Blueberry Spice Muffins

Checking the mail is a household "to do" I enjoy doing. It's like opening a present every time I walk out to the mailbox. "What's going to be in there today?" I'll ask myself.
It's normally the usual... a bill or two, junk mail, the grocery ads, magazines, and the unexpected Penzeys Spices catalog. Whenever this arrives in the mail I race home to flip through and begin wish listing for spices I'd love to have and marking recipes I want to try.

Needing a breakfast idea I found a recipe for Blueberry Spice Muffins. I knew I needed to make these right then. These muffins are so delicious and packed with blueberries. I used whole wheat flour and decided that next time I needed to double the amount of cinnamon. As usual I messed up and forgot to add the nutmeg. It wasn't missed but I'd like to give them a try with the nutmeg and more cinnamon next time. The tops of these muffins have a cinnamon sugar coating. They are repeat worthy muffins. Possibly the best muffin recipe I've tried. It's a recipe worth keeping.

Blueberry Spice Muffins

Penzeys Spices, Back To School Catalog 2011

Makes 12 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 3/4 cup flour - I used whole wheat flour.
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup milk - I used skim milk.
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tbsp sugar, for the topping
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, for the topping

And Action:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For the muffins combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the egg and milk and then add to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter. Stir just until moistened and then fold in the blueberries. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until browned and a toothpick that doesn't hit a blueberry comes out clean. Cool a few minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories: 150

Calories from fat: 45

Total fat: 5g

Cholesterol: 25mg

Sodium: 200mg

Carbohydrates: 23g

Dietary Fiber: <1g

Protein: 3g

I will be adding this recipe to my "Stir The Pot" page to join my Blueberry Muffins. 4 down, 21 to go.





Taste of Summer Tilapia

My Summer 2011 catalog for Penzeys Spices arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago. The world is put on pause when a cookbook or any booklet containing recipes is placed in my hands. I sat down, feet propped up, Itty Bitty down for nap, and I thumbed through the catalog. Blissful.

I wish listed for spices and read a few of the bios and bookmarked the recipes I'd like to try.

When I came across this recipe for Taste of Summer Tilapia I knew I had to try it. Tilapia is a fish that is recommended on the Flat Belly Diet so it's a staple fish in my freezer. Normally I just bake it or throw it on the grill. I'm always looking for new ways to jazz up my food and always ready to try a new recipe.

Lunch time rolled around and I couldn't get the recipe out of my head. Fish recipes make me giddy. A growling stomach sealed the deal. There is virtually no prep work and the clean up is a snap. Tilapia fillets are sprinkled with seasoning and then coated in seasoned flour and then pan fried. They get drizzled with butter (optional), squeezed with lemon, and sprinkled with parsley.

Yum and yum! Crunchy outside with a moist and flaky inside. This is a well seasoned tilapia fillet.

Perfect pairing is grilled or roasted veggies.

Taste of Summer Tilapia

Penzeys Spices Catalog, Summer 2011

Makes 6 Servings (Serving size = 1 fillet)

Stars of the Show:

• 6 tilapia fillets, thawed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (optional)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• dried parsley flakes for sprinkling

And Action:

Season the tilapia fillets with a dash of each of the following seasonings: seasoned salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, and garlic salt. Mix the flour and seasonings in a large Ziploc bag. Add each fillet separately and shake to coat.

Pour the canola oil into a frying pan and heat over medium until the oil is medium-hot. Lower the heat to medium low. Add each fillet. Fry the fillets for 7-9 minutes on each side. Remove to a serving platter.

If using, drizzle with the melted butter. Squeeze the lemon over the fillets and sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories: 210

Calories from fat: 60

Fat: 7g

Cholesterol: 70mg

Sodium: 250mg

Carbohydrates: 8g

Fiber: 0 g

Protein: 30g