Cornbread Mix Take 2

I guess I must be on a cornbread kick...because the other day, around midnight, for no apparent reason, I had a sudden urge to make cornbread breakfast muffins! I decided to see what I could muster up from the cornbread mix I used for the biscuits that I made with my chilli the other day, and came up with these (based off the recipe on the mix):

Cornbread Muffins

2 c. cornbread muffin mix

½ c. white whole wheat flour

3 tbsp. egg whites

1 ½ c. skim milk

4 tbsp. honey

1.     Preheat oven to 375F.

2.     Mix all ingredients together until well-combined.

3.     Pour into lightly-greased muffin  tin and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

The muffins turned out really well, but I knew that something was missing. The next morning I cut one in half, toasted it, and drizzled it with about 1 tbsp. of honey...and it was great, but I knew that it needed something else. Then I figured it out! What they were missing was berries! So the next day I went out and got a bunch of berries and some agave nectar and made me some summer berry jam!

Gluten-free Blueberry-Raspberry Jam

1 carton blueberries

2 small cartons raspberries

4 tbsp. agave nectar (adjust to suit your taste)

1.   Cook all together over low heat for about 30-45 minutes, or until the berries have stewed down to a smooth consistency and reduced slightly.

2.   Take off heat and let cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then pour into glass jar and refrigerate.

3.   Will keep in refrigerator for up to a month.

Needless to say, the next morning I toasted one of the muffins and spooned on some of the jam (warning: it's a bit runny), and it was perfect! Definitely love how the carb-y sweetness of the cornbread is balanced out by the freshness and slight tartness  of the jam! Anyway, this is a really great summer breakfast food, especially when some of those summer berries are starting to go over the hill!

Enjoy!

Inspired recipe of the day: Beer Mac& Cheese 

Drool-worthy dessert: Peanut ButterPretzel Ice Cream 

Using Up Summer Berries

Yesterday I noticed that we had soooooo many fresh berries that were on the verge of going bad, so I decided to make a simple berry crisp to use some up! It was a perfect easy summer dessert that involves almost no prep work!

Fresh Summer Berry Crisp

2 c. fresh summer berries (strawberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.)

1/2 c. flour

3/4 c. light brown sugar

1/3 c. instant oats

1/2 tsp. sea salt

3 tbsp. butter, cut into about 9 pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Prep berries by rinsing them, and halving cherries/blackberries and quartering strawberries. For my crisp I used a combo of strawberries, blueberries, and cherries.
3. Pour berries into an 8x8" glass baking dish or an 8" round (oven-safe) souffle dish (what I used).
4. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, sugar, oats, and salt until ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
5. Sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over berries, and top with pieces of butter .
6. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the crisp topping is golden-brown.

It may not be beautiful, but it is so tasty and especially good eaten warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! The perfect summer treat - warm/cold, gooey/crispy, and tart/sweet! Yummy!

Buon Appetito Tutti!