CAMP HOMESCHOOL: August 2016

Friday, August 5, 2016

Very Berry Muffins

Doesn't that look good?

Chocked full of cranberries and blueberries (as local as they come) and topped with a walnut, coconut struesel, these muffins are to die for.

These aren't the serve with a cup of coffee or glass of milk muffin. No siree. These are moist with a capital M.

I found this recipe in either a Quick Cooking or Taste of Home magazine years ago. I think the original recipe called blueberries and raspberries, but since I have an abundance of cranberries, I normally make these with all cranberries. If I happen to have other berries, I'll add those, too.

We were invited to pick blueberries at a neighboring cranberry marsh, so I took full advantage of the 9 pails of blueberries and made these a few times already. I should be making a batch right now instead of blogging. Sam's going camping with friends this weekend and these very berry muffins will make a great treat for them.

Very Berry Muffins

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup sugar, divided

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. nutmeg

In a bowl, combine berries and 1/4 c. sugar, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth. Add eggs and beat well while drizzling in vanilla. Combine dry ingredients, add to cream cheese mixture. Stir on low just until combined. Fold in berry mixture. Fill 12 greased muffin cups.

Topping:

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

1/4 c. flaked coconut

2 T. brown sugar

1/4 t. cinnamon

Mix together; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees (375 if using dark pans) for 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Makes 1 dozen delicious, moist muffins.

Recipe Notes:

If using frozen berries, do not thaw.

Mix up the berry combination. Today I'm going to use blueberries and wild blackberries.

Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days on counter or refrigerate if storing longer. They never last that long around here.

Do you think someone else would like this recipe? Please share. Thank you BERRY much!

Linking up with:

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Feast of St. Christopher - July 25

Early last week I happened to notice that St. Christopher's feast day was coming up - July 25. A medal of St. Christopher hangs on Warren's key ring. Often he mentions that it was a gift from his mother when he got his driver's license. As the patron saint of travelers, and summer being the official travel season, St. Christopher is the perfect summer saint to learn about.

Celebrating saint feast days is kept super simple around here. I pulled out Picture Book of Saints and read the one page St. Christopher story.

Then Joseph grabbed the microphone and book and did a little singing for us.

I printed copies of this coloring page from The Catholic Kid.

Joseph added bits of color to his, while Peter colored his St. Christopher like a rainbow.

I like to add a craft project to our saint celebrations, so of course I went straight to Pinterest, but found nothing. I had to be creative all on my own this time. After looking at the coloring page, I decided to paint walking sticks. Sam cut and peeled the bark off a few green branches.

Peter got started painting his walking stick right away. There were no rules, just paint till your heart's content.

Joseph waiting patiently for Sam to strip the bark from his walking stick.

Mom might call these walking sticks, but little boys, they might call them fighting swords. Either way it was a nice way to spend a summer afternoon.

St. Christopher, patron of travelers,

Pray for us.

Homeschool Curriculum & Book Sale

Every flat surface in the house is covered with books - that's a sure sign planning is underway for the 2016-17 school year. I've run across plenty of loved, but unneeded books and craft kits, and I need to make room for this year's curriculum.....SOOOOO I'm selling it.

Jessica at Shower of Roses is hosting a curriculum sale blog hop which means if you don't find what you need here at Camp Homeschool, you can head over to her blog to find links to more curriculum sales.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the items in this post, please leave a comment listing the books you would like, along with your email address. I will send you a private email with your total, including shipping, along with my Paypal address.

To keep it as simple as possible, I have decided to charge a flat rate to help cover the cost of packaging, postage, and any Paypal fees. This year it will be $5 for 1-3 items and $7.00 for 4+ items.

Please only request items that you intend to purchase and are able to submit payment for promptly. I will update the post as quickly as possible with "sales pending."

Thank you!