In order to prove once and for all that I can cook, I decided to sacrifice the remaining blueberries that I had left to make muffins. The recipe was stolen from the family that sent them. Here’s what it was originally:
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp butter soft
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen blueberries)
Defrost and rinse berries. Dust lightly with flour. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one bowl. In other bowl mix butter, sugar, and eggs. Beat in one half of dry material into the bowl of wet mixture. Beat in one third of yogurt. Add half of rest of dry stuff. Add second third of yogurt. Put in rest of dry and then remaining yogurt. Only beat ‘til just mixed. Fold berries.
Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes. Makes 30 muffins.
Well. Here’s what I actually made:
3 cups flour
3/4 cup wheat bran
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter, still refrigerated
1/8 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups plain yogurt
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
Mix all ingredients, except the blueberries, by hand (is there another way? Incidentally, this is when I discovered my water had been turned off. It might be a good idea to pay that bill). This can be used to avoid dirtying another dish for softening/melting the butter. Dump the blueberries on top and fold them in. Divvy them up whatever way you like.
Cook at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
All mixed, here’s what the mess looked like:
It was left out of the original recipe but I believe that the ratios are supposed to be around 1/3rd cup of the mix for each muffin. I blatantly ignored that rule, proving that I know nothing of kitchen etiquette:
OK, so I do have one muffin form. Just not everything fit in it. Here are the muffins:
The verdict? I might have browned them a little too much as the outside is a bit stiffer than the middle. And they aren’t quite as good as the cranberry/bran bread that I made a couple days ago (didn’t follow that recipe either). But they are pretty good.
Does the inability to follow directions mean I can’t cook?
Comments
Submitted by Kim on
Gah! I can’t believe you did that.
It looks like it could be edible…but they say never trust a skinny cook.
The point of the recipe was for it to taste good. Not be healthy.
Submitted by Kayla on
But yes, it does prove you cannot cook. It does, however, prove you can bake.
We have actually quit using wheat bran as it’s not a whole food, but it sounds/looks very good. 
Submitted by Abi on
LOL! Never heard that line before, Kim. I’ll have to remember that. :D
Real cooks never follow recipes. :nods solemnly:
Submitted by Chris on
Those are just what I happened to have on hand. It was my last egg as well as the last of my butter and sugar. Had to get more tonight.
And, maybe the skinny cook just does other things than cook all the time?
Submitted by Chris on
Hah. Well, I was short on flour the other day so I walked a couple blocks to the closest store and bought unbleached white flour. It’s the first such flour that I have bought… and I’m not a huge fan of it. Somehow it doesn’t satisfy as much.
I’ve also told myself that I would try something new periodically. This keeps me from falling into too much of a rut in the cooking/baking/whatever, and it had been a while since I had intentionally grabbed anything new (as opposed to necessity). When I went shopping a couple days later, I saw some wheat bran and a couple other Magical Transforming Ingredients (TM) and decided to give them a try.
My usage of the bran in the recipe does not mean I condone its use. It only means that I had some on hand now and am trying to find ways to use it.
Submitted by Kim on
All this screams “MAN IN KITCHEN!”
Best quotes:
“Here’s what it was originally…Well. Here’s what I actually made:...Mix all ingredients by hand (is there another way?)...This can be used to avoid dirtying another dish…Dump the blueberries on top…Divvy them up whatever way you like…here’s what the mess looked like…I blatantly ignored that rule…didn’t follow that recipe either…Those are just what I happened to have on hand…Magical Transforming Ingredients (TM)...decided to give them a try”
(hm. Might as well have just quoted the whole blog.
)
My dad was like that when he built mines in the Navy.
Submitted by Chris on
What a coincidence. I learned how to build bombs from the Marines. Oh. Yeah. And this blog post seems to be almost as quotable as some of yours.
Maybe everyone will stay out of hugging distance in a couple months if I hold a plate of food the whole weekend (or maybe I’ll change out the plate of food every few hours)?
Submitted by Mom on
If you stir the muffin batter too much it can lead to tough muffins. Just a thought…:-)
Submitted by Chris on
In this case I think it was the amount of butter still in the recipe. A lot of bread recipes warn you not to overstir though.