Blueberry Cobbler for Mama

Yesterday was Mother's Day. And what could have been a humdrum lazy Sunday turned out to be wonderful afternoon spent with my mom, cooking together in the kitchen and preparing for family friends to join us for dinner.

There are two sayings that hold true in my family. One: if mama's not happy than no one is happy. And two: more than any other room in the house, everyone congregates in the kitchen. Inevitably, if my mom is cooking, we all huddle around the kitchen table and visit, drink wine and eat. My mom generally has a game plan when she's cooking, and it would do you good to stay out of her way. So, today was a nice change in pace because we were there together sharing the same counter space, pots and pans.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of eating my mama's cooking, it is the best. I believe her culinary talent, paired with my dad's insatiable appetite for sweets is where I get my passion for food. For dinner we had pork tenderloin, baked potatoes and roasted asparagus. And for dessert, I made blueberry cobbler served with vanilla ice cream on the side (see the recipe below). I have been making this cobbler for years, and it never fails me. I usually double the recipe for this berry goodness. And fortunately for me, our dinner party ate all of it; so I didn't have to bring any home with me. Part of the reason why we finished all the cobbler was because I helped myself to two servings. "Hi. My name is Julia. And I am a sweet-o-holic."

I paired this blueberry cobbler with Louis Armstong's What a Wonderful World. Cobbler is one of those feel good, home baked desserts that brings comfort into your soul and love into your home. In this respect, Louis Armstrong's voice has that unique soulful tone, and the lyrics simply make you happy to think of all the gifts we have in this world and most often take for granted. So just a friendly reminder to take a minute everyday and give thanks for the wonderful things in your life.

To all of you beloved mother's out there, thank you.




Blueberry Cobbler:
3/4 Cup of water
3/4 Cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 quart of blueberries - Note: I usually double the amount of blueberries but keep the water and sugar amounts about the same for the syrup. I like my cobbler full of fruit. The berries can be frozen or fresh; just be sure to rinse and drain them before use.
Directions: Dissolve the sugar in water in a medium size pot. Add the lemon juice and blueberries. Stir. Pour blueberry mixture in a medium size baking dish (ungreased), and set aside.

1 1/2 Cups of flour
1 Cup of sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter
Directions: Combine the flour, sugar and butter together in a bowl using a potato masher until it's the consistency of meal. You want to see small clumps of butter in the mixture, so do not mix it too thin.
Crumble flour mixture over the blueberries. A good technique is to clump small sections of the flour mixture in your fist and then crumble it on top of the berries. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. If you use double the amount of blueberries, you will want to add an additional 15 minutes or so until the topping is golden brown.

Julia