Cooking with Kelly & Taking Down Christmas

Well, I can't believe another year is over and new one is here! The years really do go by faster and faster the older I get! Happy New Year to Everyone!! I hope that 2010 will hold the answers to many of your prayers and will bring a year of happiness and good times!

I decided we would ring in the new year with a delicious breakfast so I consulted my FAVORITE muffin cookbook, the Williams Sonoma Muffin Cookbook! I decided to make a classic recipe, Blueberry Muffins!

Here is what you will need;

FOR THE TOPPING

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons each granulated sugar and firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

FOR THE MUFFINS

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or frozen unsweetened blueberries, unthawed

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray.

To make the topping, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Using a pastry cutter, or your fingers, cut or rub the butter into the dry ingredients just until coarse crumbs form. (I just used my fingers!) Alternatively, combine the dry ingredients and butter in a food processor and pulse just until coarse crumbs form.

To make the muffins, in a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until blended into the butter mixture.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 2 increments, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the fresh blueberries just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Take care not to break the fruit. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim of the cup. Sprinkle each muffin with some topping.

Bake until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature!

We had ours with scrambled eggs and turkey bacon! YUM, YUM!

Once breakfast was over it was time to take down Christmas...

the ornaments are all packed away.

including my 2 favorite from our honeymoon...

this is a ceramic, hand painted ornament of the hotel we stayed in...

...and this is a gold maple leaf, also from our honeymoon!

The only thing I don't like about Christmas is taking it all down. It makes me feel soooo sad to see it all going away. The house always feels like it is empty once the tree comes down and the garland is put away. I already miss the twinkling lights. (sigh)

The good news is that next Christmas is only 364 days away, haha! I hope that by the time Christmas 2010 is here we are a bit more settled in our new business and we can have some more time to truly enjoy the season! This year has been crazy busy, but wonderful at the same time!

Happy New Year!