Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Mom made some very yummy muffins today. I often don't like things made with Bisquick because I get a strong aftertaste from it (I am unable to smell, so certain flavors are accentuated). This recipe is absolutely perfect! I do so like recipes out of Taste of Home.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Quick Cooking: March/April 2005

2 cups biscuit/baking mix
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 egg
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix and 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk the egg and sour cream; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full. Combine lemon peel and remaining sugar; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield 1 dozen.

Note: if using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding to batter.

Sticky Chicken

Once upon a time, I came across a most wondrous recipe for cream cheese brownies. They were to-die-for. A co-worker tried them and asked for the recipe and I dutifully wrote it down. A couple of weeks later, I was harranged for giving her a different recipe. Turns out that (a) she substituted ingredients and (b) didn't bake it at the temperature required and (c) baked it longer than the recipe said. Folks, unless you suspect a typo, if you don't follow the directions, you aren't going to get the same result. My Mom doesn't seem to get why I want to always follow the original recipe the first time. How can you determine if it's the recipe or your substitution that resulted in less than wonderful food?

The recipe for Sticky Chicken often suffers this problem. The most common mistake is oven temperature. You may have it set at 250 F, but is that what the oven is really baking at? How can you know without an oven thermometer? Recipes and meats have much less fat in them than years ago, so exacting oven temperature becomes much more important. This is a very yummy chicken recipe that is prepared a day in advance. The slow cooking time results in a different texture and flavor than if you bake it at the traditional 350 F. If you are in a hurry, certainly feel free to bake at 350 F for lots less time; just realize that you are not getting the same recipe result. It's still yummy.

Another good thing about this recipe is that you can prepare a couple of chickens and freeze one. Take out the night before to thaw in the fridge, and then place right in the oven. Note the size of the chicken - 3 lbs. Adjust cooking times if you use something bigger or smaller and don't use a 5 or 6 pounder at all.

Sticky Chicken (the original by Mimi Hiller)

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (cut in half if you aren't used to cayenne pepper)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 whole roasting chicken, about 3 pounds
1 cup chopped onions

Combine all spices (first 8 ingredients) in small bowl.
Rinse chicken, inside and out. Drain well.
Rub spice mixture over skin and the inside of chicken.
Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to roast, stuff cavity with onions.
Place chicken breast side down in roasting pan.
Roast uncovered at 250ºF (that's not a typo...it's really 250º! Anything over 225º is safe as long as the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 155º, which this does, and more) for about 5 hours. Baste occasionally with pan juices or until pan juices start to caramelize on bottom of pan and chicken is golden brown.
Serves 4.

I've copied and pasted this recipe directly from Mimi's site. To view more of her recipes, here's a link to her site. http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/recipes/Foolproof_Sticky_Chicken.htm