Be a critic!

I know not everyone is okay with the idea of leaving their name on a comment, so I've added some things to the bottom of the posts, including a "star" rating, and a comment you can click on.

Of course I'd love to hear if you've tried one of these recipes, or if you have an idea to make it EVEN BETTER!

Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup butter, divided

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour (OR 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt and 2 1/4 tsp baking powder)

1/3 cup milk, room temperature

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp sugar

 

In baking dish, melt 1/2 cup butter; set aside.

In saucepan, heat sugar & water until sugar melts; set aside.

Place flour (and salt/baking powder if needed) in a mixing bowl.  Cut remaining butter until fine crumbs form.  Add milk, stirring with a fork until dough leaves side of bowl.  Turn out onto a flowered surface; knead 3-4 times.  Roll out in an 11x9 pan.

Spread berries over dough; sprinkle with cinnamon (I forgot to do this until later, but it still tasted fine).

Roll up, jell-roll style.

Cut into 1/4 inch slices. 

Carefully lay slices in baking dish over the butter (this is where I obviously put the cinnamon on).

Pour sugar syrup around the slices.  It will be absorbed.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle the last of the sugar on top and bake for 15 more minutes.

Serve warm or cold!

MY REVIEW:   This was delicious!!!  And you probably didn't even notice the small handful of blueberries mixed in there - I didn't quite have 2 cups of blackberries.  But it worked!  I'd say the only downside to this dish is having to wait an hour to eat it!

Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes

Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes

5 potatoes, peeled and then quartered

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1/8 tsp paprika

1 cup chicken broth, warmed

2 1/2 cups sour cream

2 Tbsp chives

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Peel and quarter the potatoes, placing them in a large pot, covering them with water.

Peel 3 garlic cloves, placing them into the pot, whole. 

Get the remaining ingredients ready.

Put paprika in with the potatoes and garlic.  Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and let boil 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Drain pot and place in large mixing bowl.  Mix well, then add the rest of the ingredients.

Serve and enjoy!

MY REVIEW:  These were quite tasty, although I should've paid more attention when pouring in the broth and sour cream.  Using 5 pototoes is relative...so mine turned out quite a bit more soupy than desired.  Not bad, but I should've just slowly put things in and gone with the feeling of the thickness.  Brandon liked them - Chris prefers baked potatoes.  I saved the rest in the fridge, so we'll just have to wait and see how they are re-heated.

Baked Paprika-Parmesan Chicken AND Bacon Tomato Rotini

I was down on ingredients so I quickly looked for something I could throw together.  Originally, I was going for a baked potato with my chicken, but when I got home I found they were no good.  So a pasta side dish it was!

Baked Paprika-Parmesan Chicken
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp milk
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.  Coat a shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine flour, parmesan, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.  Dip chicken in the egg, then dredge in the flour mixture.  Place in the baking dish, and pour melted butter evenly over the chicken.

Bake about 1 hour, 15 minutes until cheese has bornwed, and chicken has cooked.

Bacon Tomato Rotini
1 lb rotini pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup parmesean
2 tsp parsley flakes
8 slices backon (I used bacon bits)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (I used only one - it's what I had on hand)

Cook pasta. In saucepan, melt butter & stir in flour, salt, pepper.  Blend in milk, stirring constantly over low heat until thick and bubbly.  Stir in cheese, parsley, bacon, tomato and rotini.  Toss to coat evenly and heat through.  Serve immediately.

MY REVIEW:  The chicken was good, although a little over-cooked and a bit dry.  Still very edible though - Brandon even ate some of his.  The pasta was good and Brandon LOVED it.  It was good the second day too, although I had to add some milk to the saucepan when heating it up to help make it creamy again.