Blueberry Muffins

I had this thought running in my head over and over again since this morning: "I have to make blueberry muffins."
There is something very fascinating about baking with bluberries.I love them :baked,or not baked,with cereals and milk,in cakes,with yogurt or fresh (even better!) possibilities are endless.
But combining them in muffins,I have to admit, sounded very appealing to me.
I've seen arround some recipes for blueberry muffins but this one of simply recipes is a winner.
The secret,to my humble believe,is in the yogurt added that makes those muffins so moist and delicate, and in the lemon zest that adds a wonderful fragrance and engages very well with the blueberries and results in a sweet yet very delicate taste.
I came back home from work yesterday pretty deciceve to bake those muffins.So after putting DD and DH to bed,I started to make them.I crashed right after they were baked.This morning I had one for breakfast,and I brought some to work.I recieved many compliments and am sure you will too if you decide to make them.The only thing I've changed in this recipe is omitting half cup of yogurt and putting half cup of oil instead of butter (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups yogurt and 1 cup and 1/4 butter) This makes muffins softer.

Makes 12-16 muffins
Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins:

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil (not olive oil)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)


Put the oven rack in the lower middle part and preheat oven to 170c°.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a larg mixing bowl, put together sugar and eggs, one at a time and mix. Add oil and mix then grated lemon zest.

Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat. Fold in the berries. If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.

Arrange 12 standard muffin cups in a mufin tray and start to distribute batch equally in the cups, don't fill them until the end , about 2/3 of a cup.Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25-30 min or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle omes out clean.Put on a rack to cool for about 5 min.

Note: Original recipe uses blueberries, but I think you can use any kind of wild berries, and the result will be as good as this one.

Zucchini beef meatballs

I am getting frustrated from the fact that my daughter is refusing to eat veggies.

I tried everyway possible, nothing. Kids those days are no fool ,they can ditect

veggies even if you try your best in hiding them.

So I thought of grating zucchinies and putting them in the usual beef meat balls I make . They turned out really good ! My daughter ate it and she was quite satisfied ,I was happy because I knew I finally hid veggies so well into food that she didn't even notice!

shhhhhhhhh, our secret ;-)

Zucchini Beef Meat Balls:

500 gr minced beef

2 Meduim zucchini

1 egg

half cup grated parmisan cheese.

half cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper for seasoning.

Preheat oven to 170c°.
Start by washing the zucchinies then grate them finely. In a large bowl , put beef zucchies, egg, parmisan cheese, bread crumbs ,salt and peper.
Mix all ingredients together then start to form small meatballs of 2 cm diameter.
Put all meatballs in a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 min. You will have to turn them over during baking.

Happy eating!

Risotto with zucchini and shrimps

One of the things I love about my husband is his ability to create great dishes from nothing. He likes to cook and experiment with new things (but it is limited to pastas and risotti)This one I love the most it is a great Risotto made with Zucchini and shrimps, even my little two years old picky eater likes this dish.
One important thing to bear in mind while cooking a risotto is that you have to stay close to the pot and add stock to the rise as you mix it constantly, otherwise it would stick to the pot and result in a sticky risotto (God's forbid ! according to my husband :-))

Zucchini and Shrimps Risotto

1 medium zucchini

1/4 of a medium onion

1 cup rise (for risotto)

1 cube chicken stock

2 cups water

1 pack frozen shrimps (no head, no tail)

2 Tablespoons butter

Start by cutting the onions and the zucchini into small cubes. Melt the butter in a heavy pot then add onions. Sautè the onions a bit then add the zucchini and sautè.Add the the Shrimps and Rise and mix(keep mixing to avoid sticking) in a separate pot, put water and let boil then add the cube of chicken stock ( you can use fresh chicken stock, I used the cube) then add stock to cover a bit above rise mixter.Season with salt and keep mixing. When you see that rise is starting to get dry, add stock and mix until rise is cooked.

Enjoy!

food and feelings

Have you ever thought about days that shouldn't have existed.You know, those ones that really start bad and end in nothing worse nor better than lousy? Yes I know,some might say that everyday should be a unique day and the like because it might be the last one we live plus tomorrow will be a new day.It is true , but it's hard to think of it this way when you are really living it, when it's cold and snowy and when you are far away from friends and family.Today for me was one of those days:I woke up home sick,it was terribly cold and snowing outside,and as if it was not enough, I had a bad day at work.So I suddenly started to think of home, my family, my mom and her cooking....
It is amazing how food is strongly related to our childhood memories and to the ones we love and care about. So when I got back from work,freezing and gloomy, I immediately decided to cook something warming that my mother used to cook for us on those cold and rainy days: Mograbeie.
It is a middle eastern dish that it's origin, I believe, comes from Marrocow.
It is made out of semolina pasta (looks like cous cous) and a stew that is prepared with chicken pieces ,chickpeas,onions and spices.
As I cooked this dish and ate it,I immedietly felt better.It warmed my heart and took me back home, at least in my thoughts and heart.

Thanks for stopping by, here is the recipe:

Mograbie with chicken and chickpeas:
500 Gr Morabeie (or semolina like cous cous)
3 large onions.
2 Tablespoons All spices
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 can of cooked chickpeas
4 pieces of chicken (whatever you prefare)
2 Tablespoons flour
3 Tablespoons olive oil
salt
2 cups hot water

Start out by boiling the chicken in a pot, don't boil it too much ...just a bit before done take chicken off fire and cut it into small pieces.set aside.
Cut onions and sautè them in the olive oil and then add chicken pieces and brown them together.Add 2cups of hot water and let chicken and onions cook together,add chickpeas then add all spices ,salt and cinnamon.Lower the fire and let brew ,then add two tablespoons of flour to chicken stew's liquids.In the meanwhile, in a medium pot bring water to boil, put some salt then add the Mograbeie (cous cous grains) and let cook for nine minutes (or watever said on the package you've got)
Turn off fire under stew, remove Mograbeie from water.
Put mograbeie grains first into plates then add the stew on and mix.

Makes four servings.

Buon apetit.




Notes: *you can use the original Mograbeie which requieres other kind of cooking,I choose the fast cooking one (the one that you cook like pasta) Many people cook the mograbeie with a chicken stew which result in a much tasteier results.

*You can use some Sumack spice in the stew which adds to the falvour.