Fresh Blackberry Cobbler Cake

Jungle Jim handed me a quart of beautiful blackberries as I was leaving work the other day. I made a delicious blackberry ginger sauce for grilled pork chops with half of the berries and this cake with the other half. I called it a cobbler cake because it is similar to both. The cake mixes quickly and would be delicious with any type of berry or nuts.

Fresh Blackberry Cobbler Cake

1 pint fresh blackberries
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted almonds
1 tablespoon + 1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
12 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
Whipped cream, optional for serving


Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.

Arrange berries in a single layer in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup sugar and eggs in a medium bowl and mix well. Add butter, vanilla and almond extract and stir until well combined. Add flour and stir until batter is smooth.

Spoon batter evenly over the berry mixture and bake 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in cake only comes out clean. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4-6.

 

 

Microwave Roast Chicken

This is one of those recipes I have had sitting around for a long time and never got around to trying. I was not convinced that a chicken would actually roast in a microwave and thought it might turn out to be a waste of time.

I was pleasantly surprised. So were a few people at the cooking school. The chicken was quick to assemble with just a few ingredients, cooked much faster than in a conventional oven and turned out moist with slightly crispy skin. Definitely a recipe to keep in mind for a weeknight meal.

My chicken weighed 3.75 pounds and cooked for 34 minutes at full power in a 1100 watt microwave oven.


Microwave Roast Chicken

One 3-4 pound roasting chicken, gizzards removed, rinsed
1 tablespoon butter, sliced
1 lemon
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 small bunch parsley, washed & trimmed
Paul Prudhomme Poultry Magic Spice Mix

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place butter under skin of chicken breast. Squeeze lemon juice over bird and rub with cut side of garlic cloves. Stuff lemon, garlic, and parsley inside cavity of bird. Sprinkle Prudhomme Poultry Magic evenly over chicken. Place in a microwave safe casserole or glass bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Do not vent plastic wrap.

Microwave at full power for 9 minutes per pound. Remove from microwave and carefully peel off plastic wrap. Allow chicken to rest about 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 3-4.

Very simple ingredients

 

Butter under skin, stuffed, sprinkled with spice

 

Tightly wrapped with plastic wrap

 

After cooking 34 minutes, plastic wrap is still expanded

 

Roasted, browned and resting


Ready to slice and serve

Beer Bread with Italian Herbs

We had leftover beer at the Cooking School after our Summer Mexican Grill Party and Beer Tasting this week - a great excuse to make a loaf of beer bread! This bread is so quick to make that it was in the pan and ready to bake before the oven was preheated. Use your favorite herbs or omit for a plain loaf. Serve this warm with butter.

Beer Bread with Italian Herbs

3 cups self-rising flour (purchased or recipe below)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Italian herbs
12 ounces beer

Preheat oven 350°. Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pour into prepared pan and bake 45-55 minutes, until bread sounds hollow when tapped and crust is golden brown. Serve warm with butter. Makes 1 loaf.

To make 1 cup of self-rising flour:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Simple ingredients


Batter is thick


Spread evenly in pan


After baking


Ready to eat - still a bit warm. Delicious with salted butter!

Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

This mac and cheese can be made as quickly as the "blue box" variety that is so popular with kids. A quick lunch or a side with dinner, use different pasta shapes and cheeses for variety.

Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

8 ounces macaroni, shell, penne or other pasta
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil; cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain well and return to pan.

While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk in flour until no lumps remain. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until completely incorporated and smooth. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in cheddar, Parmesan, mustard and Worcestershire until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy. Pour sauce over drained pasta and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Butter and flour mixture cooked with milk until smooth

 

Add cheeses, mustard and Worcestershire

 

Stir until smooth

 

Add to cooked, drained pasta

 

Serve from saucepan

Baked Bananas with Cinnamon Sugar

This super simple dessert comes together in minutes. Be sure to use bananas that are just ripe and do not have spots. Kids of all ages like bananas, cinnamon and chocolate. Drizzle with a little dark rum for adults!

Baked Bananas with Cinnamon Sugar

4 firm, ripe bananas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Peel bananas and slice diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Arrange bananas in a single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle melted butter over bananas and toss gently to coat.

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over bananas.

Bake, without turning, until tender, 9-10 minutes. Serve warm over ice cream and garnish with chocolate shavings. Serves 4.

Ready to bake

 

Cool a few minutes after baking

 

Served over ice cream with chocolate shavings

 

Roasted Purple Asparagus

I stopped downstairs in produce on my way home tonight looking for a vegetable for dinner. The beautiful purple asparagus caught my eye. The stalks are large, 10 stalks weighed 1.06 pounds. Because of the size, I decided to slow-roast them at 350° degrees for about 25 minutes - rather than in a hotter oven for less time as I would thinner asparagus. The result was delicious. The spears were very tender and had a mild asparagus flavor. The vibrant purple color fades slightly with roasting.

Roasted Purple Asparagus
1 1/2 pounds large purple asparagus, about 16 stalks
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Rinse asparagus well and pat dry. Break off woody ends of stalks. Transfer asparagus to prepared baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat lightly and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange asparagus in a single layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until asparagus is tender. Serves 4.


Coat asparagus lightly with olive oil; season with salt and pepper

 

A nice punch of color on the plate

 

Cheddar Pecan Wafers

Perfect with a glass of wine, these crumbly, crispy wafers have a bit of heat from the cayenne. Keep rolls in the refrigerator or freezer and be ready to slice and bake.

Cheddar Pecan Wafers

8 ounces shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Place cheese and butter in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well blended.

Divide dough into 2 pieces, roll each piece into a 1-inch diameter log and wrap tightly in wax paper. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice each log into ¼-inch coins with a sharp knife and arrange 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet 2 minutes before transferring to paper towel lined rack to cool completely. Store wafers in an airtight container up to 4 days. Makes 60 wafers.