Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Last year, I bought a blueberry bush. I had heard that blueberry bushes grow really well in Texas, and since the plant was only about 8 bucks, I went for it. 

Last year, I didn't get to eat any of the blueberries. The squirrels or birds ate all of them. It was the saddest thing that's ever happened.

Yesterday, I went outside to find a few of the blueberries were ripe and delicious!

They're so blue!

Now, I don't by any means have enough blueberries to make anything, but eating the few ripe blueberries on the bush made me crave blueberry muffins for breakfast this morning. I've made blueberry muffins many times before, but these are definitely the best. They're so good, y'all. I adapted the delicious recipe from the Samson Family. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

1¾ cups flour

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

2½ teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups blueberries (I used more like 2 cups-- hey, I like blueberries!)

1 large egg, at room temperature

¾ cup milk

1/3 vegetable oil

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp cold butter

1. Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the blueberries. Beat the egg well then add the milk and oil and mix well together (don’t beat as this makes the muffins tough).

2. Scoop using a cookie scoop into buttered muffin tins or paper-lined muffin tins, filling the tins to the top.

3. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter into the flour and sugar for the streusel topping. Cut until it resembles large crumbs.

4. Bake in an oven preheated to 425°F for 15-16 minutes, or until risen and golden. Remove from the oven, leave in the tray for 5 minutes, then flip out with a small knife onto a cooling rack.

Copycat Uno's Deep Dish Pizza

You can't go wrong with pizza, right?

My family's favorite pizza place is Uno's Chicago Grill. The crust is so buttery, cheese so melty, and the toppings are so fresh and tasty. I had always wanted to make this pizza, but I couldn't find the recipe... until I got Pinterest. I pinned this recipe about 2 years ago, and I had been wanting to try it since then. I decided to try it tonight. 

Boy am I glad I did.

It was SO good. 

We bought everything fresh just an hour before I made the pizza, so all of the toppings were wonderfully fresh and delicious.

From Seeded at the Table.

Copycat Uno's Deep Dish Pizza

Yields: 1 9" deep dish pizza

Time: about 2 hours

Crust:

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp AP flour

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 1/8 tsp instant yeast

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp water, room temperature

1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter, softened

2 cups shredded mozzarella 

Desired toppings

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the water and melted butter. With the dough hook attachment, turn the stand mixer on medium for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl as often as necessary. Put the dough in a bowl coated with the 1 tsp olive oil and let it rise at room temperature for 40-50 minutes, or until doubled. 

2. Roll the dough out to 6"x8". Spread the softened butter on the dough and fold the dough into thirds (like a business letter). Roll it out again, this time to 8"x12". Fold it into thirds again and then roll it into a ball. Put it into the bowl coated with olive oil and let it rise for 40-50 minutes in the fridge. While it's rising in the fridge, make the tomato sauce.

Tomato Sauce:

1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp grated onion
Pinch of dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
2 tbsp chopped basil leaves
1 1/2 tsp olive oil

Black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

3. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Sauté the onion and oregano in the butter for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add salt and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds before adding tomatoes and sugar. Let it come to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add the basil, olive oil, and salt and pepper, then remove from heat. 

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 9" deep dish pizza stone or a 9" cake pan with 2 tsp cornmeal. Roll out the dough on a dry surface to about a 13" circle. Transfer to pan. Line the dough with 2 cups shredded mozzarella. Top the cheese with the tomato sauce (how backwards! It keeps the crust from getting soggy) and then the desired toppings. I used pepperoni (a heck of a lot of 'em), bell peppers, tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms, italian meatballs, onions, and parmesan. 

5. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Let it sit out for 5-8 minutes before cutting and eating. 

Bon appétit!

A Cupcake Tip Tutorial

I remember when I was little I would look at the bakery in the local grocery store and wonder how they made those beautiful swirls on cupcakes and cakes. I used to think they had to carve away at the frosting to make it look like that.

Thank goodness that isn't how it's done!

Once I learned how to frost cupcakes with piping tips, I never went back! It's about 503859 times easier than frosting with a knife, and it looks so professional. Easier and prettier? Count me in.

I use five piping tips for frosting cupcakes. Here they are!

[LVCC stands for "Little Venice Cake Company." I got all of these tips at Michael's.]

These are done on mini cupcakes, so keep that in mind when checking out the sizing on the cupcakes. 

1. Open Star

2. Closed Star

3. Round Tip

4. French Star Tip

5. Drop Flower

Cupcake piping tips are larger than traditional piping tips to help you get that perfect cupcake swirl. 

With minis, you can also do just a little squirt of frosting instead of the swirl. I did that with a few of the tips.

[LVCC 195]

[Wilton 1M]

[LVCC 1A]

Wilton 1M is the piping tip I use to always make that "Perfect Cupcake Swirl," but I like to mix it up with the French bakery tip [LVCC 195] and all the others occasionally, too! The large round tip [LVCC 1A] is good for if you're planning on decorating the cupcake with something just around the edge of the frosting and not on top, like this. 

I'm so glad I discovered that the cutest way to decorate cupcakes is also the easiest way! 

Happy decorating, everyone!