We have yet another dark, rainy day...perfect for blueberry muffins hot from the oven. I always have a hoard of berries in the freezer just for times like this.
These are perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour)
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1 Tbs lemon zest (optional)
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (less also works)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
Sugar for muffin tops
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and nutmeg or lemon zest.
In a small bowl beat eggs, milk and melted butter with a fork and add to the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Carefully stir in the blueberries and lemon zest (if using).
Fill greased muffin tin cups (I use cupcake papers) 2/3 full and sprinkle the tops with sugar.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Optional: Rather than sprinkle muffins tops with sugar before baking, after they are done and partially cooled, dip the tops into melted butter and roll in sugar.
Note: I love lemon zest with blueberries. If I'm using the zest I omit the nutmeg . A tablespoon is perfect for lifting your muffins out of the muffin tin.
I use this recipe for making fresh raspberry muffins also. Increase the sugar to 1 cup and use 2 Tbs lemon zest.
There is normally a bumper crop of blueberries in Missouri every year in July. I spend a few hours picking berries at a local berry farm and bring them home and freeze what's left of them after making a blueberry pie and some jam. Blueberries are best frozen dry and unsweetened in plastic containers. This way you can measure out the exact amount you want. Old timers used to freeze theirs in shoe boxes with rubber bands to secure the lids.
I wish you could smell our house right now....it's heaven!! I'm off to snatch another muffin ~~ they're going fast.
Wishing you a wonderful Sunday.
Yesterday Hubby and I took a day and escaped to the big city, which happens to be Springfield. It's rare when we get a day all to ourselves and have the ambition to get out of town!
The drive was lovely because Spring is springing everywhere you look now. Springfield is south of where we live, so Spring is more evident there. The beautiful Missouri dogwood trees are beginning to bloom, as are the redbud and plum trees. Tulips, daffs and phlox are everywhere you look.
We did some shopping, had a wonderful seafood lunch and then visited Bass Pro to walk off some of our calories before heading back home. It was a shocking day for Hubby because although I spent at least an hour in the quilt shop and a second fabric store, I came home empty handed. I didn't even buy a fat quarter of fabric as a token of our trip! I told him it must be because my stash is bulging at the seams right now and I need to use what I have on hand....NOT!
This morning I visited my favorite little fabric store right here in our town and bought an array of blue/white fabrics for a surprise quilt for someone. The quality of the fabric is top drawer and the prices are a mere $3.99 per yard. I had a wonderful time dipping into the blues (a color I normally skirt around). I'm more of a green person than blue, but I think I will enjoy working with this beautiful collection.
The peacock feather print is what drew me to this collection, which is called Stella. It almost feels like silk...yummy!
Sometimes the nicest things in life are in your own backyard!
Here's my handsome Hubby who so graciously and generously shares his life with me.
Wishing you a day filled with Peace & Plenty ~~~ Barb
Our Spring seems to be shy this year ~~ one day of Spring followed by two or three days of Winter. Friday it snowed for three hours but it was gone immediately because everything was wet from the storms the day before. We are having beautiful weather for the weekend.
The planting bug has bitten us and we are itching to see our flowers bloom and get our hands into the soil. I have long suspected we are both frustrated farmers at heart. Jeff loves to run all the outdoor equipment ~~ tiller, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, mower, etc. I enjoy the quietness of of planting the flowers. This year I will sorely miss my little helper, Miss Molly.
I failed to mention it's spring turkey season and Hubby is getting ready for his yearly trip. I will have about 3 days alone, so I plan to get a lot of sewing done.
I have been sewing tumblers together for our summer quilt. They are into rows now and all that's left is to sew the rows together, trim the edges and decide about a border. This pattern was designed without a border, so I will have to think on this one!
I've been absent from this blog for a while with some health issues and also feeling like I have nothing to share with you right now. I'm sure we are grieving the loss of Molly and nothing interests me enough to write about it at the moment.
I should be back to myself soon...
Wishing you a great Sunday with family and friends....Barb
I don't know about the weather where you live, but in the Missouri Ozarks we are having several spring days followed by several winter days with freezing temperatures and storms.
Our Bradford pear trees and the weeping cherry tree (above) are in bloom for the time being. I love to see the bright yellow forsythias in bloom, which normally occurs in late February or early March. They are just beginning to bloom in mid-April this year....crazy!
Every year I make a bright, simple quilt in the Summer. Last year I made a bright Jellyroll Race quilt which became my granddaughter's birthday gift. The year before I made a large scrappy batik quilt. I like a pattern with simple lines and the one I chose for this year is perfect. It happens to be the cover quilt of the new edition of Quilting Quickly. This is the Summer Bazaar quilt by Natalie Earnheart of the Missouri Star Quilt Company. Natalie is one of the bright new quilt designers...I love her work and have two more of her designs to make, Won't You Be My Neighbor (a house quilt) and Jelly Baskets (a geometric design).
I love the fabric Natalie used in her quilt, so I copied her choice and bought two Ty Pennington Fall 2012 design rolls. This is really luscious fabric! I think I would call the style of this fabric Vintage Soho. It has a beautiful feel.
There are 42 10-inch squares per roll. If I cut everything perfectly I can get the whole quilt from these two rolls. The yardage is for the binding. There are no borders on this quilt, but I may change my mind about this if I want it to be a little larger. This pattern uses 10-inch and 5-inch tumbler templates. I have the 5-inch template but I made the 10-inch template from some template plastic using the sample in the magazine. I can't wait to get started on this new project.
I hope you are excited about Spring and Summer and have something excited to create!
Wishing you a day filled with Peace & Plenty...Barb
Our precious Scotty, Miss Molly, went to Doggy Heaven last week. Her diabetes triggered kidney failure and there was nothing that could be done to help her. We are very thankful for the 14 years she shared her life with us, but we are missing her terribly right now. I know it will take time. The picture above shows Molly doing what she enjoyed most ~~ taking a nap on a quilt.
I will return to blogging in a few more days. Until then, take care and hug your children and pets.
Barb
I was happy to learn that my blog has readers from the United States, Germany, Poland, Canada, Russia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Turkey, France and South Korea. We're a regular United Nations of quilt enthusiasts. Welcome to everyone who takes to time to stop and visit!
I have been working on another small quilt for the Pediatric Intensive Care unit. This time it's a simple variation of the Disappearing Nine Patch (D9P) block. The fabric is from the Googlies line. I'm considering using the wild black fabric with circles for the border...too much? Just right?? I will put a narrow white inner border on first and then whatever I choose for the outer border.
It's been a sad week for us. Our beloved Miss Molly (14 yo Scotty) is in the pet hospital and her future is unknown at this time. We should get some test results later this morning. If you are a pet lover, please think healing thoughts for her. I have had Scotty dogs all my life and this one has been my kindred spirit. You very seldom see me without Molly less than a step or two away.
Wishing everyone who comes this was a blessed day. Barb
