Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Orange-Blueberry Muffins & a New Teapot!

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Our recent house guests sent us this lovely white teapot &
two especially large & beautiful mugs
as a "thank you" gift for having them stay here.


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I combined the teapot & cups on a bed tray & have used my

berry basket as a substitute sugar/creamer/serving plate.

I made orange-blueberry muffins from blueberries grown on my parent's property
(now my sister's home).


Here is what the blueberry bushes look like right now.

As soon as the berries start to appear,

my sister, with the help of her sons,

cover them with netting to cut down on the

amount of fruit the birds are able to get to.

They still get their fair share!


My sister picks the blueberries just about every day

as they ripen slowly, in small batches.

She freezes them & then doles them out to each of our

siblings & children.

What a treat they are...Thanks, Sis!

I always save my last bag until I know the new ones are coming in.

That way, I'm never without some in the freezer.


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This Vanilla Caramel tea by Bigelow is one of my favorite flavors lately.

Have you tried it?


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I added sanding sugar to the tops of the muffins

while they were still warm.

I like that extra little crunch & sweetness.

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My hyacinths that have been toppled

over in all the rain we've been getting.

I hated to cut them, as they won't last long indoors

but what a wonderful fragrance they bring to a room!

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More colored sugar to add to the fun!

I'm on a roll with this added touch of whimsy.


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Look how pretty the mugs are, with their deeply carved decoration.

No names to identify the maker...sorry.

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The cutwork linen liner is from Ireland.

I ADORE anything lacey & with cutwork details &

this one just grabbed my heart!

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The napkins are lace edged hankies that are doing double duty.

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More pretty edges on a tea towel to enjoy.

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I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

for this week's

Tablescape Thursday.

Here is the recipe for the muffins, just in time

for Foodie Friday with Michael Lee at

Designs by Gollum.


I'll be at The Tablescapers, too for her

Seasonal Sundays


EDIT: Alli invited me to also link to her

Sweet Tooth Friday meme on her cute blog

Alli-n-Son


Orange-Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12

  • 2 Cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 Cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 Cups low-fat buttermilk
  • 1/4 Cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 Cup frozen blueberries (no need to thaw)
  • 2 tsp grated orange rind
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 1 tablespoon sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, melted butter, orange rind, vanilla & beaten egg in a bowl then add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist then add blueberries. Mix gently…try to not break the blueberries or you’ll have blue batter!

Spoon into 12 paper muffin cups and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove muffins from pans; cool on a wire rack. (I added extra sanding sugar AFTER they came out of the oven & cooled a bit)


Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House.

Now if you'll excuse me, I still have Easter

dishes to put away!!!


fondly,

Photobucket

34 comments:

  1. Oh Rett! We bloggers need to come up with new words to use to describe our love for dishes, linens, etc. This post is really, really lovely. Oh that bed tray! So unusual! I can tell your friends really enjoyed their stay with you by the nice gift. Love you napkins too. I'm excited you will share your recipe. We love blueberries and I know it's good with orange. Such pretty photography. :)
    Donna

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  2. This is SO pretty, Rett! What a sweet gift from your house guests! I have to try that tea!

    I think you are the one that told me about the netting for the blueberry bushes...thank you. I'm sure I'd have zero blueberries for muffins or anything for that matter! Love your pretty hyacinth, too. Mine were all knocked down and covered with mud.

    Your pictures look fantastic! Hope you are having a good week!

    XO,
    Jane

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  3. What a lovely hostess gift. Lucky you. Always fun to receive a little sussie.

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  4. Wow, just beautiful Rett! The colors in the berry basket truly pop! I had one of them... wonder what I did with it??? What a nice hostess gift, and I'm envious of your sister's blueberry bushes! Enjoy:@)

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  5. How pretty everything is again, my friend. You really know how to make things elegant. Better than me, I'm afraid. With all my sewing stuff in the kitchen half the time, it's a wonder I don't use paper plates. LOL

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  6. So lovely, Rett. This is such a great gift from your houseguests. Lovely...Bunny

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  7. What a lovely and mouth watering post. Your guests left you with a beautiful gift and you have shown your appreciation in a very nice way.
    How wonderful to make your muffins with homegrown blueberries. I have a few bushes, but they are small and haven't produced berries yet.

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  8. Rett, this vignette is so elegant in its simplicity. I'm in love with all the elements and I have to tell you those muffins look like perfection. The lovely gift from your guests I'm sure will become a special treat to use. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. Such a sweet gift. Love your pretty tray all set for a wonderful breakfast of tea and muffins. This is all so charming.

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  10. Beautiful new teapot and cups Rett. What sweet friends to send you such a special thank you!
    I love that tea, it's one of my favorites too.
    And ~ again, thanks for the ebay search for my bunny plates. They arrived in the mail yesterday!! I am thrilled {although a little sad that I have to pack them away till next year!}
    Have a wonderful day.
    Sue

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  11. What! No recipe for orange blueberry muffins? My mouth is watering.

    Lovely houseguest gift!

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  12. A sweet feast for the eyes and the tastebuds! Love the beautiful linens, and what a thoughtful hostess gift!

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  13. Exquisite! What a nice gift from your friends. I love the way you styled this on the bed tray with that beautiful linen. Blueberry bushes ~ how lovely. ~ Sarah

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  14. How lucky you are to have friends who send such fabulous gifts! Beautiful tea setting and pictures. Thanks for sharing.

    Barb

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  15. How beautiful! I love those linens and the new teapot and cups are lovely!
    I have a few blueberry bushes, but it is a fight to get them, even with the netting those @#@$% birds get in and eat them. Barely enough to make a muffin.
    Your muffins looks wonderful!
    It is so windy today the magnolias and Bradford pears that just bloomed are whipped to pieces. But at least it is not a tornado. Those poor people!
    OK, carry on, and I do mean that in a fun way! :)

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  16. Rett, everything is beautiful and your muffins sounds delicious. You've created a lovely spot for your readers to visit and I always enjoy the time I spend here. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  17. Beautiful linens, Rett. I can almost smell the hyacinth...the rain and wind shredded my lilacs before I could bring any inside to enjoy.

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  18. Rett~ What a beautiful tray you've set! Your teapots & mugs are beautiful~ I love the detail on the handles! And I love your berry basket repurposed as a cream & sugar/server! How lucky you have access to fresh berries~ breakfast in bed never looked so inviting!

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  19. Rett, This is a post I could spend an hour on! I love each element. The beautiful colors (lots of white) you put together, the wonderful tea pot, that darling caddy and those AMAZING mugs!!!! I think colored sugar is such a fancy fun thing to use... And those orange blueberry muffins are fabulous. I have a thing for orange cake of any kind. I get my oven on Monday, and these will be on my list to make.
    YUMMY!
    What a delightful visit, my friend! I wish I was sharing it with you!
    xo Yvonne

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  20. Rett, how beautiful your new teapot and mugs are and your pretty display on that tray. Those muffins looks wonderful. Wish I had the stuff to make them now and I must try that tea.

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  21. There's nothing better than a blueberry muffin with fresh blueberries. Delicious!

    I'd love to have you share this recipe on my weekly link-up, Sweet Tooth Friday. I hope to see you there. http://alli-n-son.com/2011/04/28/mint-infused-plum-tarte-tatin/

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  22. Ooh, yum, these are just stuffed with blueberries! I love your green sugar too, it is so fun and so festive!

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  23. mmm vanilla caramel...I haven't even seen it around..but I will now....I am off to the market in a a bit...your pics as always are as crisp as your taste...tea for two...nothing more inviting..

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  24. Hi Rett, What a lovely tea you have set in the bedroom! The muffins look great and I like the colored sugar. I love the pretty white hyacinth, too, and they smell so good! Thanks for talking about and showing the blueberry bushes. Have a wonderful weekend, dear sweet friend!
    Hugs, Beth

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  25. Rett...

    Thank you for stopping by my blog! I appreciate your generous comments!

    I LOVE your tea setting. I just adore white embossed or etched patterns! This is all so lovely and your muffins look delicious; especially knowing those are home grown berries!! Your linens are gorgeous! Thank you for sharing!

    Tess

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  26. Rett, this is really a gorgeous setting. I'll give the tea a try. It sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing your beautiful design. Cherry Kay

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  27. Hi Rett, I am a new follower. I love looking through your beautiful blog. I especially love the Peach Vanilla Coffee Cake recipe. But I drooled over the pedestal it was on. I'm a sucker for pedestals. I'm excited to try some of your delicious recipes.

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  28. How nice of your sister to share those wonderful blueberries! This post is beautiful, it caught my eye right away, with the lovely cutwork liner and the gorgeous white teapot and cups. The hyacinth is beauiful, but those muffins?? Yumm, they steal the show!

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  29. The Irish linen is gorgeous along with the beautiful bed tray, love the elegance here lovely presentation, photography, and i will take a dozen muffins to go please :) have a wonderful sunday!

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  30. HI! Thanks for stopping by my blog! You have a lovely blog! Fresh blueberries are the best!!! So much bigger than the ones you find in the stores.

    I have tried that Caramel tea, delicious!

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  31. That pop of orange with the blues and whites was genius! I think I may be spending a lot of time here.
    http://theenchantedoven.blogspot.com/

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  32. Everything looks just perfect. I love the way you set it all out with the new tea set and the linens.

    As for the recipe? I definitely want to try this one. I don't think I'll wait for blueberry season, either.

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  33. Such a grogeous tablecloth. Wonderful white on whites. I'd love to be the recieve that tray. Great to have you be a part of Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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  34. Oh my.... you have an absolutely lovely blog. I'm your newest follower.

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~