Fourth of July Muffins



These muffins were a hit at our annual 4th of July breakfast.
Full of fresh blueberries and raspberries, they were the perfect muffin for a festive morning.
They are also a delicious way to enjoy the fruits of the berry season.

Start by mixing together 4 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt.


Rinse 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries and 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries.


Add the berries to the flour mixture.  Gently toss until the berries are mixed in.
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In another bowl, crack 4 large eggs.


Beat them gently.


Add 2 cups sour cream to the egg mixture.


Mix together, then add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.


and 1 cup vegetable oil.


Mix well, until smooth and the oil is fully incorporated.


Pour egg mixture into the bowl of flour and berries.


Stir gently, until the dry ingredients are moistened.


You want to keep the berries intact, if possible, although the raspberries may come apart a bit.
The batter will be colorful and moist.


Fill 24 muffin cups with the batter and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon.


Mix well.  In a separate bowl, melt 1/4 cup butter.  Pour the melted butter over the cinnamon sugar mixture.


Mix together until it looks like this:


Gently spoon some of the sugar mixture over the top of each muffin.


This mixture will result in a slightly crisp topping, and some of it will cook down the sides of the muffins for a yummy, sticky candy-like taste.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.  Remove from pans.


You can cool the muffins or serve them warm.  They are so tasty!


Very moist, and every bite has plenty of flavor thanks to the fresh berries.


They’ll be going, going, gone!

4th of July Muffins
4 cups flour 2 cups sugar 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries 4 eggs 2 cups sour cream 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 cup vegetable oil topping:
1 cup sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup butter Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Rinse berries and add to flour mixture.
Mix gently.  In separate bowl, lightly beat 4 eggs.  Add sour cream and mix well.
Add vanilla and oil, and mix well, making certain that oil is fully incorporated.
Pour egg mixture into dry mixture and gently mix until dry ingredients are moistened.
Scoop batter into 24 muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.

To make topping:  combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.  Melt butter and add to sugar.
Stir until crumbly.  Spoon sugar over muffins.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove.  Serve and enjoy!

Hopeful Homemaker

Sausage Souffle

My mom has been making this my whole life, and now I make it all the time for my family.

It’s a great, make-ahead breakfast dish that everyone always loves.

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To begin, start by cooking 13-16 ounces of sausage.
You can cook the little links if you want, and then cut them up, or you can buy it packaged like this.

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I prefer to just use the Jimmy Dean, but I usually buy the 50% less fat variety because there is so much less grease involved.
It was out of stock, so I had to go for the regular.

Cook the sausage.

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Meanwhile, lightly spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick spray.
Break about 10 or so pieces of bread and even cover the bottom of the pan.
(I prefer to use wheat bread with this recipe, but feel free to substitute with white.  You do want the bread to have a little substance to it.)

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Next, sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded cheese over the bread.

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When the sausage is browned, rinse it if it’s too greasy.
Then spread it over the bread and cheese.

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Sprinkle with one more cup of cheese.

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In a mixing bowl, beat 6 eggs.

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Add 1 teaspoon mustard and 2 cups milk.

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Mix well and then pour evenly over bread, sausage and cheese.

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Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 325 if you’re using a glass pan, or 350 if you’re using  a metal pan.  I prefer glass.

While oven heats up, pour one can cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup milk into a bowl.

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Mix together and spread over egg and bread mixture.

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Place pan in oven and bake for 1 hour.
Remember:

325 degrees for a glass pan 350 for a metal pan.

When it’s done, pull it out of the oven, and good luck keeping people from eating it while they wait for the meal to begin!

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Let stand about 5 minutes, then slice and serve!
Sorry I don’t have a great picture.  Everyone was too hungry!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Quiche

I had a breakfast at my home last week for a few of my favorite women.

I like making breakfast, especially when the menu includes something as yummy as this quiche.
I also love zucchini, so this dish makes me happy.

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Start with 4-5 medium zucchini.  Wash and thinly slice them.

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You need 4 1/2 – 5 cups of zucchini.

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Next, chop one medium to large onion.

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Mince one clove of garlic as well.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add garlic, onion and zucchini.

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Saute until they are turning brown and you’d like to just eat them!

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Add 1 1/2 cups cooked crumbled bacon to the pan.

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Allow to cook together for a couple of minutes.
If you’re interested in a great time-saver, a friend of mine introduced me to this bacon a while ago.

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It’s real bacon, pre-cooked, crumbled, and with most of the fat removed!
It stores on your shelf for months, and is lower in fat than buying bacon in strips.
I like that it requires zero prep.
It comes from Costco.

Anyway, back to our food.  After the bacon has cooked with the vegetables for a couple of minutes, remove the pan from the heat and set aside for a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 8 large eggs.

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Add 1/2 teaspoon salt

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1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

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1/2 teaspoon dried basil

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1/2 teaspoon oregano

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and 1/4 teaspoon pepper

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Mix together.

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Gently mix bacon and vegetable mixture into the eggs.

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Add 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

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Stir together.

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Next you need 2 pie crusts.
I like to make mine, but when life’s as crazy as it is right now, I buy them.
A good friend of mine, who is an excellent cook, likes this kind the best.
Pillsbury, deep dish.  They’re in the freezer section.  I just trust her.

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In the bottom of each pie crust, squirt 1 teaspoon of mustard.

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Spread it around with a spoon.

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The divide egg and zucchini mixture between both pans.

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Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Then you’d better be prepared to enjoy it!

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So good!  You will love it!
This dish makes a lovely breakfast when you have guests.
In fact, you can do most of the work the night before if you’d like.
You can cook all the vegetables and mix them together right up until you’re ready to pour it in the crusts.  Instead, cover the egg and vegetable mixture and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, spread the mustard in the pie crusts, fill them, and bake.
Makes breakfast prep a breeze!
The delicious taste won’t be compromised at all!

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