blueberry muffin

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 1/4 cups white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup milk
* 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
* 1/4 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pans or use paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix in.
3. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk. Mash 1/2 cup berries and stir into batter. Fold in remaining berries.
4. Fill muffin cups and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and wait 20 minutes to remove from pans.

Chocolate covered Strawberries

Ingredients

* 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
* 1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Directions

Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

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2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 level teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup buttermilk

Sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together. Cut in butter with 2 knives. Add buttermilk and knead lightly. Roll to 3/4 inch thickness and cut with cutter. Dab top with melted butter and bake 12 minutes at 450 degrees F.

Makes 12 to 16 biscuits, depending on size of cutter.

3 cups cubed beef
1 onion
8 large cut potatoes
2 cups cut carrots
2 cups cut celery
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup margarine
Salt to taste

Brown beef and onion in flour. Put into crockpot. Heat on LOW for 2 hours. Add vegetables and 1 cup tomato juice. Continue cooking for 1 or 2 more hours.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated or brown sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter; add sugar, beat until light. Add egg; beat until fluffy. Add applesauce; mix well.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, soda, cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Add nuts and raisins. Combine two mixtures. Bake in a greased 8-inch square pan at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.

Frost with vanilla or chocolate frosting, if desired.

Apple Filling
1 bag tart baking apples, sliced and peeled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Topping
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Place apples in bottom of baking dish.

Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle on top of apples. Dot the top of all this with pieces of butter. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, sift together sugar, baking powder, flour and salt. Make a well in center of this mixture until it is all crumbly; then pour this mixture over apples. Bake until crust is brown, about 50 to 60 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

1 cup Crisco
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup coconut

Mix Crisco and sugar until creamy; add egg.

Sift all dry ingredients together. Add to Crisco mixture. Roll dough into small balls and dip into water, then into brown sugar. Put on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen.

Source: Cooking from Quilt Country - Marcia Adams

2 pounds crusty white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 pounds chicken thighs, poached
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrot, grated
1 1/4 cups potatoes, diced
3 teaspoons sage
3 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
5 eggs
12 ounces evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups chicken stock

Boil potatoes until just barely tender. Drain and set aside.

Poach chicken and set aside to cool. When cooled, skin, debone and chop meat finely. Discard skin.

In a large bowl add bread, chicken, parsley, onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, sage, celery seed, thyme, pepper and turmeric. Toss well to combine.

In a medium bowl beat eggs, evaporated milk and chicken stock together. Pour over bread mixture and mix well. Mixture will be quite moist. Allow to stand for 1 hour at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, and lightly grease a 3-quart casserole. Transfer dressing to prepared casserole dish and bake for 1 1 1/2 hours, or until center puffs up and top is golden brown.