Woopsie!

So much for my silly blogging schedule.   That worked for all of about 1 week.   LOL   Things have been CRAZY here.  I feel like I barely have time to think...let alone write down what it going on.  Let's give this silly schedule one more try.   Although I'll admit this time that I KNOW I won't keep it up as much as I had originally planned to.  Oh well.  :)

A TIP and RECIPE ALL IN ONE

Ok...so not REALLY a recipe....but the tip does include some baked goods...so that counts right?!  I am normally a "make it from scratch" type of girl.  I rarely use boxed mixes of any kind.   I like the old fashioned-ness of combining ingredients and coming up with something completely yummy.  BUT, here is my one exception:

A few years ago, shortly after DH and I moved into our first home, a dear neighbor (Linda) brought over some blueberry muffins as a welcome gift.  They were the BEST!!!!   Now, I consider myself a muffin connoisseur, and I had never had a muffin this perfect.   Very moist, but still light and fluffy....with the perfect crumbly streusel topping.  YUMMMMMMM-O!   Well, a couple months after we moved in, we were transferred to Houston with Todd's job.  We sold the house and moved to the Lone Star state.  And I never had a chance to get Linda's killer recipe.  I was obsessed and tried EVERY SINGLE blueberry muffin recipe that I could find but nothing compared.  Found some really good ones...but nothing quite like THE muffins.  So after about 9 months we decided to move back.  Texas just wasn't our thing.  (Sorry y'all.  LOL)   And I got the nerve to call our sweet old neighbor and just ASK her for the muffin recipe.  She started to laugh, and made me promise not to tell if she told me her secret.  (Guess I'm breaking that promise.  Woopsie.)  Wouldn't ya know.....they were straight out of a box!  Yep, I had spent the past year trying to duplicate Duncan Hines.  LOL   They are the Bakery Style Blueberry Streusel muffins, and you've GOT to try them.   (I get mine at Walmart ~even though I despise that place~ because they sell them in the super mega pack with 3 mixes in a box.)

Okay...so here's MY little secret on how to make these already fabulous muffins absolutely HEAVENLY!  (You knew I wouldn't leave ya with just the box muffins, right?!  LOL)

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

• 1    8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla or Vanilla bean paste if you can get your hands on some.  (It's worth it, I promise!)
• 1/2 tsp Lemon Extract

Make the batter according to the box directions.  Then combine all these ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth.    Fill muffin tins 1/4 way with batter.  Then layer 1 Tablespoon filling and more muffin batter until full.  Then sprinkle the streusel topping on.   Bake until muffins are just set. 

So there ya go....a time saving tip and a semi home-made option.  :)

UDS CONTEST

I made the next cut for the Ultimate contest.  But just barely, again.  I think I submitted with 30 seconds to spare this time.  Whew....that was close.  There were AMAZING pages in the gallery.  I truly have no idea how I pulled it off.   The judges must have been tired by the time they got to mine.  LOL

So this week's assignment is to do a "freestyle" page.   No rules, just scrap from the heart and let your personal style shine through.  ACK!!!!  I hate this kind of assignment.  I need boundaries.  Rules.  Give me a starting place.  Pleeeeeeeeease!  To be 100% honest, I've had a really hard time not dropping out completely.  It's so fun to move on to each round (and I'll even admit that it boosts my scrapping confidence a teensy bit.)  but, I hate feeling like I am trying to out-do someone else.  It's completely draining and not my style.   Especially when I am up against the girls that blow me away each and every time.   So this time I decided that IF (and that's still a BIG "if"!) I do submit something it will just be for fun.  Not for the competition aspect.  Just  a regular old page to check of the "to scrap" list.  It will be my style~ heck...that's the style I do best.  LOL~ but probably won't be anything fancy.  And I WON'T have my feeling hurt in the slightest when I don't make the next cut.   Sound good?

And with that, I think I'll sign off.   Tonight Todd and I are going to look at some more homes, in the home show, to hopefully snag some ideas for our new house.  YAY!  It's funny how "house stuff" makes me all giddy these days. 

Tah tah~

Kim

Comments

[Trisha]

Awesome yummy looking semi homemade muffins. Will definetly have to give them a try. TY!

[Nina]

Girl, thanks for the semi homemade muffins!! I like to bake often, but most of the time I don't have time to make things from scratch. So this is perfect!!! Still easy, and semi homemade!!! :) Your the best!!
As far as the contest....girl your LO's are AWESOME, holy cow!!! You really should consider entering!!! I'm telling you, your stinkin good! GO FOR iT!! ;)

[Lisa aka momy4him]

i must be hungry...

[MandaKay]

nummy! Love the song you have on here too! Smooches to you girl!

[Andrea*]

Oh Girlie!! Do I have a muffin recipe for you! Email me, and I'll get it to you!

[Kami]

Tried the muffins and I LOVED them, the cream cheese filling just made them PERFECT!! I am hooked on your recipes, keep them coming. Your recipe card for the sugar cookies has vanished, if you get a chance to post it or email me it I'd LOVE it. Do you have any great frosting recipes? thanks thanks thanks!!!

[CD]

looks like it paid off Kim!!! your LO was great and i am so totally thrilled that you are top seven!!! way to go girl! I'm a fan, you really should have more confidence in your scrapping self ! you are so very good :)

[Gingersnaps]

Ooooh! Thanks for the Yummy, yummy recipe!

[Corina]

Girl, first can I just tell you... I"m the same way about banana bread! I tried a dozen recipes but it was never PERFECT! Thn one day, I bought a packaged box, mashed up 3 bananas.... uh, HEAVEN! They were the bestest I have ever had! Second, I know I"m a little late with this seeing as that you have already made it to the LAST ROUND of the contest! I had no doubt baby! You so totally rock and I LOVE your work! Rock on sweety pie!

[*Amber*]

Great Idea to take the pressure off yourself for the contest. If you don't make it, then GREAT ~ you still have a totally awesome layout! That's how I had to think when I entered HOF this year! Your latest layout is awesome! Because of you, I've downloaded digital kits. My friends will be shocked! Good luck with this layout!

[Debra/SteinwaysMom]

Your week 4 entry was the best! Pure color therapy. If they don't move you to week 5 they need Lasix! I'm not one to go on and on unless I mean it!

[Shannon B. (aka dancingirisheyes)]

Oh man, that filling sounds SO yummy. I definitely have to try this recipe (I trust you....I do make Bertolli a weekly thing now. LOL!) So funny that it was a mix that you've been trying to duplicate. Erick's Mom had a spinach dip recipe that Erick just gushed about. "My Mom's spinach dip is the best in the world." She made it for him every year on his birthday. It was his favorite. So when we got married, he asked her if we could have the recipe. She wrote it out for me and gave it to me. One of the ingredients was Knorr's Vegetable Soup Mix. So we picked it up and what is on the back of the soup mix box? The EXACT recipe!! LOL! So when Erick confronted his Mom about her "special secret spinach dip recipe" she just shrugged and said "Well I figured why spoil it for you. You always seemed so impressed." LOL!

[pomn]

Great tutorial.v

[Heather J]

Thanks for sharing this great recipe. I made 2 batches this week, and just love them!

[Luxy]

Making these for our Santa brunch tomorrow. Yum!

Hope your having a wonderfulholiday season!!! Hugs & Well wishes!!!

[Online Bingo]

these sounds so delicious, i will definitely be trying this recipe out... blueberry muffins AND cream cheese filling, how can it get any better than that?! i think i'll be making all my friends jealous when i bust out these amazing muffins for them :)