+ Blueberry Muffins Recipe, Pete's Amazing Meatballs Recipe and Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Muffin Batter ~
2 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Sugar
3/4 tea Salt
1 TBL Baking Powder
1/2 cup Oil (Canola)
1 Egg
1/2 cup Buttermilk (it was very dry today, so I had to use 3/4 cup of buttermilk)
1 1/2 cup Blueberries (Fresh or Frozen)

Streusel Topping~
6 TBL Flour
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 TBL Butter, Melted
1 tea Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place cupcake papers in the muffin pan.

To make the batter:
Mix together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add in the oil, egg and buttermilk. Mix just to combine. Be careful to not overmix. Gently fold in the blueberries. The batter will be stiff.
Spoon the batter into the muffin papers. Fill them about 3/4 full. The batter will puff up while baking.

To make the streusel:
Mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter and mix. Spoon this over the batter.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

* Next time I might add in a small bit of freshly ground nutmeg.

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Italian Wedding Soup (Modified)

1 batch Pete's Amazing Meatballs (see below)
4 cups Chicken broth
2 stalks celery, minced
2 medium carrots, grated
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 teas red pepper flakes
2 teas Montreal Steak seasoning
1 teas paprika
Salt & Pepper (to taste - I actually leave this out)
1 bunch (or bag) spinach
1/2 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1/2 cup White Wine

Make small versions of Pete's Amazing Meatballs. (Mine are about 1 teaspoon each meatball.)
In a large stock pot, combine chicken broth, water, carrot, zucchini and celery. Bring to a boil. Add seasonings and rice and boil for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add white wine, spinach and meatballs to the soup. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve. Add shaved Parmesan cheese on top, if you wish.

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Pete's Amazing Meatball Recipe

Our friend, Pete M. makes amazing meatballs. As a boy he had them for breakfast every Sunday. I have fun picturing that in my head when I make a batch of these. They are fun to make and freeze well. They are good enough alone that you don't need any sauce.

Pete's Amazing Meatballs

3-4 TBL Parsley, fresh & chopped
3-4 TBL Basil, fresh and chopped
3-4 Garlic SHoots or 1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1# Hamburger (80%)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese or Romano Cheese, grated
1 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs (plain or seasoned)
3 Eggs
Salt & Pepper, if desired

Mix the herbs, garlic and hamburger in the food processor or by hand. Add in the grated cheese and process again. Add in the bread crumb with the eggs. Form into Meatballs.

Bake the meatballs in a 350 degree oven. You can also fry them in a skillet.