Peepch and Berrie Cobblure UwU

 I AM BACK. Call ya Time Police, they got nothin' on me. >:D

Figured out how to do a butter-on-the-bottom fruit cobbler by making minor adaptations to this recipe. Enjoyed with family for the 4th of July, 2022. Here it is!

Fruit Filling

• 3 peaches, peeled and sliced
• 12 strawberries (about a pound), cored and sliced
• about 12 blackberries (optional)
• 3/4 cup white sugar (or a mix of brown and white)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Mix fruit, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan and heat it gently over medium heat for a few minutes (or low heat for longer) until syrupy juice from the peaches has risen about 1/2 the depth of the fruit in the pan. Set aside. 

Cobbler Batter

• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar (or a mix of brown and white)
• 3/4 cup milk (or 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup water)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Melt the butter in the bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish -- you can put the dish in the oven as it preheats to do this.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the milk and vanilla until just combined. Batter will be thick, almost dough-like. Pour the mixture into the glass baking dish over the layer of melted butter and smooth it into an even layer. Some butter will escape and come up on top of the batter layer; this is not a problem.

Spoon the fruit filling over the batter in an even layer. As the cobbler bakes, the batter will rise and envelope the fruit layer. The juice and baking batter may overflow the edges of your pan if it is too shallow, so you may want to put a pan on the rack underneath to catch the drips.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a spaghetti inserted into the middle comes out without batter on it (might have some fruit juice, that's okay). Serve warm. 

The Soft Gingerbread Cookies

My mother always made soft gingerbread cookies around the holidays to pass around to the family. I really didn’t like gingerbread when I was little, and I still don’t, but at the request of a family member, I made some this year. Here’s my mother’s soft gingerbread cookie recipe:

1 cup soft shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup molasses (12 oz bottle)
2/3 cup cold water

7 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream together shortening and sugar until fluffy. Slowly add molasses, blend well. Stir in water. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into molasses mixture. Chill until firm, about 5 hours. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies and place on lightly greased cookie sheets with at least a centimeter space between each cookie. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 60 cookies.

Turkey Meatballs

Very easy to make, and Dad likes 'em.

Ingredients

1 to 1.5 pounds lean ground turkey
1 cup Italian bread crumbs OR crushed-up dry herb stuffing mix
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated or sprinkles)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano 
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (with your own clean hands is easiest).

Spray a baking sheet or pan with cooking spray. Form the mash into little balls roughly an inch in diameter and place on the sheet at least 1/2 inch apart.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

New Apple Pie

So here's a new (to me) method for apple pie that uses a baking stone for a heat foundation under the pie dish. Came out okay; figured I'd save it here.

Ingredients

8 apples
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

3 Tablespoons potato or corn starch
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 crusts for a 10" pie
butter or baking stick
milk

Instructions

Put a baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat oven to 425F. 

Peel the apples and cut them into thin half-slices. Add the citrus juice and stir to coat; set aside

In a separate bowl, combine the four dry ingredients.

Spread one unbaked crust in the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan or glass dish. Fill this with one half of the apple slices, then dot with small pieces of butter, equal to about a tablespoon's worth. Sprinkle half of the dry mix over the apples and butter pieces. Repeat with the remaining apples, an equal amount of butter, and the remaining dry mixture.

Cover the filled pie with the second crust, taking care to crimp around the edges of the crust to seal the pie. Paint the top crust with some milk (liberally) and sprinkle additional sugar and cinnamon on top if desired. Cut 3 to 6 small slits in the top crust to help the pie vent.

Place the pie in the oven directly on the baking stone. Immediately reduce the heat to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes, then check the crust edges - if they are browning too quickly, add a rim of tin foil to prevent them from burning. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until pie is done. Pie tastes best hot; reheating is recommended.

Zesty Sausage and Potato Skillet Dinner (Johnsonville)

Ingredients

About 3 cups of prepared mashed potatoes (4 or 5 potatoes worth)
1 package (13.5 ounces) Smoked Sausage or Polish Kielbasa, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium green peppers, diced
2 medium red bell peppers, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (16 ounces) chunky salsa
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation

In a skillet, brown sausage in oil for 3 to 4 minutes. Add peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add salsa and continue to cook until heated through. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve over mashed potatoes.

One Dish Chicken and Rice Bake (Campbell's)

Campbell's famous recipe. I need to try it some time.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Stir the soup, water, rice, paprika and black pepper in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with the chicken. Season with additional paprika and black pepper. Cover the baking dish.

Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rice before serving.

Chocolate-Mint Fudgy Brownies (Cooking Light)

Taken from Cooking Light:

The dense base layer is like a rich, fudgy brownie, so don't overcook it or the dessert bars will be dry. Refrigerating the mint bars allows the chocolaty top layer to set properly. You can make the dessert up to one day ahead. For a more grown-up taste, you can also use dark chocolate chips for some or all of the semisweet chocolate chips in the glaze.

BOTTOM LAYER

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

I cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup egg substitute

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, beaten

1 (l6 ounce) can chocolate syrup

Cooking spray 

MINT LAYER

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons skim milk

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 drops green food coloring 

GLAZE

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, egg substitute, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Pour batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare mint layer, combine all five ingredients  in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled brownie layer.

To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces (serving size: 1 piece).