Blueberry Cobbler with Biscuit Crumbles

Antioxidants a buzz word that has become part of our daily vocabulary.  It's not a bad word, just a buzz word.  Whatever, I love blueberries whether they can be described using the buzz word of the day or not.

Biscuits...not a buzz word, not a bad word either.  Probably not that popular...well I take that back because up here in the Appalachians, biscuits are a staple, a necessity I tell you!

Combine the two and it's nirvana!  Let's see what happens.

1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons plus 1 cup of granulated white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream
1-1/2 lbs. fresh blueberries, washed and de-stemmed
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray an 8x 8 x 2 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

Whisk the 1-1/2 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Using your fingers, add the butter and incorporate until you have achieved small, pea size lumps.  Carefully fold in the sour cream and then knead in the bowl until you have a biscuit-like dough.  Be careful not to over mix.

Combine the remaining cup of sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons of flour, blueberries, lemon juice and lemon zest in a large bowl.   Pour the berry mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Crumble the biscuit topping with your fingers and sprinkle over the berry mixture.

Place baking dish in preheated and bake for 45 - 50 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least one hour.

So if you're like me and haven't quite learned how to can yet, make a juicy, rich cobbler baby!


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Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers.

Springtime in the cooking blogosphere brings about a plethora of strawberry-rhubarb creations.  Over the past three years I've become very curious about rhubarb because I have not not cooked or baked with it before or have I tasted it.  Rhubarb seems to be a little strange.  It looks like red celery so how can it be the Springtime partner for strawberries in Spring? 

Guy Fieri made this on his show a few weeks ago and decided I would give it a try.  The method was easy enough and the turnovers were good, but I didn't find that the rhubarb added and special flavor or texture.  I don't anticipate making any rhubarb pies in the near future.

One thing I did learn about rhubarb that I haven't seen anyone post is rhubarb does have stringy fibers much like celery.  The stringy fibers need to be removed before you begin chopping up the rhubarb or you will be pulling stringy things out of you mouth while you are tyring to eat your dessert. 

Here's what you will need:

1/4 cup water, plus 1 tablespoon

1 pint strawberries, stems removed, plus a few extra sliced for garnish
3/4 cup fresh or frozen rhubarb, (if fresh peel outside layer to remove stringy fibers), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs, divided
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped pistachios
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, from 1 (17-ounce) package, thawed according to package directions
Powdered sugar, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Over medium-high heat, in a small non-reactive pot, combine 1/4 cup water, strawberries, rhubarb and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Allow it to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until thickened.

While the strawberries and rhubarb are getting acquainted, you can begin chopping up the pistachios and set them aside. Then in a small bowl, add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Every so often, while preparing ingredients, stir with a small fork to combine. The sugar with absorb the vanilla.

When the fruit has broken down, and gotten thick, remove the pot from heat and allow the strawberry mixture to cool to room temperature. When cool, strain off any extra liquid.

Very carefully unfold the two sheets of the thawed puff pastry.  Roll out the pastry sheet if necessary to smooth out.  Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg and add 1 tablespoon of water.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb-strawberry mixture with the cream cheese, sour cream, 1 egg, lemon zest and pistachios.  Place about 2 tablespoons of the cup filling inside each square and brush the outer edges of the pastry with egg wash. Fold the pastry over to form a triangle and seal. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with the vanilla sugar.

Transfer to the turnovers to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish top with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries

Forgotten Apple Crisp with Butterscotch

I found some apples in the fridge!  Truth be told,  I forgot about them and yes, I could have grabbed one and ate it but then my family would have been deprived of this crispy, bubbly, and scrumptious dessert.  This is such an easily prepared dessert and a cinch when you need a dessert on the fly. 

Besides, the remaining apples more than likely would have been forgotten.  I don't have to get graphic, you all know what happens to produce forgotten in the fridge...

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a a 9x9 baking dish with butter (cooking spray will work too).


Filling

4 Gala apples or whatever kind you forgotten about in your fridge, peeled, cored and diced
1  bag butterscotch chips (leftovers from the holidays)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup AP flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons butter cubed, plus more for preparing baking dish

Toss all of the above ingredients, except for the butter in a large bowl.  Place in prepared baking dish.  Dot with the butter.


Crispy Topping

3/4 cup AP flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
Pinch  of salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup chopped pecans

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, oats, and salt. Blend in the butter with a fork until it forms pea size lumps. Fold in the pecans and sprinkle over the apple filling mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes. It will be bubbly and golden brown. 

Place dish on a trivet or rack and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.  TEN of the longest minutes of your life!

Bowl it or plate it next to a scoop of Dulce de Leche, Pecan Praline or Vanilla ice cream.  Really, try it sometime!

Banana Bread Remix

Kristina from Stonyfield Farms was kind enough to send me some coupons so I could sample Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt. Many of you have posted some wonderful recipes incorporating the Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt, so of course I told Kristina "YES"! I was thrilled that she contacted me. The Oikos Greek Organic Yogurt is phenomenal! It has the consistency of sour cream which I love, and a tart fresh flavor. The Oikos Greek Organic Yogurt has definitely become a staple in out household.

Last September I posted Banana Pecan Bread which is one of my husband's favorites. I've had a yen for baking with bananas (thanks Debbie!) and decided to morph this recipe and use the yogurt and lighten the calories in this bread just a tad. The bread was moist and held together very well.

Let me show you what I did!

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a bread pan.

Melt one stick of butter and allow butter to cool.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

Mash 2 over ripe bananas with a fork, but let them have a little bit of texture.

Place two over ripe bananas in a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of sugar.

Using your wire whisk attachment, whip the banana and the sugar for three minutes to obtain a light, fluffy banana cream.

Slow speed down to "stir" and add the melted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and one 5.3 ounce container of Oikos Organic Vanilla Yogurt to the banana cream mixture. Scrap down the sides of the bowl, then add the dry ingredients and turn on mixer and blend just enough to evenly combine. then fold in the mashed banana. Turn into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before removing from the pan.

I really don't think you'll have to do Pilates after eating this little slice of heaven.

Banana Pudding

Aren't blooming dogwood trees just beautiful?

Original recipe adapted from Paula Deen.

I’ve never been a big a huge banana pudding fan. It wasn’t in my mother’s rotation of recipes growing up, so the only other exposure I’d had to the dish was the occasional trip to a cafeteria-style restaurant or at a friend's home.

I pretty much didn't even think of banana pudding. This is one of those retro dishes that is back in vogue and just kind of taken up a few more notches to top shelf.

One day a co-worker brought this banana pudding to the office, one she’d seen Paula Deen make on her television show; once I took my first bite, I knew just what I’d been missing. Suddenly, everything made sense.

Line a 9x13 pan with Nilla Wafers.

Slice up 3 or 4 bananas and layer the banana slices over the Nilla Wafers.




In a large bowl, prepare one large box or two small boxes of French Vanilla instant pudding per package directions. Using a hand mixer combine into the pudding one 8 oz. package of softened cream cheese and one 14 ounce can of condensed milk. Then fold in one 12 ounce container of whipped topping.



Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so pudding can set.





And serve. I know you'll love this recipe, because you’ve just made the best banana pudding. Ever.

Tennessee Tango

Happy Friday everyone! It's Spring and it seems a lot of us have been suffering through some non-Spring weather this week.

I wanted to share this beverage with you in hopes it would make you feel like you're on a tropical island.

The beauty of this drink that we named the Tennessee Tango is you can leave out the vodka and install enjoy the great tropical flavors!

Fill a tall glass with crushed ice, add 1 ounce vanilla vodka, then fill the glass with banana nectar, add a splash of cherry juice for a little color and garnish with pineapple chunks and a cherry and enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Peach Smoothie and An Award

My oldest daughter asked me the other day if I "was going all organic and crazy". Organic and crazy, like they go hand in hand. I looked at her with a crazy gleam in my eye and told her I wasn't going ALL organic and crazy is a matter of opinion. Lauren became concerned when she found not one, but two containers of non-fat, organic yogurt in the fridge. She's my big time picky eater. The only green she eats are M & M's, and Jolly Ranchers. She could live off of pizza, chicken nuggets, tacos and meatball subs. Oh the evil grin that crosses my face each and every time I sneak vegetables in on her and her sister. Beautiful moments.

I thought smoothies would be a great alternative to some of our snacking habits. This smoothie recipe is adapted from Ellie Krieger. It's a great base for smoothie making, the possibilities are almost endless. My husband and I liked this smoothie, the homegirlz were good sports and gave this a try, but they don't like peach and they did not like the peach smoothies. We have had good luck with banana and strawberry.

1/2 cup nonfat or 1 percent lowfat milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup unsweetened frozen peaches
1 tablespoon honey, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground ginger

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Several pluses to smoothies, seriously tasty, healthy, VERY filling, and easy on your wallet!

I was just given the Friends award by Mary Beth at Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homaemade Way. Mary Beth has a very addicting blog with gorgeous pictures. Make sure you aren't starving when you visit! Along with this award comes this message:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."It also says : "Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."I am passing this "Friends award" to all of you! I cherish the friendships I have made through blogging. Please take this award and post it on your blog and spread to all of your blogging friends!

Poached Pears

What can I say about this; it's a big time mess that turned out pretty good and I was impressed.

I was left home alone Friday night. A.J. worked, one of the girls spent the night at a friend's and the other went to a movie with a friend. Kind of sounds like I know how to clear a house huh?

I was bored, so naturally I wanted to eat something sweet. I foraged and saw some pears in the fridge...

Make simple syrup. 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar.

Bring mixture to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove pot from heat and let syrup cool to room temperature.

In a pot large enough to hold 2 ripe Bosch pears, combine the simple syrup, 1/2 cup of Marsala wine, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon ginger.

Bring the mixture to a low boil and stir occasionally, until the honey has melted. Add the pears and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender. Remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool.

Continue to simmer the liquid until it thickens and is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Place each pear on a small serving plate and drizzle with the syrup.

I was watching a movie and forgot about the syrup on the stove. It turned VERY thick and dark as you can see in the picture. The syrup tasted good, but was too thick and chewy. The pear tasted fantastic! It was tender and combination of the flavors was incredible.

Give this a try if you're trying to eat a little lighter, if not try it anyway and add a huge scoop of vanilla ice next to your pear!

Grilling Fruit

If you've gotten away from your Pilates lately, I have a 4th of July treat for you. While everyone else is gorging themselves on pies, cakes and ice cream treats, we'll enjoy grilled fruit. Fruit is perfect for grilling because it's so easy and it is made up of water and sugar. By grilling it you can concentrate the flavors by reducing the water and caramelizing the natural sugars. All you need sliced fruit, water, and cooking oil to make the most basic grilled fruit. What you will get is a quick and easy addition to any meal whether it is as an appetizer, side dish, or dessert.

Hard fruits like apples, pears, and pineapples are the easiest to prepare since they hold their shape and texture while cooking.

Softer fruits like peaches, nectarines, plums and mangos will become soft and mushy if overcooked. You will need to be more attentive of these kinds of fruit. Either way, pick a fresh firm fruit that is just short of being perfectly ripe. You will want a fruit that is solid enough to hold together and maintain its texture on the grill. With many fruits you can simply cut them in half.

Split bananas lengthwise and cut apples, pears and similar fruits down the middle and remove the seeds and core. Typically, with most fruits you can leave the peels on. This helps hold them together whether you eat the skin or not. Large fruits and citrus should be cut into slices to expose the flesh to the flame.

Once you have cut the fruit, soak it in water to maximize the amount of liquid inside the fruit so it stays juicy on the grill. Use enough cold water to completely cover the fruit and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each cup of water to preserve its color. Let fruits soak in the lemon water for 20 to 30 minutes. If you need to, add ice to keep the water cold. It is best to grill fruit over medium heat on a very clean cooking grate. Nothing will ruin the flavor of fruit like left over drippings from the last batch of hamburgers you made. So, make sure to clean the grate before using.

To keep the fruit from sticking to the grill, lightly spray them with cooking oil or brush them with melted butter. Many oils, like olive oil have too strong of a flavor for fruit, so pick something that will compliment but not overpower it. This basic process will give you flavorful grilled fruit that will be perfect for any course.

To step up the flavor of the fruit, try adding spices to the water the fruit soaks in and increasing the soaking time. Simply throwing a stick of cinnamon into a bowl of soaking apples will enhance its flavor. You can also add spices like nutmeg, allspice, cloves, or ginger to the melted butter used to brush the fruit with. Since fruit is naturally high in sugar you won’t typically need to add any. If you do want it sweeter you can dust the fruit with brown sugar, but be careful because sugars burn quickly and easily.

Now to really add something to grilled fruit. Try marinating them in a combination of your favorite spices and your favorite alcohols. A mixture of rum, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg will make a truly fantastic set of pineapple slices perfect for topping with vanilla ice cream. Be careful when they hit the grill though, because the rum will cause a spectacular and immediate flare-up, something that is sure to impress the guests.

Grilled fruits have such a delicious flavor that you can add them to virtually any dish. Try grilling apple slices for your next apple pie. Or grill plums, puree them, and combine with tomato sauce and jalapenos for a fruit-based barbecue sauce. Let your imagination run wild and you’ll find what a great addition grilled fruits can be.

Grilled Pineapple: This tropical fruit is delicious sliced and grilled until lightly caramelized. Select a ripe pineapple, slightly soft to the touch and with a fragrant smell. Cut off the top, slice off the tough skin, core and slice into 1-inch rounds. Grill until warm and browned. Serve along alongside grilled chicken or pork, or as a dessert.

Have a fantastic 4th of July!!!!