Blueberry Corn Muffins

     A few weeks ago, while out for breakfast with my parents in Maine, my Dad ordered a blueberry corn muffin that he ended up sharing with Wren.  We have found that Wren will eat whatever my Dad eats.  Even if she has just had lunch herself, if my Dad sits down to eat she climbs up and needs to eat again with him.  He thinks she uses him for food.
       It was while we were driving to Maine that I kept catching myself look at my Dad driving from the backseat and feeling overwhelmed with gratitude that at that very moment I could see him and if I wanted to talk to him.  A little over two months ago, he had a heart attack out of the blue-as if those kind of things are ever actually planned.  Being the worrier that I am, thoughts of something happening to my parents have always crossed my mind, but up until this point, I never had any read reason to worry.  But in an instant, all of our lives were changed.  So while I now have more real reasons to worry-I try as often as I can to just be thankful.  My Dad is the one who keeps me sane and teaches me over and over again to look at the world through the eyes of others instead of just my own.
    So back to that muffin.  Yesterday, we celebrated my Dad's 55th birthday-a day that suddenly felt a lot more significant than it had in years past.  My Dad loves good food and desserts but he has been doing a really good job of trying to limit these things from his daily life.  Being a simple kind of guy, he is always really tough to find a really thoughtful gift for.  However, he is usually the most appreciative of the meals I make or the desserts I create.  So for his birthday, blueberry corn muffins seemed like the best way to show him just how much I love him.  Wren and I baked a batch and filled them with as much love as we could pack in!

Blueberry Corn Muffins
Adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe

 

Ingredients 
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature *
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling 
3 tablespoons honey 
2 eggs 
3 cups whole wheat flour flour 
1 cup yellow cornmeal 
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 cup milk 
1 cup blueberries

*In typing up this recipe now, I realize that I only used 1/2 a cup of butter!  Reducing the butter probably made the muffins a little crunchier, but they were still really delicious!

Method
Preheat over to 375 degrees
1. Place paper lines in regular size muffin tin.  (Martha used jumbo sized tins and her recipe only made 6 muffins.  I made 30 regular sized muffins!)
2.  Place butter, sugar, and honey in a bowl and mix on medium using an electric mixer.  This mixture should be fluffy.
3. Add in the eggs and beat for 1 minutes.
4. Whisk together the cornmeal and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Add to the butter mixture and beat until combined.  
5. Continue to beat on low and slowly add the milk.  
6. Next fold in the blueberries before adding the batter to the muffin tin.  
7. Brush the tops of the muffins with cold water and then sprinkle sugar over each one.
8. Bake until the tops of the muffins are brown and a toothpick comes out clean-about 20 minutes.
 

Sampling the muffins to make sure they were edible.

Making a birthday painting.

Wren and Poppy on the beach in Maine.

Walnut Apple Dessert

     I was lucky enough to grow up in the same town as all of my grandparents.  I never had a traditional babysitter, instead we got to spend time away from our parents with either my Grandma and Pop or my Nanny and Grampy.  I always looked forward to time at each set of grandparents' homes for different reasons.
     My Italian grandparents were known for spoiling us and I often spent weeks at a time sleeping over, literally right between my Grandma and Pop or on a plush bed made from every blanket they owned on the floor right beside their bed.  Summers meant time outside in the garden, getting scolded for picking unripe vegetables and climbing the peach tree.  We often went for walks around the neighborhood and my Grandma loved to toss coins and an occasional dollar bill for us to "find" along the way.
      At my Nanny and Grampy's house, I always hoped for a Toaster Strudel and a game of Rummy or Scrabble with Nanny, while narrowing avoiding a talking to from Grampy for getting into something we weren't supposed to.  I remember getting tucked into the giant bed in the blue room that used to belong to my Aunt Mary and listening to Nanny sing lullabies before we went to sleep.  I loved exploring the rooms and treasures left behind by my aunts and uncles.
     Lucky for Wren, and Arnauld and I, we also live in the same town as her grandparents and her great grandma.  We can always count on them to help out in a pinch or just be around to celebrate some seemingly minor occurrence that warrants dessert.  Yesterday was the very popular Grandparent's Day, so of course we marked the day with a special dessert party made from apples we bought at the Apple Festival in Monroe- with three of Wren's favorite ladies!

Walnut Apple Dessert
Recipe from samsclub.com

Ingredients
8 cups of baking apples, sliced (about 6 apples)
2 1/4 cup brown sugar, divided
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped
vanilla ice cream

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place apples in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. 

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2 cups of brown sugar.  Add the eggs then stir in flour and 1/2 cup of walnuts.

3. Spread the dough mixture over the apples.  Sprinkle with the rest of the walnuts.

4. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the apples are cooked.

5. Serve warm and with ice cream.

At the Apple Festival.

Strawberry Shortcake

     Even though we celebrated Wren's birthday a few days early, we had to do something to mark the actual day that she was born!  We had a much smaller celebration where we watched a slideshow of pictures from the last year and ate homemade strawberry shortcake.  Since the weekend, I think Wren has consumed more sugar than she did in her whole life combined.  I wanted this last birthday "cake" to be a treat but still a little healthier.  This recipe was a perfect choice-summer deliciousness!

Strawberry Shortcake
Recipe from Small Kitchen Chronicles

Fruit
8 cups strawberries, cut
 5 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp lemon zest

Shortcakes
3/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk + 2 tablespoons for over cakes before baking
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1 tbsp baking powder
 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 stick of butter, chilled

Whipped Cream
1 half pint heavy cream, chilled
1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
1. Adjust the baking rack to the second to bottom position.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.  Mash 3 cups of strawberries, in a large bowl, using a potato masher. Stir in the remaining strawberries, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar,  and the lemon zest.  Cover and refrigerate.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the 3/4 cup of buttermilk and the egg.  Set aside.
4. Use the food processor to pulse together the flour, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt.  Slice in the butter.  Pulse again until the mixture is crumbly. 
5. Combine the dry ingredients with the buttermilk and egg in a new larger bowl.  Use a clean spatula to fold together-do not over work the dough.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Knead the the dough until it comes together.  Create a large circle that is about 3/4 to an inch thick.  Use a floured 3 inch biscuit cutter to cut as many cakes as you can.  You should be able to make 7-8.
7. Place the cakes on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Use a baking brush to brush on the remaining buttermilk.
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden.  Rotate the baking sheet halfway through the baking process.
9. While the cakes are baking, combine the whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl.  Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat the mixture until soft peaks form.  Cover and place cream in the refrigerator.
10. To assemble the cakes, use a knife to cut the shortcakes in half.  Spoon on a layer of strawberries followed by a layer of whipped cream.  Add the top of the cake and garnish with a bit of cream and a strawberry.

A look back at our year...

A Sunshine Birthday

     So Wren is one! It feels like Wren has been part of our lives forever.  Everyone always says that the time will fly by.  After hearing this so often while pregnant, I made a pact with myself to just try and savor each moment of Wren's life-never wishing for the next stage or for her to do something new.  For the most part, this worked out pretty well.  While it is hard to believe a year has passed, I feel like I can close my eyes and see each day clearly.  Aside from wishing for her to sleep a little longer from time to time, I have loved each stage and marveled at all that Wren has learned over the past year. 
     Wren is an amazing little girl.  She has been an observer from the day she was born, never resting her little head in fear of missing something.  All of this observing has helped her to learn- learn how to communicate, socialize, and play.  She is so interested in everything, it's amazing.  Wren's latest fascination is her name.  As soon as she wakes up, she points to the W-R-E-N that I put on her dresser.  We made a chant and now she has to point to the letters first thing every morning.  She is also moving a lot more-not quite walking on her own yet, but definitely getting to where she wants to be.  Wren loves her family and friends.  My only wish before she was born was that she would be a happy kid and her happiness shines in her constant laughter, silly smiles, and sweet hugs and kisses.  She brightens even the gloomiest of days and I couldn't love her more!

    For Wren's birthday celebration, I was going for a sunshine theme and searched for desserts that fit this theme.  I finally settled on lemon cupcakes, that were supposed to be "light as a cloud" but turned out a little more dense-probably because I substituted applesauce for oil again.  I tripled the recipe and made a 9 inch cake for the sun's center, 40 cupcakes for the rays, and 24 mini cupcakes for fun.  It was a lot of batter!

Lemon Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from siftingfocus.com

Ingredients
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest from 2 lemons
1/3 cup canola oil or applesauce
3 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups spooned and leveled cake flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Prepare your cupcake tins or cake pans and set aside.  Place a small mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for step 7.
2. In a mixing bowl on medium speed, beat the butter until soft-about 3 minutes.  Add the sugar and continue to beat until very light.  You will need to scrape down the sides and across the bottom of the bowl at least once.
3. Beat in the lemon juice and zest.  On medium speed, blend in the oil.
4. On the lowest speed, blend in the yolks, one at a time, mixing just enough to blend.  Blend in the whole eggs, one at a time, again mixing just to blend.
5. In a separate bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. On the lowest speed, blend half of the flour mixture into the batter.  Continue on the lowest speed and blend in half of the buttermilk.  Continue adding the remainder of the flour until all is incorporated.  Blend in the remaining buttermilk.
7. Remove the mixing bowl and beaters from the freezer.  Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Stir about one-quarter of the whipped cream into the batter to lighten.  Then fold in the rest.
8. Fill your pans.  If making cupcakes, the cups should be more than half full.  Your baking time will depend on what you are making.  My 9 inch cake baked for just over 20 minutes, regular cupcakes for 18, and mini cupcakes for 12.
9. Cool completely before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
Juice and zest from 2 lemons
Generous pinch of salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups  confectioner’s sugar

Method
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, thoroughly mix together the butter and cream cheese.
2. Add the lemon juice, zest and salt and mix to combine.
3. On low speed, add the confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time until the desired spreading consistency has been reached.

I also made sugar cookies using an Alton Brown recipe.  I never thought to use confectioner's sugar instead of flour when rolling the cookies out.

  The perks of being a teacher with a summer baby is having time for fun projects!

Homemade Funfetti for one Sweet Boy

     Until last year, August was always just a summer month that I hoped would go by slowly because August's end meant the start of school again.  But last year, my sister and I were pregnant together and both our babies were born in August.  This made the month a lot more special because we have two birthdays to celebrate just six days apart!  Maverick turned one on August 7th.  We had a celebration at my mom's house and I was honored to make a cake for my sweet sweet nephew.  Maverick is a really happy little guy and his shy smile can melt your heart.  Wren is his biggest fan, naturally.  She loves to greet him with kisses and slaps to the head.  Being the sweetheart that he is, Mav always takes it and just waits for her to finish her episodes of affection. 

Funfetti Cake

Ingredients
4 egg whites
1 cup milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
8 tbsp non-hydrogenated shortening
1/3 cup sprinkles

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1.  Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
2.  In a small bowl mix the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla and then set it aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix for 30 seconds. Add the butter and shortening and mix for another 30 seconds. Pour in the remaining 3/4 cup milk and continue mixing on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Gradually pour in the egg white mixture, mixing for 30 seconds each time. Mix for one more minute and then fold in the colored sprinkles.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans Bake 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and place the pans on baking racks to cool for about 10 minutes before turning over on the rack. Let them cool before icing.

I used fun turquoise sprinkles from Stew Leonards.

Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6-8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
 

 Method

1. Place the butter in a mixing bowl.  Add about 4 cups of sugar and then the milk and the vanilla.  Use an electric mixer, on medium, to beat until smooth.  This shouljd take about 3-5 minutes. 

2. Gradually add the rest of the sugar 1 cup at a time.  Beat for 2 minutes before adding additional sugar.  Keep adding sugar until the icing is a good spreadable consistency.  

3. Use the icing to frost the cake at room temperature but store the icing in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days, if you don't plan to use it immediately. 

Sweet birthday boy.

Birthday babes.

Wishing it was her birthday...6 days little lady!