Jerilyn’s Northwest Blackberry Cobbler

wpid-IMG_20130826_092059_183.jpgWe stayed at my Mom and Dad’s this summer, in the midst of moving back to the east coast.  We were there during blackberry season and Dad has a good sized patch of wild blackberries.  We picked….and we picked….and we picked.  Last count we had picked 35 quarts, much of which got frozen.  But of course plenty also got eaten straight from the bush, sprinkled over oatmeal (steel cut sundaes…yum!) and a few tasty dessert type things.  I found this recipe in one of Mom’s cookbooks.  My Mom has cookbooks….I’ve been told I have lots, but my Mom has 3 or 4 times as many as I do.  Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree….we like cookbooks.  I found this recipe in The Farmhouse Cookbook.  And a certain sibling of mine may have even said that he liked it better than Mom’s usual recipe!  I don’t know who Jerilyn is, but this is so yummy she deserves many kudos for it!!

Jerilyn’s Northwest Blackberry Cobbler

For filling:
6 C blackberries
1 1/4 c sugar
1/4 c flour

For batter:
2 c flour
1 c sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c millk
1/2 c (1 stick) melted butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix filling and pour into a cake pan.  Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in food processor (or you can mix it by hand, that’s how I did it this morning, just mix it well).  Pulse/mix well.  Add milk and butter and beat until smooth.  Spoon batter over berries and spread to edge of dish to prevent juices from spilling over.  Bake until crust is brown and crisp on the outside and cooked all the way through, and berries are bubbling up a bit; about 1 hour.  Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes.  Serve with whipping cream.

Serves 8-10

Ellen’s Zucchini Relish

Years ago I was in 4H.  My best friend’s Mom was the leader and they lived just up the road from me.  This group was for sewing and cooking.  Can I just say I was VERY MUCH of a tom-boy then and the patience Mrs. Knight showered on me went well beyond what I deserved.  I once had to make garlic bread for a 4H fair entry and I panicked!!  Yes, really.  Another time I was in a competition for handmade clothes (made a “lovely” reversible wrap around skirt with a matching vest and a bandana for my hair….wore big clunky clogs that I’m SURE were the height of fashion at the time).  I did NOT want to be in the competition, but they convinced me.  There was a fashion show and a BOY had to escort me, dressed in my outfit, across the stage, where I pirouetted and then SLOWLY walked off stage.  Mrs. Knight “promised” me that I just had to  go up there once and be done with it.  But wouldn’t you know it, I won alternate (I’d go to a bigger competition if one of the other 2 girls couldn’t go).  I’ll end this by saying that I prayed earnestly for good health for both those girls!!!  LOL!  Okay, so now, I’m eternally indebted to Mrs. Knight for her help and friendship.  Who knew that I’d end up actually LIKING this stuff and maybe even getting pretty good at it!!  LOL!!

And now, with all that blather out of the way, here’s the recipe:

Ellen Knight’s Zucchini Relish
10 C shredded zucchini
4 C chopped onions (actually, I put all veggies through the shredder)
1 or 2 green peppers
1 or 2 red peppers
5 Tbs salt (NOT iodized!)
2 1/2 C vinegar
6 C sugar (you can half this!)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix vegetables with salt and chill overnight or several hours.  Rinse and drain well

In a 6 qt pan bring remaining ingredients to a boil.  Stir in vegetables and let simmer 15 minutes.  Seal in hot jars.  Process in a hot water bath 5 minutes.  This can also be frozen (but like my Dad said, there’s just something about going down to the canning cupboard and grabbing a jar of homemade relish.  Freezing requires thawing, which delays your enjoyment of this yummy stuff!)

Potato Salad

I cannot believe I haven’t already posted this recipe.  Everyone calls it “Amy’s Potato Salad” but really I just tweaked what was already a GREAT recipe.  So, I’m copying and pasting the Hellman’s Mayonnaise recipe (found here) and then I’ll add my “tweaks” so you, too, can enjoy “Amy’s Potato Salad”  😛

Hellmann’s the Original Potato Salad

Ingredients

    • 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks ( 5 to 6 medium)
    • 1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
    • 2 tablespoons vinegar
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 cup thinly sliced celery
    • 1/2 cup chopped onion
    • 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Directions

  1. In 4-quart saucepot, cover potatoes with water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and cool slightly.
  2. In large bowl, combine Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper. Add potatoes, celery, onion and eggs and toss gently.
  3. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

And now for the “Amy Tweaks”
To the above, also mix in:

1/2 to 1 cup chopped green olives
1 1/2 Tbs dill weed
a couple dashes of Tabasco (we prefer smokey habenero)

My very creative Mother-in-Law also likes to toss in torn up nasturtium flowers (yes, they’ve edible, kind of a peppery taste) when they’re in season.  You could garnish the top with whole nasturtium flowers as well!

President’s Potato Soup

This is Laura Bush’s Irish potato soup recipe.  It’s a favorite of my family, but in the beginning, I enticed them a bit by calling it President’s Potato Soup….I mean who wouldn’t want to eat like the president of the United States (okay, don’t answer that!!!).  It is very simple, fairly quick, and delicious!!  Oh, AND CHEAP!

6 potatoes peeled and cubed (I had a few red potatoes that I threw in this evening, and I just left their skins on them)
1 Tbs oil (I omit this with my directions….see below)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup onion (actually, I chopped up 2 whole onions and threw them in there….onions are good for you!)
1 12oz can evaporated milk (or 1 1/2 cups of milk)
1/2 cup butter (or margarine, if you must, but…..don’t!)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (whatever!  do the salt and pepper to taste!)

Mrs. Bush’s directions: Place potatoes in a stockpot with enough water to cover.  Boil until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add celery and onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add potatoes.  Stir in evaporated milk, butter, salt and pepper.  Heat until just below boiling.  Serve immediately.

My directions (cuz you know how I am about following a recipe precisely!) Melt butter in large pot, add onions and celery and cook until translucent.  Add potatoes and just enough water to barely cover everything.  Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender (10-20 min).  Add milk, salt and pepper.  Heat until it’s hot enough.  Serve (no immediately about it…..they will come running!)

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

This is another favorite Olive Garden soup.  It is also pretty simple.  I used swiss chard instead of kale, but everything else was the same.  SO good!!

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

  • Author: CopyKat Recipes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 2 large russet baking potatoes sliced in half and then in 1/4 inch slices
  • 1 large chopped onion
  • 1/2 can Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits (these are less fatty than real bacon)
  • 2 cloves garlic,  minced
  • 2 cups chopped kale or Swiss chard
  • 2 14.5 ounce cans chicken broth
  • 1 quart water
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Cook sausage in a 300-degree oven for approximately 1/2 hour; drain on paper towels and cut into slices.  (okay, um, I actually fried the sausages as directed on the package, and went from there)

Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in a pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, salt, and pepper to taste and simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat; add kale, cream, and water (optional).  Heat thoroughly and serve.

Olive Garden’s Italian Sausage Soup

Found this on the Olive Garden recipe page this evening when I was looking for a soup recipe using sausage.  Considering my SuperHero is Italian, I figured he might like it (he did)  He even took a picture and told me I should post it.  Pretty quick and simple soup. I am putting the actual recipe here, and in italics, the changes I made (for what we had on hand).

italian sausage soup

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, ground
1 cup white rice
1 cup chopped tomatoes in puree (1-10 ¾ oz can)  (I used a can of tomato sauce)
1/2 lb chopped frozen spinach (1-10 oz box), thawed and drained
6 cups beef broth (used water and bouillon)
1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
Pecorino Romano cheese, for garnish (used a Parmesan Romano blend)

  • Cook ground sausage in a soup pot and break the meat up with a fork as it cooks. Add in rice, beef broth, tomatoes and black pepper and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer 12-15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in chopped spinach and let simmer for a few minutes.
  • Ladle soup into soup bowls and garnish with freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Eggs Pierre

image

Okay, this is how much I truly love my SuperHero:

  1. That I even make this stuff (which, BTW, I confess to calling “Pukes Pierre)  I will admit, though, that since adapting the recipe a bit, it is starting to grow on me and I now will eat it when I make it (yeah, I used to eat sandwiches while everyone else had this)
  2. I am putting this on MY food blog after I’ve spent years berating it.  SuperHero just called me to ask for my food blog address for a co-worker, because she wants this recipe (yep, you read it right, this is for you Jauna!)

I actually used to tell my MIL that I was sure she just made it up as NOBODY had ever heard of it before.  It’s one of those “comfort foods” I think, for hubby, but I have discovered that he is the only Jajliardo “child” that is still getting served this stuff.  With the changes I’ve made, it is tastier and looks a whole lot less “vomitrocious” (yes, I said that!)  The sauce makes about 6 or 7 servings, and you just make as much sausage, eggs and toast as you want.

Pierre Sauce (make this first as it needs to simmer about 15 min.  You could also cook up the sausage at this time and then keep it warming in the oven on the lowest temperature)

1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup sesame oil (yes, use sesame oil, the flavors better AND it gives it better color than….well, than you know what)
5 Tbsp flour
3 cups chicken broth (or 3 cups water + 3 chicken bouillon cubes)
1/4 cup tomato juice
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste (not too  much salt!  there’s already saltiness to it)

Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add garlic and briefly cook it.  Add flour, mix well and heat until it get bubbly.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium low heat for about 15 min. (don’t let it boil)

You can use either sausage in either the breakfast links or patties, cook them as directed on the package.

While the sauce is simmering (and the sausages are cooked), fry up some eggs with a little salt and pepper (however many you want) and cook your toast.  Place the toast on your plate, top with an egg, some sausages and then ladle the sauce over it all.

I would LOVE to have your comments on this!

Italian French Bread

I came up with this recipe in honor of our family as my 
SuperHero has Italian in him and I have French Canadian in me.  
Wonderfully flavorful French bread!

(bread machine recipe) Makes 1 ½ pound loaf

1 ½ cup warm water
3 ½ cups unbleached white flour
1 ½ Tbs Italian seasoning
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs gluten
1 Tbs dough enhancer
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast

Place ingredients in bread pan and select dough setting and start. When
dough cycle ends, set a timer and allow the bread to rise another hour.
Open the machine and punch the dough down and let it rise again (still in
the bread machine) for another hour. Turn out onto lightly floured
surface and shape into a smooth round ball, then flatten it with your hands. Place
a clean kitchen towel (NOT terry cloth) in a round wicker basket
that’s at least twice the size of the dough. Dust the towel liberally
with flour. Place the dough in the center of basket, set basket in a
warm place and let dough rise, uncovered, about 45 min. until doubled in
size. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Gently turn dough out of basket upside down
onto a greased baking sheet. (I bake it directly on the stones in my
oven, so I flour the top, put my metal pizza paddle on it and flip it all
over so I can easily slide the bread onto the stone) With a very sharp knife,
carefully slash the top of the dough in a # pattern. Place a small pan on the
floor or bottom shelf of the oven. Add at least
1 cup boiling water to the pan (I just put a cup of water in before I
start preheating the oven). Place dough in oven and bake for 20 min.
Remove from oven and place on cake rack to cool 1 hour before slicing.
To preserve the crisp crust, do not store in plastic wrap or bag.
Bread can be loosely covered or left out for up to two days before it
dries out completely
(really! I’ve tried and that’s true…though it rarely lasts that long!)

Lasagna Soup

This is a fairly quick soup to make as it involves a boxed lasagna mix.  WONDERFULLY tasty, the whole family enjoys it!  This recipe is from Family Dinners by Shari Meyer (a wonderful handmade cookbook my friend Kim shared with me!)

1 lb ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
1 package (7 3/4 oz) lasagna dinner mix*
5 c water
1 14-oz can undrained tomatoes
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese
1 zucchini, chopped

In a Dutch oven, cook the beef and onion until it browns.  Drain.  Add the lasagna sauce mix, water, tomatoes, and Parmesan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 min.  Add the lasagna noodles and zucchini.  Cover and simmer 10 min or more until noodles are tender.  Serve immediately.

10 servings

*I couldn’t find this size Lasagna mix, which comes with a seasoning packet.  Instead I used the larger HomeStyle Lasagna which comes with canned meat sauce.  I leave off the tomatoes to compensate.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Oh me, oh my!!!  A friend pinned (on Pinterest) a delicious looking recipe for sweet and sour chicken.  When I clicked the link, I discovered another wonderful food blog!  I thought my SuperHero wasn’t a fan of fried rice (the recipe that accompanies the sweet and sour chicken) but was surprised to hear that he does like it, so next time I’m just going to make the chicken and fried rice.  Tonight we had plain rice and mixed vegetables with the chicken.  Now, since I already said this was found on another wonderful food blog, rather than typing it out, I’m going to send you (via a link) over there because she also posted some wonderful pictures to help you with the process (I didn’t, making my chicken a much longer process…..don’t ask…..just do as she says.  And now, off you go to Life as a Lofthouse

Enjoy!