Two Salad Dressings

This photo, showing the romaine lettuces, was our garden a month ago.



This is our garden today. It's amazing how fast everything grows! My husband watered the garden Tuesday evening...



...and I watered the blueberries yesterday morning. With the temperatures predicted to hit the 80's (WhooHoo!), it was a day to make sure everything had plenty of water: water the chicks, water the chickens, fill the pig's water bucket, fill the flock's water buckets, fill a bucket for the dog to find, fill all the rabbit water bottles, empty and fill 3 duck pools (yuck!), and I searched in vain for the sprinkler (lost in the tall orchard grass) to water the strawberry bed with. Tromped way out to the back pasture to check and see if the baaing of a lamb was one stuck up to its chest in the stream with waterlogged wool (this happened a couple days ago) or with its head stuck in a fence (this happened a few days ago also), or if it was just one complaining about being weaned or some other great lambie unhappiness. All was well by the time I got to them, and they all followed me back to the barn to drink from their water buckets and lie around in the shade for the afternoon.



Our blueberries aren't ripe yet. I am patiently waiting and dreaming of blueberries. The blueberries are next to the clothesline and as I hung out three loads of laundry (I simply LOVE line dried clothes) I thought of blueberry foods: eating blueberries fresh from the bush, Blueberry Sauce, Blueberry Pie, frozen blueberries straight from the bag, Blueberry Jam, Blueberry Wine...



Iced coffee...



...and salad for my lunch before leaving for work -with a choice of two salad dressings. The truth is that I seldom measure for this Balsamic Dressing but approximate (and rather flexibly) for these amounts. Make it to suit yourself, tasting and adding as you like. The Yogurt Curry Salad Dressing is a bit unusual, and quite good. I also used it as a marinade for some rabbit pieces we grilled over the fire pit. Delicious.

Balsamic Dressing
Mix together in mini food processor:
1 T. honey
2 T. Dijon mustard
3 T. Balsamic vinegar or half and half with red wine vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 -1 t. Italian Seasoning
1/2 t. salt
few grinds of black pepper to taste


Yogurt Curry Salad Dressing
Whisk together in a small bowl:
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1 T. cider vinegar
1 1/2 t. lemon juice
1/4 t. curry powder
1/2 t. turmeric
1 T. honey
1/4 c. mayonnaise

I have found if you beat the daylights out of this dressing, as when making it in a mini food processor, it will thin overnight. It doesn't change the taste, it just becomes a rather thin dressing, and I prefer the thicker version on my salad.

The Best Blueberry Muffins

We have ten blueberry bushes that are about five years old. There are several varieties, allowing us to have fresh berries over a longer season, and the earlier types are beginning to produce fruit now. I adore blueberries and am somewhat crushed that my daughters don't really share my sentiment. I say it leaves more for the rest of us, but I honestly cannot understand -how can one not be absolutely crazy about blueberries?



Blueberries are a fantastic fruit to raise, harvest and cook with. They are easy to pick -no thorns or prickles. To freeze them, simply put them in bags without washing, and then pull frozen blueberries from the freezer all year long to enjoy -at least as long as they last. We eat them frozen straight from the bag, or defrosted and made into crumbles, crisps or a scrumptious blueberry sauce to pour over waffles and pancakes. When the bushes are in full production I make jam and canned blueberry pie filling and am hoping to make some country wine. These muffins are one of the few ways that the girls enjoy eating blueberries. I make them often, using both fresh and frozen berries with equal success. These really are the very best blueberry muffins -ever.



The Best Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from Muffins by Elizabeth Alston
In stand mixer bowl, beat:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
Beat in one at a time:
2 eggs
Add:
1 1/2 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Add and beat until they are quite mashed:
1/2 c. blueberries (defrosted, if using frozen)
Add half at a time and fold in:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
Fold in:
1 c. blueberries (don't defrost, if using frozen)
Use an ice cream scoop and fill well-greased or foil-lined muffin tins (the paper-liners have a tendency to stick). I always seem to have a bit extra so I make a wee little loaf cake, about the same amount as for two muffins, and it cooks in the same amount of time as the muffins do. Give it to some deserving soul who will be absolutely delighted.
Mix:
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. nutmeg
Sprinkle sugar mix over the tops of muffins before baking. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool muffins half an hour in pan before removing to rack (I always forget this part without any disastrous results). I love to make these and have them ready and waiting the next morning for breakfast.