berrylicious

To all of my blogger fans out there, first of all- thank you for reading my blog. It is so great logging in and seeing the numbers of people that have read my recipes. I love to cook and share my cooking with those I love. I hope that reading inspires you to do the same! I have to apologize though, because I have been seriously lacking in blog posts lately. Not that there is any excuse for not sharing my delicious creations with you, however I have been slightly pre-occupied lately between work, studying, and working on applying to graduate school. Most of my free time has been dedicated to the latter two, so for now, my blogging (sadly) takes a back seat. However, I have still been cooking and taking pictures so that I can share them with you when I have the time, like tonight!

A classic recipe that my mom loves to make is a blueberry crumb cake. For as long as I can remember, she always made this for brunches, to bring up to camp on visiting day, and for dessert after holiday meals. It is a classic family dessert, and beyond delicious. Eat it for breakfast, snack, or dessert, and I promise you won't be disappointed. Sometimes crumb cakes or coffee cakes can be challenging to make, especially with a yummy, crumbly topping. But, I am here to tell you that this recipe is easy and so delicious.

With the summer coming to a close, now is the prime time to take advantage of the last of the fresh berries that are still available and in season. Nothing beats summer produce and this recipe calls for fresh, not frozen blueberries, and I promise you- they are amazing. It is so worth the extra effort of using fresh berries. If you have the chance to pick your own and have a surplus, make this for your family and friends, it is a perfect way to display the freshness of the berries, allowing their flavor to shine through and not be overly masked by sugar, and your friends will love it!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups gf flour mix (or ap flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 tbsp gf flour mix (or ap flour)
1 pint blueberries

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup gf flour mix (or ap flour)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

berries

topping

perfection.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy with an electric mixer
Beat in egg and vanilla
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt
Add the dry ingredients to the butter, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients
Mix until just combined
In a large bowl, mix the blueberries with 1 tbsp flour to coat them, and fold them into the batter gently
Pour the batter into an 8x8 pan greased and lined with parchment paper
Combine the remaining sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly
Sprinkle the topping evenly on the batter
Bake for 1 hour or until the center comes out clean
Cool and enjoy all day long!

soup season

Soup is one of my all time favorite things to cook. As we move closer and closer into fall (and winter, gah!), you'll see soup recipes popping up all over my blog. There are so many amazing and creative way to combine ingredients into a soup or stew. And honestly, in my opinion (and to be fair, I am ALWAYS cold), there is nothing better than curling up with a steaming bowl or mug full of soup. The great thing about soup is that you can turn any ingredients into a  great soup; all you need are some spices and herbs, some water, and some amazing vegetables. Honestly, if you've never made a soup, just give it a try- now is the season!

I definitely get my passion for soups from my mom. For as long as I can remember, she has always spent Sundays in my house cooking up a storm. Because she works full time, and truly cares about my family having wonderful home-made meals, she often makes a few things on Sundays that can be eaten throughout the week, and one of those things is always soup. She is seriously a soup goddess-- she sometimes has 3 pots of different kinds of soup working on the stove. Growing up her chicken soup with matzah balls and alphabet pasta was always my favorite. And while she does make a mean matzah ball soup, my appreciation has grown over the years for her other soups as well.

She also introduced me to one of my favorite kitchen tools, the immersion blender. With this up-right stick blender (that I have written lovingly about in the past), you can blend just about anything right away. One of my mom's classic soups is what I love to call her "green soup". Essentially it is a blended soup filled with whatever fresh veggies and herbs that we have lying around my house- let me tell you, it is a serious winner. So easy to make, so fresh and delicious, it is a great way to use up whatever yummy veggies you have in your kitchen. The next time you're craving soup, check out this delicious and easy soup!


Green Soup

1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 large heads of broccoli, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 leek, chopped (optional)
1 medium white (or regular) sweet potato, cubed
4 cups of water (+ or -, depending), added slowly across cooking time
2 tbsp fresh herbs (I used chive, parsley, basil, rosemary, sage, and dill)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder

veggie party

herbalicious

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat
Add in your vegetables and allow them to start sweating down
Season with salt, pepper, and garlic
After they have cooked for about 10 minutes, add 2 or so cups of water (be careful here- add enough water to fill up the pot about 2/3 of the way, but do not drown your veggies!)
Cover and allow to cook for an hour or so
Add in your fresh herbs, and add water if you feel like your soup will be too thick
Using your immersion blender, blend your soup until it is smooth and almost creamy
If you like thinner soup, add more water in slowly until you've reached desired consistency
enjoy!

yum.

getting corny

There is something so special about corn bread, it's hard to put your finger on it. Corn bread is the quintessential combination of sweet and savory. It has incredible texture, layers of flavors, and can be paired with everything. It can compliment breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The only problem is, it is really hard to get that perfect harmony that makes up incredible and delicious corn bread. It is so easy to make corn bread way too dry, crumbly, and flavorless. While you can always jazz corn bread up with butter, jalapeno, or something fruity, at the end of the day, a good corn bread in my book can stand alone without any toppings or distractions.

My sister loves corn bread. When we were young my sister loved ordering corn bread whenever she could (fond memories of Boston Market). Since it was her last weekend home, my mom wanted to make something special for her (we ended up making a lot of somethings special, whoops)! Taking on corn bread can be a daunting task. While we have made it before, it just never has turned out exactly how we've wanted it to. Finding a good ratio of corn meal to flour is very important and hard to do, not to mention keeping it from drying out. This corn bread recipe however, is so incredibly moist, and just the right amount of sweet. It is a wonderful balance of sweet and savory, eaten simply as breakfast, or on the side of a delicious bbq dinner (as it were). Really, look no further than this recipe. My mom and I have already decided that this will be gracing our Thanksgiving table (yes, we do plan this far in advance). Make in a 9x9 pan, or muffin tins- either way, you will not be disappointed!

sweet, savory, delicious.

Moist Honey Corn Bread

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup gf flour mix (ap flour would work here as well)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
2 large eggs
4 oz butter, melted
1/4 cup honey

oven ready

golden perfection

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
In a large bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, butter, and honey
Mix the wet into the dry ingredients and stir together until just mixed
Pour into a 9x9 greased baking dish
Bake for 25 minutes or until the top begins to brown, and a knife comes out of the center of the bread clean
Enjoy!!

not your mama's potato salad

It may not come as much of a surprise, but I don't really like mayonnaise. There's something about it's smell, texture, and taste that just doesn't do it for me. When making a dressing, a salad, or a sandwich, I am always looking for a good alternative for mayo. I love using mustard, instead of the traditional mayo--another good substitute is Greek yogurt. I love taking traditional dishes, that are known for being heavy or not incredibly flavorful and recreating them. By being a bit creative and thinking just a little bit outside the jar, you can really make some yummy dishes.

As I've mentioned before, one of the people I love cooking with the most is my mom. She is an incredible cook and when we work side by side we create culinary harmony. Whenever I am home, we always cook up a storm. I love taking advantage of my beautiful large kitchen at home (sorry apartment), and the fresh ingredient that we always have. Thanks to my garden, we are always fully stocked with delicious and fresh veggies, fruit, and herbs. Last weekend, I was home, spending the weekend with my family before my sister went back to school. My mom and I, up to our usual tricks, spent a large amount of the weekend in the kitchen. This post (and a few more to come) are all recipes from the weekend- so keep your eyes out for delicious mommy-daughter recipes coming your way!

My mom also loves getting creative in the kitchen and putting her own spin on recipes. When she introduced me to this incredible potato salad, I had to eat it to believe it. We had a huge bar-b-que on Saturday night, and what goes better with a summer bbq than potato salad? Now, I am not a huge fan of the traditional mayo-y potato salad, but this one really takes potato salad to a whole new level of gourmet. Thanks to my mom (and a little help from Ina Garten), I can now say I like potato salad--at least this one! Summer is rolling to a close, but there are still a few warm days left for bbq's and potato salad on the side. Try out this twist on an old classic, I promise you'll love it!

Fresh Herbed Potato Salad

2 lb small red or white boiling potatoes
3 tbsp dry white wine
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
8 tbsp olive oil
8 tbsp chopped herbs of your choice (we used basil, parsley, chive, rosemary, and thyme)

lil potatoes

freshly picked, beautiful herbs

 Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the potatoes for about 25 minutes, or until they are just cooked through
Drain the potatoes and place in a bowl, with a towel over the top, allowing to steam for 10 minutes
Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters (bite sized) and place in a bowl
Toss the potatoes with the white wine and allow the wine to soak in for at least 10 minutes
Combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and slowly whisk in the olive oil
Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes
Add the herbs to the potatoes and toss
Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

yum.