Blueberry Muffins

I don't often post recipes on my blog, as most of what I make is just basic, everyday stuff. Not fancy (although my meat and potato husband thinks I get too fancy or healthy sometimes) but it's good and almost always homemade. Here is a recipe for you for blueberry muffins. I LOVE these!! The blueberries we had picked this past summer at an organic farm not too far from us. I froze them immediately and use them throughout the winter for baking. (Hint, freeze berries flat on cookie sheets, then, once they are frozen, put them into plastic freezer bags. Then all your berries will be separate instead of one big block, allowing for easy measuring.)

Blueberry Muffins (makes 12-15 muffins)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
span >3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup butter (melted but not hot)
2 cups blueberries

Preset oven to 400 degrees. Place paper muffin cups in muffin tin. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Beat eggs lightly, add milk and butter. Mix together just until moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill each cup full. Sprinkle tops with additional sugar if desired. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center.

(Hint: Spray inside of paper muffin cups with cooking spray before filling, then the papers will peel of cleanly)

Any berry works in this recipe, I also love them with blackberries or raspberries, or a combination of two or three. If you don't have any that you have picked a great substitute are Wyman's Berries.

Eat them hot from the oven with a pat of butter.. yum!

(When I was working on this post I didn't realize that Alicia was also making blueberry muffins. She grabbed hers from Ina, mine are from my mother in law..)

I'd love to see what everyone has for favorite winter cozy foods.. let me know if you have something delightful!

:)

Taggin' Along..

A few weekends ago, my brother needed my help with a wedding cake setup. For those of you who are unfamiliar, he is a pastry chef and owns a chocolate/cake business. (handmade chocolates, and cakes.. separate. Not 'chocolate-cake'. ) Anywhooo.. it was a lot of fun to see him work as he is a phenomenal designer! Here is the assembly in progress, as it has to be assembled on site in a about an hour. Butter cream frosting and a delicate white cake. Ohhh... his cakes are more beautiful to eat than to look at (if that is at all possible).

All the layers get stacked on site.

The rose garlands, all handmade. Waiting to go up.

Filling in the layers and hiding the stand base.

Piping, piping and more piping.

Up. Up. Up. The couple spent almost their entire wedding budget on the cake. It was front and center at their reception, a school gym. Almost all of my brothers cakes are done at high end resorts, so this was quite different. No air conditioning. (not a good combo with butter cream frosting on a 85 degree day.)

I just love the little dot clusters. So cute!

The finished cake! Dead center of the gym! :) Here are some more cakes he has made..

Summer...

My nephew 7.15.08

I have been enjoying the simplier things and quiet moments. OK, I am lying. My husband would have snorted loudly when he read that. Actually, as much as I would love to settle down and just breathe, my family stresses me out. To the point of an ocular migraine yesterday morning. Mind you, I do love my family, but for some reason, I get quite flustered when everyone is around. Take dinner the other evening. I had my brothers over with their families and my mom. There were only 13 of us, not that many considering there are usually 6 at our table every night. It ended with my 9 year old son projectile vomiting all over my 'clean for the moment' kitchen. Uuuhh??? Why? It was a difficult evening anyway, but why? Why must it end so? Are anyone else's 'perfect' family moments and summer get together's foolishly ridiculous too?? Anyone? Or are all the photos I see on your blogs the 'true' story? Romantic, fabulous, and sans vomit?

Oh well. Our pack is going to my aunt's house later, I'll try to sneak some pictures for you. Her gardens are to die for and the house, oh the house. The barn, the buildings, just about the most perfect 200+ year old New England farm you have ever seen.

Hope you are relaxing and breathing.

Local goodies that my daughters eat by the fistful.

Sit and have a cup o' tea..

I drink tea. My husband is a coffee person, but I like tea. The smell of coffee is fabulous, but unless it is cream and sugar with a 'little bit of coffee' I just can't drink it. So, I thought I'd share my favorite tea and give you a sneak peek at the lovely pretties I have been packing up for my Valentine's Day Swap!

As you can tell from the pic, I use a mug. Not a dainty, pretty cup (I do have some) but a mug. My tea bag sits wrapped around the handle all day, and as my cup empties I just add more hot water. I know, I'm sure, that I am breaking all the rules of proper tea drinking that people are gasping all over the world. No sugar, no cream. Just a bag. The flavor of Pickwick Wild Raspberry Rose is just delightful! It reminds me of summer as it is filled with rosehips, hibiscus, rose leaves and raspberries. I had a hard time tfinding in any of my local shops, so my MIL ordered 6 boxes for me off the internet! Isn't she a sweetie? ♥

Below is the glimpse of goodies each of you will be receiving from me. I had so much fun putting these together! I can't wait for you to open them, I just wish I could be there! You'll have to let me know when you get them, they will be going out in the mail on Monday. Hopefully everyone will get them before Valentine's.. Sherry and Carolyn, I'll hope for speedy delivery for you!! :)

Everyone have a lovely weekend, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post, but I'll be visiting everyone's blog!

♥ Abbie

There is a field.. I will meet you there. (update at bottom)

Today was our wedding anniversary. Hubby took me to dinner at a nice local restaurant and we enjoyed our time without children or dogs. The 'grammas' stayed home with the kids. I went all out and ordered a Strawberry Daquiri at dinner. Now, for those who aren't familiar, I don't drink. I can't remember the last time I had an alcoholic beverage. Ok, shoot forward twenty minutes, Abbie can't find the potato on her fork that she swore she just scooped up. I started to giggle and that was it. It was all down hill from there so I pushed the drink to the other side of the table. Only about half of it was gone at that point. To regain my composure so as to not embarass myself or my hubby, I just sipped at it the rest of the evening, occasionally. It really did help take the edge off. It is amazing how much tension builds up in my body through the course of a day. Kids squealing, dogs barking... it was a help having G (my mother in law) with me. she is so good with the kids and truly helps out alot. I can run to the bathroom and not hav to worry about dragging T with me. Oh! Another treat today, both girls slept all night in their beds in their room. All night. It was like an anniversary miracle! Hubby and I got to sleep together all night alone. OK, we had two dogs between us, but hey, it's better than a set of feet kicking me in the head all night.

Serenity Now!!

♥Abbie

*If anyone would like, click on the above images and copy them to your PC, they are copyright free images created by myself from antique books and sheet music. Enjoy!

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Notation added Thurs AM.. Thanks for all the wonderful comments! Rosie asked what we had to for dinner so here it is.. I had baked salmon with lemon, butter and seasoned breadcrumbs (yummy!) a baked potato (and sour cream, of course!) and my hubby had prime rib with 'homestyle' mashed potatoes.. don't ask what that means, I have no idea! lol! They served green beans 'family style' (one bowl for both of us) and the usual salad and bread. It was very simple yet very good. Although I could have been eating a McDonald's cheeseburger and a Coke, as long as we were alone, it wouldn't have mattered! Oh! I almost forgot we shared a brownie sundae for dessert. (another yum!)

Frosting! and Pea Soup???

I love Frosting!

First I have to put a 'shout out' to my friend Amanda who has a wonderful Etsy shop, yet to be discovered and truly appreciated! Lovelies abound, and also, she just gave birth to the cutest little girl you've ever seen! Her birthday is in two days so I thought I 'd pass along the good word and send you in her direction, please stop by her shop, Frosting, and take a peek around. As a stay at home mother, myself, I know how hard it is to start a business and keep the momentum going. Also, her blog is wonderful place to stop, peek and visit.

♥ Happy Birthday Amanda!

Abbie's Split Pea Soup with a pat of butter..

OK, now for the pea soup.. I spent yesterday in the kitchen with my camera.. Uhh? I never thought I'd be taking pics of my food, especially pea soup (have you ever tried to make pea soup look good?) but I did (tried anyway!) and it was fun! I love pea soup! It warms my soul, fills me up, and just plain makes me feel good. I used a leftover ham bone (a 'must have' for really good soup..) and didn't follow this recipe very well.. I always start my cooking off using a recipe as a guide, but them stear away adding dashed of this and bits if this until it's just right.

3 C water

1 bag of dried split peas (washed and de-stoned)

1 14 oz can of chicken broth

1 ham bone with leftover meat

1/4 tsp marjoram

dash pepper

1 bay leaf

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 small onion

In large pot, combine water, hambone, chicken stock, peas, marjoram, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for an hour. Remove ham bone and bay leaf. Add chopped carrots, onions, and celery. (add more water if too thick) Simmer, covered for 30-40 minutes unitl veggies are tender. Cut off leftover meat off bone and add to the pot. Leave on your stovetop until it is mushy and.. green! Serve with nice, crusty bread and butter. Butter in the soup and butter on the bread!

You'd think I was Paula Dean!

Enjoy!

Busy Little Hands.. Turned On!

Well, let's see, the past few days I have been crocheting my heart out.. single crochet, half double, double, triple, half double triple trouble, you get the point. I have been able to single crochet for several years but never continued in the lessons. My mother tried on several occasions to show me more but after 40+ years of practice, I couldn't even see her fingers. they were a blur and well, the lessons, never went too well. Until I came across The Happy Hooker. Debbie Stoller does an amazing job of cutting through the crap, and with fabulous illustrations, it worked miracles. As shown in my pic, I have almost completed my first granny square.

Yay! My true inspiration for actually learning how to crochet came from Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy. Oh good gracious! I just adore her photos, and her studio is to die for!! Dee-lish colors, fabulous finds, crafty goodness and terrific storage ideas just float on the bright blue walls! If you haven't peeked, you really must.

Here are some other busy hands.. I caught miss T poking her fingers in an apple pie that my sister in law had made. While licking them clean she kept saying, "Uuumm.. that really good." Uuumm.. really good chicken pie." She got that from Chicken Run. "Chickens go in, pies come out.." Yep, I'd say it was the tastiest and sweetest chicken pie I've ever had..

OK, OK... due to an overwhelming response that I am getting in emails, I will turn my comments back on. :) Thank you for all the love, I have missed seeing who has stopped by. As always, leave a comment if you wish, but I won't be devastated if you just stop and peek either!

A Very Merry Un-Birthday!

Yesterday it snowed. All day long it snowed. It used to be my Mother-in-Law's birthday (she said she wasn't having anymore..) So.. I made Valentine's Cupcakes instead of a Birthday Cake. Delightful lemon cake with pink-lemon frosting. The top tier has sprinkles because they are just so much fun, but the bottom cupcakes are without, so those who don't like the crunch are also satisfied. I used a mismatched set of round crystal platters that my mother had given me as the stand. In the center I flipped a crystal bowl to hold the top platter.

Isn't it just so much fun to have pretty cupcakes? T kept sneaking up to the kitchen counter and running her finger through the frosting of the bottom cakes. They were just too attractive to a two year old.. I don't blame her, if I had the excuse of youth with me, I would have done the same thing! Instead, I waited until everyone was sleeping and I ate one in bed. Yep. In bed. There is nothing sweeter!

For the actual Valentine's Day I think I'll make these again, but instead of sprinkles (or perhaps in combo with..) I would like to print some vintage Valentine's mirror image and glue them onto toothpicks and insert them in the center of the cakes. Just like little flags of love! ♥

Left in the dark..

Z with his Nana

It always seems like nothing ever goes right.. does that happen to anyone else? I spent yesterday morning running errands, picking up cake fixings and new snowboarding gloves for Z. (His ninth birthday was yesterday..) When I got home, about 2 PM, we had no power. No oven, no TV, no vacuum, no laundry. Oh! It'll force me to take a break, I said to myself. Ha! The girls were nuts and there seemed to constantly be one screaming for hours.. I couldn't make Z's Birthday cake, (my mom baked it at her house finally) And, although it wasn't too cold here, (about 40 degrees) the house cooled off considerably and once the novelty of no electricity wore off, it wasn't fun anymore. I decorated Z's cake by candle light. It was a good thing we didn't have lights because it wasn't pretty.. the power stayed out until 11 pm. Once it kicked back on, of course ,we lit up like a Christmas Tree due to T flicking switches all evening trying to turn the lights on. So, I got up, turned off everything, and woke up this morning to a horrid mess of melted candles, empty pizza boxes and a spattering toys everywhere.

T is peekin'.. she helped him blow out candles..

But, on a brighter note, I am so excited about the response I got the swap post below!! Yeah! As soon as I can, I'll let everyone all the tidbits of info.. hang in there with me, everything will be just fine! As said on Seinfeld, "Serenity Now!"

The sun is shining, the snow is melting, and it is just a gorgeous day!

Smiles,

Abbie

Christmas gifts for you and yours...

Good morning! Sorry that I disappeared for the weekend.. I spent my time with my kiddos, crafting, and without power. Yep, our electricity went out for almost four hours on Saturday and it was just the thing I needed. OK, it got chilly in here, but the baby slept, and T and I played with buttons on the floor in front of the fireplace. She is only two and half, but she plays very nicely with mamma's buttons. They keep her quite happy for hours. Just like me! I made some delightful button icicles. I have been wanting to make them/buy them since I saw them in a charming little shop on Etsy months ago, but when I went to buy them, alas, I couldn't find them. So, I decided to make my own and am very pleased with the result. I will be posting pics tomorrow along with some other goodies I'll be giving away for my blogger friends!

We are buried in snow this morning.. We have probably 8" so far and it's still coming down. Z is home from school, and by the looks of the news this morning, the entire state is stuck home. It's the perfect day, as my son would say. I fiddled with some gift ideas this morning and I have a very inexpensive one that is filled with love to share with you.

Take a vintage canning jar, (or new for that matter), wrap the neck with antique lace (or new..) and drape it with a vintage (or new..) costume jewelry necklace. Add a tag and voila! Cinnamon Sugar never looked so good! Not only does the lucky recipient get to enjoy the cinnamon sugar (or cookie mix or whatever you put inside), the canning jar, but also a lovely bit of lace and a vintage piece of costume jewelry! The total for the entire project shouldn't exceed $10-$15. So much vintage fun I just can't stand it!

Enjoy!

♥ Abbie