Blueberry Cobbler

I made this blueberry cobbler as a breakfast treat for my co-workers, and everyone raved about how delicious it was. It is a very simple "southern" recipe with plenty of butter. Paula Deen would be proud! I got a few tips from my sister, who is continually learning new tricks about cooking from her sweet, southern in-laws...some great cooks!

When I first decided to make cobbler, I couldn't remember the recipe, as simple as it is, so that's when I called my sister. Before she married into a southern family, she couldn't even fry an egg. But, before I knew it, she was making yummy dinners from scratch without even using a recipe. "You've become so domesticated," I tell her all the time. That being said, I knew she was the one to call to make sure I was going to get the recipe right. She even made the suggestion to add baking soda because I didn't have any self-rising flour. And, she said her husband's granny told her to cut the butter, melt half of it and leave it in the bottom of the pan so that when you pour the batter over it, it bubbles up around the edges and makes them almost caramelize...or something like that...yum!

I actually made two cobblers that night because I was afraid I used too much butter in the first one. When I took it out of the oven, the melted butter was bubbling up around the edges and pooling beneath the crust. In the second cobbler, I cut the butter by half. When morning came, with the two cobblers side by side, I did a taste test and the first blueberry cobbler won, hands down. After sitting out over night to cool, the butter had soaked into the cobbler to create a rich, moist, gooey masterpiece. I decided that was the cobbler to take to work for two reasons. One, because it tasted better...and two because it was more fattening. If I was going to have a whole cobbler to graze on all weekend, it was probably best that it was the low-fat cobbler.

Blueberry Cobbler:
1 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
1tsp baking soda
2 cups blueberries (but you may substitute any other kind of fruit)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Put half of the butter in the pan and place in the oven until the butter melts
3. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and the rest of the butter (softened)
4. Pour into the pan (over the melted butter) and bake until golden bubbly

Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt

I recently had the privilege of being introduced to a place called Mochi. It is a Japanese frozen yogurt chain with locations in Gainesville, Jacksonville and Orlando, FL. Let me just say, this is what frozen yogurt is supposed to taste like. Mochi frozen yogurt even has active yogurt cultures, and it's fat-free  It is a tart, sweet taste sensation. A burst of fruitiness...like summer in a cup.
Mochi frozen yogurt comes in a wide variety of fruity flavors, with traditional options like strawberry and vanilla, as well as more exotic options, such as lychee, poi and coconilla.

One of the coolest parts about Mochi is that you get to serve yourself. Just pick up a cup, fill it with as much frozen yogurt as you want, then choose from dozens of toppings...as many as you want. Then, the cashier weighs your creation. Mochi charges 45 cents an ounce (but be careful, it adds up quickly). Mochi frozen yogurt is so good it's almost addcitive. You'll crave the tart taste and cool, creamy goodness. Enjoy!

(Photo courtesy of Mochi Facebook)

(photos courtesy of mymochi.com)

Pink Leopard-Print Rainbow Pound Cake

Laura, my little sister, recently turned 31 years old, and for her birthday she requested that I make her a cake, to which I replied, "sure!" Laura then went on to describe what kind of birthday cake she wanted. "I want a pink leopard-print rainbow cake." "You are really testing my skills," I replied. But, I'm not the type of person to back down from a challenge, and let me tell you...it was not without challenges.

It is actually pound cake. I figured the layers would hold up better with a dense cake. I got the recipe from a co-worker and it is really good. I frosted the cake with cream cheese icing that I dyed pink using Wilton icing color.

To make it a rainbow cake, I separated the batter into five bowls and dyed each bowl a different color with McCormick food coloring. I then put scoops of each color in the pan and used a knife to gently swirl the colors through each other, creating a tye-die effect. I forgot to take a picture of the inside of the cake...we were too busy eating it! Here is a picture I found on the internet that resembles the inside of my cake. Click on the link to see a step by step pictorial on how to create a rainbow cake...

One-Step Pound Cake:
Blend together...
2-1/4 cup flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter (softened)
8oz yogert (any flavor) or sour cream
3 eggs

Pour mixture into pan that has been greased and floured.
Bake at 325 for aprx 60 minutes

Cream Cheese Icing:
Blend together...
4 ounces butter (softened)
4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Delicious Fiber...No Cardboard In Sight

I highly recommend these Fiber One apple cinnamon muffins from Betty Crocker. They are so good, and one muffin has five grams of fiber...that's 20% of the recommended daily allowance! Although the sugar content is a little high (14g per serving), I still love them. For breakfast or a quick snack, I grab a muffin, maybe spread on a little peanut butter, and I'm out the door.

One box makes 12 muffins. I baked them in a Wilton muffin tin. I works great...with a little non-stick cooking spray, they slide right out.

Here's what you need:

1 box Fiber One apple cinamon muffin mix

3/4 cup water

2TB vegetable oil

2 eggs

non-stick cooking spray

1 medium bowl

1 spoon

muffin tin

Fresh-Picked Blueberry Pie

My husband and his brothers inherited some land from their father, and on that land are two small blueberry fields. On a good year, big, fat blueberries hang in bunches like grapes, making the task of picking them all too easy. Just hold your bucket under the heavy, berry laden branches...a little shake and some gentle nudging is all you need. And they are so good for you...full of antioxidants.

I received this recipe from my mother-in-law who has a great appreciation for blueberries. There is nothing like the taste of a juicy, sun-ripened blueberry, fresh off the tree. This pie is the epitome of that taste sensation.

I veered slightly from the recipe by substituting orange juice for lemon juice, and 1/4 cup tapioca for corn starch (but only because I didn't have either on hand). The end result was still delicious! Enjoy!

Fresh-Picked Blueberry Pie Recipe

What you'll need:

4 cups of fresh blueberries (not frozen)
1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 TB corn starch
1 TB butter or margarinr

2 TB lemon juice

1 small sauce pan

1 med/large bowl

1 spatula or spoon

1 pre-made pie crust

whipped cream

Instructions:

Wash and drain blueberries. Chill 3 cups of berries and put 1 cup of berries aside. Mix together sugar and tapioca in a sauce pan. Add water, orange juice and 1 cup of unchilled berries. Cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Pour cooked mixture into a med/large bowl with the remaining chilled blueberries. Let stand for aprx 30 minutes. Pour into pie shell and refridgerate for at least 4 hours. Top with whipped cream and serve.

Patriotic and Delicious

Every year for the fourth of July, I make a rectangular cake and decorate it to look like an American flag by using strawberries and blueberries. This year, I used the same "red, white and blue" theme, but I created a round cake with a less obvious nod to our country's flag. I think it turned out just as patriotic...and just as delicious!

The cake is a yellow cake mix by Betty Crocker. It is two layers, with a thick layer of homemade cream cheese frosting in between. The whole cake is topped with more cream cheese frosting and decorated with strawberries and blueberries.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Mix together...
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

A Touch of Fairytale Charm

I created this cake for my niece who was performing in her first ballet recital. I knew that I wanted to theme the cake after her costume, so I dyed the icing this beautiful blue to match her dress. Then, I topped the cake with white feathers and silk peonies. I think it gives the cake the perfect touch of fairytale charm.

And yes, the cake is riding atop the center console of my husbands Ford F-250. It rode like this for 100 miles and luckily managed to remain intact for the party.

I actually cheated on the cake and used a Betty Crocker box mix, but I frosted it with homemade icing. Each cake tier has two layers that alternate between chocolate and yellow cake. Between the cake layers are layers of chocolate buttercream icing. The whole cake is topped with traditional buttercream icing, dyed blue. The dots, edges and writing are done with buttercream icing.