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Stonewall Jackson Inn’s Blueberry Muffins

This recipe is taken from the Virginia Bed & Breakfast Cookbook published by the Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia.

“This great muffin recipe was created for the Stonewall Jackson Inn by my best friend and next-door neighbor, Mary. Her secret lies in mashing part of the blueberries then blending them in the batter and sprinkling the tops with sugared nutmeg before baking. They are easy to make, and they keep well. There is no more lovely fragrance at the Inn than these heavenly muffins baking in the morning. Be prepared for everyone eating two of these delicious muffin treats.” –Innkeeper

1/2 cup (one stick) butter at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar, less if the berries are sweetly ripe

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups fresh blueberries, divided

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1 Tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 16-cup muffin pan or use foil baking cups. In a medium-sized bowl, beat butter until creamy, then beat in the sugar until pale and fluffy; beat in the eggs (one at a time), then the vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mash 1/2 cup of the berries with a fork and blend them into the batter.

Fold in half of the flour with a spatula, then half the milk, then the other half of the flour, then the rest of the milk, then the 1 1/2 cups of whole berries. Scoop the batter into muffin cups and sprinkle with the sugar/nutmeg mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Cool muffins on wire rack for 30 minutes before removing from pan. Watch the admiration and delight on the faces of your family and friends when they take the first bite!

Recipe by Stonewall Jackson Inn, Harrisonburg, VA

blueberry muffin

Photo by Mary St.Germain-Brown


The National D-Day Memorial, Bedford, VA

“On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France…The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops” (Army.mil). dday3

Today, on June 6, 2014, we remember the D-Day and all of the lives that were lost and the heroes that were created at the invasion of Normandy. On this 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord, many individuals flocked to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, but today is certainly not the only chance you have to visit. “Dedicated on June 6th, 2001 by President George W. Bush, the National D-Day Memorial was constructed in honor of those who died that day, fighting in one of the most significant battles in our nation’s history” (DDay.org).

dday1The solemn atmosphere of this memorial takes its visitors through an “archival journey” through World War II by means of sculptures, sound effects, oral history, and the stories of the Bedford Boys. It is a sobering yet fascinating picture of history and one that is well worth the visit.

dday2Although this memorial is a couple hours away from our member inns, we invite you to stay at our historic properties to further your exploration through history: www.bbhsv.org.

(Photos by Tara Stoll)