I was really contemplating not mentioning that the date of my last post and this one are rather far apart in time… let’s go with about 7 months… but the mere fact that I haven’t written a blog post since September, of well, now last year, makes me feel rather pathetic. Almost 7 months have gone by and I’ve neglected QFGE – I feel like a bad mother. Thankfully though, I’ve managed to find a chunk of time to sit down and write a post for all you who have been at the edge of your seat waiting for this day (I’m truly hoping everyone can sense the sarcasm in that statement).

I guess I should start off by wishing everyone a Happy Easter! And may your Easters be filled with friends, family, delicious food, and the knowing that your sins has forever been forgiven. We traditionally do brunch for Easter, and this year I knew exactly what I wanted to bring to the table. I’ve been dying to make blueberry scones, you know, the ones that are crumbly and moist, but hold up just enough to dunk into your coffee? Yeah, those kind. So that’s what I made, crossing my fingers the entire time they baked that they wouldn’t be an epic fail. And they weren’t! They were actually, if I may say so myself, quite delicious. Not too sweet, not too dry, and perfect for dunking. These will be bookmarked and probably be made more often than my skinny jeans would like!

Blueberry Lemon Scones
recipe adapted from La Petite Brioche

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, grated
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup cold heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh (I think I’d add a handful more next time I make these)
• extra heavy cream for brushing the tops
• raw sugar for sprinkling the tops

Grate butter and keep in fridge until ready to use. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed. Lightly whisk together the egg, vanilla, and heavy cream in separate bowl and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy. Add the blueberries to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn’t stick.

Shape the dough into a square. Cut the square into quarters then cut again into eighths, diagonally, making triangles.

Brush the tops of the scones with heavy creme, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch.

Serve warm, with butter or preservatives. Enjoy!

Summer is almost over my friends, so not only is it time to get to the beach once more to get that golden-bronze tan you’ve been working toward before the winter comes and sucks all the pigment from your skin, leaving you pale and ghostly (just saying’) – it’s also time to get to your local farmers market and take advantage of the delicious produce that summer gives us! Jersey peaches, plump, sweet blueberries, figs, cherries, watermelon, raspberries, and the list goes on. Whether you mix them in with your favorite yogurt, eat them plain, or bake them into a light, moist, crumbly-topped cake (like this one), I highly suggest you eat as much of summer’s goodness as you can before the season ends.

One of my favorite fruits to bake with are blueberries. First favorite, apples, no questions asked. But blueberries baked into a bread, cake, pie, muffin, or tart give a burst of sweet but slightly tart flavor. Plus, they’re fruit, which are good for you, meaning this cake is like, kind of healthy, right? I like to think so considering I ate it for breakfast for 3 days straight.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite bake-books of all time – Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours. I’ve made several of her recipes, including these, these, these, these, these, and this. Whenever I’m about to make a recipe from Dorie, I always consult with the TWD Group. TWD is short for Tuesdays With Dorie, which is a group formed by bloggers across the web who bake the same recipe two Tuesdays a month, and write about what they thought. I’ve been kicking myself for not getting involved with this awesome web-gettogether, but perhaps I will in the near future. As for this recipe, the verdict was A+ across the board. As many other bloggers said, the topping is to die for, don’t miss the step where you rub the lemon zest into the sugar, and be sure not to let this over bake.

Blueberry Crumb Cake
from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:
For the crumbs:

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

 
For the cake:

• 1 pint (2 cups) blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)
• 2 cups plus 2 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 2/3 cup sugar
• grated zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/4 orange
• 3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and place the rack at the middle position in the oven. Butter an 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface. Refrigerate until needed. (Covered well the crumb mix can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

To make the cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 tsp of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don’t be concerned if the batter looks curdled — it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients.) You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.

Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the fridge and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. There’s no need to try to get even pieces — these are crumbs, they’re supposed to be lumpy and bumpy and every shape and size. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down ever so slightly.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool just until it is warm or until it reaches room temperature.

My true passion is food; baking it, cooking it, writing about it, photographing it. I feel fortunate to have a hobby that I find so satisfying. Unfortunately, these past few months have been so non-stop for me, that I have been forced to put my cooking/baking/blogging on hold. Between work, being a full-time student, preparing to graduate college, running a half marathon, taking a trip to London, and now starting a new job, I had been left with little time for myself. However, now that life has slowed down just a tad, I’m thrilled to say, I’m back, and with this amazingly delicious blueberry treat no less!

It almost officially summer here in North Jersey (June 20th to be exact) and farm stands are sure to be popping up in every town. Among the fresh, ripe, juicy fruits that you can find at farm stands are blueberries, and if I were you, I’d pick up a pint of these bad boys and make this loaf today. I dare you to make it last a week, because it surely didn’t in my house!

The recipe comes from Ina Garden, but I’ve adapted it a bit to my own liking. She calls it a ‘lemon yogurt cake’ but because I’ve excluded the lemon and used only half the yogurt she calls for, I’m going to call it a Blueberry Cake-Loaf. And this will be the very best blueberry cake-loaf you’ll ever have. It’s beyond moist, just sweet enough, and packed with bursts of fresh berries. I’ve been eating it for breakfast, snacks, and dessert because I just can’t get enough. If you’re in search of a great way to use up some blueberries that the whole family can enjoy, I think you’ve found your recipe.

Blueberry Cake-Loaf
adapted from Ina Garden

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 pint blueberries, fresh

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sour cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 (+) minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Summer is in full swing and us foodies know exactly what that means: fresh produce! I’m not just talking fresh from the super market. I’m talking ‘step outside into your garden and pick-your-own’ fresh. Farmers markets are popping up along the sides of streets and veggies are plentiful. What better way to put them to use than to cook and bake with them!

I picked up some local blueberries and peaches and knew exactly what I wanted to make. I had in mind a cobbler or berry crisp of some sort. I wanted them baked so that their natural flavors would run and mix into a sweet fruit juice at the bottom of the pan. Originally, I had in mind a pie crust bottom with a cinnamon-brown sugar and oat mixture on top; kind of like a crumble. I quickly changed my mind when I found this recipe. It stole my heart and I knew exactly what shape I would use for the crust. It also helped that I had the same exact pan in my cabinet! The top crust is biscuit-like and flaky with an added sweetness from the sugar. (I topped it off with a bit more sugar before I stuck it in the oven, too.)

As much as baking in the summer can be hot and sticky, I love it. I love the smells of fresh fruits and vegetables mixed with seasons and spices coming together. I have an overstock of cucumbers, zucchinis, yellow squashes, and eggplant right now so baking this week is a must! That being said, I’m always on the hunt for new recipes… any suggestions/recommendations? What’s your favorite dessert to make during the summer?

Blueberry & Peach Cobbler
adapted from Sweetfineday

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 4 nectarines, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cup blueberries
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons flour

Directions:

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and butter together in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed until the butter is mostly incorporated into the flour. Pour in the half & half and mix just until a dough forms. Roll the dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch shapes (I did squares, but anything will do, or even just tear the pieces by hand into random shapes) and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl, then pour into a baking dish just big enough to comfortably hold all the fruit. I used a 10-inch round, 1-inch deep ceramic dish, but anything else will do. Arrange the cut biscuit dough on the top of the fruit, leaving a few small spots uncovered. Put the dish on a baking sheet (it will most likely bubble over) and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden and the fruit is bubbling. Let cool a bit before serving.

My summer days are long and I’ve been eating quinoa like it’s going out of style. I try as hard as possible to fit as much as I possibly can into each and every day. And on my days off – which are few and far between – I try to relax. Today, I had a few hours to spare, a bit on my mind, and a pint of fresh blueberries in the fridge. No better way to relax in my mind than to bake.

I haven’t had a ton of time lately to bake. Plus, it’s hot these days and having the oven on for hours at a time makes the house sticky and humid. I’ve also been reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which has occupied a lot of my down time now because I simply cannot put the book down! Next book on my list: The Help. I started reading because it keeps me awake on my hour bus ride commute, but I actually really enjoy it. Maybe I’ll join my sister’s book club soon…

Speaking of sticky and humid, I’ve taken up hot yoga – hot vinyasa yoga at Younique Yoga in Cedar Grove. For those of you who are familiar with bikram yoga, it’s similar, but involves a lot more moving around and changing positions. The room is over 100 degrees and it’s become my favorite part of the week. I think I might actually be addicted. I try to go to a class at least once or twice a week to relax and unwind, but it really does prove to be a tremendous workout! My back, legs, and arms are always a bit sore the next day… the sore that tells you you actually engaged your muscles enough to feel a post-workout burn.

I decided to whip up these blueberry-oat muffins this morning for a quick, healthy morning breakfast this week. I had them in and out of the oven before 9:15 am, which is totally awesome if you ask me! They required no mixer, no butter, I had all ingredients right there in my cabinet, and they taste amazing. They’re not the least bit dry and have just the right amount of sweet. That right there equals a killer recipe in my book and it is my duty to share it with you so you can all feel the joy I am feeling right now. Oh, and if you don’t keep whole wheat flour on hand at all times, go buy some, because you really never know when you’ll need it. I don’t use it all the time, rarely actually, but when I do, I have it on hand. I think you can call these low-fat, too. They have no butter, only 1/2 cup of brown sugar, whole wheat flour, fruit, and low-fat Greek yogurt. Heck, I’m going to go eat another!

Blueberry-Oat Muffins
from EatBetterAmerica

Yields 12 muffins

• 1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
• 1 egg or 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F. Place paper baking cups in 12 regular-size muffin cups, or grease bottoms only of muffin cups.

In small bowl, mix yogurt and oats. In large bowl, mix egg, oil and brown sugar. Stir in flours, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and yogurt mixture (batter will be lumpy; do not overmix). Gently stir in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.