Dutch Apple Popover

Tonight we had breakfast for dinner and this one got good reviews from the whole family.
(Thanks again to Stephanie Jaworski of Joyofbaking.com)

Apples:
2 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Batter:
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
Garnish:
Confectioners sugar
Softly whipped cream

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven.
2. For Apples: In a large 9- or 10- inch heavy nonstick ovenproof skillet melt the butter. Add the sliced apples, sugar, and cinnamon and sautéed the apples until tender.
3. For the Popover Batter: In your food processor or blender place all the batter ingredients. Process for about 45 - 60 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once the batter is completely smooth, pour over the apples.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the popover is puffed and golden brown Do not open the oven door until the end of the baking time or it may collapse. Serve immediately with a dusting of powdered sugar and softly whipped cream.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I feel like I am in a never-ending quest for the perfect recipe for..... (whatever it may be at the moment). I've tried lots of blueberry muffin recipes and have yet to find one that makes me go, ahhhhhhh! Well here it is! I finally found it at a new website I was browsing, joyofbaking.com

I actually made it with raspberries, blueberries and marionberries (Triple Berry mix from Costco) and it was perfect. They come out looking a bit paler than I might normally prefer but yum!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

1 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (or raspberries, etc)
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place rack in middle of oven.

Line muffin pans with paper liners or spray with a vegetable spray.
In a small measuring cup mix together the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
Remove 1 cup of the mixture and place in a small bowl to make a streusel topping later.
Gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.
Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture.
Stir until just combined. Do not over mix this mixture or the muffins will be tough when baked.
Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Fill any unused muffins cups with water to prevent the pan from warping.

For streusel topping:
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the reserved 1 cup of streusel topping.
Mix together with a fork until it is crumbly.
Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of the streusel over the top of each muffin.
Place in the oven and bake until very lightly browned and firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 - 20 minutes.
Place on a wire rack to cool.
Makes 16 -18 regular-sized muffins.

Note: Frozen blueberries can be used instead of fresh. Do not thaw the berries before using them. Make sure you do not overmix the batter after you add the blueberries or the batter will turn blue.

Adapted from Oregon's Cuisine of the Rain by Karen Brooks.

Banana Sour Cream Bread

This is my favorite Banana Bread
Yields 2 loaves (plus 12 muffins?) It's a BIG batch

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Spread some Rich Chocolate Frosting on a slice of this banana bread and I could die happy!