Blackberry Cobbler

My sister, my Dad, me (at the bottom), and my Mom.

My mom makes a really good cobbler and has just the right dish to bake it in, a clear glass casserole dish with a glass lid (probably Pyrex). 360 degrees of goodness visible to the naked eye. Cobbler layers cooked to perfection; berries or peaches, a fruit sauce, topped off with crunchy sweet biscuits. My mom has type 1 Diabetes which means she didn't go crazy with desserts, but she's a good cook, and when she makes, them they're good.

My family stopped on a quiet road in Oregon while on a family road trip to pick blackberries and put them on our cereal; Kellog's breakfast boxes my mom would pack for our road trips. My dad would take his pocket knife and cut open the box and we'd pour the milk right in. Those blackberries were so sweet and good! I tried picking one years later while walking from an Oregon beach to a lighthouse and that little dude was so sour, sea-salt in the air? Maybe it wasn't really ripe. Woah! Fast forward again a few years and I tried the Pioneer Woman's Blackberry Cobbler recipe and it was indeed good, so why was I still looking for a recipe? Good question, but I think I have found the recipe I'm going to stick to. Here are the photos, the recipe is at the bottom.

Indiana Blackberry Cobbler 
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
4 cups blackberries (1 only had 2 C so I used blueberries for the remaining 2 C)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter

1. 
Combine flour,sugar,baking powder & salt, then cut in 1/4 cup butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. 
In another bowl combine milk and slightly beaten egg. and add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just to moisten.
3. 
Combine juice from berries with water to make 1 cup liquid.
4. 
In a medium saucepan, combine berry juice,cornstarch and sugar; cook till thickened then add berries and butter and cook till hot.
5. 
Pour filling into a buttered 8" square baking dish and immediately spoon on biscuit topper in 6 mounds. (I sprinkled the tops of the biscuits with sugar.)
6. 
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Recipe Source: Recipe Zaar Indiana Blackberry Cobbler by BakinBaby

Orange Smoothie (Similar to Orange Julius)

Creamy Orange Smoothies

Have you ever had an "Orange Julius" at the mall? Click here to learn more about them. It all started with an OJ stand in 1926...

Orange Smoothie

12-14 ice cubes

1 C Vanilla Silk or organic milk (Note: regular milk is fine, but if you're whipping up one of these beauties to fight a headache,* you might try avoiding milk with hormones in it, it's possible that could be part of the problem.)

1 C Water

1/2 Can orange juice concentrate (to taste)

1/2 t vanilla (optional)

1 T sugar

Add ingredients to the blender, and blend, then pulse the blender until mixed. Allow to blend for a few extra seconds to smooth out the ice chunks. This makes enough for 2 generous servings.

Recipe by Suzanne Nikolaisen

Note: If you like fresh orange juice, my husband, Eric, created a recipe to use with a juicer: Apple, Carrot, Orange Juice. It's a great blend of flavors and fresh juice is so good! Have you ridden the Soaring Over California ride at Disneyland when they spritz orange in the air as you go over the orange groves? Or zested an orange? Wow... orange-y!

*Update 8/19/15 - This is one of our go-to's to fight migraines. Not medical advice by any means, just something that seems comforting.

Champignons Sautes au Beurre on Toast

Version 2 of Sautéed Mushroom Toast

Have you ever had "Mushroom Toast?" It's seriously wonderful. I got the idea from the recipe for "Mushroom Toast" on pg. 36 of The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham, but she used lemon, which I wasn't in the mood for. I think the pan-toasted bread added a lot to the "yum" factor! This is what I did:

Sauteed Mushrooms on Buttered Toast v.1
1 Can mushrooms
Good toasting bread
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Swiss Cheese

Heat a non-stick skillet and add 1 T butter and allow to melt and heat to the "foam" on the butter stage. Drain mushrooms and add to pan. Allow to heat and cook on low to medium heat. Cook for about 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. When done remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. Butter bread on one side and place butter-side down in pan. Cook until golden brown. Flip and toast other side. Place bread on plate, and spoon mushrooms over bread. Serve with sliced Swiss cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 3

Recipe Source: The Breakfast Book, and me

Tonight, I sauteed fresh sliced mushrooms. The movie "Julie & Julia" and the cookbook (Page 513 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1) were spot on. "... the mushrooms must not be crowded in the pan." If you crowd them, they won't cook evenly or brown. So like they said "Don't crowd the mushrooms!" (Version 2 listed below is closer to the recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, but I didn't use oil, or add the optional garlic or shallots.)

Sauteed Mushrooms on Buttered Toast v.2 
2 Pkgs fresh sliced mushrooms, rinsed and drained
Good toasting bread
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Swiss Cheese

Heat a non-stick skillet and add 1 T butter and allow to melt and heat to the "foam" on the butter stage. Add half of the rinsed and drained mushrooms to the pan. Try to distribute the mushrooms so they are flat against the pan. Cook on medium for about 5-10 minutes then toss or flip and redistribute so the mushrooms are flat against the pan. Add 1 T butter and cook for 5-10 minutes until brown. When they're browned, remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms. Next butter bread on one side and place butter-side down in pan. Cook until golden brown. Flip and toast other side. Place bread on plate, and spoon mushrooms over bread. Serve with sliced Swiss cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 3

Recipe Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Breakfast Book, and me

Suz
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Pancakes - Plain, Simple, Good

I didn't catch any pictures of the pancakes before dinner so I'm sharing a photo of an early-blooming Iris. Do you ever make "breakfast for dinner?" It's fun to switch things up once in a while and these pancakes are a good option. The flavor was compared to the waffle cones made at ice cream stores. (I add vanilla to the recipe.)

Pancakes
1 C flour
1 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 egg
1 C milk
2 T corn oil
1/2 t vanilla*

Mix dry ingredients, then add in wet ingredients and mix with a whisk (don't over mix). Add a dollop of butter to pan on medium heat and use a measuring cup to drop a couple of pancakes into the pan. When bubbles appear on pancake flip it over to cook the other side. Repeat. Dollop of butter... etc. until you've used all of the batter. Keep the pancakes on a oven safe plate in a warm oven until the rest of the meal is ready.

Recipe Source: Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book, "Pancakes," pg. 72

Finn's Restaurant

Today Em and I met some family at Finn's Restaurant in Sugarhouse. I met this bird at the gas station on the way.

This is Finn's. One of my friend's tweeted that Finn's was a good place to eat. I spread the word to my family and we decided to try it. I think the pictures tell it better than words.

Cloth napkins and the doily was charming!

A beautiful silver tray? "Why gee, yes I would like an onion roll and round of butter." They must think customers are pretty special!

A fresh yellow rose and I think it's Edelweiss. Some of the servers had beautiful white dresses and my water was always full. No "Lawrence of Arabia" thirst for me while at Finn's.

My Dad had the Norwegian Waffles with cardamom. Em and I had tomato soup. Thank you Finn's and staff for lunch!

Finn's Restaurant

1624 South 1100 East

801-467-4000

www.finnscafe.net

Suz