The Charmed Kitchen

Rich Blueberry Muffins

They are in season and plentiful right now. I am always looking for new ways to enjoy blueberries but find myself going back to this recipe. I think what really makes it special is the folding in of 1 cup of melted butter at the end. Amazing. It’s a rich and crumbly muffin stuffed with berries. Not too sweet and a great breakfast, snack or even dessert. They freeze well, too.

Rich  Blueberry Muffins

4 c. flour

2 T. baking powder

1 ½ t. salt

1½  c. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 eggs

1 ½ c. milk

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted

4 c. blueberries

Paper line 36 muffin cups or grease lightly and preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl mix dry ingredients. In smaller bowl mix eggs and milk and beat until smooth. Stir into flour mixture with a fork and mix until just moistened. Fold in butter and blueberries divide batter among cups. Sprinkle muffins with a little extra sugar. Bake 25 minutes, or until light golden. Makes 36.

The kids made the dough- cut out the cookies and frosted them. Well done, kids.

Rainbow Cheese Ravioli

We made pasta in camp today. We had egg pasta plus pastas made from carrots, peas, broccoli and beets. A beautiful rainbow of pasta- that was turned into angel hair and cheese and veggie raviolis. The kids were great, as usual.  Here are some of the pics. The recipes for the pastas also follow. We had a  ravioli making gizmo which made the process easier. Also one for pierogi and tiny little triangle filled pastas.

Ravioli for the whole family

Basic Homemade Pasta

 3 c. flour, more if using electric pasta machine. See note.

1 1/2 t. salt

4 eggs

Water, if needed

Mix flour and salt and stir in eggs, kneading until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be very stiff. Add a little water if needed to hold dough together. You may wish to mix the dough in a mixer or food processor. Cover dough and let rest 15-20 minutes before rolling. Under kneading your dough will result in coarse, crumbly pasta. This batch makes about 1 pound. Serves 4-6.

Roll dough out on well floured board or in pasta machine (non-electric) until desired thickness in reached. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into strips or whatever shapes are desired. You might want to let the noodles dry 1-hour or more before cooking, but this is not necessary. Pasta can be hung to dry or separated and allowed to dry flat on a table. When pasta is not hanging to dry it must be turned occasionally to dry evenly.      Although you may hear otherwise, homemade pasta, even when dried, should be frozen for long term storage. Storing at room temperature can lead to spoilage. Fresh pasta can also be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Note: All electric pasta machines vary slightly and you should use their recipes as much as possible. Still, for most models, adding 1/4 c. flour for each cup in a hand rolled recipe works the best. Also recipes that contain seeds and vegetables may clog an electric pasta maker. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions.

These are smaller batches which can be mixed in a processor or by hand. If you want to mix a vegetable based pasta by hand, puree the vegetables  first.                                                         

Carrot Pasta

 1 c. flour

1/2 t. dried dill

1/3 c. carrot puree

1-2 T. water, if needed

   Beet Pasta

1 c. flour

1/2 t. dill

1/3 c. beet puree

1-2 T. water, if needed

Pea Pasta

1 c. flour

1/3 c. frozen peas, thawed

water

Process in food processor until peas are blended in- add water, A little at a time as needed until dough forms into a ball.

Broccoli Pasta

1 c. flour

1/2 c. broccoli puree

 Ravioli Filling

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2/3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

2/3 c. ricotta or cream cheese

1/3 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Combine all ingredients well and chill until needed.

Roll a batch of dough into  a rectangle, 18×12 inches and 1/16 inch thick. Arrange well rounded teaspoonfuls of the  cheese filling two inches apart on the pasta sheet. Roll out additional dough into an 18×12 inch rectangle. With a pastry brush moisten bottom sheet of pasta around edges with water. Place second sheet of pasta on top, using fingers to seal the dough around the edges of the filling. With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut between the ravioli to separate them. You should have 24 ravioli.

We started with the idea of making “pup”cakes. Cupcakes decorated to look like puppies. I wanted the kids to have fun and be creative. This is some of what they created.

This is some of the bread the kids made in camp this morning. Everyone did great on braiding. I am proud of every one of them!!!

Kale with Bacon

I wanted something fast for dinner and since the garden is full of kale it seemed like a natural ingredient to choose. Had a wilted salad sort of thing in mind. What I ended up having was even better than expected. Smoky bacon, onion and a touch of maple syrup made this a dish I plan on having again soon.

Kale With Bacon

2-3 slices thick sliced bacon, chopped

1 onion, sliced

4-5 cups kale, washed and torn into pieces

2 T. cider vinegar

1 T. maple syrup

dash of hot sauce

2 hard- cooked eggs, peeled and cubed

In skillet cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Remove some of the fat from the pan- leaving about 2 tablespoonfuls. Add onion and cook until golden. Return bacon to pan and add the kale. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until kale in wilted. I don’t mind my kale on the firm side-cook it longer if you like it more tender. Drizzle in the vinegar, maple syrup and hot sauce and stir to coat evenly. Place on a serving dish and top with the eggs. Enjoy!!

Catching Fruit Flies

This keeps coming up in conversations. Super easy to catch/control fruit flies. Place 1/2 cup of cider vinegar in a glass jar or cup. Add a few drops of liquid dish soap. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it. The flies get in and drown in the vinegar soap solution. This is what I caught in a couple of hours the other day. Refresh with new vinegar every few days.

Whole Wheat Biscotti

I love biscotti but don’t love paying the high prices sometimes asked for them. They are super easy to make so I try to make a batch every couple of weeks. I also tend to make a double batch while I am at it. Just store them in a cookie jar. Recipe follows.

Helpful hint: Since biscotti are twice-baked  you bake the loaves part way, then slice and return the sliced biscotti to the oven to finish baking and get really crisp. Problem is you have to turn them half-way through the second bake to be sure they cook evenly. Tedious. Instead- place a cooling rack on the baking sheet then place the freshly sliced biscotti on them for the second bake. The air circulates under them and you don’t have to turn them over halfway through. Simple. 🙂  

Whole Wheat Biscotti

 ¾ c. whole wheat flour

½ c. all purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

1 t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

½ c. walnuts

¼ c. golden raisins

Combine all.

Add.

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

Shape into loaf 2”x11” on oiled sheet. Bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. Slice thin and place on cooling rack on baking sheet then return to oven, reduce heat to 300-degrees bake 25 minutes. 

Feel free to dip one end of cooled biscotti in melted chocolate or drizzle them with melted chocolate, if you like. You can also change which nuts and dried fruit you use. I also sometimes make these with all spelt flour in place of the whole wheat and white flour.

“Cheeseburger” Cookies

Today it was all about having fun and being silly. The kids made radish mice, cheeseburger cookies, marshmallow bunnies and more. Here are the pictures and recipes/directions for what they made. 

Cheeseburger Cookies

1 package vanilla wafer cookies

1 package Keebler Fudge N Caramel or Grasshopper cookies

2 c. powdered sugar

1- 2 T. milk

few drops of yellow and red food coloring

1 c. coconut

several drops of green food coloring

1/4 c. powder sugar

1 T. milk

sesame seeds

Combine 2 cups of powder sugar with the milk and red and yellow food coloring. This should be the color of cheese. Place the coconut in a small bag and add a few drops of green food coloring. Close the bag and shake well to evenly color. This will be the ‘lettuce’.

To assemble cookies use 2 vanilla wafers (the bun) and one Keebler cookie (the burger). The orange frosting works as the cheese and glue. The coconut is the lettuce. Place a vanilla wafer flat side up on work surface. Place a little dab of “cheese” on the cookie and then a  Keebler cookie. Sprinkle a little coconut on the burger, then some more cheese and the top bun, flat side down. Combine the remaining powder sugar and milk. You should have a thin glaze. Brush this lightly on the top of the finished “burgers” and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Radish “Mice”

Radish Mice

 Radishes

Cloves

Choose radishes with the longest root pieces to be your mice. The roots will be the tails. Set them aside cut thin slices from the extra radishes. These will be the ears. You will need 2 per mouse. In the mouse radishes cut a small slice off one side so the “mouse” will lie on its side. Cut a slit in the top of the radish near the non-root side. Slip in the thin slices to form the ears. Add cloves for eyes and nose. Use these to decorate salad plates and party trays but don’t give them to little children because they could choke on small pieces.

Marshmallow Bunnies

Large and small marshmallows

Toothpicks

Frosting or gumdrops

Skewer small marshmallows on toothpicks to form the ears, leaving enough space to stick them into the large marshmallow to be the head. You can also add another marshmallow on its side for the body. Use cut up gumdrops or frosting for eyes and nose. Broken pieces of toothpicks can be used for whiskers. The bunnies can be used to decorate cakes and Easter baskets but don’t let small children have them as they could choke on the toothpicks. 

Goodie Carrots

2 14-inch squares orange cellophane

green curling ribbon

small dry cereal like Rice Crispies, Fruity Pebbles or small candies

Cut each piece of cellophane on the diagonal, making triangles. Put your finger on the middle of the cut side along the edge and roll the cellophane into a cone, keeping that middle point as the tip of the cone. Tape the inside and outside shut to secure cone. Fill 2/3 full with cereal or candy and twist shut. Tie closed with curling ribbon and curl. Makes 4 “carrots”.