Blueberry Coffee Cake

I don't bake. I cook- and I love to cook, but I don't bake. My friend Sarah loves to bake and in the past (the way, far away past) we whipped up a few cakes together. Now that I'm baking solo I stick with a box mix. (Gasp! I KNOW- outrageous!) That is, until yesterday.

You see, my grocer put blueberries on sale, 2 for 1, and I adore me some blueberries. It is also picking season here in the Northeast and scrumptiously fat toddler cheeks being stuffed with hand picked berries is a photo op waiting to happen, y'all. So, I had to find something to do with all these berries.

Enter amazingly easy, and equally delicious, coffee cake recipe. Yum.

GATHER:
for topping...
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon

for cake...
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen

BAKE:
Topping - In small mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients. Blend with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

Sift 1 1/2 cups sifted flour with baking powder and salt into a bowl. In a medium bowl, beat together beaten egg and 3/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter.Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and mix well.

Pour 1/2 the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square or 9-inch layer-cake pan. Sprinkle with blueberries and top with remaining batter.

Sprinkle topping crumb mixture evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Partially cool in pan on wire rack. Cut coffee cake into squares while still warm.

Let me just say it again... Yum! The only thing that would make this better is some chocolate. Oh, and maybe some walnuts. Then it would be double yum!! Cause chocolate and nuts make good things even better!

Pineapple/BBQ Chicken

For a quick, easy, delicious meal... this one can't be beat.

GATHER:
4 chicken breasts, thin sliced
1 (20 oz.) can juice packed cubed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
1 bottle BBQ sauce
½ green pepper
½ red pepper

COOK:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place foil in medium sized baking dish. Grease lightly.

Place the chicken in the baking dish. Arrange peppers and pineapple around the chicken. Pour the reserved pineapple juice all over. Top with BBQ sauce.

Bake 1 hour, or until the chicken juices run clear.

SERVE:
I serve this over white rice. The BBQ sauce combines with the pineapple juice to make a delicious "gravy".


** This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker. Just cook on high for 4+ hours until meat is tender.

Veggie Ragu

This has quickly become one of my favorite dishes. It is hearty as is, or can be "beefed" up with your favorite ground meats.

GATHER:
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 zucchini
3 carrots, peeled
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup milk
1 cup vegetable stock
6 oz. tomato paste
1/2 tbs dried basil
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt/pepper, to taste

COOK:
Finely dice shallot and onion. Chop all other veggies to roughly the same size, or about 1/2 inch pieces.

Heat large pot over medium heat. Saute the shallot and garlic in the olive oil until shallot is translucent. (Be careful not to burn the garlic.)

Add the other veggies and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in half of the tomato paste with the milk and stock. Mix until creamy. If needed, add remain tomato paste.

Season with basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Simmer on low for an hour or more. Adjust seasonings as it cooks.

SERVE:
Serve over pasta or rice. Or, my personal favorite, with just some parmesan cheese sprinkled atop and a side of garlic bread. Yum!