Blackberry Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 cups fresh  blackberries (you can use Frozen)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1-1/4 cups sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; gradually stir into creamed mixture alternately with milk. beating well after each addition. Fold in blackberries. Fill greased or paper-lined  (I recommend using paper-liner these were very sticky and hard to get out of the pan)  muffins cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. 

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Fresh from our garden!!

Charlie  was so proud of himself last week because he

 picked Strawberries for all of us. Sadly they 

were not ripe. But today we did get some nice juicy ripe ones!!

Blackberry Pork Tender Loin

I haven't food blogged  in some time and last night I decided I was going to make something new today!! I found this great recipe and with a few changes. This has replace my cranberry pork as a favorite,  it was that  good!!

• 1 pork tenderloin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp  ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp  dried rubbed sage
• 1 tbsp crushed dried rosemary, or to taste
• 1/2 jar (8 oz) seedless blackberry jam
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp red wine (I substituted  grape juice)
• fresh Blackberries 
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• Season the pork tenderloin on all sides with salt, pepper, sage, and rosemary. Place the tenderloin into a slow cooker, and spoon the blackberry jam, 1/4 cup honey, and 2 tablespoons of  grape juice over the pork. Set the cooker to Low, and cook until very tender, 4 to 5 hours
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• Sauce
  • 1/2 cup grape juice
  • 1/2 cup meat drippings
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 cup fresh blackberries
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
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• About 15 minutes before serving time, pour 1/2 cup dripping , grape juice mixed with corn starch, honey, and the fresh blackberries into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and some of the berries burst, about 15 minutes. Slice the tenderloin and spoon blackberry-wine sauce over slices.

Recipe came from allreciepes.com but i made a couple of small changes.

UPDATE 1/10/12 : Made this again and this time I also sliced blackberries 

in half and place them on top of the jam before I started cooking. 

Turned out very nice!

Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits Recipe

                                          Ingredients:

                             ¾ cup cold whole milk

         4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)

 ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Bush on Top:

2 tablespoons butter, melted 

¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

½ teaspoon garlic powder

pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

Recipe courtesy of Todd Wilbur,

 "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2,"