cup softened butter (1 stick, pound)
1 Tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon orange zest12 (optional)
Measure out one Tablespoon of frozen orange juice concentrate and let it come up to room temperature.
Mix the orange juice concentrate with the softened butter. Add the orange zest if you decided to use it. (It adds a lot!) Scrape the mixture into a small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
LEMON BUTTER:.
cup softened butter (1 stick, pound)
1 Tablespoon frozen lemonade concentrate
1 teaspoon lemon zest12 (optional)
Measure out one Tablespoon of frozen lemonade concentrate and let it come up to room temperature.
Mix the lemonade concentrate with the softened butter. Add the lemon zest if you decided to use it. (It adds a lot!) Scrape the mixture into a small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
BLUE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
THE BATTER:.
cup melted butter (1 and sticks)
1 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
2 teaspoons baking powder
teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (no need to thaw if they're
frozen)
2 cups plus one Tablespoon flour (no need to sift)
cup milk
cup blueberry pie filling
CRUMB TOPPING:.
cup sugar
cup flour
cup softened butter ( stick)
Grease the bottoms only of a 12-cup muffin pan (or line the cups with double cupcake papers that's what I do at The Cookie Jar). Melt the butter. Mix in the sugar. Add the beaten eggs, baking powder, and salt. Mix it all up thoroughly.
Put one Tablespoon of flour in a baggie with your cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. Shake it gently to coat the blueberries and leave them in the bag for now.
Add half of the remaining two cups of flour to your bowl and mix it in with half of the milk. Then add the rest of the flour and the milk, and mix thoroughly.
Here comes the fun part: Add cup of blueberry pie filling to your bowl and mix it in. (Your dough will turn a shade of blue, but don't let that stop you once the muffins are baked, they'll look just fine.) When your dough is thoroughly mixed, fold in the flour-coated fresh or frozen blueberries.
Fill the muffin tins three-quarters full and set them aside. If you have dough left over, grease the bottom of a small loaf pan and fill it with your remaining dough.
The crumb topping: Mix the sugar and the flour in a small bowl. Add the softened butter and cut it in until it's crumbly. (You can also do this in a food processor with chilled butter and the steel blade.) Fill the remaining space in the muffin cups with the crumb topping. Then bake the muffins in a 375 F. degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. (The tea-bread should bake about 10 minutes longer than the muffins.) While your muffins are baking, divide the rest of your blueberry pie filling into half-cup portions and pop it in the freezer. I use paper cups to hold it and freeze them inside a freezer bag. All you have to do is thaw a cup the next time you want to make a batch of Blue Blueberry Muffins.
When your muffins are baked, set the muffin pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes. (The muffins need to cool in the pan for easy removal.) Then just tip them out of the cups and enjoy.
These are wonderful when they're slightly warm, but the blueberry flavor will intensify if you store them in a covered container overnight.
Hannah's Note: Grandma Ingrid's muffin pans were large enough to hold all the dough from this recipe. My muffin tins are smaller and I always make a small loaf of Blue Blueberry bread with the leftover dough. If I make it for Mother, I leave off the crumb topping. She loves to eat it sliced, toasted, and buttered for breakfast.
*HERB'S HERB BISCUITS Preheat oven to 425 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
cup salted butter ( stick, 2 ounces, pound)
1 Tablespoon dried fine herbs (I used Morton & Bassett
Herbs from Provence) 13
10-ounce to 12-ounce tube of refrigerated, unbaked biscuits
(I used Pillsbury Simply Buttermilk biscuits)
cup grated Parmesan cheese
If you want to mix your own dried herbs, use 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried sage, teaspoon ground rosemary, teaspoon dried oregano, and teaspoon ground thyme.
Melt the salted butter in the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. You can do this by putting it into the oven until the butter melts or by melting the butter in the microwave and pouring it in the bottom of the dish.
If the herbs are not mixed, stir them together in a small bowl. Then sprinkle them over the melted butter as evenly as you can.
Open the tube of biscuits. Separate them and cut each biscuit into fourths with a knife. Roll each piece in the herbs and butter, and arrange them in the pan.
Bake the biscuits at 425 degrees F. for 12 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Take the pan out of the oven and let it sit on a cold stove burner or a wire rack until all the butter in the bottom of the dish is absorbed. This shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes.