The BEST blueberry breakfast cake. Ever.

It's not mine, but I'm sharing and adding my notes for y'all's benefit.

Seriously delicious and crazy easy, Alexandra knocks it out of the park!  Head on over to her blog to see the recipe in all its glory.


AlexandraCooks.com | Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake
https://www.alexandracooks.com/2011/06/29/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake/

When I don't have a fresh lemon to zest, I add 3 drops of lemon essential oil.  I think there's true magic in creaming the lemon oils (from zest or EO) with the fat of the butter - it infuses that light freshness through the entire recipe and compliments the blueberries perfectly.

I use frozen berries when I don't have fresh, I just let them thaw a bit on the counter while I'm preparing the rest - then toss with flour as directed.  (That little step keeps them from all sinking to the bottom!)

Sometimes, I make these into muffins, using If You Care large baking cups (LOVE @If_You_Care). I preheat the oven to 350F then take it down to 325F once I pop the pans in.  They take about 25-30 minutes, but start checking at 20.  You can use a toothpick to test done-ness as they won't necessarily brown a bunch.

And don't skip the sugar sprinkle on top.  They're not the same without!

Happy Blueberry Month!

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

If you've ever been to Chuy's, and have functioning tastebuds, you know how imperative it was to our budget to figure out the copy cat recipe for their Creamy Jalapeno Dip!  This is dip, salad dressing, or a quick addition to rice for a crazy-awesome side dish.  It goes on tacos, and chicken, and steak, and in my mouth.  Stan stops just shy of drinking it straight. Cora takes it in a bowl and laps it up with her fingers, occasionally adding a chip.

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

5-7 medium jalapenos, seeded
2 small bunches cilantro
1 c buttermilk
3 c mayonnaise
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 t salt
1 packet ranch dressing mix

Toss it all in the food processor and blend, blend, blend.  Serve chilled with chips and veggies for dipping. Keep refrigerated.  I'd like to tell you how long it keeps in the fridge, but it never lasts that long around here.  Best guess 3 days, longer depending on how fresh your ingredients were.
(Best practice for longevity -of any dip- is to pour servings each time so you're not risking contamination of the whole recipe when you eat... you know who you are, you double dippers, you.)

Buttermilk

Never have buttermilk on hand when you need it?

This is one of my favorite things. Yes, you could add vinegar to regular milk, but then you would have to have milk on hand. This way, you just add powdered buttermilk to your dry ingredients and water to your wet, as instructed.

Happy, happy day!