By James Martin died three weeks ago and I still reach for my phone to call him every time I make biscuits. He taught me the difference between baking powder and baking soda not because I asked but because he noticed I was reading the label twice and confused. That was James. He paid attention to me when nobody was required to.
I have been going to Gloria every day after work. Not just Sundays anymore. I get off at five-thirty and drive straight to Prattville. Forty minutes each way. Tyler does not ask why. He just makes sure there is gas in my car and dinner in the fridge when I get home late.
Gloria is smaller than she used to be. Not in height. She still takes up the whole room with her voice and her opinions about onions. But there is something quieter in her now. She moves through her own kitchen like she is navigating a place that used to belong to someone else too. Fifty-one years of marriage and now the house echoes.
She started fostering again. A little girl named Destiny, six years old, arrived two weeks after the funeral. I think the caseworker timed it on purpose. Gloria was already on the approved list and the placement was pending and maybe someone knew that Gloria needed something to hold.
Destiny is quiet. She sits at the kitchen table and watches me cook with enormous dark eyes and she eats so fast it breaks something in me. I remember eating like that. When you do not know when the next meal is coming you do not chew. You just get the food in before someone can take it away.
I did not say anything to her about it. I just made extra. I made biscuits and set the plate close to her and went back to stirring the gravy and eventually she took one and ate it slow. That felt like something. That felt like the most important thing I did all week.
The biscuits were James’s lesson, and I’ll carry them with me always — but some days I need something I can make fast, something I can slide across a table without ceremony and let a little girl decide what to do with on her own terms. These blueberry muffins are that for me now. Small enough to feel safe, sweet enough to feel like someone meant them for you.
Skinny Blueberry Muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, applesauce, canola oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix — a few lumps are fine.
- Fold in blueberries. Gently fold in the blueberries, being careful not to crush them or overwork the batter.
- Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.
- Cool. Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 118 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Carbs: 23g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 105mg