To-Die-For Fresh Blueberry Muffins

Is there anything better than warm blueberry muffins right out of the oven? Better yet, homemade blueberry muffins made with fresh blueberries? I'm not convinced there is. Not to mention, this recipe is very easy and you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry already. Not only do they taste delicious but they make your home smell amazing as well. Give them a try sometime this week!

Makes 9 large muffins

Muffins:                                     Crumb Topping: 

1.5 C flour                                   1/2 C white sugar
3/4 C white sugar                      1/3 C flour
1/2 t salt                                     1/4 C butter, cubed
2 t baking powder                     1.5 t ground cinnamon
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 C milk
1C fresh blueberries

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tin or line it with paper muffin liners.

The muffins: 
In a medium bowl, mix together 1.5 C flour, 3/4 C sugar, salt and baking powder. In a 1 cup measuring cup, add 1/3 C vegetable oil, an egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with the flour mixture. Fold in your blueberries. Fill your muffin cups to the top and set aside.

Crumb topping:
Mix together 1/2 C sugar, 1/3 C flour, 1/4 C butter and 1.5 t cinnamon with a fork. Once combined, sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until nicely golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed peppers are delicious, but if you've ever made them you will probably agree that they are time consuming and sometimes just too much work! I came across this recipe that has all the yummy ingredients of stuffed peppers, but in an easy-to-make, hearty soup. Give it a try sometime this week, it is delicious!

You will need:

1 lb ground beef

1 large bell pepper (whichever color you prefer)

1/2 C onion

1 can Ro*tel diced tomatoes and green chiles (with juices)

1 (10 oz) can tomato sauce

14 oz chicken OR beef broth

2 C rice (cooked)

1 T sugar

1 t garlic salt

S&P to taste

*Tortilla chips & shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

To begin, cook your ground beef, diced pepper

and onions in a large pot on medium-high heat.

Once beef is cooked through, drain excess grease. 

Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Cover and let simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

*When I made this soup, I had both red and green bell peppers, so I used a half of each to add more color to the dish. I also had spinach on hand so I coarsely chopped about 1.5 cups and added it in for the last 5 minutes of simmering. Feel free to experiment with other seasonings and additions!

White Chocolate Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies

Looking in my cupboard for something to satisfy my sweet tooth, I saw a Valentine's Day cake mix. Since the holiday has come and gone and I clearly didn't put the cake mix to use as cupcakes or a cake, I decided to find a different recipe to utilize the mix. I did a little looking around and found this delicious twist on the usual use for cake mixes.

What you will need:
1 (16.5 oz.) box white or funfetti cake mix
1 (3.3 oz.) box white chocolate instant pudding mix
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C white chocolate chips
4 T sprinkles (optional if using funfetti cake mix)

*Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To begin, mix your cake mix and pudding mix and add in the vegetable oil and eggs.

Once combined, stir in the white chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Roll dough into balls the size of a golfball and place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake in your preheated oven for 9-11 minutes.

Once you remove the pan from the oven, let sit for 1 minute and place cookies on newspaper to cool.

Makes 25-30 Cookies

Tip:

1/2 C vegetable oil is a lot! Instead, use 1/4 C vegetable oil and 1/4 C applesauce. You won't be able to tell the difference and it is much healthier. Well, as healthy as cookies can get ;).

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

With how cold and snowy it's been in northern Iowa the past week, making a crock pot of Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup really hit the spot. It's one of the easiest things to make, you literally just dump everything in the slow cooker and can even put it together the night before! The recipe is as follows:

2 C cooked, shredded chicken (canned chicken works well too)

2 - 10 oz. cans Old El Paso brand Enchilada sauce

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can Ro*tel diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 packet taco seasoning

2 C milk

1 C cheddar or mexican cheese

1/4 C onion

1 C rice (white, brown, or mexican)

*For garnishing:

Tortilla chips

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Spray your slow cooker and add all ingredients. Heat on low for 4-6 hours, stirring every couple of hours. Enjoy once the soup is heated through.

Makes 4 - 6 servings

*I will warn you this soup has a little bite to it, but that's coming from me, and I am a whimp when it comes to spicy foods. It's an easy fix though, I promise! Just omit, or use a mild flavor of your Ro*tel diced tomatoes and green chiles.