I know the time officially “sprung ahead” an hour at 2 am on Sunday, but the effects didn’t hit our house until this morning when it was time for the kids to get up and get ready for school. They were all like zombies and did not want to get out of bed.
Having four children, they can rarely all agree on liking the same food. So I can pretty much anticipate that I’ll get at least one complaint at every meal. One food they do all like though is Blueberry Muffins. My son’s favorites are the jumbo muffins from the bakery or Hostess’ mini muffins, but neither are cheap! Instead I stock up on boxed mixes when on sale and use coupons to save more. I do splurge for the real blueberries though as I don’t like the taste of imitation.
Betty Crocker makes “Twice the Blueberries” muffin mixes that contain two cans of blueberries. I use one can with the mix, and save the other can to make homemade muffins. I use this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (that my grandmother gave me for my high school graduation years ago)…
Homemade Blueberry Muffins Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 beaten egg
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking power and salt. Make a well in the center. Combine egg, milk, and oil; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Lightly grease muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; fill 2/3 full. Bake in 400 degree over about 20 minutes or till golden. Remove from pan; serve warm. Makes 10 to 12.
I sometimes add a Bakery Style Streusel Muffin Topping to the above recipe or even to doctor up a cheaper mix (got the recipe off a muffin box years ago)…
Streusel Muffin Topping Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 TBsp sugar
- 2 TBsp flour
- 1 1/2 tsp shortening
Mix until it looks like fine crumbs. Atop muffins before baking.
I’ve always heard that applesauce could be substituted for vegetable oil as a healthier alternative in recipes. Well, I’m not usually one to modify a recipe and try something new. But last week I realized we were out of vegetable oil after I had all the other ingredients in the bowl, so I tried the applesauce alternative. I have to admit I couldn’t taste any difference, and obviously the kids didn’t either as I got no complaints.
I was fortunate to grow up with a mother who loved to bake, & as she was interested in both saving money & in finding healthier ways to do things, she experimented with ideas like the above. I don’t recall that we knew the difference until we got older & she told us. Even then, it didn’t much matter if the end result tasted good. She also used to cut in half the amount of chocolate chips called for in the recipe for chocolate chip cookies, that & she also cut the sugar in half. Worked out OK I guess, as we sure ate them. Later on I became a cook/baker at a small boarding school in New Mexico, & I did many of the same things, as I was on a tight budget, & frequently had to experiment. Kids are a tough audience, but I learned that almost anything fresh baked will make a meal better, & I also did the “ole” cut the sugar in half trick. I also recall experimenting with applesauce instead of oil, & I don’t think they ever knew the difference. It was always a challenge to find ways to make things cheaper/more nutritious. There are really a lot of tricks.