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streusel topped blueberry muffins~the ultimate breakfast muffin
I got a bit annoyed at my own site right before I made these. I decided to search and see if I had posted them before…. and typed in “blueberry” in the search bar and I got the reply “nothing found”.
Whaaaat?
I know I made blueberry rolls, baby blueberry pies, and blueberry muffins.
But, the only way to find them was by a major search engine term search. Annoying. But, I think I fixed the issue. For blueberries, at least. 
 I also have lots of step by step pictures for y’all. And maybe a story, too…. Wait! There’s more! streusel topped blueberry muffins
 A few weeks ago, I was presented with some free Vidalia onions delivered fresh to my door, (this can happen to you, too-keep reading) as a trade off to promote The Flavors Of Summer Giveaway. I seldom turn down free food, and when I learned how awesome the giveaway is, I was all in. But… there’s also something just as fun just for my readers. (Yay!)
The giveaway details are:
Throughout the months of May and June, Shuman Produce – one of the leading growers and shippers of Vidalia onions – has partnered with Publix to give away $100 Publix gift cards through an online sweepstakes. Here are the details:
- Anyone 18 years of age and older can enter
- Weekly winners will be selected to receive a $100 Publix card starting Friday, May 17
- Weekly prizes will be awarded every Friday through June 28
- A grand prize winner will be chosen out of all of the entries to receive a Big Green Egg grill
- The grand prize winner will be chosen on July 8
- You can enter once per day, per week for each giveaway
And, I also am hosting a giveaway here as well. One of my readers will receive:
10 lb. box of Vidalia onions
- One RealSweet Sportula (spatula) – while supplies last – check it out here: http://youtu.be/ByVS9pUaD7k)
shipping to the winners by UPS regular ground service, address must be within the 48 contiguous states.
Now, go out and get yourself some sweet Vidalia onions so you can make this:
caramelized onion, bacon and cheddar tart (and a giveaway!)
Author: Michelle Keith/ The Village Cook
- 1 large Vidalia onion
- 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 single crust pie shell (pastry)
- Line a 9″ tart pan or pie pan with the pie dough.Pierce with a fork and bake in a preheated 375 oven for 8-10 minutes.Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a medium skillet over medium low heat, arrange the sliced onions in a single layer with 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of Kosher salt over the onions, and cook until soft and golden
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the eggs, bacon, cheeses and milk.
- Add the onions and mix well.
- Pour filling into a prebaked pie shell.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until set.
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I have to tell you something about onions. My dad used to eat raw onions with salt. But, he was from Georgia and they weren’t any typical onion. They were Vidalias, and there is a big difference. They are so sweet, and for caramelizing you can’t go wrong- they come out perfect everytime. A few tips on caramelizing: low and slow. You don’t want to burn them. Add a little kosher salt at the beginning, to aid in the release of moisture, and soon….you’ll have some buttery golden strands of onion goodness.
(These onions have not yet reached their full potential… and I have no idea what happened to the pic of the caramelized ones….weird.)
For the crust you can use a store bought, homemade or mix. Nobody will notice because the filling is that good.
 You can also use a pie plate if you don’t happen to have a tart pan.
But, tart pans are awesome, FYI… you should scoop one up sometime.
The tart is a dreamy combination of savory cheeses, milk, eggs, onions, bacon and cheddar. The perfect breakfast /brunch dish, or even dinner on a steamy summer evening paired with a crisp salad and a cool glass of Pino Grigio. Cheers to that.
To enter my give away:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And be sure to enter the big giveaway: you can enter everyday here:
RealSweet Giveaway
Good luck everyone!
Note: This post was sponsored by Shuman Produce, and I was given free onions to participate.
Ahhh… I know I got you with the emotional outburst title. Because if they’re not happening to yourself personally they are somewhat entertaining to hear about.
Let’s face it: An emotional outburst is basically a grown up temper tantrum.
And… we all have them at some point or another. Mine, did not happen to involve ravioli, either. I just happened to make ravioli that day- so it’s a bonus for you- a recipe and an emotional outburst.
Which do you want first?
 The outburst?
Okay. So there are people in life that will disappoint you. That’s a no brain -er. If you think you’re going to glide through life without being disappointing by anyone, well…. let me be the first. Because it’s going to happen. Sorry.
Most people expect disappointment from typical areas: IRS, used car salesmen and the lottery.
But when it comes from family or strangers that have no reason or merit, that’s when it’s , well; disappointing.
So, a few weeks ago I was at my vet’s office to get the puppy his last set of puppy shots. I’m a good dog mom. I keep up with that stuff. I know that dogs sniff and lick weird things, I am aware of the diseases they can acquire though this activity.
So my puppy had a fever.
The tech drops a big OMG and looks at me: “What have you been doing with him?”
The only thing I could think of was the walk we took the previous morning. It was his first walk beyond our street and I figured since he was getting his final set of vaccinations the following day…it would be okay. I’m sure you get the drift.
She immediately treated me like I was some sort of exercise addict that was also abusing my animal during it. Ugh. But, I kept my cool, no outburst there. No, the thing about emotional outbursts is that they usually occur when even you least expect them too. Like when my friend called, and asked “How are you?” instead of the usual “I’m good” because honestly sometimes I just don’t think it’s worth it to waste precious friend time complaining about crappy vet visits. I’d much rather chat about recipes, the kids, or God.
But, when just as she spoke that question, the question mark still loomed in the air like a deflated balloon… it was then that I lost it. It wasn’t just the vet office, it wasn’t just the technician’s snide remarks…. it was weeks worth of things I had bottled up like kimchi… and it was just fermenting away.
One of my daughters had neglected my birthday earlier this year, as in totally forgot about it. Same thing for Mothers Day, although she did remember to tell another family member (a mother but not her mother) Happy Mother’s day. in addition, money was tight things were breaking that we couldn’t afford to fix, and drama was lurking in the distance, like a dark storm waiting to unleash it’s fury. And, the vet tech had been my final straw. So I just let it all out in a big pile of emotional vomit, tears and all.
Then, my sweet friend said a prayer for my restless heart.
And, I felt better. I felt blessed to have someone like her, that called me in her few brief moments of peace in between her crazy hectic life of homeschooling three, managing an office, and the assorted other duties that come with being a wife, mother and teacher. these precious moments she could have spent enjoying the silence, or perhaps listening to a song, but, she took a moment to hear me. She took the time to be a friend.
In life, people will disappoint you. They won’t remember your birthday, they will cut you off in traffic, they will lie to you, rob you, judge you, and label you.
But… In life people will also rescue you, they will hear you, care for you and love you. No matter what.
My question is: What kind of person do you want to be?
It’s easy to be the angry person because you see the unjust things of this world. It’s easy to highlight the negative… the news helps with that process every evening. It’s much harder to turn the other cheek, and to embrace the beauty that is so overshadowed in today’s world. It’s much harder to overlook the times you’ve been wronged, or worse yet, someone you love has been wronged.
But, if you are angry over that… doesn’t that make you part of the problem?
Training yourself to overcome the past hurt and disappointments can only come by loving others. Even the ones that hurt you. The world doesn’t need anymore angry people. Trust me with that one.
That’s my two (okay maybe ten) cents for this morning.  Peace.
Time for ravioli:
homemade ravioli and emotional outbursts
Author: Michelle Keith/ The Village Cook
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
- For the ravioli dough:
- 3½ cups flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Filling:
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup thawed and well drained chopped spinach
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- For filling: Mix all together and set aside until ready to fill
- In a bowl, combine the flour and salt.
- Made a well in the center and break the eggs into
- Add the oil and mix to form a dough.
- Allow the dough to rest, covered with plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
- If forming by hand:
- After the dough had rested, knead the dough by rolling and stretching it over a rolling pin.Rotating the dough as you roll. Repeating process until dough is resilient.
- (For pasta machines, use manufacturer’s directions)
- Dough should be 1/16″ thick
- Place ½ teaspoon of filling ½ inch apart on pasta sheet. Seal the pockets by painting the dough with a moist fingertip and pressing the dough together,Cut into individual portions by slicing with a pastry wheel or pizza cutter.
- Set on a parchment lined baking sheet to dry.
- To cook, fill a large stockpot with 5 quarts salted water, bring to a boil and drop the ravioli in (don’t overcrowd)
- Ravioli is cooked when it rises to the surface.
- Serve hot with your favorite sauce
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There is a new post right here part on of a series of Summer be sure to check it out Summer Posts
I will be here this week with several new recipes and other tales
Before reading this post I highly suggest visiting this post first.
A few weeks ago I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the Food Blog Forum Conference. I wasn’t fully sure if I would go solo, or if the family would tag along. (If you read the above post you’d know why…) But, at the final moments of purchasing tickets, I opted in for the latter. The weeks preceding the event were filled with excitement and anxiety, unsure of just what to expect.
The event was being hosted by Walt Disney World, and – although I’m a native Floridian I had only been there three times. I’m not sure if I can count 40 minutes in a park as an actual visit, either. So, visiting Disney for me makes me feel like I’m eight years old again. Then I realize I’m an adult. And I can eat Dole Whip for lunch and breakfast without anyone telling me no. (Which I did)
This is how the above photo took place:
Me: “Baby, get our pic with a Dole Whip.” Translation: Baby get a picture AS SOON as I get my paws on this Dole Whip because it’s Africa hot and it won’t look pretty in 30 seconds.
Him: “Okay, just let’s get out of this crowd first” Translation: I will in a second… but I’m not going to be “that guy” holding people up for food pictures (as I hand him my phone/camera)
Me: “Okay we’re ready: CHEESE!”
Yep. I wouldn’t get out of the way and made my hubby be “that guy”.
But, before the Dole Whip breakfast/lunch there was the road trip. I can’t possibly share a travel story without first sharing the whole event of preparation… because without the journey, no destination can be reached.
So begins the journey:
Last year, I had moments where I wondered how many more days we’d have ahead of us.
This year, I was amazed at his excitement and energy. As far as my daughter went, she was pretty much like her mama. She was wondering if we would spend 7 hours in the ER, and she has such a brief taste of Disney- that she really didn’t fathom the whole statement of “We’re going to Disney World!” To her, it was just a place where something bad happened to daddy and he had to go in an ambulance and wheelchair.
I don’t know about you, but do-overs are awesome.
We scored a deal on a rental car since the air conditioning dies in my personal vehicle. For $13.90 a day we were expecting something similar to a Yugo or a Gremlin, except perhaps with a FM radio. When we got to the rental station, the gentleman informed us the the “excess” autos they had reserved for that rate was a minivan.
My husband and I looked at each other. We were expecting a tiny fuel efficient ride, not a gas hog soccer mom bus. Then, we shrugged and said, “more room for the dogs!”
 My hubby and I joked that we needed to have more kids to fill up the extra seats, but quickly remembered that we were only temporary soccer mom bus drivers.
We were lucky enough to stay at The Grand Floridian Resort, and I couldn’t help but get giddy when we got our room and saw the Mickey towels on the bed…I’m thinking of doing that instead of folding my own towels at home. You know, to pretend I live in Disney World…
We spent a few hours visiting Magic Kingdom, and my husband insisted I snap a picture of the place his incident had occurred last year. I did so, very reluctantly- because I never want to step foot in that area again. I still don’t know why he wanted a photo of it. He’s weird sometimes. but, I’m weirder so it all works out.
Later that evening the bloggers had a meet and greet reception at the Grand Floridian, complete with mojitos and appetizers. I had a dinner invite later that evening, so I opted for the liquid diet at the event, and happily chatting with some of my old blogger friends and made a few new ones. Unfortunately, I neglected to snap pictures of my drink, friends or the food. Whhhhhaaaat?! I know. Damn mojitoes.
I did have the opportunity to be invited to The Brown Derby I had a drink that tasted like Tinkerbell herself made it, complete with glowing ice cube.
( I got to keep the cube.) Now I have one glowing ice cube. I need more. Who can throw a party with just one cube? This clearly warrants a trip back to Disney. The Brown Derby was phenomenal, but I am saving that for a later post. You see, they have this grapefruit cake… and I was lucky enough to score the recipe. So, I have to save some of the restaurant pics for that post.
There is also a part two and three of this post: One for the bloggers out there that want to know what we learned, and one for those of y’all that what to see what else I ate. And did. And didn’t do.
For right now, I have exactly two hours before I pick my kid up from school and lose the daily free hours of childcare for a few months. Which means that right now I need to quickly go make sure all the hidden save for Christmas/birthday gifts are well hidden.
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