Blueberry Muffins

IMG_4623I love muffins, who doesn’t?! However, I’m often disappointed by muffins that I’ve made compared to some that I’ve purchased. Maybe it’s because I use a standard muffin tray rather than the giant ones that are served up in cafes and bakeries. The only thing better than a normal muffin is a giant muffin! So I went in search of a good muffin recipe and I’m happy to say that this one doesn’t disappoint. This is adapted from a Donna Hay recipe. I have substituted the milk for buttermilk, increasing the volume slightly. The blueberries could easily be substituted for other fruits. I made these with frozen blueberries today – I’m still waiting for my blueberry tree (which I planted about a year ago) to fruit.
Makes 12

Ingredients
375g self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
220g caster sugar
100ml vegetable oil
1 egg
190ml buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g blueberries, fresh or frozen
Raw or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ÂșC and line a 12 hole muffin tray with patty pans.
Combine flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl.
In a separate bowl whisk together oil, egg, buttermilk & vanilla extract.
Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and stir to combine, the mixture will be quite thick. Stir through blueberries.
Spoon into the muffin tray and sprinkle each muffin with a little sugar. Bake for 30 minutes.

Still in a muffin mood? Why not try some apple & rhubarb muffins as well!

Chicken & Sweet Corn Soup

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I never used to like soup. My standard line was, “I don’t like drinking my meals.” These days I have come around to the idea of soup, but I do prefer the chunkier ones. This one has some good weight to it. Of course, you could make it finer or chunkier depending on your preference. But, winter is here so I thought it was time to get back into soup making. The genius thing about soups is that if there’s just two of you, one batch of soup can last for several meals – perfect when there’s a new bub in the house!
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 litre chicken stock
2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp finely grated ginger
1 tbsp cornflour
1 420g can creamed corn
1 300g can corn kernels, drained & rinsed (or fresh if you have it)
100g ham, finely diced
2 egg whites
1 tsp sesame oil
6 spring onions, finely sliced

Method
Start by poaching the chicken. Put the chicken stock (cold) and chicken breasts in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled, shred the chicken to your liking.
Make a paste with the cornflour and a bit of the chicken stock (about 50 mls), adding the stock slowly. Add the soy sauce, ginger and cornflour paste to the stock and stir until the mixture starts to thicken (about 2 minutes). Add the corn, creamed corn, shredded chicken and ham and cook for a further 2 minutes.
In a small bowl lightly whisk the egg whites. Add them to the stock, stirring constantly. White ribbons should form as the egg whites cook through. Remove the soup from the heat.
Finally add the sesame oil and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with some nice crunchy toast – you could even make your own sourdough!

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