I Found My Thrill...On Blue Berry Hill

For the past two weeks it has done nothing but rain here in New England. It's been gray, sometimes a little too cool, and terribly, terribly wet. Ideal conditions for baking really - the gray and cool part that is. But today was beautifully sunny and warm - 80 degrees. And VERY humid.

So today it was VERY warm. It's REALLY humid now with the heat. A steam bath when you walk outside...and I decide to turn the oven on and bake. Will wonders never cease where my brains are concerned? It IS in constant state of fart ya know .

But the thing here is yesterday my sweetie's mother gave me a half pint of fresh blue berries. Beautiful, big, plump, juicy, sweet, fresh from a local grower's garden blue berries. I knew immediately I wanted to make muffins with them (well, really muffin batter in a cake pan instead of muffin tin), but was busy yesterday and didn't get to it. So this morning I decided that at some point today I would defintely do the deed. But my schedule was jam packed this day also.

So...

I decided to do them this evening when things slowed down some and it had cooled off a little too. Around 8:30 pm was good enough for me and mix up a batch I did. It did heat up the house a little, but the pay off was worth it.

Gawd! did they taste good straight from the oven with a big 'ol hunk of butter. Summer never tasted better.

And to all you lovely peeps out there in bloggy land; here's my recipe for fab, light, fluffy, juicy-berried, perfect for summer snackin' blue berry muffins:

1 1/2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder (make sure it's fresh)
1/2 Cup Vegtable Oil (I use Canola)
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Cup Fresh Blue Berries (a half pint = 1 cup)

Topping (optional)

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Butter, cold and cubed
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400.
Grease muffin pan (or cake pan, which I prefer).
In medium size mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Place vegetable oil in measuring cup.
Add egg and milk to fill cup.
Stir lightly and add to flour mixture.
Fold in blue berries.
Fill muffin or cake pan.

Topping:
Mix together topping ingredients with fork.
Sprinkle on top of muffin mixture.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes. (30 - 35 minutes for cake pan)

Eat warm from oven with big 'ol glob of butter.

Now ain't that easy...and tasty y'all?