Peach Streusel Muffins

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 T baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp salt

¾ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen peaches, roughly chopped

¼ cup sugar

3 T all-purpose flour

¼ tsp cinnamon

2 ½ T butter, chilled

Beat 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating until blended.

Combine 2 1/3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, stirring well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract, and fold in chopped peaches.

Spoon muffin batter into greased or paper-lined muffin pan, filling two-thirds full.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon; cut in 2 1/2 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over muffin batter.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.

Recipe adapted from Southern Living

                

Blueberry Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg white

½ cup applesauce

½ cup fat free milk

3 T butter, melted

1 ½ cup fresh blueberries

1 tsp almond extract

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. In a small bowl , beat the egg, egg white, applesauce, milk, butter and almond extract. Stir dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries and nuts (if using). Transfer to a greased 8”x 4” loaf pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20 mins before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from a recipe from Taste of Home

Morning Glory Muffins

2 c whole wheat flour

2/3 c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs

¾ cup orange & carrot juice*

½ c canola oil

¼ cup finely grated carrots

¼ cup orange marmalade

½ cup chopped walnuts, divided into ¼ c portions (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place liners in or grease 12 muffin cups.In a small mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients, except nuts. In a larger bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Sprinkle dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and fold to combine. Gently fold in ¼ cup of the nuts, if used. Fill muffin cups ¾ full and top each with the remaining nuts, if used. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness. 

Best served warm out of the oven.

*If you cannot find orange & carrot juice in your local grocery store, use orange juice. 

Recipe adapted from www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com

Blueberry Lemon Rolls

Filling

1 1/3 cup frozen blueberries, not thawed

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Rolls

2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

3 T granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 package active dry yeast or 2 ¼ teaspoons

½ cup water

¼ cup milk

2 ½  Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large egg

Glaze

Juice and zest from 1 large lemon

1 cup powdered sugar (or more)

1-2 T milk

In a small bowl, combine the frozen blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Gently toss and let sit while you prepare the dough.

Set aside 1/2 cup of flour. In a large bowl, toss the remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed. Set aside.

Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch. About 125F-130F degrees. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough. I only needed 1/3 cup, but you may need the full 1/2 cup. Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency. This can also be prepared in a stand mixer using the dough hook.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes or if using a stand mixer, continue to run for 3 to 4 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rest for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 14x8 inch rectangle. Pour the sugared blueberries on top and gently spread them to cover the dough surface. Starting on the long edge, roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 11 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. Loosely cover the rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 2-3 hours.

After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.

While baking, mix all of the glaze ingredients together. If you prefer a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar. If you'd like it thinner, add more lemon juice or milk. Pour over sweet rolls.

Adapted from a recipe from sallysbakingaddiction.com

 

Almond Macaroons

Unlike the popular French macarons appearing in bakeries across the country, this simple recipe makes a delicious cookie, full of almond flavor, with a crunchy exterior and soft interior. 

1 cup whole almonds (preferably blanched)

2/3 cup granulated pure cane sugar + ½ cup for rolling

1 large egg white

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a food processor, pulse almonds and sugar until ground fine. Add egg, almond extract and salt and pulse until combined. Mixture will be sticky. Roll into 16 – 1” balls.  Roll each ball in sugar and space 2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 mins, until pale. Let cookies sit on the sheet for 10 mins before carefully moving to a cooling rack. 

Recipe courtesy of epicurious.com

Summer Feast for Four

Watermelon Gazpacho, Farmers' Market Panzanella, Yogurt BBQ Chicken Skewers with Minty Lemon Pepper Sauce, Strawberry Chocolate Chip Ricotta Popsicles - a great refreshing summer meal!

Watermelon Gazpacho

1 – ½ pound tomato, seeded & chopped (about ½ cup)

1 ½ pounds seedless watermelon (about 3 cups)

1 – cucumber, peeled, seeded & diced

¼ cup olive oil

10 to 12 mint leaves

2 T fresh lemon juice

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until a smooth, but slightly chunky consistency.

*Present this soup with a dollop of plain yogurt, splash of lemon olive oil and sprinkle of black pepper – or top with feta and fresh finely chopped mint.

Farmer’s Market Panzanella

4 c of crusty bread in ½” cubes

1/4 c + 1 T  olive oil

½ cup chopped of each: red pepper, baby green zucchini, baby yellow squash, radish, & red onion

2 T fresh orange juice  

2 T white balsamic vinegar

3 to 4 basil leaves, finely chopped

Salt & pepper

2 cups microgreens or mesclun mix (optional)

Toss bread cubes and 1 T olive oil in a medium bowl then spread across a cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Broil on low for 3 to 5 min just until bread starts to toast. Cool completely.

In the medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup olive oil, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar.  Add vegetables and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

10 mins before serving, toss bread cubes and basil with marinated vegetables.

If desired, serve over a small amount of microgreens or mesclun.

Yogurt BBQ Chicken Skewers w/ Minty Lemon Pepper Yogurt Sauce

Cut 1 lb chicken breast tenders into 1” pieces and marinade, for no less than two hours, in the following mixture:

1 c plain yogurt

¼ cup olive oil

2 T lemon juice

1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 T fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Prepare Sauce by mixing the following:

1 c plain yogurt

2 T sour cream

Zest of two lemons

Juice of one lemon

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T fresh mint, finely chopped

1/2 T black pepper

1 tsp salt

Let chill at least 2 hours

Grill chicken pieces for 2 to 3 mins per side, until juices run clear. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes before skewering several pieces onto a bamboo or metal skewer. Serve with chilled dipping sauce.

For an extra touch, I squeezed some lemon juice over the chicken before serving and put a small dot of sriracha (chili pepper sauce) on the plate for some kick!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Ricotta Popsicles

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

1 15 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese

½ cup mini chocolate chips

¼ cup sugar

1 T fresh lemon juice

Place strawberries, ricotta, sugar and lemon juice in a food processor and run for two minutes until mixture is smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into ice cream molds and freeze for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Grocery List

1 1-lb package chicken breast tenders

1 loaf crusty bread – such as French or sourdough

16 oz plain yogurt

1- 8oz container sour cream

1- 15oz container ricotta cheese

1 small seedless watermelon

1 pint strawberries

1 large tomato or 2 medium tomatoes

1 baby zucchini (about 5 inches long)

1 baby yellow squash (about 5 inches long)

1 red bell pepper

1 bunch radishes

1 English cucumber

1 small red onion

1 small bag of microgreens or mesclun

1 garlic bulb

3 lemons

1 orange

Fresh Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Mint

1 small bag mini chocolate chips

Olive Oil

Sugar

Salt

Pepper

Recipes adapted from: New York Times, Stonyfield Organic, mybakingaddiction.com, and epicurious.com

Limoncello & Lemon Ginger Syrup

Limoncello

5 lemons

2 cups vodka

1 ¾ cup water

1 ¼ cup sugar

Rinse lemons then peel carefully into long strips with a vegetable peeler. Using a sharp knife trim away any white pith from the peels. To a large glass bowl or pitcher, add peels and vodka. Cover with plastic wrap or airtight lid and let steep at room temperature for at least 4 days. Use the leftover lemons to make the Lemon Ginger Simple Syrup below.

After four days, stir water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Cool completely then add to the peel/vodka mixture. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.

Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer, discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to a 1 liter glass bottle and refrigerate until cold. Enjoy for up to 1 month.

Enjoy as a cordial or on ice with a splash of soda water.

Lemon Ginger Simple Syrup

Juice of 5 lemons – about ¾ c

¾  cup water

1 cup pure cane sugar

2 inch section of ginger, peeled and cut into small sticks

In a small sauce pan, boil water, sugar and ginger uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced to about 1 cup, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Strain through a mesh strainer, pressing hard on the ginger to release juices. Pour into a 1 liter glass bottle, cool and chill, covered. Enjoy for up to two weeks.

Great for cocktails, teas, colds, or fresh lemonade…

Lemon Ginger Lemonade

¾ cup water

3 to 4 T lemon ginger syrup

2 T fresh lemon juice

Mix all in a small glass filled with ice. Enjoy!