Non-Adventure #21 and Rambling #19 FIG & Muffins!

My favorite non-adventures almost always happen when I am out with Robin. She is super fun and almost always up for anything! She is very trendy but realizes that being trendy can be costly so she is an excellent bargain hunter! So somewhere she heard about this finale fashion show where you can find trendy stuff at somewhat affordable prices. It isn't so much a fashion show like runways and stuff but rather lots of racks and tables of clothes, jewelry, shoes, purses, and other accessories. It is called the FIG finale show. Here we are all ready to head out to downtown Dallas.

Here is Robin feeding our meter:
Robin trying on somethings. There are never formal dressing rooms just areas they block of with a partition or small curtain so you quickly try things on. I loved this top on Robin but it didn't make the final cut that day.
A nice fur vest (it too stayed here)
I found me a new headband to go with my favorite blue old navy dress.
Robin and all her purchases heading back to the car.
After shopping and trying things on for most of the morning and some of the afternoon we left and headed off to get some grub. And since Robin had a gift card we headed to Chili's. It is and always has been a favorite restaurant of ours.
Now I am going to leave you with a new recipe I tried. It was one that I got off the Tasty Kitchen website. It is called Bakery Blueberry Muffins and you can go here to look at it. I don't know what my deal is but lately I have been really craving me some blueberry muffins so when I came across this I HAD to try them. So here it is:

Bakery Blueberry Muffins

The ingredients: vanilla, salt, eggs, sugar, buttermilk, baking powder, shortening, raw sugar, blueberries (fresh or frozen) and flour. Preheat the oven to 450.
First I washed and dried the blueberries, since I used fresh. I set aside about a 1/2 cup of blueberries for something that we will get to a little later.
Next I sprayed my 12 cup muffin pan with Pam and then I lined it with muffin liners.
In a seperate bowl I put 2 cups flour.
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt. Give it a good stir with a fork or a whisk to mix up the ingredients, and set aside. Then in a mixing bowl
put in 1 heaping cup of sugar
and 1/2 cup shortening.
Cream together generously
Then when its all mixed add 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of buttermilk
and 2 whole eggs. Mix well.
Then add the flour mixture
Mix until just combined. If you mix to much or too long it will make your muffins tough.
Next I added the blueberries (not the half cup you set aside earlier, keep those, I promise we will get to them) and I gently folded them in with a spatula, be careful you don't want to smach your blueberries.
See all mixed together.
I used an ice cream scooper to put a generous amount of muffin mix into each liner. So it looks like below when all is done.
Now remember the 1/2 cup of blueberries you set aside, just push a 3-4 blueberries into the top of each muffin. Push the berries in pretty good (or they will roll of when the muffins rise).
Now take some raw sugar and sprinkle it on top of each muffin.
Ok here they are all ready to go in the oven.
Here is one up close.
Then put them in the oven and bake at 450 for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375 and continue baking for 20 minutes. Here they are fresh out of the oven. Mmmmmm don't they look yummy!
Look how the raw sugar is all sparkly! It makes a really nice crunch too.
I let them cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Serve while warm or if saving for later store them in a plastic ziplock bag. Just looking at them is making my mouth water! I hope you guys like them as much as I do.

Bakery Blueberry Muffins

2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
½ cups Shortening (butter flavored is fine)
1 cup Sugar, (a heaping cup)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 whole Eggs
½ cups Buttermilk, (Or Vinegar Soured Milk)
2 cups Blueberries (Fresh or frozen, set aside 1/2 cup of blueberries)

Raw Sugar (or Turbinado sugar)

Preheat oven to 450. Wash blueberries and dry blueberries, and set aside 1/2 cup. Grease and line 12 cup muffin tin. In a bowl add 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt, stir to mix together, and set aside. In a mixer add 1 heaping cup of sugar and 1/2 cup shortening, cream together well. Then add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and 2 whole eggs, mix together. Then add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, not too long or too much or your muffins will be tough. Next, gently fold in the blueberries with a spatula, carefully so that you don't break the berries too bad. Then using the 1/2 cup blueberries you set aside, push 3-4 blueberries into the top of each muffin. Sprinkle each muffin with some raw sugar. Bake in at 450 for 5 minutes. Then turn it down to 375 and bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes and then enjoy!