Raspberry Streusel Muffins

Raspberries are on sale in my neck of the woods, so I bought a bunch and am in raspberry heaven. Usually they are on the pricey side, so I do without (usually using my second favorite berry - the blueberry, because I don't live where they grow my first favorite berry - the huckleberry). This morning I served my kids these muffins for breakfast before school and they loved them! I think next time I might make them without the streusel topping, because it's kinda messy, but very tasty all the same!
   Really any berry for fruit could be substituted here. If you went with a harder fruit, like apples, you might want to cook them a little first so they are soft by the time the muffins are done. Do you have a favorite muffin recipe? Let me know what it is so I can try it out! :)

Here's how these muffins are put together:

It starts with the streusel topping (if using). It's 1/4 each flour and brown sugar with 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and 2 Tbsp cold butter (I like salted).

Cut the butter into the brown sugar/flour/cinnamon with a pastry cutter, two knives or a fork. (You fingers would work too.)

When everything is combined and the butter is in tiny pieces (like this) put it in the fridge until later.

Then mix the wet ingredients together: milk, oil, vanilla, lemon zest (if using) and 1 egg go into a mixing bowl.

After they are mixed together, 

add the sugar, 

salt, 

baking powder,

and flour. Whisk it all together (or use an electric beater, but make sure not to over mix).

When the batter is a homogeneous mixture, switch to a rubber spatula. Scrape down the sides and bottom on the bowl. 

Add the raspberries,

and GENTLY fold them in. They are very delicate, so if you go beating the thing, you'll end up with a red batter instead of a white batter with lovely raspberries hidden inside.

When all the raspberries are folded in, grease a 12 cup standard size muffin tin.

Scoop the batter into the greased muffin cups (or you could use cupcake liners if you don't want to grease the pan, but I find that I loose a lot of muffin that way - it gets stuck to the liner). Fill each cup 3/4 of the way full. (Angel Girl was helping - per usual - so you can see her little fingers in the top of the pic.)

If you are using the streusel topping, then now is the time to get it out of the fridge. Top each muffin with about 1 Tbsp of topping. (Just make sure they are all evenly topped. I used a rounded Tbsp for each.)

When they are all evenly covered, they get baked @ 400F for 20-25 minutes (mine took 22). They should be done in the middle (not gooey) when poked with a skewer, toothpick or cake tester.

This is what they look like right out of the oven. (Ignore the Legos my son left in the frame.) :) If you used cupcake liners you can take the muffins out of the pan right away and place them on a cooling rack. If you didn't (like me) then let the muffins sit in the hot pan for at least 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. 

This is what they look like after they are cooled: Very pretty!

You can eat all 12 yourself or share with your friends and family - the choice is yours. :)

See how moist and lovely they are in the center? Mmmm.

*These muffins would be good with 1/2 tsp of almond extract in place of the vanilla.

Here's the recipe:
adapted from Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar 
2 Tbsp cold butter
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Muffin:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup veg oil (or canola oil)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract* 
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour (I always use all-purpose)
1 6 oz container of clean raspberries (about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 12 cup standard muffin/cupcake tin. Using a pastry cutter (or two knives or a fork) mix the streusel topping together, cutting the butter until the mixture looks crumbly. Set the topping aside in the fridge until needed.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the milk, oil, vanilla, lemon zest (if using) and egg. Add in the sugar, salt, baking powder and flour until just combined (there will be lumps). Don't over-mix the batter. Gently fold in the berries. Fill each of the prepared muffin cups 3/4 of the way with the batter. Top with about 1 Tbsp of topping. Bake @ 400F for 20-25 minutes (until golden and done in the center - mine took 22 minutes). Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully removing them and placing them on a cooling rack. 

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

 A sweet reader of my blog, named Jessica, saw my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies post and heard my plea for anyone with a good chewy peanut butter cookie recipe. She e-mailed me two recipes and this is the first of the two that I tried. It was perfect! The cookies definitely live up to their name: they are absolutely soft and chewy. She found this recipe in an article from Cooks Country Magazine, and I'm so glad she passed it along to me! I did change a couple things, but the bones are the same. I still want to try her other peanut butter cookie recipe, but I can't imagine it turning out better than this one. I am keeping my Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Take 2) in my repertoire for when I want a peanut butter and chocolate combo cookie - but if I'm in the mood for a straight peanut butter cookie, this will be it. Thank you Jessica!!
     I made them in a hurry to take to the guys at the fire station, so I didn't take step by step pictures, but it's really easy to whip together. I honestly just turned my stand mixer on and left it mixing until all the ingredients were in. Super simple.

I did freeze more than half of the batter, but instead of just scooping it and freezing it like I usually do - I pressed each cookie with a fork to make a cross-hatch pattern. This way I don't have to wait for them to fully defrost before baking. :) I just put the cookie dough in the freezer like this, and when it's frozen solid I put the individual cookie dough disks into a labeled zip-top freezer bag. This way I can bake as many or as few cookies as I would like on a whim.

These cookies smelled so good while making them (both in the dough form and the cooked form) that it made me want to make my mom's peanut butter fudge recipe. (My favorite childhood peanut butter smell memory.) Hopefully I can make it soon and post it so all of you can enjoy it too! (Just in time for the holidays.)

Here's the recipe:
adapted from Cooks Country Cooking

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter (processed peanut butter makes chewier cookies)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (8 Tbsp) salted butter, very soft
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugars. Turn the mixer on medium speed. With the mixer running, add the salt, vanilla, corn syrup, egg, egg yolk and baking soda. When everything looks well combined, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides. Then turn the mixer on low and SLOWLY add the flour a little at a time until completely combined. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides again (if needed). Scoop the dough into about 1 inch balls (I use the smallest scoop I own) an place 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. (If you find the dough is too soft, you can refrigerate it for up to 1 hour before scooping.) Using the tines of a fork, make a cross-hatch pattern on the top of each cookie. Bake @ 350F for 8 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown and the tops are no longer shiny. Cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack. Makes about 2 1/2 to 3 dozen (depending on cookie size).

  

Party Delight

 

 I was watching my son's second favorite Food Network show with him the other day (The Great Food Truck Race) and the food trucks had a challenge to cook with SPAM. My son was so interested in this "SPAM" product (probably because I serve it only once in a blue moon, when we've eaten everything else out of the cupboards but this one can of processed meat that no one remembers buying). He really wanted me to make a dinner with SPAM in it, so that he could taste it and relate better to the "challenge" presented on the show. (I'm so proud of the foodie I'm grooming.) So, reluctantly, I asked my mom for a can of SPAM (because I didn't have one, and they usually do) and made the one SPAM recipe I know: Party Delight.
    Why it's called "Party Delight" I have no idea. It's something that my dad would make for us sometimes growing up, and when I asked him for the recipe he pointed me in the direction of an old church cookbook from when he was younger. His sister (my Aunt and part name-sake) Lurlene submitted this recipe for the cookbook, and I still think of her every time I make it. I did modify the recipe a smidge, but not much. It really is a tasty dish - sort of a warm ham and egg salad on bread, and covered with cheese. There might be better SPAM dishes out there, but this is the one that I grew up with, and therefore made for my son the other night. (FYI - My son enjoyed the dinner (even took some to eat cold for lunch the next day) and doesn't think that the "challenge" on the food truck show was really that hard. Haha.)
      This is the recipe card from my Family Recipes Cookbook, that I'm scrapbooking together: So this will be the recipe my kids turn to when they want to know how to make Party Delight. :)

It all starts with this process meat wonder. Did you know it originated in Minnesota, but that it's mostly associated with the Hawaiian community? (Just some useless SPAM facts to pull out at your next party.)

For this recipe we need to dice the meat into small pieces. To do this, I first slice the loaf into 1/4 inch slabs.

Then I cut the slabs into 1/4 inch strips. (Just stack the slabs on top of one another and cut again.)

Then the strips get cut into 1/4 inch cubes. They don't have to be exact, just close enough.

The next main ingredient is boiled eggs. We need 6 for this recipe. Try and cut them as small as the meat, but again, don't drive yourself crazy trying to get exact sizes. Just chop it pretty small. (I slice the eggs, and then dice them.)

The SPAM and egg pieces get put into a mixing bowl.

Then add the supporting characters . . . sweet pickle relish,

mustard, 

onion powder,

and mayonnaise.

Mix everything together until thoroughly combined. (Please note that we never added salt. SPAM is extremely salty so the dish needs nothing else!)

The next step is to lay out the hamburger buns. Top each half of a bun (cut side up) with some of the meat/egg mixture. (The recipe calls for 8 buns, but I only had 6 and it worked out o.k.) -Sorry about the poor lightening. It got dark in my kitchen and the fluorescent lights are horrid!

Grate how ever much cheese you want to put on top. I grated between 1 1/2 and 2 cups, but this is to taste.

Top each half with the cheese.

When they are all cheese-topped sufficiently, the whole thing gets put under a low broiler until the cheese is melted and the bread is a little toasted.

When it's done it will look something like this:  (My dining room has much better lighting!)

Only thing left to do is serve it up with some veggies. 

Do you have a favorite SPAM dish? Drop me a note and I'll try it out. If I like it, it might even end up on the blog! :)

Here's the recipe:

Party Delight

1 can of SPAM, finely diced (about 1/4 inch pieces)
6 boiled eggs, peeled and finely diced (about 1/4 inch pieces)
2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
1/2 tsp mustard
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 package (8) hamburger buns
grated cheddar cheese (about 2 cups - to taste)

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients completely. On a baking sheet, line up the hamburger bun halves (cut side up). Top all 16 halves with an equal amount of the meat/egg mixture. Top with grated cheese. Place under a low broiler for 5-10 minutes (until the cheese is melted, and the bread is slightly toasted). Serve warm or room temperature. 

100% Fruit - Peach Fruit Roll Ups (Fruit Leather)

 
 *I should note that this method to make fruit roll-ups can be used with any fruit, or fruit combinations, but I used peaches.
  This year (like most years) we were abundantly blessed with peaches. We only have the one peach tree, but it annually gives us more peaches than we could ever use in one summer. So, I went about making my usual summer peach treats (Peach Pie, peach cobbler, peach smoothies). I gave peaches away and I froze bags and bags of peaches to use during the winter months.  I was still left with a ton of peaches, and I had my fill of peeling them. My wonderful husband has been home in the past to help me peel and process the peaches but this year he was gone most of "peach season" fighting forest fires. I debated making more of my Homemade/Homegrown Peach Preserves but that would require more peeling and I was over it already.
    My friend Lynn had mentioned that they like to make fruit leather with their peaches. She puts the peaches in the blender with a little fruit preservative (completely optional) and the pours the fruit puree onto a baking sheet and then dries them outside by her pool all day. I loved the idea of making my own fruit leather, but since critters, birds and insects in my neck of the woods rules out the option of drying outside, I looked online for an oven-drying option.
   I found one from twopeasandtheirpod.com for Homemade Fruit Leather, but it called for peeling the peaches. (You know I wasn't going to do that.) I always try to use the whole food whenever possible to get the most nutritional bang for my buck out of my food. So, I got the basic idea (puree fruit, pour it onto a baking sheet and dry on your lowest oven setting for 6-8 hours) and went to work.

I made two batches, and debated even blogging this "recipe" because it's so simple. I ended up taking pictures with my second batch.
  Here's what I did:
I washed a bunch of peaches. Then I cut them in half, took the pits out and then roughly sliced them.

I loaded up my parents VitaMix blender (one day I'll be able to spend a few hundred on a blender, but for now I'm o.k. with just borrowing one). A blender with a good motor is best. It ended up being 8 cups of sliced peaches. (Again, this was my second batch so the blender is a little cloudy with peach puree - sorry.)

Here's a better view from the top:
Now, at this point you could leave it like this. 100% fruit, and that's perfect. I like to add a little lemon juice so that the final product isn't so brown, but that's completely optional. I should note that the final product is going to be a little darker than others you might find on the Internet (like the one mentioned above), because I'm using the skins as well as the fruit. If your fruit isn't as sweet as you would like it, you can also add your sweetener of choice (i.e. agave, honey, granulated sugar, etc.).

Just put the lid on, and blend it up until completely smooth.  (Think baby-food smooth. This is actually how you can make your own baby food - just FYI.)

The next step is to have a baking sheet (or two cookie sheets) lined with parchment paper ready.

Then pour enough puree onto the paper to be about 1/4 inch thick (that's 1/2 the puree for my blender)

 Spread the puree evenly over the cookie sheet. (And offset spatula is best, but a regular one works too.)

When it's evened out, put it into the oven at the lowest setting (that's 170F for me) and let it dry for 6-8 hours. You want to be able to touch the fruit leather in the center, and have it not be squishy. (Like my technical term?)

 This is what it will look like: I like to take my clean kitchen scissors and cut strips of the paper and the fruit leather together. I prefer the thinner strips (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide) but my hubby just rips off large chunks before I can even cut them. Really, any shape would be acceptable. But I wanted to make it look like the store-bough kind.

Then I just roll them up.

Now it looks like a fruit roll-up you buy at the store (but without all the sugar, dyes, syrups and crazy chemicals - only 100% fruit here!) The paper easily peels off the fruit, when you're read to eat it - and it's less sticky and messy this way.

I like to store them in a zip-top bag, but any air-tight container will do. I'm not sure how long they will last, because we always eat them up rather quickly, but I'm guessing you could get a week or two out of them easily.  My 7 yr old says that these are "the best fruit roll ups in the whole world." It makes my happy when I can give my kids wholesome treats that they love. Who knew it was so easy? Now you do. :)

Here's the "recipe"

Peach Fruit Roll-ups (Fruit Leather)

8 cups of sliced peaches
juice of 1/2 a lemon (optional)
sweetener of choice (i.e. agave, honey or sugar - to taste) (optional)

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Puree the peaches (and lemon juice and sweetener, if using) in a blender until completely smooth.  Pour about half the puree onto each lined cookie sheet and spread out into an even layer, about 1/4 inch thick. Place into the oven and dry it @ 170F (or the lowest your oven can go) for 6-8 hours or until the puree is set and no longer sticky in the center.
   Using clean kitchen scissors, cut the fruit leather and parchment paper into strips. Roll up the strips and keep in an air tight container at room temperature until ready to eat.

Sweet Potato Pecan Scones with a Maple Glaze

I understand that we are still technically in Summer, and that most people shy away from baking in the summer time; but it's also back to school time. And back to school time means that it's almost Autumn (or Fall if you prefer) and I'm getting really excited to be able to bake to my hearts content again, without the backlash of a sweltering kitchen.
   Yesterday we had a freak flash-flood storm and it made the house a little dark and gloomy. I could hear the rain pitter-pattering on my roof and see the fog rolling in down in the valley below and it made me want to bake scones. (If you don't already know this about me, you should check out my posts on Blueberry Chocolate Chip Scones with an Almond Drizzle, Maple Oat Scones with a Maple Glaze, and Strawberry Scones with Vanilla Glaze. You'll see the pattern.) I refrained from scone baking - as I was already in the throngs of making enchiladas for dinner, but I remembered that I have this scone recipe that I haven't shared with you yet.
   I made these Sweet Potato Pecan Scones a couple weeks ago. It was the first week of school. My wonderful husband was just called away on a 16  day fire assignment (fingers crossed he won't be extended and he'll be home in a couple days!!!!) and I was on a mission to use up some items in my pantry. Every time I open my cupboard, I have these two cans of sweet potatoes staring at me. They have been staring at me for almost a year and I just haven't found a use for them yet. I bought them at the behest of my husband who loves sweet potatoes, but for me I prefer the fresh 100 times over the canned. (My new favorite way to use fresh sweet potatoes is my Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes.)
   So, this can was staring at me. And while the expiration date is still quite a ways off, I was determined to use them now and be done with it. I thought about casseroles, soups, and pies but I wanted to do something new. I had heard of making sweet potato biscuits before, but never tried it myself. While having all these thoughts in my head I decided to invent something new (at least I had never come across a recipe for it). These Sweet Potato Pecan Scones with a Maple Glaze are like a cross between what I imagine a sweet potato biscuit would be and a sweet potato pie. Definitely delicious. To the point that I would even go out and buy more canned sweet potatoes, just for this recipe. :)

I started with my basic scone recipe: 3 cups of flour (always all purpose), 2/3 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 5 tsp baking powder go into a large mixing bowl. Then I cube up 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter (I like salted but use whatever floats your boat).

I whisk the dry ingredients together and then mix in the butter cubes. I pinch the butter and flour together until the butter pieces are no bigger than large peas. Then I started to change the recipe. At this point, if you wanted to add cinnamon and nutmeg (to make it taste more like sweet potato pie) go right ahead. For today, I kept things spice free. I added in 1 cup of the canned sweet potatoes (that I mashed).

I stirred the sweet potatoes in with a fork and then added 1/2 cup milk (I usually use nonfat, because that is what I drink, but I've also used 2%, whole, half and half, and also just cream with great results. Just use what you have on hand.)

When the milk is mostly mixed in, I gently fold in some toasted and chopped pecans. (About 1 cup)

I dump the mixture out onto a floured work surface and fold it over onto itself a few times, until it's a solid mass. (The fold will help give it layers after it bakes.) Then I press it out with my hands to a rough rectangle, about 3/4 inch thick. (You could also roll it out with a rolling pin, but my hands are already dirty I just use those instead of making more dishes for me to wash.) You should be able to see pieces of butter still in the dough. These will help make your scones layered and tender.

Use a pizza cutter (or knife) to cut the scones into shapes. I usually make 24 triangles.

Then put the scones about 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. (My Angel Girl was helping me. She's a wonderful helper in the kitchen!)

When all the scones are placed out for baking, brush each one with milk (or cream, or egg wash, it doesn't matter) and sprinkle each one with a little dark brown sugar. No measuring here, just do what looks right. I guess it's about 1/3 to 1/2 cup total. These are mine:

Place them in the fridge to firm up for about 30 minutes. Heat your oven to 350F and bake for 15-20 minutes. They should be golden and crisp around the edges, puffy and soft in the center. (I was dealing with my little angles, so mine sat in the oven for 1 minute longer than they should have - hence the slightly darkened edges. They still tasted amazing, though; so no harm done.)

Now it's time to make the Maple Glaze/Drizzle. It literally is only enough to drizzle over each scone, so if you want to completely cover one (or both) sides of the scone with the glaze (like doughnuts) you should double this recipe.
1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp of Pure Maple Syrup go into a bowl. If it's too thick you can add 1/2 tsp of milk.

Mix it with a whisk or fork until smooth.That's it! Easy Peasy!

Place the scones on a cooling rack (with something underneath the catch the drips) and drizzle away.

I gave some away to my dear friend Kathy, for her and her family, but I still managed to eat most of them myself. My older kids really enjoyed them as an after-school snack. The only one that missed out was my amazing husband. Perhaps I'll make them again when he's home for his R&R. Try them for yourself and let me know what you think!

I topped a few with chopped pecans on top, but the nuts just fell off. There's not much glaze to hold them on, so I left the nuts off the rest and they were just as good without - but less messy. :)

A nice variation would be to use brown sugar inside the scone (as well as on top) and add in some cinnamon and nutmeg. Something to tuck away for another day. :)
Here's the recipe:

Sweet Potato Pecan Scones with a Maple Glaze

3 cups of flour (always all purpose)
2/3 cup sugar 
1/4 tsp salt
5 tsp baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cubed
1 cup cooked, cooled and mashed sweet potato (I used canned)
1/2 cup milk (or cream) (plus more for brushing on top)
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
about 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (for sprinkling on top)

 In a mixing bowl, whisk together: flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, until the butter is the size of large peas. Add the mashed sweet potato, and milk. Combine with a fork lightly and add in the pecans. Mix just until it comes together. Dump out onto a floured work surface. Knead (fold over on itself) a few times until it's a solid mass and then flatten it out to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut in any shapes you wish. (I cut mine into 24 triangles.) Place on lined cookie/baking sheets. Brush each scone with melted butter, cream or an egg wash and sprinkle with brown sugar. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake @ 350F for about 15- 20 minutes (this will depend on how big your scones are). They should be golden brown around the edges and firm to the touch, but fluffy inside.
Cool on cookie sheets and then transfer to a cooling rack. Drizzle with glaze.

Maple Glaze/ Drizzle

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp milk (if needed - add until it's thin enough to drizzle)

Whisk until smooth and drizzle over cooled scones.
*This is just enough to literally "drizzle" over the scones. If you want your scones more thoroughly glazed, double the recipe.