Though it may not be immediately apparent, there are a lot of blueberries in these muffins. This is, of course, the best way for blueberry muffins to be.

These came about as the result of having a bit of sour cream and a bit of blueberry juice in my refrigerator. There wasn’t enough of either to do anything elaborate and, since it’s a weekend morning, I felt like baking. I felt that sour cream woul add a bit or richness to what is a very low fat muffin. If you don’t have sour cream, you can substitute milk, buttermilk or yogurt, but increase the oil to 2 tablespoons for a more tender muffin.

These are great fresh out of the oven. Very moist and sweet. Yes, they’re sugary. But sometimes we need some sugar to get going in the morning. The lemon gives a hint of brightness to the muffin. I like the leftovers best when they’re reheated a bit, too.

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While I am a dedicated coffee drinker, I do love tea. One of my favorite coffee shops, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf carries over 40 original tea blends, one of which I picked up the very day that IMBB #17: TasteTea was announced by Clement of A La Cuisine!: Pomegranate Blueberry Tea. This tea makes a fabulous iced tea because it is a black tea filled with dried fruit. The natural sweetness really shines through when you brew it. I thought this was a sign that I was meant to use it for my entry. Alas, it was not to be. The tea, while lovely, is just a tad too fruity for what I had in mind.

Instead, I decided to use Stash Double Spiced Chai tea to make a tasty apple bread. I added powdered milk because I wanted the added bit of richness but didn’t want a milk flavor to overwhelm the tea, though this is a particularly spicy tea and I think it would have been fine.

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Thank you Donna Hay.

If you don’t know who Donna Hay is, imagining a cross between Nigella Lawson and Martha Stewart from Australia will put you in the general vicinity. She is a cook and food stylist with her own lifestyle magazine and bunches of cookbooks, all available the world over. Her recipes are simple and generally unfussy, but always look good enough to be the star of the meal. The bonus is that they taste as good as they look.

These cupcakes are a great example. The gorgeous swirl on top is from Nutella topping the batter and being swirled around with a toothpick. The batter for these cupcakes is very short - meaning that it has a high proportion of fat to flour - and very rich. Because of this, it is very difficult to swirl the topping throughout the batter. Swirling it around the top of the cake bakes the “frosting” right in, so there is no messy goo on top. These are perfect for taking to a potluck or a picnic.

The cupcakes are tender, rich and very, very tasty. These are really perfect for anyone who doesn’t like things to be too sweet. The Nutella has a nice presence. I wouldn’t increase it, but if you want something really decadent, fill the tin half way with batter, add a teaspoon of nutella, top with the remaining batter, add the topping, swirl and bake.

Even though I usually follow the recipes pretty strictly here in the cooking school features, I admit that I took some liberties this time. For example, I used Nutella instead of the peanut butter that was originally called for and, because of the richness of the topping, I reduced the butter slightly. I didn’t reduce it much, but 12 tablespoons was quite a lot of butter for 12 cupcakes.

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It’s a good sign when the things you make turn out to look just like the pictures. It’s also a good sign when it tastes as good as it looks.

This recipe from Bon Appetit caught my interest in an article about great barbeque. I only made the glaze, instead of additionally marinating the chicken, and used it on both chicken and grilled eggplant slices. Delicious! It was slightly sweet, tangy and spicy. All the flavors melded very well. I will definately make this again.

This recipe can be doubled, which I did, but be aware that it takes a long time to reduce that much liquid down to 1 1/3 cups.

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Lest you think that I am posting all of Maida Heatter’s recipes, be assured that this one is quite popular. It was published in Saveur magazine earlier this year, too. So I have no qualms about publishing it, again, here.

These are icebox cookies, the slice-and-bake variety of cookies that are great to have in your freezer because the dough will keep for weeks and you can baked them off as you crave them. This specific cookie is no ordinary cookie, however. Because of its use of a variety of spices, the cookie tastes much better as it ages and the flavors have a chance to meld. This is a characteristic of many spice-filled products, from chili to gingerbread. The spices included here are cinnamon, cocoa and cayenne pepper. The cookies will have a tiny hint of pepper when they first come out of the oven, but after ageing for several days, the spice will be noticeable.

I love the heat from these cookies. It makes them fun to eat and they pair wonderfully with hot cocoa or coffee. In the summer, though, I think they make perfect little ice cream sandwiches. Use vanilla or dulce de leche for an amazing snack. You can even make the sandwiches ahead of time and store them, wrapped, in your freezer for emergency snacking.

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Not only are berries in season, but they are on sale at the market! How could I resist coming home with lots of fresh blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.

I accidentally stumbled upon this recipe on Epicurious and knew it was meant to be.

The prep took a bit of work, since the berries must be pureed and strained to remove any seeds. I considered trying to purchase berry juice, but they all included banana and, frankly, a banana margarita does not sound appealing to me. The result was outstanding: extra smooth and very fruity. I used equal parts blackberries and raspberries, but you could tip the scales either way as long as the proportions stay the same. The only problem I had with the original recipe was that it didn’t tell me how much puree I would need to make the drinks. I noted how much to look for below. I rimmed the glasses with salt. Sugar could be used instead, but I personally think salt is the way to go.

Serve these at a bbq. You only need these drinks, a bowl of salsa and some chips to start a great party.

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