so simple blueberry cobbler

i shouldn't even post these horrible pictures. you would have been better off just using your imagination. oh well, it looks funky, but this is one super tasty and super easy blueberry cobbler. let's cut to the chase and here you go. first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. walk away. get you a 8x8 dish and dump in some frozen blueberries, no need to thaw. i dunno, three cups or so. now, mix a teaspoon or two of either vanilla or almond extract(i use vanilla) and stir to mix with the berries. okay, in another bowl mix one cup all purpose flour, one cup sugar, pinch of salt and one egg. now, with your hands, squeeze, stir, squeeze, stir, mixing making sure the egg is thoroughly distributed. don't be afraid, squeeze the crap out the stuff all the while mixing making a streusel-y topping. you still will end up with some that won't be so crumbly, kinda dry, no biggie we are getting ready to fix that. sprinkle the streusel mixture all over your blueberries evenly as possible. okay, the kicker, go nuke a stick of butter and pour this all over the top of your cobbler. bake for about 40 minutes till bubbly and brown. cool long enough, so that it want burn your mouth and grab a spoon. holy moly! i do this with peaches(almond extract), too. you can use any fresh or frozen fruit. just imagine fresh blackberries....lordy.




that little bowl up top is mine, more whipped cream than cobbler. oh, that is the good stuff, too. real cream whipped with a sprinkling of homemade vanilla sugar and a shot of homemade vanilla extract. yum.

so, once again, excuse the down right embarassing pictures, but please try this simple cobbler recipe when you get a chance. you just can't go wrong. enjoy.

warm weather is kickin' in so....

it is time to ditch these....

to go for a dip in the ol'swimming hole or....

tote....

refreshing.

early morning peep show

chocolate chip surprise muffins

chocolate chip surprise muffins, you can find the recipe here. these are delicious!



my hubby immediately snarfed three and packed two for lunch, so they must be all right. the surprise part....


look close, a little pocket of sweet cream cheese! mine did not come out as pretty as karly's, but are still dang tasty. go make a batch today. enjoy.

blueberry mochi cake

when i saw the recipe for blueberry mochi cake over at the food librarian's site, i just knew i wanted to give it a try. i bookmarked it. i had never had any type of mochi before, but was familiar with it, so off to hunt for the sweet rice flour. we have a local, rather large, asian supermarket here, but i had never stepped foot in it. oh my, what have i been missing? i was a like a kid in a candy shop or more like a seaweed and noodle shop. it was so neat, well not reall, but it was fascinating. it would have been amazing if i wasn't continually distracted by travis taking every item off the shelf, almost doing a header out the basket, or hollering that he wanted "that" not grasping that "that" was a vacuumed packed bag of chestnuts not chocolates. nasty. anyway, i did find the boxes of sweet rice flour, grabbed two and headed home to make the cake. i am going back there soon, childless.

i made the cake and well, i am the only one who liked it. mochi is not real sweet, but is sticky, buttery and chewy. it is very textural. travis tried to eat a piece with a fork and it was not happening. he did better with the fork acting as a "holder" and just biting at the cake. for him, that wasn't happening either. he gave up.

overall, this blueberry mochi cake is definitely different. i think it would be delicious served with coffee or tea. it is nothing like your typical american style cake. i do have another box of sweet rice flour to use and i plan to, but this time i am thinking a chocolate or coconut mochi cake might be good. hmmmm..... i hope you will try the recipe for yourself. it would be a food adventure. enjoy.

three ingredient vanilla coffee creamer

in a blender process till thoroughly combined, one can of sweetened condensed milk, one cup of milk and one heaping tablespoon of good vanilla extract. viola. vanilla coffee creamer. enjoy.

okay, okay, okay....details....i used store brand sweetened condensed milk, 1% organic milk and 4 teaspoons(i <3 vanilla) of homemade vanilla extract. this creamer version is better than what you buy in the bottle, simply because you don't have all the added oil, chemicals and unpronounceable crap floating in your coffee. oh, and it is cheaper, too. i will say one good thing about the chemical coffee creamer, you can reuse the bottle.

now, go make, go drink, go enjoy.

i am still here

just not have been inspired to really bake or cook anything. here is a random picture for your viewing pleasure. i do have something in mind for a post later, stay tuned.

not sun burn, but red rustoleum paint, so much for standing up wind of the spray....

getting ready

for the show, the chicken show....


all i need now is some popcorn....sad, ain't it?

double tree hotel chocolate chip cookies

i have never heard of, much less eaten, a double tree hotel chain's chocolate chip cookie, but i guess they are suppose to be good. i found this recipe when looking for a "something different". i am not a big chocolate chip cookie fan, but my kids love them and i have a huge bag, i mean sam's club sized, bag of chips to use. i thought these sounded yummy and there is oatmeal in them, so faux healthy. they were good, cake-y not chewy and the kids loved them. i just don't see them becoming a favorite. oh, i did skip the lemon juice(??), added only two cups of chips and omitted the walnuts all together. enjoy.

chocolate on the brain giveaway-winner #5

random.org picked the number five!! congrats "tealady"!

aren't these note cards too cute? "chocolate on the brain", that is me to a "t". i love the stuff. i am a chocolate, dark chocolate, junkie. i am diabetic, but still indulge in some bittersweet pleasure every so often, okay, pretty much every freaking day. i can not lie. i am always on the search for the best super dark, 80% or higher, i can find. lately, i have been nibbling on a huge bag(sam's club size) of dark bittersweet ghirardelli chips. i just let them slowly melt in my mouth, a real treat with a cup of hot coffee. anyway, when i saw these little note cards at tj maxx today i just


knew i needed to buy them, so i could them give away. there are 12 different designs with a chocolate recipe on the back of each. i love stationary. i am always in need of little cards like this to send to my daughter's school, etc...



aren't they sweet? or at least semi-sweet? want them? leave me a comment as to what kind of chocolate you prefer or don't. milk, dark or maybe that faux white chocolate, which makes no sense to me, but that is a whole another post. also, please leave me a way to contact you. i will let the ol'random wizard pick a number and i will send you these note cards plus a few other surprises 'cause that is how i roll. let's play the game till friday midnight and u.s. folks only. international shipping is killer, so sad. have fun. enjoy.

the chicken run/coop, pretty much done

which is a good thing, because the girls should be pretty feathered out in another week and ready to be outside full time....here jamie is building their outdoor roost....

we worked on beautifying it with a flower/veggie bed....kinda sparse right now....maybe a few hanging pots, too....


jamie made the gang plank, so now it looks like a real coop ready for some hens....


speaking of hens....they are hanging out under their new roost, but not quite sure they can fly that high, yet....


this is abby, still quite the fuzz butt....


this is my girl daisy who is so sweet and had feathered out nicely....okay, more pics later.