Blueberry Muffins : Originals

"These muffins are absolutely delicious. The secret is in NOT mixing the batter too much: the less you mix, the better the muffins are. You can replace the blueberries with chocolate chips to make an even better muffin--so my kids say."

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, stir together milk, egg, and oil. Add flour, baking powder, sugar, and blueberries; gently mix the batter with only a few strokes. Spoon batter into cups.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Blueberry Cream Muffins

"Rich and delicious blueberry muffins. The secret is the sour cream."

INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In large bowl beat eggs, gradually add sugar while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Basil Pesto Bread

"At a recent party our friends went wild over this. A simple pesto is spread on Italian bread and layered with roma tomatoes and cheese. It takes a little time, but it is worth it. I freeze the basil in ice cube trays, then put the cubes in freezer bags. You can easily take out and thaw what you need. Enjoy!"

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread
• 3 roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. In a blender or food processor, puree the basil leaves, olive oil and garlic. Mix in the pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Continue processing until desired consistency is reached.
2. Preheat the broiler.
3. Slice Italian bread to desired thickness. Spread a layer of pesto on each slice. Top with roma (plum) tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
4. Place topped bread slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Broil 5 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Simple Garlic and Basil Pesto

"This recipe is something that you can make quickly and easily using a blender. Everything you need is easy to find in your local supermarket. This paste is great for putting on or in meat and pastas, or with cottage cheese in stuffed pasta shells. Once I start making this, the orders from friends and family keep coming in. For best taste, pesto should be heated up in the meal it's being prepared with."

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/8 cup Brazil nuts
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the basil in a blender. Pour in about 1 tablespoon of the oil, and blend basil into a paste. Gradually add pine nuts, Brazil nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, chili powder, and remaining oil. Continue to blend until smooth.