File Under: "I Know I'm Old Because..." I'm Posting About Blueberries

I'm not going to lie.

It's hot.

For those of you in the South, I realize that my use of the word "heat" is relative. But when the car thermometer says it's over 100, that is pretty universally toasty.

I'm having flashbacks of the first summer Brad and I moved to Texas.

That would be the same summer that set the record for most consecutive days over 100 degrees.

Brad worked OUTSIDE.

In JEANS.

Meanwhile...

Being a teacher, I was gainfully unemployed for the summer months and whiled away the days from the comfort of my Super Floatie in the apartment complex pool.

Um, Brad wasn't exactly ecstatic about that arrangement.

Which (obviously) leads me to berries.

I think one of my favorite things about surviving summer heat invovles devouring fruit at every opportunity. 

(Except the melon family, which I loathe. It's been pointed out to me that my dislike of watermelons--and almost paralyzing inability to even type the words cantaloupe and honeydew--makes me simultaneously un-American and lame. But I don't care.)

So yesterday I bought two amazingly luscious pounds of blueberries for all of $4.99.

It would be very Eco Fabulous to say I found them at a sweet little roadside stand where a precious elderly lady grew them in her Mother Earth Organic Garden and then I carried them home cradled in my shirt as so not to waste any paper or plastic products.

But I bought them at Costco. Where I drove in my SUV that holds 34 gallons of $4 gas. At which time I also bought 50 pounds of sugar. Hate me.

Anywho, for weeks Lilly persistently asked me to make blueberry muffins.

So I did.

This is embarrassing, but until this morning at 8:30 a.m., I had forgotten how perfect homemade blueberry muffins are.

Because the ones in the box--which I, too, have been guilty of buying--are more like cake mix with dehydrated Blue No. 9 pellets.

They might seem good in your very foggy memory, but until you've eaten the Real Deal, you are respectfully mistaken.

The blueberries in these babies got all bubbly and gooey. And the muffin wasn't super-fakey-cakey spongy like the boxed ones.

The texture was that ideal combination of dense and slightly sweet (this isn't cake, people) with a little bonus of warm, oozing REAL LIVE blueberries in every bite.

(Hold on...I am having a moment.)

(NOW cue the elderly lady sequence which will warm your heart that cooled slightly while I snubbed local farmers in lieu of mass-merchandising and $1.50 pizza.)

I got the recipe from my Gran, which does make them taste even better.

Would you like it?

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Mix the following in a large bowl:

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated (white) sugar

Beat together:

2 eggs

5 T vegetable oil

3/4 c. milk

Stir egg mixture into flour just until moistened. Stir 2 c. fresh (or frozen) blueberries.

Bake in greased muffin tins (or use paper cups) at 375 for about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

And be sure to add a nice lump of butter and watch it gracefully melt.

For the record, I didn't wait ten minutes for the cooling.

Heck. No.

All that said...as I tucked Lilly in tonight, I assured her that more delicious blueberry muffins awaited her tomorrow.

"But Mommy, I didn't really like them."

"What?! Why not?"

"The blueberries were warm and melty. I like the little, tiny blueberries in those white muffins."

"But Lilly, those are gross."

"No way. The ones you made were."

Even though it was dark, I'm sure she saw me roll my eyes.