RECIPE: Blueberry Crumb Muffins

One Saturday a month my husband and son are up at 6:00am to help cook an always amazing spread at our church's Men's Breakfast gathering.  On these same Saturdays, now that my girls and I are home on Saturday mornings, I try to plan for a special girls' breakfast together during a slow morning at home.  This morning was one of those Saturdays... On the menu for breakfast today chez Steckys': cheesy kale omelets and blueberry crumb muffins.  Dee-lish!!

I love this muffin recipe!  I use it for berry muffins of any kind: blueberry, strawberry, raspberry or even mixed berries.  It was given to me years ago by my pastor's wife, Jeannie Bechtel, who used it for a ladies' gathering.  The sweet and buttery aroma has often filled my kitchen since (especially during berry-picking season).   Because of the crumb topping, they look incredibly tempting to devour.  Cutting one in half then spreading a small pat of butter over the soft, warm halves before sinking my teeth into one, adds to this girl's delight!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups flour ( I use 1 cup of white flour & 1 cup of whole wheat)
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup blueberries (TIP: dust blueberries with about 1 tsp. of flour to avoid clumping once inside the dough mixture)

Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted
• 7 tbsp. flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together in a separate bowl.
2. Beat sugar and butter together; add sugar, then beat again.
3. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, alternating with milk, until all is well-blended.
4. Fold-in flour-dusted blueberries.
5. Fill greased muffin tin cups 2/3 full.
6. Sprinkle a teaspoon of crumb topping (mix melted butter together with flour and sugar until firm) onto each muffin.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Yields 10 muffins

RECIPE: Caramelized French Toast

After our kids go to bed the night before Thanksgiving, Ben and I team-up in the kitchen to prepare this amazingly delicious dish that requires overnight refrigeration.  Aside from the pleasure our taste buds receive, we love this recipe because it gives us time to putz around a bit in the morning, start watching the Macy's Day Parade, then pop our lasagna-dish-sized breakfast into the oven before preparing for Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house.  

As the aroma of cinnamon & sugar waft into our living room, our "Remembrance Box" rests on our dining room table ready to take-in another year of the things we are individually grateful for.  After a plate of warm Caramelized French Toast, we each write our current year's notes, then read (out loud) what we recorded the previous Thanksgiving.  We now have a stack of 8 years' worth of thankfulness inside our box, going back to the days when my youngest child could only draw the things she was grateful for!  Years from now I believe we will read through what we've written and remember how deeply faithful God has been in our lives over and over again...

Caramelized French Toast
From: Victorian Rose Garden Bed & Buffet

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup pure maple syrup
16 slices bakery raisin bread or kuchen
4 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese
6 large eggs
1 2/3 cups milk, regular or skim
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. In an 11x17 pan, combine brown sugar, butter and maple syrup. Cook until dissolved and bubbly, approximately 5 minutes. Do not let butter burn.
2. Meanwhile, spread 8 slices of bread with cheese and sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Place remaining 8 slices on top to make sandwiches, and cut sandwiches in half diagonally to fit the pan (do not overlap).
4. Blend eggs, milk, and vanilla; pour over sandwiches.
5. Cover and let set for at least 40 minutes or overnight in refrigerator.
6. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
7. Flip bread over when removing from pan. If a crustier top is preferred, place back in oven for a few minutes longer. Top with a spoonful of yogurt or sour cream and sprinkle with fresh berries.

Serves 8.

NOTE: We use this recipe on Christmas mornings as well!  It cooks in the oven while we open gifts in our PJs :-).

FOOD: Fruit & Veggie Co-ops

Every other Saturday Ben or I pick-up a large bag-full of fresh, organic fruits and veggies like these at a private home in Summit, NJ.  Thanks to my friend, Cynthia (who knew I would enjoy the quality of the produce and appreciate the challenge of using not-often purchased items like parsnips and celery root), we have been members of our local produce co-op for about 4 years.

For the first few years, each member family took turns sorting and packing the produce for each other (maybe 1-2 times per year).  As of a year ago, we have an amazing family who decided to do all the sorting.  As co-op members, we simply go their home, drop-off a check, leave a bag for the next run, and grab our bag-full of goodies!  I am able to add yummy steamed or sautéed veggies to our dinners; make hot, delicious soups; invent or search for out-of-my-box side dishes and dinners; create smoothies; or give my family simple snacks.  Like Cynthia said years ago as she tried to convince me to join, "Our family always looks forward to what we'll find in our bag!"

Our bi-monthly half-share includes a variation of the following foods for $26:

• lettuce
• tomaotoes
• onions
• garlic
• chives
• cucumbers
• carrots
• broccoli
• string beans
• potatoes
• parsnips
• turnips
• celery root
• beets
• sweet potatoes
• kale
• bok choy
• dill
• parsley
• apples
• bananas
• peaches
• blueberries
• and MUCH more!!

If you live close to me and are interested in joining my co-op, let me know!  If you don't live in my area, I'd be happy to ask our coordinator for a contact person in your area.

RECIPE: Crumb Cake

One of the things I love about our family's summers is baseball.  My son has played travel baseball with the same core group of boys in our town for 5 years.  Though the weeks of July are very busy with gymnastics practices most weekday mornings and baseball games most weekday nights, I have thoroughly enjoyed spending the summer evenings on the bleachers of baseball fields with my neighbors, and often our parents, while also experiencing a gamut of emotions as we chat, laugh, and cheer our boys through their games.  Truly, these are some of the best years of my life...

Well, one of the highlights of this summer's baseball season was this crumb cake recipe!  I have LOVED crumb cake since working at a neighborhood bakery at 16.  Seeing, then tasting, this recipe during the summer's home-run derby (thanks to my friend Jeanie's 80 year-old mom) brought back a flood of memories...it looked and tasted just like the fresh bakery-version!  Jeanie's mom was happy to share her easy recipe with me, but under the condition that I actually follow-through and make it.  She warned me saying that she would check-up on me ;-).  So, of course, I was more compelled to make this delicious addition to any cup of coffee or tea:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix (Betty Crocker or Pillsbury)
• 3 eggs
• 1 & 1/3 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Crumb Topping:

• 3 sticks of butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 & 1/2 - 4 cups of baking flour
• powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix eggs, water, and vanilla in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer until blended.
2. Slowly empty contents of the box of yellow cake mix into the bowl; mix altogether for 2 minutes.
3. Spread the yellow cake mixture evenly onto a greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until light brown.  Allow about 5-10 minutes to cool after pulling out of the oven.
5. While the cake is baking, melt 3 sticks of butter in a clean mixing bowl; then add sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Mix after each addition.
6. Slowly add 3 & 1/2 - 4 cups of baking flour, mixing as you go; until the crumb mixture is somewhat dense/dry.
7. Drop crumb mixture in lumps all over the top of the cake, then bake in the oven for 18 minutes at 350 degrees.
8. Let crumb cake cool completely.  Sprinkle powdered sugar along the top, generously, before serving.  

RECIPE: Pastel de Papas (Shepherd's Pie)

Growing up, this is a meal that my mom often cooked for dinner.  It was probably one of those practical meals my grandmother made to serve her 16 children in the midst of farm-life in northern Argentina.  To be honest, it wasn't until not too long ago (maybe about 5 years) that I learned that my pastel de papas is one and the same as shepherd's pie!  

Because it's like a one pot meal, I usually just make a salad to accompany this dish...Ok, sometimes I serve lightly steamed broccoli or string beans, too.  It great for putting together the night before, refrigerating overnight, then baking in the oven in time for dinner; or same-day cooking for giving me the freedom to move onto some other task while I wait for it to be ready.  Here is my version of my mom's pastel de papas:

INGREDIENTS:

Dirty mashed potatoes ~

• 6 medium-sized potatoes (I like red), washed & cubed w/ skin on
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup of shredded soft cheese (EX: mozzarella, cheddar, etc)

Filling ~

• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 hard-boiled eggs, cut in small pieces (preferably w/ an egg slicer)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup sliced green olives
• Salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the dirty mashed potatoes - place potatoes in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, then lower flame and cook until you can stick a fork through the potatoes (about 15-20 minutes).  While you are waiting for the potatoes to cook, skip down to step #5...
2. Drain potatoes, place back into the pot, then add butter.  Allow the butter to melt.
3. Add sour cream, milk, and salt; then mash the potato mixture until you achieve your desired consistency.  (Some like completely smooth mashed potatoes, others don't mind some lumps.)  Add a little more milk, if/as needed, for help with mashing.
4. Add salt, if necessary, then set aside.
5. Grab another medium-sized pot; sauteé chopped onions in some oil until translucent or slightly golden.
6. Add ground beef or turkey and cook until browned, then remove from heat.  Check to see if you can start step #2...
7. Add raisins to meat, stir; then hard-boiled egg pieces and green olive slices.  Mix together.
8. Salt & pepper to taste.
9. Butter a deep-dish casserole dish.  Line the inside of the dish (sides & bottom) with about 1/2 cm of dirty mashed potatoes.
10.  Add meat mixture to the casserole dish over the mashed potato lining, then cover the meat with what's left of the dirty mashed potatoes.  Even out the top with a spatula, then sprinkle about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese on top.
11. Bake at 400 degrees, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until the top is golden.
12. Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.  We like to add a little ketchup to our servings.  Enjoy!!

RECIPE: Grilled Pizza

Even food has a story...

Every Friday night is pizza night at our house!  Pizza night is part of our half-family night.  "Half" because historically, Friday was the night we'd gather around the dining room table for pizza, followed by a short walk to the living room couch for a movie.  Now that our oldest two are at Youth Group on those nights, we maintain our pizza tradition in between carting our teen and almost-teen to church, and coming in & out from sports practices, too.

Time flies and family life changes as our kids grow...movie nights are now for occasional Saturday nights.  But, some traditions are worth applying some creativity to in order to maintain.  Yes, our pizza is homemade...and no, it's not hard to do :-).

INGREDIENTS:

Pizza Dough (1 & 1/2 lb.) - for 2 pies

• 1 & 1/4 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 & 1/2 teaspoon of active dry yeast

Pizza Dough (about 2 lbs.) - for 3 pies

• 1 & 1/2 cup of water
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• 3 teaspoons of active dry yeast

Tomato Sauce

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14 oz. can of plain, unsalted tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh parsely
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Dough ~

1. Choose how many pizza pies you'd like/need to make.
2. Place water in bread maker first, followed by olive oil, flour, then the other dry ingredients.  
3. Dig a small well into the flour and add yeast.  
4. Set your bread maker to the dough setting.

Sauce ~

1. Sautée chopped onion and minced garlic in olive or coconut oil until golden.  
2. Add basil and oregano, stir, then let cook for two minutes.
3. Add plain, canned tomato sauce to onion/garlic/herb mixture.  Stir mixture in pan.
4. Add sea salt, ground pepper, sugar, and parsley to the sauce; mix, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before making your pizza(s).

Pizza ~

1. Roll out dough over lightly-floured pizza stones; cover with an unused dishtowel for about 30 minutes, untouched, in order to rise. 
2. If it's warm outside, gently lift the dough off the stone and place onto your high-temperature (about 500-600 degrees) grill grate.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Turn 90 degrees and cook another 2-3 minutes.  If it's cold outside, place dough on stone in the oven (about 400 degrees) to cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Take dough off the grill (or out of the oven); then add sauce, shredded cheese, as well as any other desired topping, on top. 
4. Place pizza back on the grill, close the lid, and cook until the cheese is melted (about 3-4 additional minutes).  If you're using the oven, place back into the oven until the same (about 8-10 minutes).
5. Enjoy!!

Variation: White Pizza ~ lumps of ricotta cheese infused with crushed garlic, oregano, basil & olive oil; shredded mozzarella cheese; & sliced black olives (NO tomato sauce)