Simple, Tasty Blueberry Muffins!

Okay, so here's a new recipe I just had to share, found recently over at Food.com. My kids aren't usually fans of anything blueberry, but these muffins seem to be the exception to the rule. The first time I made these mildly sweet, cupcake-like muffins, they lasted for a total of about... oh, 20 minutes before they all disappeared, courtesy of some seriously hungry kiddos!

Here's the recipe:

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter or ½ cup margarine, at room temp
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup milk
• 2 ½ cups fresh blueberries or 2 ½ cups frozen blueberries

For Topping

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, mixed with
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°.
2. Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins).
3. In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.
5. Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt.
6. With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter; repeat.
7. Fold in blueberries.
8. Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle topping onto each muffin.
9. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.
   
   Enjoy!

Natural Wood Cleaner and Dusting Spray

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't posted any new tips in a while. Things have just been so busy around here, I haven't had time to breath, much less come up with something helpful and witty to say! Luckily, I just finished a little cleaning around the house, and remembered to share this awesome new recipe I've been using for an all-natural wood cleaner/dusting spray.

This spray works just well as Pledge or any other name brand wood cleaner on the market-- at least in my humble opinion, and will leave your wood tables and furniture shining beautifully. And the best part about it... No harsh chemicals or mystery ingredients! Just a few cheap, everyday products you probably already have around the house anyway, plus a few drops of essential oil for a nice lemony scent (or whatever other scent you prefer, like orange for example!).

Sounds great that it's all natural, but does it WORK, you ask? Why yes, it does!


Here's what you'll need:

1 clean plastic spray bottle (Preferably new, to avoid any unwanted chemicals getting in the mix. Found mine at Walmart for like $1.99)

1 3/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup vinegar (Such an awesome all-purpose cleaner!)

2 tsp olive oil (For conditioning, trust me!)

1/2 tsp lemon essential oil (About 10 to 12 drops work for me, but feel free to add more or less, whatever tickles your fancy! Found mine at Kroger in the organic section. Also available at Publix, most health food stores, and many online retailers like Amazon, and Mountain Rose Herbs.)

Here's what you'll need to do:


First, add all your oils directly to the bottle, replace top and shake just enough to blend. Next, add vinegar and water, replace top again, and shake well. Spray directly on wood surface or on a clean dry cloth, wiping just as you would with any other dusting spray or wood cleaner. (microfiber works best!) Because the oils and water will separate naturally, be sure to shake well before each use, and a little extra in between sprays just to keep it mixed evenly.

And that's it! Pretty simple, right? Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Seriously. Your gonna love it!