Blackberry Cobbler

The blackberries are ripe. I'd about given up on them. We had a few earlier, barely enough to make one making of blackberry jelly. Then they sort of dried up. That was before the rain. Now they're making like crazy. I'm thrilled. Really.
 
So is Abby. This large dog/child sits right next to me and picks her own blackberries. She is crazy funny. Sammy, my other dog/child waits for me to pick blackberries for him. He's too dignified to deal with the thorns.
 
I needed to make a cobbler so I went to my go to cookbook, Southern Plate. Christy Jordan is an awesome Southern cook! I recommend this cookbook to anyone and everyone. This recipe is super simple. And I didn't have to use the mixer or anything.
 
I didn't cook it quite as long as Christy suggested. It was golden so I took it out a few minutes early. Every oven is different. That's something important to always remember when you're trying a new recipe. Also be sure to wash your berries. I know it should be obvious but some folks just don't think to wash fruit and vegetables before you cook them. It's just a good habit to develop.
 
Oh, and Christy says you can use other berries or peaches instead of blackberries. Did I mention that the peaches are almost ripe?
 
Blackberry Cobbler

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 cups blackberries (use can use fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the stick of butter in an ovenproof casserole dish in the oven while mixing the ingredients.

Place 1 tablespoon butter on top of the berries in a small bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of the sugar over the berries. Stir. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute so that the sugar begins to melt.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and 1 cup sugar until blended. Pour in the milk and mix until blended.

After the butter is melted, take the casserole out of the oven and pour the batter on top of the melted butter. Pour the berries on top of the batter. Do not stir! Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the cobbler. Place in the oven and cook for 55 minutes, or until golden.

Makes 8 servings.

P.S. This is wonderful with ice cream!

Hot Dill Pickles

This recipe comes from my Aunt JoAnn. It was a special request. My Aunt JoAnn is an incredible cook. She also does a lot of canning. Lots. And lots. Seriously. My uncle spends all his time growing things and she spends most of her time figuring out what to do with it all. She's amazing!
 
Because she is a Southern cook, you've got to use a little bit of common sense. Aunt JoAnn generally cans pickles in pint jars. How many cucumbers do you use? Enough to fill up the jars without packing them. What kind of cucumbers do you use? Pickling cucumbers . . . unless you're my mother and then you use whatever you have available. Like I said: use your common sense and work with it. Be sure to wash the cucumbers first. You probably already know that. Always wash fruits and vegetables before you use them.
 
Hot Dill Pickles

Cucumbers (Aunt JoAnn cuts hers round.)
1 quart white vinegar
2 quarts water
3/4 cup pickle salt
garlic (1 small bulb to a jar)
1 teaspoon dill seed
Hot peppers (2 to a jar)
1/2 teaspoon alum

Put sliced cucumbers in a jar with pepper, dill seed and garlic bulb.

Boil 1 quart white vinegar, 2 quarts water, 3/4 cup pickling salt and 1/2 teaspoon alum. Pour into the jars and seal them.

DO NOT OVERPACK JARS.

For questions: Call Aunt JoAnn. I don't do hot pickles. LOL

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie

This recipe card is from Grandma’s Kitchen. The mixture of chocolate, ice cream and Rice Krispies intrigues me.
The card offers a “secret” way to get a clean knife cut when serving the pie. It must be a Southern thing. I learned how to do it the same way from my Mama. Just wet the blade of a knife in hot water and cut. Then wet it with hot water again, wipe the knife clean, and cut again. It works really well on meringue pies as well.
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie

½ cup chocolate syrup
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups crisp rice cereal
¼ cup sour cream
1 quart chocolate chip ice cream, softened

Coat bottom and sides of an 8-inch pie plate lightly with butter.

Combine chocolate syrup and chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH until hot, about 45 seconds. Stir until smooth. Reserve ¼ cup of the chocolate mixture.

Combine remaining chocolate mixture and cereal in a medium bowl and mix to coat cereal. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Combine reserved chocolate mixture and the sour cream in a small bowl and mix well. Spread half the ice cream in the prepared pie plate. Drizzle with half the sour cream mixture. Top with remaining ice cream and drizzle with remaining sour cream mixture.

Freeze pie, covered, until firm, about 1 hour.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Best Fresh Lemonade

This recipe come from the April 2013 issue of Relish, a newspaper insert. I saved it for just such a time as this -- summer in the Deep South.
The recipe suggested coating glass rims with Lemon Sugar and I’ve included that recipe. I’ll probably skip that step. I won’t be skipping the step to completely dissolve the sugar with boiling water. It really does make a difference in the final product. It's a secret I learned years ago when making Sweet Tea.
Best Fresh Lemonade

4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 10 lemons)
Lemon Sugar for glass rims

Boil or microwave 2 cups water with sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Squeeze lemons to make about 2 cups juice. Combine juice, sugar water and remaining 2 cups water. Stir well and chill.

Drip the rim of each glass in a shallow bowl of water. Coat the rims with Lemon Sugar. Serve over ice and additional lemon slices.

Makes 8 servings.

Lemon Sugar

4 lemons
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Peel lemons with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Place peels on a baking sheet. Place in oven and let dry about 2 hours, until light tan in color. When thoroughly dry, grind peels in a coffee mill or in a food processor. Mix ground peel with sugar.

Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

Ice Cream Sundae Cake

This recipe comes from Mary Kay Andrews. Her new book, Ladies’ Night, comes out June 4th. Ya’ll be sure to support this wonderful, bestselling, Southern writer and purchase her book. If it’s anything like the others I’ve read, it’ll be laugh-out-loud funny and so good you won’t want to put it down.

If you’d like to receive other recipes from Andrews, just go to her website and sign up for her newsletter. This recipe was included in her latest one, along with her book-signing schedule and other things of interest.

Ice Cream Sundae Cake

For Brownie Layer:
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the baking pan
1/4 cup cornstarch, plus cornstarch, for dusting the baking pan
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For Ice Cream Layer:
1 gallon ice cream, softened
1 jar ice-cream topping of your choice, butterscotch, caramel, hot fudge or combination
1 pkg. Heath Bar bits or crushed candy or cookie crumbs

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9-by-11-inch baking pan by spritzing with vegetable oil spray, then dusting with cornstarch.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat, add cocoa powder and stir well. Remove pan from heat and stir in both kinds of sugars and vanilla. Add beaten eggs, quarter-cup cornstarch and salt and stir. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, till edges are firm, top is shiny and center is set.

Let brownies cool completely. With rubber spatula, smooth softened ice cream flavor of your choice on top of brownie crust, cover and freeze until hardened. Drizzle toppings over ice cream, sprinkle with Heath Bar bits or any other crushed candy or cookie crumbs. Cut in squares and serve.

Butterscotch Pecan Pie

There is an absolutely wonderful article in the May/June 2013 issue of AAA’s Alabama Journey magazine. It’s all about the Pie Lab in Greensboro. It’s almost enough to make me want to climb in the van and head out. And, yes, they serve more than pies. They also serve meals and conversation. And all in downtown Greensboro, Alabama. Who knew?!
They were thoughtful enough to share this recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
Butterscotch Pecan Pie

3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup corn syrup
1 ½ cups pecan halves
½ cup butterscotch morsels
1 9-inch pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. While butter is melting, whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in brown sugar, flour, vanilla, and corn syrup until combined. Add the melted butter.

Mix in the pecans and the butterscotch morsels. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Pom-Berry Shake

A few years ago my Dad decided he wanted a few strawberry plants. We love strawberries and they’re fairly easy to grow. You just have to take care of them and keep the weeds at bay.

He soon lost interest and the weeds and grass covered the strawberries. They appeared to be lost. A couple of years passed and he wanted to purchase more strawberry plants. He did and cleared and space in the garden and planted them there.

I wasn’t quite ready to give up on the older plants. I began pulling grass and weeds and, sure enough, the plants had survived. They produce large, juicy strawberries. I’m so glad I took the time to uncover them.

This recipe is from the May 2013 issue of Coastal Living. They’ve got some fabulous milkshake recipes, along with some tips on making awesome shakes. Be sure to check it out.
Pom-Berry Shake

½ cup pomegranate-blueberry juice
12 oz. frozen mixed berries such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk
Garnishes: whipped cream, fresh berries

Combine juice, berries, ice cream and milk in a blender. Process until smooth. Garnish, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.