Lemon Blueberry muffins! And some pretty pictures.

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back with a delicious blueberry muffin recipe. I've been sick as a dog with a terrible cold, but it's gradually getting better. I now have a voice, although my kids really preferred the silent me, I'm sure.
  Anyway, does anyone remember that show, "Frasier"? Before I got married, I didn't have a TV for a long time, and then someone gave me an old, tiny set. I was never a TV watcher, but suddenly, living alone, I started turning it on, just to see what was happening in the world. Frasier was always on when I got off work and I fell in love with the comedic writing. One of my favorite characters was Daphne, the Cockney-accented maid. And some of the funniest lines I ever heard her utter had to do with MUFFINS.

 "Now me, I could eat a muffin a day, some days even two knowing they'd be free. So that'd be... ten a week, fifty-two weeks a year, for at least another... forty years, which works out to... Twenty thousand muffins![pause] My life suddenly seems long, measured in muffins." 

 That scene never fails to make me laugh!

 Well, we had gone blueberry picking earlier in the week  and got about 18 lbs so we made some pies, gave some away, ate a lot, and decided to make muffins. We'll pick more this Monday, but it's a short season this year, and we're not sure we'll get many for the freezer. We'll enjoy them while we have them, though!
                                         
                               ( Pie my husband ate by himself. WHY DO I NOT HAVE HIS METABOLISM?   )
 Preheat oven to 425F
Ingredients:
 4 TBS unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
 grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
 2.5 cups blueberries

 Sift the flour, baking powder and salt, stir all sugar but 2 tbs into mix and make a well in the center. Then beat the egg, add the melted butter, lemon zest, vanilla and milk. Beat again until foamy. Pour into the well you just made in the dry mix.

 Mmmmmm.......

 Stir the mix until smooth, then gently fold in all the blueberries.

 Pour into muffin papers until about 3/4 full, bake 12-15 minutes. Take the lemon juice and sugar and mix together, an then brush the tops of the muffins.

 Taaaasty....

 I like my muffins with a little bit of cold butter, so it melts as they come right out of the oven.

And here are a few pictures from our beach trip. Our whole week was bright and sunny, perfect weather for the coast!

 Multnomah Falls, along the Columbia Gorge. Great rest stop, but tons of people The crowds made it hard to hike to the top.

Mo's, the famous seafood restaurant. Scattered up and down the coast, it's not a fancy place but the food is delicious! 

My five year old is entranced at the idea that local kids can catch their own dinner. I was less entranced, but I did take pictures.

 The crabs you keep have to meet with certain size, gender, etc standards. Behold, the keepers.

 At Newport, about an hour from Lincoln City, where we stayed... one of the many little candy shops. My kids all picked one item. Some picked jelly bellies, some picked a sucker, I got fresh caramels, the girls picked chocolate. My husband just shook his head. He's not a candy eater. Crazy, huh?

 The Devil's Punchbowl, south of Lincoln City. At high tide and especially during storms, this cauldron is filled and the show is spectacular. We went at low tide...

 Pelican sighting!

 The Oregon coast does have some beautiful beaches. You just have to make your way down to the sand. :)

 A rainbow seen from the bottom. A fun little science lesson happened while we were whale watching. The spray from the rocks made a rainbow we saw from far away, but when we got close, it was a perfect circle above us (because rainbows seen from below or above are circles).

 We saw this little family down in one of the coves. See the mom and baby to the right? Now, look left. All the way left...

Yup, two little kids had clambered all the way up the rock face. Made me smile. Brave mom! I never would have survived watching that.

 We had a great time! We also got together with my college roommate who is from Mississippi, and visiting her home state when we were in college was the inspiration for a lot of Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits. Anyway, here are all our kids together. In ten years, we won't have this stair case!

And one last picture in case Mary Curry decides to stop by. :) The lighthouse at Heceta Head!

Until next time, my friends! Meanwhile, back to my Monday deadline! Happy muffin-making!