Tasty Tuesday - Blueberry Cobbler for Couples

This post is in honor of the Montrose Blueberry Festival that wasn't.

For the first time since it began, The Montrose Blueberry Festival did not happen. All over social media people posted photos and memories of past events. The Montrose Orchard still hosted some small blueberry events and made blueberry sweets. The local ice cream shop still offered blueberry ice cream. I purchased my berries, did you? 

August is blueberry season.  Grab your guy and head out to the fields for some ripe, juicy berries waiting for you to pick them.

When you get home, put on a cute apron and invite him to help.

Pour a glass of blueberry wine

while you make this delicious recipe.

EASY PEASY BLUEBERRY COBBLER

Ingredients for 8×8 Square Pan
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
Fruit filling of choice - 1 1/2 cartons of blueberries (her favorite is 1 carton of blackberries and 4 peaches, thinly sliced)
1/2 cup melted butter
Cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350˚
Spray baking dish
Combine flour and sugar
Spoon 1/2 of the dry ingredients to cover the entire bottom of the dish, keeping the dry mixture loose, not packed
Spoon have the butter over dry ingredients (it will just sit on top)
Add your fruit filling
Combine the remaining dry ingredients and butter to create a dough
Place the dough in cobbles over the fruit
Sprinkle with cinnamon
Bake for 45 minutes
Enjoy warm with ice cream!

I recommend trying blueberry wine.  

My favorite is Blueberry Splash from Warner Vineyards in Paw Paw, MI.  

Support your local blueberry growers.

Tasty Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite comfort food. But if you're like me, I'm tired of making the same-old-same-old. Quarantine 2020 is providing many opportunities for experimental baking. Since my sons are all around, I have plenty of willing taste testers.

During this time, I recommend having some fun in the kitchen with your honey.  Pour each of you a glass of wine. Wear matching aprons. Feel free to get a little silly... remember when you first were living together?

I found this unique recipe and didn't tell son #2 about the cream cheese, (he hates the stuff). The addition of cream cheese gives these chocolate chip cookies a rich, dense, cake-like texture. 

Give it a try!

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 ounces butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips

Preparation:

·         Heat oven to 350°. Grease a cookie sheet, or spray with nonstick cooking spray, or line with silicone liner.

·         In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Slowly beat in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.

·         Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet(s), leaving about 1 inch between cookies. These cookies spread very little. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are set and lightly browned around the edges.

·         Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Tasty Tuesday - New Years Eve Dinner for Two

 

So, you’ve decided to skip the crowds and spend New Year’s Eve at home with your honey. These suggestions should go well with most types of champagne (in general, when serving champagne, it’s best to stick with lightly spiced Cantonese cuisine, particularly seafood dishes). If you’re serving wine, a German Riesling would be a good choice.

Start with some Spring Rolls as an appetizer. Feel free to nibble on them with some wine while preparing the main dish together.

Main Dish – Shrimp in Lobster Sauce

Ingredients:

• Fresh shrimp, deveined and butterflied, 10 - 15 per person
• 4 to 8 spring onion (green onions, scallions), chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped or minced
• 2 cups of chicken stock (2 cups water with chicken bouillon powder, or chicken broth)
• 4 tablespoons of sweet white wine, such as sweet Glen Ellen White Zinfandel
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of Cornstarch and 1/2 cup of water
• 4 egg whites, beaten with 1/4 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying
• 1 to 2 cups pork fried rice (1 cup for 2 people, 2 cups for 3 or more)
•  

Preparation:

Rinse the shrimp in warm water and pat dry. Rinse the spring onions, drain and chop. Chop or mince the garlic cloves.
Combine the chicken stock, white wine, soy sauce, and sugar and set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into 1/2 cup water. Whisk the egg whites into 1/4 cup water and set aside.
  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok, large pot, or frying pan or skillet on medium high to high heat.
Stir fry the garlic and spring onions for about 30 seconds to a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Add the shrimp and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth mixture, bring to a boil and boil about 1 minute.
Re-stir the cornstarch and water mixture and stir it into broth. Immediately afterward, slowly pour in the egg whites, breaking them up by gently stirring them with a fork (the author recommends stirring them twice across and then twice across again in a tic tack toe pattern). Be careful not to over stir the egg whites.
 

The dish is ready when the sauce begins to boil and thicken. Serve over the pork fried rice and steamed Snow Peas.

Be sure to have some Fortune Cookies for after the meal.

 

 

Humpday Hottie - Kitchen Help

The day before Thanksgiving

can be a very busy day in the kitchen.

 

 

Theo has offered his assistance

with this year's holiday preparation.

Sinful Saturday - Fun in the Kitchen

Grandma always told me the way to a man's heart is through his stomach... then she gave me this recipe. For a fun Saturday afternoon, grab your honey and have some fun in the kitchen.

 

Absolutely Sinful Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In the microwave or over a double boiler, melt unsweetened chocolate and butter together, stirring occasionally until smooth. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2.     In a medium bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light. Mix in the chocolate mixture until well blended. Stir in the sifted ingredients alternately with sour cream, then mix in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3.     Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Try it... I dare you.

 

 

Thursday Thirteen - 13 Ways to Heat up Some Passion

I love autumn because of the wonderful food so I end up spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen. Anyways, while I was making some pumpkin spice bread my mind started wandering about other ways to have fun in the kitchen… without kids around that is.

1. Wearing only an apron will stop any man in his tracks.

2. Be silly and wear an apron that says “Hot Stuff”…. Ask him to undress and put on one that says “Grill Master”.

3. Check at your local “lovers lane” type of store for an apron style teddy. Oooo… how about a maid or chef costume!

4. If you are clothed, the kitchen sometimes gets a bit too hot so try stripping down to your birthday suit one piece at a time. Sometimes it can be fun to let him watch but not taste… uh… I mean touch until it’s done.

5. Better yet… imagine your honey walking in to see you at the stove wearing only your birthday suit!

6. Hmmm…. Try sipping a glass of red wine while cooking. How about some special food such as anything dipped in chocolate?

7. Yummy scents such as pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla or even a batch of fresh cookies can get that blood flowing.

8. Make something with oysters or chili peppers – items known for being aphrodisiacs.

9. Cook with your honey. Use your fingers to mix ingredients, lick each others fingers, or have a food fight.

10. Blindfold each other and taste test foods prepared with a variety of textures, tastes, and temperatures. Take turns feeding each other.


11. So the heat is on, are you naked yet? Sit on the counter or lay on a table while he stands at the edge, wrap your legs around his waist.


12. Can’t stop stirring that sauce? No problem! You keep stirring while he snuggles up to your back for a rear entry position. Make sure you put in a request for extra neck nibbles.

13. Getting too hot? Oh, hell with it! Just throw him on the floor, poor the wine all over him and lick it off!


Excuse me… I need to run to the market for some more red wine. Do you have a kitchen fantasy?