Blueberry Crumble Top Muffins

I was inspired by Trent's blog to bake some Blueberry Muffins! And blueberries were on sale, so where could I go wrong? 

I'm not the greatest photographer, but these looks pretty scrumptious, huh?

Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 C Flour

3/4 C Sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/3 C Vegetable Oil

1 egg

1/3 cup Milk

1 C Berries

CRUMBLE TOP:

1/2 C Sugar

1/3 C Flour

1/4 C Butter, cubed

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine first 4 ingredients. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup. Add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups and sprinkle with crumb topping.

For the crumb topping, simply mix those 4 ingredients in a bowl with a fork. 

Bake at 400 degrees, 20-25 minutes.

Mama Mahelona's PB Chocolate Chip Cookies

THESE ARE YUMMY! You know how some cookies just don't taste good two or three days after you bake them, these cookies are different. They taste as good the next day and the next and the next and even the next.

1/2 C Margarine
1/2 C Peanut Butter
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Brown sugar
1 Egg

1 1/3 C Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
Chocolate Chips

Mix First 5 ingredients. Stir in last 4 ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet to bake. 350 for 9-11 minutes.
Yields: 2 dozen

Obituary

I think this blog died.

Pumpkin Tortilla Soup

Since I adore pumpkin I gave this yummy recipe a try. I found it on Apartment Therapy.

Pumpkin Tortilla Soup
Serves 6

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Chile pequins, other dried hot peppers, or cayenne pepper to taste*
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
5 cups unsalted vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for deep-frying*
1-2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed

Cut 6 of the tortillas into 1/2-inch squares.

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, and chopped tortillas and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft.

Add cumin and crushed peppers or cayenne and sauté for another minute.

Add pumpkin, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour.

While the soup is simmering, cut the remaining 6 tortillas in half and then into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Fry tortilla strips in two batches until crisp and light golden (about a minute). Using a slotted spoon, transfer tortilla strips to towels to drain.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, and cilantro.

*You can tailor the type and amount of hot pepper to your own tastes. We usually make this with a couple of crushed chile pequins but have also used cayenne pepper, which is more readily available. If you're not sure how much to use, start with 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, taste the soup after it has simmered for awhile, and then add more if desired.

* I just baked my tortillas to cut the fat.

Pasta Something with Asparagus and Artichokes

Here is a pasta recipe that my mother-in-law printed from online the last time she was down to visit. The name isn't printed on the paper, so I don't know the name. You can make up your own name for it. :) I have this recipe several times with a few variations of what I want to add to it (balsamic vinegar instead of a dressing, extra bacon, add can of diced tomatoes, etc.), leaving out what I don't have(asparagus).
Ok here are the ingredients:

6 slices bacon
10 asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1/2 (16oz) package Rotini, elbow, or Penne pasta
4 tablespoons low fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (60z) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cooked chicken breast, cubed
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 toasted sliced almonds
salt and pepper to taste

Place bacon in large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Strain asparagus out of water and immediately plunge into a bowl filled with ice water; let sit in ice water until completely cold, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Next. add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente; drain, rinse with cold water until chilled, then drain well.
Stir together mayonnaise, balsamic vinaigrette, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Fold in artichoke, chicken, cranberries, almonds, crumbled bacon, and asparagus. Season to taste with salt and peeper, then fold in cooked pasta. Refrigerate for at lest 1 hour before serving.

The times I've made it, I added the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, or balsamic vinegar to taste, without measuring. I don't know what it tastes like with those exact measurements, but I really like it. Hope you try it and like it too!

Ricotta & Chocolate-Hazelnut Calzones

Ingredients
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
8 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella), at room temperature
3 tablespoons whipping cream, at room temperature
6 (2-ounce) pieces homemade or purchased pizza dough, cold
1 large egg, beaten to blend


Directions
Blend the ricotta, mascarpone, egg yolk, and powdered sugar in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Transfer the ricotta mixture to a small bowl, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend the strawberries and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a clean food processor until smooth. Transfer the strawberry sauce to a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a medium bowl to blend.

Position the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out each piece of pizza dough into a 7-inch-diameter round. Spoon the ricotta mixture atop the center of the lower half of each pizza dough. Spoon the chocolate-hazelnut mixture atop the cheese mixture. Brush the lower edges of the dough with egg wash. Fold the plain dough halves over the filling, forming half circles. Pinch the edges of dough firmly together to seal. Using a pastry wheel, trim the edges. Transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.

Brush the tops of the calzones with more egg wash. Bake until the calzones puff and become golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Transfer the calzones to plates and dust with the powdered sugar. Drizzle the strawberry sauce around the calzones and serve

Chocolate- Hazelnut Ravioli

Ingredients
16 wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten to blend
1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
Vegetable oil, for frying
16 fresh mint leaves
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Granulated sugar, for dredging
Powdered sugar, for dusting


Directions
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)

Spray the top side of the mint leaves very lightly with nonstick spray. Working with 1 leaf at a time, dredge the coated side of the leaves in sugar to coat lightly.

Arrange 2 fried ravioli on each plate. Dust the ravioli with powdered sugar. Garnish with the sugared mint leaves and serve