food photography

, , , , , ,

RECIPE: Blueberry Muffins for BC Living - From Scratch

, , , , , ,

Blueberry Muffins 
for BC Living
September 2025
 
I have a lot of fruit that I’ve grown over the summers that end up in my freezer when I have more than I know what to do with. Besides smoothies and adding them to granola, I decided I was going to make them into some muffins. 
 
While I chose to make these with blueberries you can use pretty much any berry you’d like for these muffins – especially if you’re getting lots from the farmer's market.  
In fact, I’m going to replicate this recipe, but add in some lemon zest and raspberries the next time – also swapping homemade buttermilk for the yogurt/sour cream! 
 

INGREDIENTS 
 
- 2 ¼ cups of All Purpose Flour 
- 1 ½ tsp of baking powder 
- ½ tsp of baking soda 
- ½ tsp of salt (less if you’d like) 
- ¼ cup of vegetable oil (can sub with butter) 
- ¾ cup of sugar 
- 2 large eggs 
- 2 tsp vanilla extract 
- ½ cup plain, full-fat yogurt (alternatively sour cream, or buttermilk) 
- 1 ½ cups of blueberries – fresh or frozen (if frozen, see *note) 
 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
 
Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
 
Line a muffin tin with muffin cups or grease with cooking spray. 
 
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and powder and set aside. 
 
*Note: If you are using frozen blueberries, the color will streak, and your muffins might turn bluish green. If you rinse them a few times until the water around them is clear, this will help prevent this. 
 
In a separate bowl or in a stand mixer, beat the oil and sugar together on medium speed until incorporated (1 or 2 minutes) and then beat for an additional minute on high. 
 
Add one egg at a time to the sugar mixture, on low speed, beating well and scraping the sides to make sure everything is incorporated. 
 
Add in the vanilla and yogurt (or alternatives) until everything is blended together. 
 
Slowly add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, on low speed until it is a thick and smooth batter and there are no dry bits left. 
 
With a spoon, gently fold the berries into the mixture until evenly spread around. 
 
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan – you may end up with more than enough batter and you could make a few extra muffins, but don’t be afraid to heap it in. 
 
Make the muffins for 20 minutes and then check to see if done and a tester comes out clean. If not, you can bake for another 3-5 minutes – just watch carefully. 
 
Immediately remove the muffins onto a cooling rack. 
 
Let cool, but you can enjoy them warm. 
 
Reheat the next day, or you can freeze them in an airtight container. 
 
ENJOY!

, , , , , ,

RECIPE: Burger Buns for BCLiving - August 2025

, , , , , ,

Burger Buns 
for BCLiving “From Scratch” Column
August 2025
 
We’re in the thick of summer BBQ season, so why not try and level up your next backyard or patio grill session with homemade burger buns. It might be easy to just grab a pack from the store, but I promise these tasty so much better than the plain ones full of preservatives. 

I’ve based these ones off a brioche recipe, so they are super buttery – and the best part is that they don’t just have to be for burgers, you can shape them into hot dog buns, or even buns for things like lobster rolls. They freeze well too, so feel free to double the recipe up! 
 
Makes Approx 4 Buns 
 
INGREDIENTS 
 
- 1/2 cup whole milk  
- 1 tsp active dry yeast  
- 1 tbsp water 
- 1 tbsp sugar 
- 1 tbsp butter (softened)  
- 1 egg  (beaten) + 1 egg yolk  
- 1.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you can also use a combo with whole wheat if you’d like)  
- 3/4 tsp salt  
- sesame seeds (optional – I used both black and white) 
 
You will also need a food thermometer, and a stand mixer is helpful, but you can also do this mixing by hand. 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 

 
Prep and measure out all of your ingredients so you have them ready to go at each stage. 
 
In a small pan heat the milk until it is steaming but not boiling – you want to aim for about 100F – 105F. When it reaches that temp, add in the water, yeast, and a small amount of the sugar and whisk together. 
Let it stand until the yeast bubbles form (about 5 mins) and then mix in the softened butter and beaten egg. 
 
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer (with the dough hook attachment on). 
 
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and remaining sugar until combined. 
Going in stages, with the stand mixer on low, slowly add the flour a little bit at a time until it is incorporated. Turn the mixture up to medium-high for about 10 minutes until a sticky dough has formed. 
 
Oil a large bowl and remove the dough from the mixer (oiling your hands will help it not stick to you!) and place in the bowl, turning to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap (I also covered it with a clean tea towel) and set aside to rise. 

You want the dough to double in size – this could take up to 2 hours depending on the time of year, your location, and the temp of your room! So just keep an eye on it. 

Once it doubles, punch it down and remove it from the bowl. Divide it into 4 equal pieces – either by eyeballing it, or you can weigh it and divide it by four. 

 
On a clean countertop, gently roll the balls until they are smooth, and you can pinch the seam together on the bottom. Once rolled, place on a baking sheet – spread evenly – and cover with the plastic wrap from earlier for about an hour until they puff back up. 
 
When ready, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water. 
Uncover the buns, and with a pastry brush coat the buns with the egg wash and then immediately sprinkle with the sesame seeds if you’re using them. 

Bake for 15-18 minutes (each oven can be different) until they are a golden-brown color – then remove from the oven onto a wire cooling rack. 
 
Best used the same day they’re made, but you can also freeze them and when you want to use them you can let them defrost on the counter and toast them up. (I pre-cut the buns before I freeze them to make defrosting easier.) 
 
ENJOY! 

, , , , , ,

RECIPE: Brownies for BC Living - From Scratch

, , , , , ,

Brownies
for BC Living “From Scratch” Column
January 2025
 
Sure you could make brownies from a box off the shelf at the grocery store, but I bet you have almost all these ingredients in your home right now! 
 
This is a quick and easy recipe that takes minimal effort and will leave your home smelling just amazing. 
The brownies keep really well (including freezing), that is, if you don’t eat them all in one sitting. 
 

INGREDIENTS 

- 2 large eggs – room temperature 
- 6 tbsp (85g) butter (unsalted) 
- 170g semi-sweet chocolate 
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened) 
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour 
- ¼ tsp kosher salt 
- ¼ tsp baking powder 
- 2 tsp vanilla extract 
- 1 cup granulated sugar 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
 
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. 
 
I like to prep all three stations (the pan, the chocolate melting area, the flour mix, and the whisking area) so that when one thing is ready, I’m able to easily move along to the next. So read through the instructions below before diving right in. 
 
In an 8x8 pan, cut parchment paper so it fits up all four sides, line the pan with it, and then grease with butter. 
 
Place a pan with water on the stove and bring to a simmer. Place the butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder in either a double boiler, or a heat-proof bowl and put it over top of the simmering water. 
Stir until fully melted together and then set aside to cool ever so slightly. 
 
In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. 
 
In another bowl add the vanilla, eggs, and sugar together, and then whisk with a mixer (I used my stand mixer, but hand one should also work well) on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes until it is pale in color. 
After this, add the melted chocolate mixer and combine. 
 
Reduce the speed to low and then add the flour mixture in small increments until it is also combined (don’t over-mix, but don’t leave any dry spots). 
 
Pour the batter into the greased 8x8 pan and spread around evenly (you’ll likely need a spatula, as it is rather thick). 
 
Bake for 30-35 minutes, then test with a knife and make sure it doesn’t come out wet. 
 
Let it cool in the pan for 15-20 mins and then transfer to a wire cooling rack by lifting by the parchment paper and let cool fully. 
 
You can cut these into however many pieces you’d like, but I did 12 by cutting them into 4 equal parts and then cutting each of those into 4 more brownies. 
 
Store in an airtight container at room temp for a few days (if they last that long), or in the fridge. 
 
You can also easily freeze them by placing them on a tray in the freezer for an hour and then placing them in a freezer proof bag. 
 
ENJOY! 

, , , , , ,

RECIPE: Eggnog for BC Living - From Scratch

, , , , , ,

Eggnog
for BC Living “From Scratch” Column
December 2024
 
It’s that time of year, holiday parties are happening, families are gathering, and sometimes a nice glass of eggnog is exactly what you want (booze or no-booze). 
 
Those cartons on the shelf at the grocery store are fine, but making it fresh, with good ingredients (like, you know, actual eggs!), just hits differently. 
 
There are a few different ways you can make it, specifically whether you want to heat the nog to temper the eggs, but I went with the traditional route, and it’s excellent. 
 
The key thing to know is how long eggnog lasts - whether you add alcohol or not makes a big difference. I’ll explain that below! 
 

INGREDIENTS 

- 6 large eggs 
- 1 cup of granulated sugar 
- 2 cups milk (I used 3%/whole milk) 
- 1 cup heavy cream 
- ½ cup to 1 ½ cups of alcohol of your choice (rum, bourbon, Cognac, or a mix are all good choices) 
- cinnamon sticks 
- nutmeg for garnish (freshly grated is best) 
- optional vanilla extract for extra flavour 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
 
Separate the egg whites from the yolks in two different bowls – the yolks in a large mixing bowl. 
Put the egg whites to the side – you can use them when you serve your eggnog. 
 
To the yolks add the cup of sugar and then with a hand mixer (or stand mixer), whisk until they turn light colored, and are smooth and creamy. Don’t under-whisk them. 
 
Next add the milk and cream (if you want you can play around with the measurements of these, as long as it adds up to 3 cups. Try 1.5 cups of milk and 1.5 cups of cream for a thicker eggnog) and then add the alcohol if you are using it and whisk to combine. Make sure you get to the bottom of the bowl as some of the sugar might stick. You can also add vanilla if you’d like. 
 
Eggnog without alcohol should be consumed within a day. With alcohol it will last longer in the fridge and taste even better with age. The more alcohol the longer it lasts, but I’d recommend making it a few days before you want to serve it just to be safe. 
 
Transfer the eggnog to a sealed container and let chill in the fridge. At this time, you can add a few cinnamon sticks to the eggnog to infuse it while it rests. 
 
If you’d like, right before serving you can beat the leftover egg whites to stiff peaks and then fold it into the eggnog and it will be extra creamy. (I personally used them to make other cocktails!) 
 
To serve, pour the eggnog into a glass, you can add whipped cream to the top as well, and grate some fresh nutmeg on top (or sprinkle some from your spice rack)! 
 
ENJOY! 

Follow me on Social Media