Blueberry Muffins and Spring Cocktails

I hope everyone got to celebrate the mothers in their lives yesterday! It was such a beautiful weekend. I saw a lot of moms doing yard work (eh hem, where you at on that one, dads?). Mother's day here was celebrated by a homemade brunch and dinner, and the building of a chicken coop. Hopefully that made up for the tattoo I got the day before. Moms aren't usually thrilled when their children come home with tattoos. Poor timing on my part. Lucky for me, I have the nicest mom in the world.

My dad and brothers took care of brunch while Mom and I went to church and enjoyed a run together. They did an amazing job! Spinach quiche, potatoes, bacon, fruit salad, even homemade ketchup. I was able to squeeze in making some blueberry muffins before church, since they're Mom's favorite. And she contributed some chocolate chip banana bread (made the day before so it doesn't count as making her work on Mother's day). Dinner was a winner too! Rib-eye steaks with crab, asparagus, fried onions, and roasted garlic and chive mashed potatoes. We decided that only two meals need to be served every day if they're like that. As in large. And fattening.

A celebratory day isn't complete without some celebratory cocktails around here. A few years ago Dad came up with a Chive Blossom Martini. It's such a pretty and refreshing cocktail for spring, especially if you have chives growing around that you can pick right from the ground. We also made Hummingbirds, a drink that's ordered quite a bit at the bar where I work. It's floral and bubbly, and slightly sweet. It's made with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and if you haven't tried it yet, you should! Or just buy a bottle of it to display somewhere in your home. It's really fancy. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

6 Tbsp butter, softened

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

2 cups blueberries 

1 Tbsp turbinado sugar

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup brown sugar

6 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp butter, softened

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with liners (makes about 9 jumbo muffins or 12 standard-sized muffins). Cream butter, oil and sugar in mixer. Mix in eggs one at a time until combined, then add vanilla. Add one cup of flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix in milk until just combined, then add the remaining flour. Gently fold in blueberries. Prepare streusel topping: mix all ingredients together with fork, pastry blender or hands until all ingredients are incorporated and texture is crumbly. Divide batter among muffin tins, top with streusel topping, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inserted in center (20-25 minutes for standard size, 25-30 minutes for large).

Chive Blossom Martini

3 oz. gin

0.5 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur 

3 oz. club soda

2-3 chives, chopped into one-inch pieces

1/2 tsp. sugar

Ice

Chive stem and blossom, for garnish

In a shaker, muddle chives and sugar with a splash of water. Fill shaker with ice. Add gin and St. Germain. Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a chive stem (as a straw! How clever!) and blossom. 

Hummingbird

From St. Germain

2 parts brut champagne or dry sparkling white wine
1 part St. Germain
2 parts club soda
Lemon twist, for garnish

Pour all ingredients over ice in a Collins glass. Top with a lemon twist. Drink. Then make another one.

Pecan Pie and a Flop

I hope everyone had a relaxing and blessed Easter! It's always good to be reminded of how great our God is, and remember that Jesus died and rose from the cross so that our sins would be forgiven, and so we could have everlasting life ourselves.

Holidays always mean lots of time spent in the kitchen--a feast is definitely in order! And a feast is what we had. Baked ham, rosemary lamb chops, grilled asparagus, deviled eggs, potato salad, homemade pickles, crescent rolls, cornbread, fruit salad...it goes on and on and on. Mom always outdoes herself. And that's before all the baked goods! I tackled some pies and cupcakes, then the two of us teamed up to make some egg bread and frosted sugar cookies. 

Let's talk pie. One pie, the pecan pie--the one I'm sharing with you today, was a give-away. But I'm told it got rave reviews. The other pie, lemon meringue, was a recipe featured on the cover of the latest Fine Cooking magazine and caught my attention immediately. I knew I had to attempt it! Then I realized I've never even eaten lemon meringue pie before, I've only made up in my head what I think it would taste like. I guess it's the unnatural fluorescent yellow filling that's kept me away for so long. Anyway, this pie is a marathon to make, and I was surprised at how smoothly the process was going. By the end I had a picture-perfect pie. 

That turned to soup when we cut into it. 

It's currently sitting, half-eaten, on the kitchen table positioned right next to the magazine with its shining cover photo looking at my pie and straight up mocking it. I think no one knows if it should be thrown out or mourned. The taste was right-on (I'm told, since I guess I can't say that I actually know what it was supposed to taste like). I'm not sure where it went wrong since the magazine had pictures to go along with the steps, but I'm determined to get this one right. And hopefully next time we can use forks instead of spoons...!

Back to the other pie (the one I know will come out as a solid as opposed to a liquid). Pecan pie often times calls for a touch of bourbon, which we didn't have on hand at the time (no worries, I've already solved that problem), so I substituted with some Crown Royal, which we always have hanging around. I had some leftover ground gingersnap cookies so I tossed them in the filling to add a little extra spice. You can use your favorite pie dough for the crust or an uncooked store-bought version. 

Classic Pie Dough

(makes top and bottom crust)

2 cups flour

3 Tbsp cold shortening, cut in cubes

3 Tbsp cold butter, cut in cubes

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6-8 Tbsp ice-cold water

Combine dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender (or two forks) to cut in butter and shortening until the mixture resembles wet sand and the fat is no bigger than pea-sized. Add 6 Tbsp of water and toss mixture with a fork to combine. Continue to add more water until the dough comes together and is no longer dry, but not sticky (you may need more than 8 Tbsp of water total). Divide dough in two, form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Avoid touching the dough with your hands as much as possible, since your hands are warm and you want the dough to stay cold. Put dough in the fridge for at least a half hour before rolling out. 

Pecan Pie 

Adapted from youngmarriedchic.com

3 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp ground gingersnaps

1 Tbsp flour

1 cup corn syrup

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp Crown Royal (or bourbon)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup pecan halves, toasted

1 tsp maple sugar (white sugar or vanilla is fine too!)

1 uncooked pie shell

Place baking sheet on middle rack in oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs with sugar until well combined. Stir in corn syrup, and add gingersnaps and flour. Mix in butter, Crown Royal and vanilla, then fold in chopped pecans. Pour filling into pie shell and top with pecan halves placed in a decorative pattern (or just mix them in-it all tastes the same!). Sprinkle with maple sugar. Place pie on baking sheet in oven and bake for an hour. 

I just got back from a trip down to Port Orange, Florida for a week spent with some crazy cousins. I'll be recounting my trip soon! Which may or my not include my attempt at surfing coming from someone who can barely stand on two feet on dry ground.

 Have a blessed week!

Irish Car Bomb Brownies

Just a quick recipe post! I hope everyone's St. Paddy's Day was thoroughly enjoyed with plenty of family, friends, beer and whiskey. I was bartending, and it wasn't too busy during the day (most likely due to the restaurant's lack of Irish affiliation), but we still had fun! We kind of made it our mission to fit as much green into our black-on-black uniforms as possible.

I was hoping someone at the bar would order an actual Irish Car Bomb, it being St. Paddy's and all. But I guess mid-afternoon is a little too early for those. Luckily for me, I had about an hour between working out and heading off to work, and that left me just enough time to whip up some Irish Car Bomb Brownies.

These brownies have a texture closer to fudge than cake-like brownies because there's no leavening agent used (like baking powder or baking soda). The recipe is adapted from a gluten-free version I found on The Dusty Baker. Since I have no reason not to use gluten, I decided to put it back in (duh). But if for some reason you're on a gluten-free diet, by all means follow their original recipe!

Irish Car Bomb Brownies

Guinness Brownies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Valrhona since it's super dark, but any good cocoa will work!)
1/2 cup Guinness
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 square baking dish (or something similar) and line with parchment. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in cocoa until smooth. Mix in beer. Add sugar and whisk until it's dissolved (about a minute). Transfer mixture to large bowl and cool slightly. Add eggs and whisk until completely combined. Fold in flour and salt, and pour into baking dish. Bake 15-20 minutes until middle is set. Cool before frosting.

Jameson and Baileys Ganache 
1 cup chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp butter
1 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
1 oz Baileys Irish Cream

Place chocolate in a medium-sized bowl. Heat cream just until it begins to bubble. Pour over chocolate and let sit for a couple minutes. Begin slowly mixing the chocolate and cream mixture until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter, Jameson and Baileys. Pour on top of cooled brownies, and allow to set for a few hours at room temperature before cutting and serving.


Check back soon for a second review of some eateries in NYC! Have a wonderful night!