Blueberry Cornbread Muffins #MuffinMonday

Bursting with fresh lemon flavor and juicy blueberries, these golden blueberry cornbread muffins are perfect for breakfast or snack time. 

I’ve undoubtedly mentioned this before but every day my husband gets an email from NYT Cooking with descriptions of dishes and links to the recipes online. And every day, he forwards those emails to me. Once in a blue moon, he actually mentions a recipe he thinks one of us should make. 

A couple of weeks ago, it was a version of these blueberry cornbread muffins. As Muffin Monday was coming up (end of the month sneaks up on me regularly) I was happy to oblige. I scoffed at the one commenter who said that just lemon zest was too much lemon and upped the ante by adding lemon juice as well. 

It was a good decision. In my opinion, lemons are life. You can never add too much lemon! 

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

As mentioned above, this recipe is adapted from one on New York Times Cooking. Sadly, it's behind a firewall but I included the link so at least subscribers can access it. (Or people who have turned off Javascript for the site.)

Ingredients

Zest from 1 lemon

Juice from 1/2 lemon

< 1 cup or 240ml milk, poured into the measuring cup after the lemon juice up to the 1 cup mark (See method.)

1 cup or 155g grams fine-grain yellow cornmeal

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

½ cup, packed, or 100g brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 113g butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing pan

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 cups or 280g fresh blueberries, plus extra for garnish

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Zest the lemon into the dry ingredient bowl and stir. 

Use a reamer to juice the lemon into a measuring vessel. Remove any seeds and discard. Add milk up to the 1 cup or 240ml mark. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk and egg until well combined. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. 

Let the batter rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. This gives the cornmeal time to hydrate.

While the batter rests, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it generously with butter.

Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. 

Top with a few more blueberries, if desired.

Bake until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. 

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool further. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the last Monday of the month aka Muffin Monday and the literal last day of the month. Those two days don’t often coincide! Can you believe it’s already October tomorrow? Check out the great muffin recipes my Muffin Monday friends are sharing below. 

• Banana Avocado Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Blueberry Cornbread Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Caramel Apple Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Molasses Bran Muffins with Cherries from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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Creamy Chicken Taco Soup

This Creamy Chicken Taco Soup boasts chunks of tender chicken, sweetcorn, and black beans in a rich, spicy cheesy tomato broth. Taco flavors in a bowl to warm you up! 

When we are in Texas, tacos are on our menu frequently because I can buy our favorite tortillas freshly made at a neighborhood store. They are made with half wheat flour and half corn so are called mitad y mitad - half and half. They are softer than corn tortillas with more texture than plain flour ones. Truly, the perfect mix. 

Here in the Channel Islands, corn tortillas are hard to come by and I cannot abide flour ones so we spend our summers mostly taco-less. I did pack a bag of masa harina in the suitcase this year, along with a tortilla press so I could make my own. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. 

Had the weather been cooperating, I’d have marinated my chicken breasts and we’d have grilled them for actual tacos. Since it’s pouring down rain and the wind is howling, I decided taco soup was more fitting. 

Creamy Chicken Taco Soup

For this recipe, I use bone-in, skin on chicken breasts because they add more flavor to the soup as they simmer. The trick is to simmer the chicken slowly so you can remove the pieces whole to debone and shred.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola or other light oil

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

1 1/2 oz or 42g roasted red peppers

3 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

Several generous grinds black pepper

6 cups or 1440ml chicken stock

1 can (14 oz or 400g) crushed tomatoes

2 chicken breasts (weight about 1 lb 5 oz or 600g with bones)

8 oz or 225g cream cheese (cut into cubes)

2 cups or 280g frozen corn

1 can (14 oz or 400g) black beans, drained and rinsed

To finish:

Fine sea salt, to taste (Keep in mind that some taco seasonings and chicken stock have a lot of salt so definitely taste before adding more.)

Optional toppings: cilantro, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, lime wedges for squeezing

Method

Peel and finely chop your onion and garlic. (Use a small food processor if you have one!)

Chop the roasted red pepper with a sharp knife. 

In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic with the oil until they are soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chopped red pepper, taco seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne and black pepper. 

Add the chicken stock, canned tomatoes and chicken breasts.

Bring the pot to a low boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the breasts are cooked through. I insert a thermometer in mine to check. When it reads 180°F or 82°C, the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside till it's cool enough to handle.  

Add the cream cheese to the pot and stir. Leave it to melt while you deal with the chicken. 

Remove the skin, bones and any cartilage from the breasts. Pull the meat apart into bite size pieces. 

Add the chicken, corn and black beans to the pot and stir. Gently heat the soup until it’s hot through.

Serve the soup with the toppings of your choice but I highly recommend squeezing a little lime juice on it. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing taco recipes in celebration of National Taco Day! Many thanks to our host Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Carnitas Taco Salad by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Chicken Tinga Tacos by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Creamy Chicken Taco Soup by Food Lust People Love
• Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Crispy Grilled Shrimp Tacos by Culinary Cam
• Easy Spicy Jackfruit Tacos by Cook with Renu
• Veggie Taquitos by Mayuri's Jikoni

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets are a fun, attractive way to serve turkey and stuffing. Each person gets an individual stuffed “turkey” wrapped in bacon. This recipe is great main dish for a low stress party. No more wondering if the turkey is perfectly done. It is! 

Personally, we like stuffing all year long, not just for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I often find myself frying sausage meat and mixing it up to roast under chicken thighs, as a filling for squash or occasionally, just baking it in a pan as a side dish. 

You will find the ingredient list and method below for the stuffing I make over and over again but please feel free to use your favorite recipe here as well. I know that for some families their own treasured stuffing recipe cannot be changed! 

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Cutlets or escalopes of turkey can be found at most grocery stores these days. While they are more expensive per pound than a whole turkey, not a bit will go to waste. And look at how pretty they are! 

Ingredients

For the sausage stuffing:

7 1/2 oz or 215g good quality fresh sausage (3-4 links)

6-7 slices stale bread, toasted and cubed

1/3 cup or 75g butter

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

2-3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1 1/2 cups or 180ml turkey or chicken stock

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large egg

To assemble:

10 turkey cutlets (approx. weight 2 1/2 lbs or 1135g) 

10 slices smoked bacon

toothpicks

For decoration – optional

20 fresh sage leaves

10 fresh cranberries

toothpicks

Method

Cube the bread and add it to a large bowl that all the stuffing ingredients will fit in, with room to stir.

Remove the sausage from the casings and fry until golden in a skillet, breaking it into crumbles as you go. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and remove all but a tablespoon of any rendered fat. 

Add the butter to the frying pan and turn the heat on low. Sauté the onion and celery in the butter until it’s soft and translucent. 

Add the poultry seasoning, a few generous grinds of black pepper, and the 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and mix well. 

Add the onion mixture to the bowl with the bread. 

Add the crumbled fried sausage back in and stir. Now add the broth and stir again.

 

Set the stuffing aside to cool. 

Meanwhile, put the turkey cutlets, one at a time, between two large pieces of cling film on a cutting board and use the side of your rolling pin or a similar implement to flatten them out. 

Use new pieces of cling film for each turkey cutlet and set them in a stack, still between the cling film till you’ve pounded them all flat. 

Add the egg to the cooled stuffing and mix well. 

Lay one turkey cutlet on your working surface. Remove the top piece of cling film and discard. Put about 1/10th of the stuffing into the middle of the turkey cutlet and fold the sides over to cover it securely. 

Roll each of the stuffed turkey cutlets up in the bottom piece of cling film and line them up to chill on a plate in the refrigerator as you get them each made.

 

Once they are all made, preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C. 

Remove the cling film from each cutlet and wrap them with one slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks and place in a large baking pan. 

Roast in your preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F or 74°C.

If desired, decorate each stuffed cutlet by securing two sage leaves and a fresh cranberry with a toothpick. Remove the other toothpicks to serve.

Of course, the pan drippings can used to make gravy and I recommend you do! Follow this easy instructional video from TheKitchn.

Serve the stuffed turkey cutlets with cranberry sauce and your favorite gravy. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 20th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter T. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the T recipes below:

• Food Lust People Love: Stuffed Turkey Cutlets 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Taco Tater Skins 
• Culinary Cam: Toasted Croutons 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowls 
• Blogghetti: Turkey Cuban Sandwich Puffs 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Tomato Tart 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Tomato Onion Chutney 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Tender Coconut Meat Cutlet / Shahlyachi Malai Cutlet 
• A Messy Kitchen: Blackberry Tiramisu 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Baked Chicken Tenders with Crushed Fritos 
• Palatable Pastime: Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapao)

Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far:
A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry 

M. Fresh Mint Sauce 

N. Miso Butter Noodles 

O. Spicy Orange Braised Short Ribs 

P. Homemade Piri Piri Sauce 

Q, Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread 

R. Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto 

S. Cheesy Sausage and Egg Casserole 

T. Stuffed Turkey Cutlets - this post!

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Jersey Slow Cooker Beans

The perfect dish for a leftover ham bone or pork knuckle, Jersey slow cooker beans are a traditional meal in the Channel Islands, baked in a bean crock. 

Given the many, many vintage bean crocks I see on the shelves of charity shops here on the island of Jersey, not many families are using those to cook the Jersey bean mix still found in grocery stores. I can only assume that they are using slow cookers or perhaps even pressure cookers. 

Back in the olden days, the Jersey bean crock was filled at home and baked overnight in a nearby baker’s oven as it cooled down, since homes didn’t have modern ovens as we do now. 

Most recipes online agree that a mix of beans is essential, as is some type of pork and/or beef. These days, the meat tends to be pork belly, pork knuckle or ham but years ago, it was pig’s trotters, that is to say, feet and beef shin. For my money, something on a bone adds the most flavor, hence my use of pork knuckle or ham.

Cheap cuts of meat add a lot of flavor and, of course, beans are fairly inexpensive as well, making Jersey slow cooker beans a filling meal for farmers and townies alike. 

Fun fact: People native to the island of Jersey are known as “Jersey beans” because of this ubiquitous traditional dish! Once upon a time it was pejorative but now they’ve embraced the nickname and use it proudly. 

Jersey Slow Cooker Beans

The traditional mix includes at least six different kinds of beans, including the most enormous butter beans I’ve ever seen. Check out my photo of the beans below but you can use whatever mix of beans you have on hand. One old article I read said that Jersey bean crock was a great way to use up the leftover odds and ends of your bean supply.

Ingredients

1 pork knuckle or ham bone, with some good meat still on

1.1 lb or 500g mixed dried beans

1 medium carrot

1 medium onion

2 stock cubes (preferably ham, if you can find it, but chicken or vegetable will work)

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

If you have time or have planned ahead, you can soak the beans overnight in cool water. If, like me, you are slow off the mark when meal planning, boil a full kettle of water and pour it over the beans in a heatproof bowl. 

Cover the bowl with a plate and set a timer for one hour. 

When the hour is up, if using the quick soak method, or the next day, if soaking overnight, pour off the water and rinse the beans in cool water. 

Peel and chop your carrot and onion. 

Add the beans to the slow cooker, along with your pork knuckle or ham bone. 

Tip in the chopped carrot and onion. Pour in water to cover everything. Rather than add salt, I like to use stock cubes which add salt AND flavor. Add those in now. 

Cook on high for 6-7 hours.

When the beans are tender, transfer the pork to a plate with a slotted spoon. Discard bones, cartilage and gristle and return the meat to the bean pot. Season the mixture to taste with fine sea salt and black pepper. 

Serve, as is traditional, with crusty bread. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing slow cooker recipes. For some of us, it’s still too warm in our kitchens to turn on the stove and for others, the cooler weather of autumn is upon us and we need warming dishes. Slow cookers are great for both needs. Check out the links below.

• Beef Tips with Gravy in the Slow Cooker from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Crockpot Mexican-Style Shredded Beef from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Jersey Slow Cooker Beans from Food Lust People Love
• Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Stew from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Our Good Life
• Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Apple Cider from Palatable Pastime

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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