Bestest Cherry Cobbler

set oven at 350 F.

1 stick unsalted butter, melted in a 9x13 oblong pan

Homemade Cherry Pie Filling

 4 c. fresh picked cherries / store-bought cherries, pitted
2/3 c. white sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract

2 Tbsp corn starch

Cake Batter

1 1/3 c. flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c. sour cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

milk

Whipped Cream

3/4 c. whipping cream

1/4 tsp almond extract

dash of cinnamon

1/2 tsp sugar

Place the pan in the oven with the butter and let it melt.  While that's melting, make the cherry sauce.  Cut the cherries in half, place them in a medium saucepot with the sugar, lemon, almond, vanilla.  Cook over medium-low hear.  Once its bubbling, stir in the corn starch.  Remove from heat and let cool

While its cooling make the batter.  Place the flour, powder, salt, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream in a mixing bowl and begin blending.  Add milk to thin it out to a thick, pourable consistency.  Should require 1/2 c to 3/4 c. of milk

Once the batter's blended up and the butter's melted, take the hot pan out of the oven.  Pour the batter into the pan, trying to displace the melted butter evenly.  Then pour the cherry filling (which should be loose, pourable and somewhat thick like sauce) over the top.  

Bake at 350 F for 30-35 min, or until the cake in the middle is firm.

Caramel Pineapple Upside-down Cake

 This was a modification of a couple recipes

1 20 oz can pineapple rings, well drained.  Save all juice.

Maraschino cherries

Cake

2 1/4 c. flour

1 c. sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

6 Tbsp butter, softened

all juice from the pineapples

milk (enough to make a smooth, pourable, yet still thick batter

2 tsp vanilla

Caramel

4 tbsp Butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 pinches salt

2 tbsp corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

6 tbsp whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Make the caramel

In a saucepot, melt the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.  Stir over medium-low heat until its bubbling.  Add the vanilla and salt, stir and let it bubble for another 2 minutes.  Add the whipped cream and stir until incorporated.  Pour a couple drips on a metal spoon and let it cool (blow on it) and taste.  We want the soft ball stage when cooled.  Once its at that point, remove the pot from heat.

Place two 9 inch cake pans in the oven for 2 minutes to get them hot.  Put a small pat of butter in each and coat the bottom of the pan.  Divide the caramel between the two pans, then distribute the pineapple rings in both pans, laying them on top of caramel layer.  Place maraschino cherries in center or each and dot a few extras around in the cake layer.

Make the cake batter

Blend the flour , sugar, salt, baking powder in a mixing bowl with a fork.  Then add the eggs, softened butter, vanilla, and all the juice from the pineapples.  Blend together.  You will need to add milk to this, possibly 1/3 of a cup or 1/2.  Add milk a little at a time until the batter is a pourable, spreadable consistency, but not too thick.

Pour the batter between the two cake pans, covering the pineapple and caramel.  Place in oven and then bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool for 45 minutes and then plate, stacking one layer atop the other.

Linne Krum Kaka - Norwegian Cookie

Requires a Krumkake iron:

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. milk

3/4 c. melted butter

1 tsp vanilla +

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 1/2 c. flour, sifted +

pinch salt

Place Krum Kaka iron over burner with low heat; preheat

Beat the eggs and gradually add the sugar. Blend in the milk, melted butter, vanilla and cardamom. Gradually add sifted flour and mix thoroughly.

Open the Krumkake iron on the stovetop and drop a scant tablespoonful of batter onto it. Close the iron and cook for around 1 min per side.++

Open iron and if light golden brown, remove, and roll into a cone immediately.

Fill cone with whipped cream.

+ 1977  Add 1/2 cup+ flour - maple flavoring - Use this recipe only

++ 2001 Per Bret, cook 1 minute 10 seconds on low fire

Hard Chocolate Shell or Coating

1.25 oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 oz. Butter

melt these together and dip cookies or pour on whatever.  

This link has more detailed info on chocolate temperatures.

https://www.ehow.com/how_8173644_make-chocolate-hard.html

Green Tomato Chutney

2 lbs Green tomato

2-3 chilis

1 tsp garlic

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp ginger

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Yellow curry powder recipe:

4 tsp cumin, ground

3 1/2 tsp coriander, ground

2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp ginger, ground

1/4 tsp indian chili powder (hot)

1/4 tsp. mustard

Basic Dill Fermented Pickles

2 c. filtered water
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
2-3 heads of dill or 2-3 TBSP fresh dill leaves

1 tsp. peppercorn
1 tsp. mustard seed

3 cloves garlic, chopped into sections

4-5 small or medium pickling cucumbers

½ onion sliced (optional)

1. In a pot over medium high heat dissolve the salt in 1 cup of the water.

2. Turn off the heat and add the other cup of room temperature water.

3. Add the pickle ingredients to a glass pint jar. To the bottom of the jar add the smashed garlic cloves, dill, sliced onion, peppercorns, mustard seeds, or whatever you like to add more flavor.

4. Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and make sure that the tops are 1 inch below the top of the jar.

6. Pack the cucumbers in the jar (small whole ones or quartered are easiest). These should be packed tight enough that nothing floats to the top.

7. Pour the brine over the cucumbers.

8. Screw the lid onto the jar. One of these jar weights can also be used to keep the cucumbers below the brine (to avoid mold growth).

9. Let the jar sit out at room temperature for 2-3 days, until pickles are the desired flavor. Be sure to release the air from the jar occasionally or built up pressure can cause the jar to explode! You can also buy special fermenting lids that don’t need “burping.”

--I've seen other recipes which state to pickle them for 3 weeks at least.

10. When pickles are as sour as desired, store in the fridge for several months. The cold temperature halts the fermentation process.

Blueberry Muffins / Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for Muffins, 325 degrees for coffee cake.  This works great as a coffee cake as well.  I made 8 muffins and poured the rest into an 8x8 glass baking dish.  

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, slightly softened and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

In a medium bowl, stir flour and sugar.  Add butter pieces and combine mixture with a fork until topping resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside

Muffin Batter

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 sticks butter (room temp.)

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, (room temp.) 

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 ounces sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and baking soda.

With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  

At low speed, beat  in one egg at a time, then add vanilla, sour cream, and milk until combined.  

Add 1/3 of dry ingredients at a time and beat until just combined.  

With a spatula, evenly fold blueberries into batter.

Spoon batter into muffin pans and fill each cup to the top. 

Sprinkle streusel topping over batter.

Bake Muffins at 350 F for ~30 minutes.  

Bake Coffee Cake in the 8x8 pan at 325 F for 50-55 minutes

*I usually start checking these early because I like them lightly brown not dark.

Makes 24 muffins.