The BEST Blueberry Muffins

These have been a breakfast standard for long years now... since we lived in Harrisville, PA and only had two children, now that I think about it!

½ C butter, room temperature

1 C sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

2 C blueberries, fresh or frozen

2 C flour

½ C milk

1 T sugar mixed with ½ tsp. nutmeg or cinnamon

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat butter in a medium-sized bowl until creamy.  Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Add vanilla, baking powder and salt.  Fold in half the flour, then half the milk, adding remaining flour and milk in same fashion.  Fold in blueberries.  Scoop batter into 12 prepared muffin cups.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (may take slightly longer if using frozen blueberries).  Allow to cool before removing from muffin pan.

Pumpkin version: Same as above, with the following additions/ adjustments:

* add 1/2 C Pumpkin puree, after eggs

* add 1/4 C flour

* add "pumpkin spices": 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. cloves

* adjust milk to 1/3 C.

Martha Washington’s Bean Soup

When I was a young wife and mom, a Texan married to a Pennsylvanian and living in Germany, cooking for my husband was complicated. He was not raised on the staple dishes of my own upbringing, and I was unfamiliar with the foods of the North. Enter Jo. Jo and her husband lived downstairs from us. She was from Pennsylvania, and besides being an avid cook, she had a desire to have someone to "mother." Jo and Roger quickly became dear friends to us, surrogate grandparents to our firstborn, and in her kitchen I learned to make the mysterious meals that my husband loved. This soup is one of our favorites. So good for a cold or rainy day. This soup is a reason to have ham- so you can have a ham bone to make soup! (And I still don't know what Martha Washington has to do with it!)

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

When my family, one by one, with the notable exception of the cook, chose to eat a vegetarian diet, my friend Stephanie Schaeffer gave me this recipe.  It became a staple in our menu, and has remained so even now that we are all omnivores again.  This is simple and quick to make, and most of the ingredients are already in the pantry and fridge.

Barbequed Brisket

Now that we live in the land of Spectacular Smoked Brisket, it seems silly to post this.  Since I have not yet mastered the mystical art of smoking a brisket, this is my fall-back recipe, and it's delicious.  The sauce is reason enough to make this, and it works wonderfully as a make-ahead meal for any occasion, whether you want a sit-down meal or sandwiches.  I originally found this in Taste of Home magazine, way back in the 90's, and typed it up when the print began rubbing off the saved magazine page from repeated use.

Please note that the recipe is for a 3 to 4 lb. brisket.  I don't believe I have ever seen such a small brisket.  Adjust your sauce amounts accordingly, and even add some time to the first baking of the meat. I'm making this with a 9 lb. brisket right now, so I tripled the sauce and added an hour to the baking time.  Only 2/3 of the sauce will go onto the meat for the second baking, the rest will be saved for extra.

Sauce Bolognese

This sauce is the reason I don't order Bolognese when we eat out.  It's my absolute favorite.  If the world ran out of pasta, I'd eat it as a soup.

From Trattoria Cooking, by Biba Caggiano

Cannellini Beans with Kale/ Bruschetta/ Soup

This recipe begins with a tasty take on Bruschetta and then, once the flavors have deepened overnight, it evolves into a soup.  No mere leftovers here, this is entirely intentional, and oh, so good.  I found this in Bon Appetit magazine, (November 2010) and have made it many times over.  When you are nearing the end of the process with the cannellini beans with kale you are to drain the beans and kale, but reserve the liquid!  Don't pour it down the drain!  It's liquid gold, so be sure to drain it over a bowl to capture every luscious drop.

*note: The soup calls for a drizzle of truffle oil.  I have yet to use this, (speaking of liquid gold) and the soup stands without it.  If you have truffle oil, drizzle away.  If you have extra, send me some!

Kate's Awesome Banana Bread

We had a recipe for Banana Bread that was so white-flour and sweet it was almost a confection.  In searching for a healthier version Kate added a bit of this and a bit of that and tweaked it until she settled with the recipe below.  While still delightfully sweet, due mostly to the bananas, it's no longer a "guilty pleasure."  Unless you smear each slice thickly with butter and shovel a layer of powdered sugar on top.  Then it's right back to guilt and unhealthy confection!  (But don't let that stop you!)

Lisa's Bean Salad

Our small-group Bible study in Florida was a blessing to us in many ways, and our 4th of July potluck meal gatherings still bring back fond memories of fun, fellowship, and food.  The first time Lisa Savant made this salad I went back for seconds (and probably thirds).  The leftovers we took home were mine-all-mine and I was officially hooked on the sweet and sour flavors of this crispy, beautiful salad.  This bean salad is perfect for summertime picnics, potluck suppers, barbecues, or anytime you need something light, colorful, and easy to make.  

Cuban-Style Black Beans

After enjoying these beans with the roast pork and rice at a church function many years ago when we lived in South Florida I wasted no time asking for the recipe.  Our authentically Cuban friend, Justo Escobar, gladly shared his authentically Cuban recipes with me.  And now, I share them with you.  Enjoy!

Bessie’s Cheese-n-Grits Casserole

Bessie cooked for my Great-Aunt Helen and Uncle Foster in Monroe Louisiana.

Since Bessie could neither read nor write my Mother followed her around the kitchen one day writing down every move she made in the preparation of this recipe.  I am so grateful that she did.