lemon blueberry poppyseed muffins

These are superb.

It's a combo of my two, all-time favorite muffins.
Lemon poppyseed and blueberry.
If you don't like those, then you won't like these.
Plus, we can't be friends if you don't like either of those.
I mean, really.

Anyway, these are great and since I had all these delicious blueberries just screaming to be made into blueberry muffins but not ordinary blueberry muffins, this recipe was spot on.

So, I made a ton and froze them for the impending chaos that is the second child.
Or so they say.

Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed Muffins
Makes 12.
From Joy the Baker!

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup flour

3 tablespoons sugar

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375*.  Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners, set aside.

Melt the 7 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat when butter solids become a medium brown color and butter smells slightly nutty.  Immediately pour hot butter into a small bowl, or the butter will continue to cook in the hot pan.  Allow to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add browned butter and whisk to combine.

Whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add milk mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir gently to combine.  Gently but thoroughly fold in the lemon zest, poppy seeds, and blueberries.  Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

Combine the 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup flour and 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl and rub together with clean fingertips until crumbly.  Sprinkle topping evenly over the muffin batter in cups.

Bake muffins 18 to 20 minutes until golden and crisp and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Cool muffins in the pan for 15 minutes before removing.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Muffins will last, at room temperature in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.  Or wrap them and freeze them individually for a husbands' lunch, a new mommy's breakfast, or a rainy day!

stuffed squash blossoms

Have you ever seen these?
I see them alot online and never really tried them.
But, if you are like me and after about a month or two of your squash plants going crazy and producing more squash than you can a) eat and b) give away, then you are ready to do something with the blossoms before they make beautiful baby squashes.
And this recipe is perfect.
Plus, it's not really a recipe so it's even better.
Just pick the blossoms early in the morning, remove the stamens, rinse, and keep damp with a moistened paper towel in a ziplock in the fridge until that evening.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Take some ricotta, cream cheese, Boursin cheese, feta, goat, whatever is your favorite soft cheese!  and mix it with an egg and some chopped, fresh herbs (again, whatever is your favorite!).  I use ricotta and Boursin and basil, oregano, and thyme.  Mix until creamy and then spoon into a ziplock.  Clip the corner and pipe carefully into a cleaned, dry squash blossom.  Don't fill all the way up...you wanna be able to carefully twist the top of the blossom to "seal".  Then, freeze for about an hour so the cheese firms up.  Dip into your favorite tempura or beer batter and deep fry until golden and the cheese is starting to ooze out.  Serve with marinara or plain and enjoy!

gd likes

a big floppy hat to end the summer riiiiight

a last minute summer shade of lips

this dress.  but, in maternity :)

any of these beauties.

sooooo, what do you like this week???

cinnamon bun breakfast ring

Pinterest.
Highly addicting.
Too much time wasted.
Mostly on crafts for the babies and (very) future home design plans.
And occasionally, a good recipe.
This just looked way too good to pass up.
And I'm sooooo glad I didn't.

Just look at that caramel-y goo.
Oh my.

This is really perfect for guests but, let's be honest, I totally make this all the time for two people.  And mostly just one because he doesn't like sweet breakfast food.
But add another half a person, if you count the bebe.
And I do, because he'll eat like three himself.

Cinnamon Bun Breakfast Ring
Serves 6-8.
Stolen from Pinterest.

1 1/2 tubes Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup pancake syrup

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 375*.

Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts.

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.

Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.

Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.

Bake approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for about a  minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

boston!

If you follow thegdkitchen on Facebook, you know we visited Boston a little while back.

Here's our foodie journey!

:)

Flo's Clam Shack, Middletown, RI

our view

the best ever clam chowda

fried clams

clam po'boy

fish and chips

(Dirty) Nick's Hot Dogs, Fall River, MA

the dogs

(must order them with the special sauce, onions, and mustard. oh, and a 'hot cheese' for the baby.)

the famous coffee milk...and some obliging locals :)

A local lobster factory?  Is that the right word?  Ha!  Newport, RI

The Mooring, Newport, RI

sourdough rolls.  like, the real deal.

crab cakes

tuna melt

my seafood doughnuts.

yes, doughnuts.

clam, lobster, and shrimp with a super spicy chipotle dipping sauce.

highly recommend.

Parker House, Boston, MA

finally, finally, the Boston Creme Pie.  

the original.

parker house rolls.  to. die. for.

Quincy Market, Boston, MA

 

Regina Pizzeria, Boston, MA

some of the best pizza.  ever.

And the rest of the trip?  You'll have to go back and look it up on Facebook :)

(I took those pictures with my iphone....don't judge.)

But, we did have a pretty awesome clam boil and a lobster night back at the house and, maybe besides those Parker House rolls, those were the best eatin' nights ;)

We had a fabulous time and I can't wait to go back!

h's quinoa

So, this quinoa recipe is adapted from 101 Cookbooks.
The blog author is Heidi.
She's great.
She does really healthy and organic recipes that always have some strange quirk to them.

And, while looking up (more!) quinoa recipes, I found this one.
Heather's quinoa.
She goes into why she named it this but for me, now it's just H's Quinoa.
Heidi or Heather, it matters not.
It's just plain good.

H's Quinoa
Serves 4.
1 tablespoon olive oil

A pinch of fine grain sea salt

1 shallot, minced

3 cups cooked quinoa (how to cook quinoa....my perfect way!)

1 cup fresh corn

1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green, finely chopped (I used kale)

1/3 cup pesto (I used this version with fantastic results!)

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

1/4 cup roasted tomatoes 

In a big skillet or pot, heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale until heated through. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the roasty tomatoes.  Enjoy warm!