinner (date night?  How do you distinguish eating out from date nights now?  :oP) at Russell House Tavern.  Loooove the garlic alioli for the fries.

Our Costco sells ALCOHOL NOW.  Whoo hoo!!  It's in a caged area and I think it's like... a third party seller or something.  (Different from how it's done in California!)  A bunch of wines and a handful of beers by the case!

We got to babysit this munchkin!  She was educated in piano playing and programming while at our house.  :D

She's so cute.  :D  CHUBBY LEGS.

Boston Mayor Menino -- on Tenants Rights.  This is what I do for work sometimes.

Stay tuned for the next installment of five foto fun!  :oP

                    

precious

The baby we threw this baby shower for in October made her appearance on New Year's Eve!  They went home like after 1.5-2 days so we visited them at home Monday evening.  I got to hold her for awhile and she is so precious!  I think she is the newest baby I've ever held!  She was just, I think... 2.5 days old!  She was kind of an extra small baby and had the cutest little fingernails and fingers and... cutest everything.  :oP  It was fun that though she was "sleeping" she moved around a lot and sighed and moved her hands around her face a lot.  :)  Babies are especially awesomely cute when you just hold them and then give them back when they're pooping/farting/barfing.  :D

Those nine months she was incubating went by so quickly!  When I was in elementary school (and basically through high school), the school year would go by SO. SLOWLY.  Now babies are born in a blink of an eye and time flies by so much quicker.  I must be getting old.  :oT
     

onesies for Jade

So we got baby Jade (or her parents?) a ducky hooded bath towel plus these onesies I made.  :)  They were all iron ons like from here!

Her daddy's a med student and her mommy's a nurse practicioner.  Appropriate, I'd say.  :D

Her daddy had taken to calling her Katana (as in the Japanese sword)  :D

This one is slightly like a previous one for Nevan but makes more sense now!  As in soccer + jersey makes a little more sense than a ducky + jersey.  o_O  ALSO, her parents both played a lot of soccer when they were younger!

I also made them this print and put it in a white frame.  To go with the ninja theme.  :D

                           

This was too much fun.  Common'.  Someone else have a kid!  And... go!  ;]

                                     

pink and brown

So behind on posting!  Lets start by catching up on that baby shower I co-hosted over a month ago!

Behold!  The diaper cake I'm super proud of!!  :D

The spread.  Nothing too fancy.

Ashley's mom made this amazing cake!

These were the "guetsbook cards" where people could write their "guesses" and then a message for the expecting couple on the back!

Guess how big the mommy's tummy is!  :D

Our guest of honor!

Then we played pin the bottle on the baby!

Me and my co-host, Ashley!  We unplannedly wore brown dresses with white polka dots (as our theme was pink, brown, and white polka dots)!!  :D

I love planning parties!  :D  It was like... a bridal shower but with a different theme!  hehe.

                                  

baby love

I sometimes think I studied the wrong kind of "planning" in school cause party planning is just too. much. fun!  :-D  Themes, color schemes, snacks and drinks, games and presents!  I don't think anyone who would know about this read this blog so I think I can safely say that me and a friend are in the works of planning a surprise baby shower!  The shower will be in October so there is still a bit of time between now and then.

We are thinking of going the Evite route since most of the guests will be young and computer savvy, and this will save a few bucks.  They had one or two cute baby shower designs for girls but I wanted something that would tie in with our theme of pink, brown, and white polka dots!  :-D  I've been working on a simple design and I will share when it is finished!

But in the mean time I went browsing on minted.com and this one just popped out at me off the screen and hugged me:

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I kinda just love it a lot  :]  It's also just so HAPPY.  I like that's it bright, cheery, and really pretty gender neutral.  In fact, I can even see it as a wedding invite!  I love how the bubbles of love are crowding each other because there is just so much love.  :-D
                               

Baby gifts!

Baby gifts for other people of course.  :oP

My pastor back home, his lovely wife (who did the girls' hair for our wedding), and our flower girl Haley (who's like way bigger now!) just had a new baby boy!  So my latest project was this!

I thought about it and in hindsight realized a football (since the dad loves football) would've been more appropriate with the "jersey" onesie than ducky, but... ducky was what I had.  (And ducky seems child friendly!  :oP)

Can you see where our inspiration came from?  :-D

It was all just a blank onesie and some iron-on transfer sheets.  Much like the totes I made my bridesmaids.  :]  Design.  Print.  Cut.  Iron "canvas" (in this case, a little green onesie).  Iron.  And voilà!  :D  (If it's a shirt, make sure you wash and dry your it first so it's pre-shrunk.)

Remember not to use steam!

With the iron-on transfers!  Let cool before you peel off.

Ta-da!!  :]

I've been working on a few more designs that may make their debut with whoever has a child next.  GO!  :oP