Apples with Dip

    This is a family favorite of ours.  It's so refreshing as a summer dessert and so easy. Looks like a flower doesn't it? 

 Before adding pecan topping

After adding pecan topping



Apple Dip

1 lb. powdered sugar
1- 8 oz. container cream cheese
1- 8 oz. container caramel sauce
8 oz. chopped pecans or almonds
Apples


Cream powdered sugar and cream cheese until blended.  Spread on center of plate.  Cover mixture with caramel sauce.  Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.  Cut up apples and place around perimeter of plate.  

*I have also used heath chips instead of pecans, and it was super sweet, but divine! 

Keep plenty of apples on hand, because they will go quickly!


Enjoy!

Blackberry Jelly and Cobbler

     Now that I have all of the blackberries frozen in Ziploc bags in the freezer, I can take them out one at a time to make jelly and cobbler.  I started using the Sure Jell - low sugar pectin this year.  It's amazing how much less sugar it takes and how much MORE it taste like blackberry jelly!

    Jelly is not really that hard to make-  Just don't try to multi-task while you do it!  Here's how I did it:     *Be sure to get all ingredients measured and ready before beginning

Blackberry Jelly

1 gallon blackberries(approx. 6 pints) - put in strainer, put strainer over bowl and let sit in refrigerator overnight to drain.  Now, if you do like I did, and FORGOT to take the berries out last night, here's another way to do it (much quicker too).  I put the berries in a pot, turned the heat to medium-high and let the berries liquefy. Drain through strainer until you have the recommended amount of juice.  **Don't throw the berries away once you drain the juice! This is what you'll use to make the cobbler.

4-1/2 cups prepared juice - can add up to 1/2 cup water to get this amount
3 cups sugar
1 box sure jell pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine - helps to reduce foaming

Mix 1/4 cup sugar into sure jell pectin.
Pour juice into large pot. 
Add sugar/pectin mix and butter.

Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stir constantly.
Stir in rest of sugar quickly.  Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute-stir constantly.
Remove from heat. Skim off foam.
Pour immediately into prepared jars.  (Boil them in hot water and drain right before pouring)
Screw tops tightly and turn jars upside down for approx. 5 minutes, then turn upright. 
Makes about 6 cups jelly. 


Delicious on toast with butter!

I started making cobbler with the leftover berries, because I couldn't bear to throw perfectly good berries away!  This way, nothing is wasted.  They still have a lot of flavor, and if you add 1 cup sugar to them, they will still be juicy for your cobbler.

Blackberry Cobbler

1 stick melted butter
1 cup milk - I used whole milk
1 cup sugar for cobbler + 1 cup for blackberries
1 cup self-rising flour
Leftover blackberries

Add 1 cup sugar to blackberries and mix well.  Let sit while you make cobbler mix.

 In separate bowl, mix sugar and flour, add milk slowly.  Add butter and stir well.  Pour into greased pan or corning ware pan.  Drop blackberries by spoonful on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream or powdered sugar if desired.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Happy Mother's Day

Saw this on a military mom's website...

Children are our greatest gifts.  Enjoy every moment you have with them, they grow up so fast.  One day you'll wake up and the house will be too quiet! 

 I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Blackberry Picking

     It's blackberry picking time in Louisiana.  Blackberry bushes are growing wild all over the sides of the highway and in the woods here.  Last year my husband found a wonderful sugarcane field that had the sweetest berries not far from our house.  About a month or too after picking the berries, the owners cut down ALL of the bushes!  So this year we had to find another place to pick.  

A friend of ours has a hunting lease and offered to let us go there.  When I say this was a remote area, I am NOT kidding.  We had to get on a four wheeler and head into the woods for a mile or two in the middle of nowhere.... with snakes and other wildlife to keep us company! 

We picked berries for about 3 hours in the heat of the day, but we were rewarded for our efforts.

There is one drawback to picking berries in the wild.  Did I mention that I am allergic to poison ivy?  I know I should have worn long sleeves, but it was HOT!  After using lots of calamine lotion for the last couple of weeks, I think I am finally getting rid of it...

We ended up freezing about 11 gallons of blackberries.  I take them out a gallon or two at a time when I'm ready to make jelly or tarts.  Time to stock up on sugar, fruit pectin, and mason jars! (I'll be sharing those recipes as I make them.)

There's nothing like fresh berries in a bowl with sugar for dessert, or freshly made jelly on toast with butter!

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

     I'm still trying to sneak more fruits and vegetables into my diet....  So, I thought I'd add pumpkin to one of my favorite meals - Pancakes! 

2 cups complete pancake mix
1-1/2 cups water - may need little more once you add pumpkin
1/2 can pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)


In large bowl, mix all ingredients together.  Add more water if needed for right consistency.  Cook  2-3 minutes each side. Top with butter and syrup.  Doesn't get much easier than that!

These almost taste like pumpkin pie....hence the name.   You could eat them plain, but they are wonderful topped with real butter and syrup.  I probably should have used less butter and syrup, but sometimes you just have to splurge!


Enjoy!

Boiled Shrimp

    Do you need a quick, easy recipe for dinner?  This is it!  All you need is 4 ingredients and a pot of water.  In about 30 minutes, dinner is served!

3 lbs. shrimp - with peelings - heads removed
1/2 cup Zatarain's Crab boil
2-3 potatoes
2 onions
Pot of water

In large pot, add crab boil, potatoes and onions (can add mini corn cobs or smoked sausage).  Cover and heat on high until boiling.  Boil potatoes and onions about 15 minutes.  Add shrimp.  Cook 5-10 minutes.  Drain and serve with dip.  Serves 2.

You can eat this plain for a healthier version, but I prefer it with dip!

Dip:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ketchup


Mix together and serve.  Use it as a dip for the shrimp and potatoes.  Delicious! 

Catching Crawfish

     Crawfish is such a large part of our heritage here in Louisiana.  We usually just find a local merchant and buy a sack and boil them at home, but this year we decided to go out and try to catch our own.  So while all of the children and grandchildren were here, we set out on our crawfish seeking mission.  Needless to say, it's a lot more fun to do that! 

     You don't need much- just a few crawfish traps and bait.  We used beef liver and melt that we found at a local grocery store.


 This is our secret spot....beautiful isn't it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My son and granddaughter- she will need hip boots soon because she is always right where the action is and wants to get in the water!

Okay, so it wasn't a HUGE success, but it was more about having fun and spending time together as a family!

Oh, and yes my sons did go to a local merchant and buy a sack so we could have enough to eat....

This is what life is all about, making memories!