Thursday Mini-Post

*Note*

I had originally planned to do a blog about my recent Gourmet Food Tour experience, but I will be moving that blog to Tuesday. Please be sure to stop by next week to read all about it.

What is it about a rainy day that makes us want to curl up with a good book? This week, the weather has been a bit schizophrenic, blazing hot one minute and cool and drizzly the next. Inevitably, as soon as the first gust of wind hits me with the unmistakable scent of rain, my fingers itch to grab a good book and a nice cup of tea. Sitting on my screened back porch, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the trees around me and dancing on the surface of the lake, my world narrows to that perfect moment in time, content to feel utterly at peace in the absence of modern day distractions.

An ideal time to have a scrumptious baked good at one's side, don't you think? Recently, I tweaked a banana bread recipe (originally from Southern Living) to make the most divine blueberry banana crumble-top muffins. They are the perfect accompaniment to a lazy, rainy day, and a scrumptious addition to any good book :) I do hope you will try them, and let me know what you think.

When is your favorite time to read? Do you reach for a book on those rainy days? Or do you find yourself reading in bed late at night, with nothing to bother or interrupt you as a snoozing husband/dog/cat lays quietly by your side? Of course, I do both, as well as obsessively pick a book up when I am in the passenger seat of a car, waiting for muffins to bake, or soaking in the tub. Still, nothing beats the rain…

On a side note, I came across this site a while ago, and found it to be… delicious :) Check it out when you have 10 minute for a coffee break. It’s the best advertisement I’ve seen in years, lol! Click Here

Rainy Day Blueberry Banana Crumble-Top Muffins

6 Tbsp butter (about 3/4 of a stick) - softened

4 oz (half package) cream cheese - softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 large bananas - mashed

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup frozen bluberries (you can adjust amount based on preference. Also, fresh should work too, I just haven't tried it that way yet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy – at least several minutes. Add egg, beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine all four dry ingredients, then gradually add to butter mixture, beating on low speed until just blended.

Fold in the bananas, vanilla, and blueberries, gently distribute to muffin tin. Sprinkle Topping over batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Crumble Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cold butter

Combine flour and sugar, and cut in cold butter using a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs pea-sized or smaller. You can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for several weeks.