Blueberry Muffins

July 11: National Blueberry Muffin Day

When we traveled to Maine to visit our goddaughter, Keira B., and her family, we had the opportunity to drive around the quiet countryside and see moose on the loose, serene lakes, vibrant lupin fields and wild berries (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) along the way. In fact, during its annual summer harvest, the state produces more than 90 percent of America’s wild blueberry crops growing naturally in 60,000 acres. As we reminisced about our time spent in the Maine wilderness with Keira and her family, we baked up a batch of classic blueberry muffins for our blog to celebrate National Blueberry Muffin Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Yankee Magazine)

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups of fresh blueberries
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar.  Stir in the milk and egg. Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl and combine well.

Gently fold in the blueberries to the batter. Fill a well-greased muffin tin (or use cupcake paper liners) about 2/3 full.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the muffins to wire rack to cool.

Notes

• Add a few fresh blueberries on top the batter before baking for a burst of flavor.
• Sprinkle coarse sugar crystals on top of the batter before baking for a crunchy sweetness.
• Blueberries are a superfruit that is high in antioxidants. Learn more about their health benefits and nutritional value from the Wild Blueberries website.
• Search our blog for other recipe posts on blueberries.

Sugar Cookies

July 9: National Sugar Cookie Day

Baking sugar cookies for someone special can surely brighten up his/her day, especially if the basic cookie dough is rolled in a rainbow of colorful crystals of sugar! Several scientific studies have been done about the physiological and psychological effects of color (in fact, this topic was Islander’s high school freshman science fair project, which won an honorable mention award). Celebrate National Sugar Cookie Day with colorfully sprinkled sugar cookies—the vibrant palette will also please the palate!

Recipe

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• colored sugar crystals or coarse sugar

Directions

Cream the sugar and butter.  Mix in the vanilla and egg yolks. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture with the sugar mixture and blend well. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 15 minutes. Pinch out 48 one-inch balls from the dough.

Roll each cookie dough ball in sugar crystals/coarse sugar. Place cookie dough balls two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until the cookie tops crack slightly. Remove from the oven, let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about five minutes and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.  Yield: 4 dozen.

Notes

• Islander burned the last batch of blue sugar cookies. So they were trashed before the final photo shoot.

Mochiko Chicken

July 6: National Fried Chicken Day

Make mochiko chicken as an Asian alternative for National Fried Chicken Day. Mochiko chicken, a Japanese-style fried chicken, is popular at potlucks and in bento (lunch box) in Hawaii. Mochiko, a sweet rice flour, is blended in the batter with other ingredients to give the chicken coating a unique and savory flavor. Below is an old family recipe for mochiko chicken. Now that Islander and her brother live on the mainland, we still cook this for potlucks on occasion and pack the rest for lunch—if there are any leftovers!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ½ – 2 pounds of chicken wings
• 3 tablespoons mochiko (sweet rice flour)
• 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 ½ tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar (we used C&H brand, granulated white)
• 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce (we used Aloha Shoyu brand)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• toasted sesame seeds to garnish (optional)

Directions

Boil the chicken wings in a pot of water for about 15-20 minutes. Drain the water and cool the chicken wings. Make the coating by combining the mochiko, cornstarch, flour, sugar, soy sauce, egg, sesame oil, oyster sauce, salt and green onions and in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Coat the chicken wings in the batter. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for two or more hours, turning the chicken wings occasionally so they are well marinated. Deep fry the chicken wings in hot oil. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions before serving.

Notes

• Mochiko flour can be found at Asian grocery stores. Make sure that it is the sweet rice flour and not the plain one.
• Try other favorite chicken pieces instead of wings for this recipe. They can be boneless and skinless.
• Search our blog for more recipe posts using mochiko as an ingredient.