{"id":782,"date":"2014-05-26T18:53:01","date_gmt":"2014-05-26T22:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fallingblox.com\/?p=782"},"modified":"2014-05-26T18:53:01","modified_gmt":"2014-05-26T22:53:01","slug":"cookbook-challenge-mad-about-muffins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/?p=782","title":{"rendered":"Cookbook Challenge: Mad about Muffins"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every summer since I met my lovely wife, we&#8217;ve taken a few days to visit her family&#8217;s home-away-from-home in Wells, Maine. They rent a beach house out on the sandbar for a week or two and invite the family to come up. We have to rotate through because it&#8217;s not a very big house, but we&#8217;ll generally try to get there while some other family is around, since it&#8217;s nice to see family outside of the usual holidays and birthdays that usually bring us together.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, we&#8217;ve made an effort to visit <a href=\"http:\/\/spillerfarm.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Spiller Farm<\/a> while we&#8217;re there. This is a kind of unique farmstand (think fresh local veggies, imported watermelons, and lobsters in tanks) that has a pick-your-own component as well. When we get there, it&#8217;s usually pick-your-own highbush blueberries, among other things &#8212; we&#8217;ve gotten corn, carrots, tomatoes as well as the usual fruits in the past. We make a point of picking lots and lots of blueberries &#8212; about a gallon, if we can. Of course, many blueberries are eaten in the process, and occasionally we just throw them up in the air and try to catch them in our mouths.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/052614-blueberries.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"783\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/?attachment_id=783\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/052614-blueberries.jpg?fit=866%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"866,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NEX-6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1376145225&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;16&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"052614-blueberries\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/052614-blueberries.jpg?fit=202%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/052614-blueberries.jpg?fit=660%2C977&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-783\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/052614-blueberries.jpg?resize=500%2C739&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"052614-blueberries\" width=\"500\" height=\"739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/052614-blueberries.jpg?resize=692%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 692w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/052614-blueberries.jpg?resize=202%2C300&amp;ssl=1 202w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/052614-blueberries.jpg?w=866&amp;ssl=1 866w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When we get back from Wells, I pack the blueberries up into 2-cup servings in freezer bags and freeze them. It may be months before I get around to using them but they&#8217;re still delicious.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, we had a houseguest staying with us, and I decided I&#8217;d up my breakfast game and make some muffins. So I entered the cookbook challenge again. This time, I&#8217;m using a book called &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0836269942\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0836269942&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=fallindesign-20&amp;linkId=LP5ILVWWC2FPAYQR\" target=\"_blank\">Mad About Muffins<\/a>&#8220;. There are great recipes &#8212; from basic bran muffins to &#8220;Taco Muffins&#8221; that use salsa and meat drippings. But for now, as you can probably imagine, I&#8217;m sticking with a basic, classic blueberry muffin.<\/p>\n<p><em>Caveat: I don&#8217;t know the rules about posting recipes out of someone&#8217;s cookbook, but I&#8217;m going to hope that if I&#8217;m doing it in the pursuit of promoting their cookbook they&#8217;ll be OK with it. However, this recipe is written more narratively and also has some tweaks that make it a little different (but not a lot). Nevertheless, if I get a C&amp;D order I&#8217;ll have to take it down.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Blueberry &#8220;Mad About&#8221; Muffins<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Soften 3\/4 stick of salted butter and mix with 2\/3 cup of sugar (I use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00489VIVY\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00489VIVY&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=fallindesign-20&amp;linkId=7S7XOEY67XLDCKLU\" target=\"_blank\">Florida Crystals<\/a> or some other fine-grain minimally-processed sugar) until well combined. Beat in 2 eggs. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I recommend <a href=\"http:\/\/www.penzeys.com\/cgi-bin\/penzeys\/p-penzeyssinglestrengthvanilla.html\" target=\"_blank\">Penzey&#8217;s<\/a> if you can get your hands on it), and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Add a cup of all-purpose flour, mix in. Add 1\/4 cup of milk, mix in. Add another cup of flour and another 1\/4 cup of milk, as well as 2 cups of blueberries fresh from the bush &#8212; or the freezer &#8212; and mix until just combined. Try not to crush the blueberries too much.<\/p>\n<p>Grease a muffin tin (or use muffin cups, which is what I did) and evenly distribute the mixture into 12 muffin-shaped depressions. Finally, take 1\/4 stick of softened butter and mix with 2 tbsp of cinnamon sugar (or 2 tbsp of brown sugar mixed with 1\/4 tsp of cinnamon). The recipe calls for 1\/2 cup of chopped walnuts as well but if you don&#8217;t have any, just double the butter\/sugar mixture (1\/2 stick of butter and 4tbsp of cinnamon sugar). Put a dollop of the mixture on each muffin and bake them for 25-30 minutes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Muffins.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"768\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/?attachment_id=768\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Muffins.jpg?fit=1280%2C1015&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,1015\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NEX-6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1399815016&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;16&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Muffins\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Muffins.jpg?fit=300%2C237&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Muffins.jpg?fit=660%2C523&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-768\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Muffins.jpg?resize=500%2C396&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Muffins\" width=\"500\" height=\"396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Muffins.jpg?resize=300%2C237&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Muffins.jpg?resize=1024%2C812&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Muffins.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The muffins turned out great, and were gone within 24 hours. We have no self-control, evidently. The stuff that was supposed to be streusel topping just ended up giving each muffin a slight sugary glaze. This was also the first test of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00CQ8KY82\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00CQ8KY82&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=fallindesign-20&amp;linkId=3SFS3A2KWOQCNFG3\" target=\"_blank\">Baker&#8217;s Edge pan<\/a> I got last Christmas. Why, you ask? I have no idea. It&#8217;s just a well-made muffin pan; the company claims the shape is good for something but I think it&#8217;s just an interesting gimmick to set them apart from other kitchenware makers. Since they&#8217;re well made, I don&#8217;t mind buying into the gimmick. I really love their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B000MMK448\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B000MMK448&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=fallindesign-20&amp;linkId=YCPAJX2QIEWPF2OV\" target=\"_blank\">brownie pan<\/a> too, but I like edges so it makes sense.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve got more food posts lined up, so keep an eye on this space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every summer since I met my lovely wife, we&#8217;ve taken a few days to visit her family&#8217;s home-away-from-home in Wells, Maine. They rent a beach house out on the sandbar for a week or two and invite the family to come up. We have to rotate through because it&#8217;s not a very big house, but &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/?p=782\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Cookbook Challenge: Mad about Muffins<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eKU9-cC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=782"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":785,"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782\/revisions\/785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallingblog.double-knitting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}