Blueberry Muffins

Guess what you do when life throws you blueberries... on sale?  After you're oatmeal berried, smoothie berried and yogurt berried out, it's time to make muffins.  Y'all...these turn out so well and they're so easy.  Much better than a box mix :) I made the mistake of making them in the evening.  Fully intending on serving them for breakfast the next morning.  mmmm....yeah, that didn't work. But we did have a good snack that night.  See, the glass of milk is always half full.  At least I hope it is when I'm eating muffins.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Toss the blueberries in about 1 tbs flour then fold into mixture.  Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Honey Wheat Hamburger Buns

And yes, I chose to show my homemade hamburger buns hugging the sloppiest of meat dishes, Sloppy Joe's.  I'm not ashamed. It's even the canned kind.
Once in a blue moon (or full moon in this case) I get a craving for Sloppy Joe's (by the way, is there anyone that doesn't sing the lunch lady song whenever you hear the words sloppy joe? If you don't know what I'm talking about click here).  I have one can on hand (yep can) for this very instance. But today, when my craving struck, I didn't have any hamburger buns.  Fortunately for me, I acquired almost every kind of flour known to man over the holiday baking season.  This sounds like a good way to use some of that up, while satiating my need for sweet, tart tomatoey, meaty goodness.

I found this recipe through another blogger A Chow Life. And slightly adapted it in order to use up some of my whole wheat flour.  I've also cut my recipe in half to make 6 buns instead of 12.  Next time, however, I won't because they were such a hit!

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Milk
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. Honey
2 1/4 active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour (plus more for bench/dusting flour)
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 Tbs. Sugar
1/2 Tbs. Kosher Salt
1 Egg + 1 Tbs water beaten for egg wash.

Instructions:

Add milk and butter to small sauce pan and heat on low just until butter melts. Remove milk butter mixture from heat.  When temperature lowers to between 105-115 degrees, drizzle in honey and sprinkle in yeast mixture. Let stand for 10 minutes

Meanwhile, Add flour, sugar and salt to stand mixture fitted with dough hook. Quickly whisk dry ingredients to combine.

Once wet ingredients have sat for 10 minutes, slowly pour into dry ingredients while mixer on low speed.  Beat for about a minute until it forms a ball. I had to add about 2 additional Tbs of flour (I assume due to the humidity). Once your ball forms, put mixture on medium low and allow to knead until smooth ball forms. About 5 min. 

I think it should look something like this, I probably could have added a bit more flour or kneaded for a bit longer?

Transfer dough to oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Set it in a warm place until it doubles in size.  I put it in my oven (not on) with the oven light on.

 Turn out on floured surface and roll into a log.  I find it easier to divide into equal portions this way. 

Place each portion on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon baking mat.  Cover and let rise one again for 30 min.

Brush tops of buns with egg wash and bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 14-16 min until golden brown.  Let cool completely before cutting.

I also brushed mine with butter and grilled before using them for my sloppy joes :)

Pecan Sticky Buns!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pa-kahns....Pee-cans...However you say it, this is some goooood stuff!  Y'all won't tell on my that I cheated my way through this recipe right?   Dough and I don't have a good relationship. So, I count on the frozen bread dough.  Shhhhh.... Tell ya what, I won't tell on you if you don't tell on me :)

This isn't the healthiest recipe I've posted, could be one of the unhealthiest actually.  I only got to eat one anyway, they disappeared really quickly!

Ingredients:
1 loaf frozen bread, thawed per package directions

"Sticky" sauce
3/4-1 cup light or dark brown sugar.up to you!
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup coursely chopped peee-cans
1 tbs orange zest

Filling:
1/2 stick butter softened
1/4 cup white sugar
2 Tbs Cinnamon
pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place all "sticky" sauce ingredients into 13X9 in pan and mix.  Set aside

After thawing let the dough rise in a warm place until at least doubled in size.  Punch dough down and turn it out on a floured surface.  Roll out to about 22X12 inches.  Once rolled, spread softened butter on the entire surface of the dough.  Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in small bowl.  Sprinkle Cinnamon mixture onto buttered dough.

                  Buttered dough rectangle.  Yes that's a rectangle!

                         In all its sweet cinnamon-y goodness.  Time to roll it up.

Begin rolling the dough on from the long side.  Roll and roll and roll.  Pinch the dough, and even wet if needed to secure the seem.  Cut dough in 2 in. slices.  You should be able to get about 12-14 rolls.

                             Place rolls into sticky sauce mixture

 Bake for 30-35 min. Remove, wipe drool, let cool, wipe drool, hands off the hot sticky buns....

        Let stand for a few minutes and invert onto platter or another cookie sheet

             Pour a glass of milk and enjoy this gooey sticky nutty blob of deliciousness