Cuisine Diva

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Above: Plate full of blueberry muffins.

How to Make Blueberry Muffins

Here's a recipe for an easy to make blueberry muffin, with a streusel topping. I used vanilla soy milk in place of the milk. The oil, egg and milk mixture should equal one cup of liquid. I used a 2 cup glass measuring cup and added the egg and oil, then added enough milk to equal one cup. Then I used a small whisk to mix everything together, before adding the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Above: Stir blueberries into muffin batter.

Blueberry Muffin Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Above: Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with batter.

Blueberry Muffin Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, egg and milk.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir until well blended.
5. Stir in the vanilla extract and blueberries.
6. Spray a 12 compartment muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
7. Fill each muffin compartment approximately 2/3 with batter.
8. Top each muffin with approximately 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping.
9. Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Above: Use pastry knife to blend struesel topping ingredients together.

Streusel Topping For Blueberry Muffins

This topping makes a sweet and nutty crispy topping for the blueberry muffins.

Streusel Topping Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Streusel Topping Directions

1. Sift together the sugar, flour and cinnamon.
2. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife, or a large fork, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in the nuts.

Above: Top each muffin compartment with 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Potato Gratin Casserole

Above: Single serving of potato gratin casserole.

Delicious Potato Side Dish

Here is a recipe for a side dish featuring potatoes, which I served as part of our Thanksgiving Day menu. I was trying to serve some different dishes this year, that were a bit of a change from what I normally serve. I didn't want to make mashed potatoes this year, but knew my family would freak if the only potato dish I served was roasted sweet potatoes. So I searched a few of my cookbooks and on line cooking sites and came up with this recipe for Potato Gratin Casserole.

Above: Mandoline slicer.

Potato Gratin Ingredients

I used regular baking potatoes for this recipe, but you could use yellow skin, red skin or whatever variety of potatoes you prefer. I used a 50-50 mix of panko breadcrumbs and Italian flavored breadcrumbs to top of the gratin before placing it in the oven. You can use whatever type of cheese you like in this recipe, such as Gruyere, fontina, provolone, mozzarella, havarti, munster, etc...

Above: Potato gratin casserole.

• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

Above: Bake the potato gratin in a ceramic or glass casserole dish.

Potato Gratin Directions

1. Place the heavy cream, milk, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium sauce pan placed over medium heat.
2. Slowly bring the cream mixture up to temperature while stirring occasionally.
3. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. I used a mandoline slicer to get uniformly thick, 1/4 inch thick slices.
4. Use a large casserole dish to alternate layers of cream, potatoes and cheese. I ened up with three layers to fill my Rachael Ray ceramic casserole dish to the top.
5. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the casserole.
6. I made my potato gratin casserole early Thanksgiving morning and stored it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
7. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top has turned a medium brown.
9. Remove the casserole from the oven and place on a heat proof surface.
10. Let the potatoes sit for at least 10-15 minutes before serving. The sauce will be molten lava when you first remove the gratin from the oven, let it set up for a few minutes and the sauce will start to cool down and thicken.
11. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. My husband discovered leftover potato gratin, heated up in the microwave then served with a few French's fried onions on top, made a wonderful snack.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Edible Chocolate Hanukkah Dreidels

The Cuisine Diva just received an email from the PR department of Mindy's Meals on Heels. They wanted to know if I would be interested in posting a Hanukkah recipe from site founder Mindy Korbrin on the Cuisine Diva site.It looked like an interesting idea, so here it is, enjoy!

Here's a new spin on a traditional Hanukkah activity that the whole family can enjoy! Celebrations and entertaining expert; Mindy Kobrin, founder of Mindy’s Meals on Heels (www.mealsonheelsbymindy.com) has created an Incredible Edible Hanukkah Dreidel which will allow kids (and adults) the opportunity to play with their food!

 

Above: Incredible edible Hanukkah dreidels.

 

Ingredients for Edible Hanukkah Dreidel

• 12 thin pretzel sticks
• 12 large marshmallows
• 8 oz dark chocolate, melted
• 2 oz white chocolate, melted or white frosting
• 12 Hershey kisses

Directions for Edible Hanukkah Dreidel

1. Dip bottom of chocolate kiss in melted semisweet chocolate
2. Press onto marshmallow; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet
3. Repeat to make 12 dreidels. Refrigerate for 10 minutes
4. Cut a small slit in bottom of each marshmallow; insert 1 thin pretzel stick
5. Dip dreidels in chocolate, and return to baking sheet
6. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes
7. Fill a resealable plastic bag with melted white chocolate; cut a tiny opening in a corner, and pipe Hebrew letters onto 3 sides of each dreidel
8. Refrigerate at least 5 minutes or up to 8 hours before serving

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Parsnips

Above: Sauteed Brussels sprouts with parsnips.

Vegetarian Side Dish

I love Brussels sprouts and cook with them quite frequently. On Monday I posted about my recent purchase of an entire stalk of Brussels sprouts at a local farmer's market: Buy a Stalk of Brussels Sprouts. Sauteed Brussels sprouts with parsnips is a delicious vegetarian side dish, which would make a interesting addition to your holiday menu.

Above: Is that a giant, white carrot? Nope, it's a parsnip!

What the heck is a parsnip? It looks like a giant white carrot, and can be found near the bags of carrots in most grocery stores. I wouldn't eat a raw parsnip though, they are a bit tough and stringy. But lightly steamed, they take on a nice and mellow taste, which tastes to me a like a potato with a bit of carrot mixed in.

Above: Brussels sprouts and parsnips waiting to be steamed.

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Parsnips Ingredients

Raw Brussels sprouts and parsnips are a bit tough when raw, so I like to partially cook them before adding to my recipes. I use a bamboo steamer, placed over a Wok which is partially filled with water, but you can use a metal steamer basket placed inside of a cooking pan, or whatever method you want.

• 1 1/2 cups parsnips - peeled and chopped
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic - minced
• salt
• pepper

Above: Bamboo steamer placed over wok used to steam vegetables.

 

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Parsnips Directions

1. Trim off the ends of the Brussels sprouts, and remove any dried out/blemished leaves. I leave small sprouts whole, cut medium ones in half and quarter any large ones.
2. Add the Brussels sprouts and parsnips to your steamer and steam for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender, but not falling apart.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan placed over medium high heat.
4. Add the steamed Brussels sprouts and parsnips to the pan.
5. Stir in the garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to turn medium brown, stirring occasionally.
6. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Above: Saute the steamed Brussels sprouts and parsnips in a large pan.

At this point you could go ahead and serve the sauteed Brussels sprouts with parsnips. Yesterday I posted up a mushroom recipe to the Cuisine Diva blog: Sauteed Mushroom Side Dish. I had some leftover mushrooms and decided to add them to the parsnips and Brussels sprouts. HEAVEN!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Sauteed Mushroom Side Dish

Above: Sauteed mushrooms with fresh herbs.

I am a huge fan of sauteed mushrooms. Unfortunately I am the only one in my family that enjoys mushrooms. I wanted to make a brown mushroom gravy, to serve along with the chicken saltimbocca I made as part of our Thanksgiving Day meal, but had to settle for plain brown gravy. Since I was still craving mushrooms, I made a small side dish of sauteed mushrooms with fresh herbs to accompany our holiday meal.

Sauteed mushrooms make a terrific accompaniment to steak, chicken or pork. You could also serve the mushrooms on top of pasta, rice, or a baked potato for a delicious vegetarian dish.

Above: Ingredients to make sauteed mushrooms.

Sauteed Mushroom Ingredients

Any type of mushrooms can be used in this recipe. I used baby portabellas. Regular chives can be used in place of the garlic chives. I used garlic paste in this recipe, but a few cloves of finely minced fresh garlic can be substituted for the paste.

• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano - chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh garlic chives - chopped

Above: Baby portabella mushrooms.

Sauteed Mushroom Directions

1. Used a slightly damp paper towel to brush off any dirt on the mushrooms.
2. Remove and discard the mushroom stems, then thinly slice the mushroom caps.
3. Add the olive oil and butter to a frying pan placed over medium high heat.
4. Add the mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until they start to release their juices.
5. Stir in the garlic paste, oregano and garlic chives and cook for another minute or two.
6. Stir in the salt and pepper, adding more or less according to your personal preference.
7. Place the cooked mushrooms in a decorative bowl and serve immediately.
8. Leftover sauteed mushrooms will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Leftovers can be heated up in a microwave.

Above: Mushrooms after herbs and seasonings have been added.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva