Easy fruit cobbler

February's second post is my easy fruit cobbler recipe. I found a recipe in one of my cookbooks several years ago for an easy peach cobbler that is more like cake and not made with pie crust.  I tried it and soon it became one of my favorite recipes.  I bought fresh peaches at the farmer's market and used them for the cobbler or just cut them up, put them in freezer bags and froze them.  Frozen fruit also works great for making the cobbler and it doesn't really need to be thawed out first, just add sugar and set aside then mix up flour, sugar, milk and spices in another bowl and pour into baking dish with melted butter, top with fruit and bake.  I started getting fresh blueberries, blackberries and cherries at the farmer's market as well so used the same recipe just substituting different fruit for the peaches or using combinations of fruit.  Black and blue cobbler with blackberries and blueberries is really good, plus peaches combined with berries is great as well. I've also thrown strawberries in with other fruit when I've needed to use them up and didn't have enough for strawberry shortcake. This recipe is so versatile which is why I love it and my family does as well.  I freeze or home can (process in water bath canner) fresh fruit that I get from the farmer's market all summer then can make cobbler whenever I want.  I've been make peach cobbler at our family reunion for several years and last year my youngest daughter wanted blackberry cobbler as well.  I processed several jars of blackberry pie filling and took it with us to Mississippi in August for the Beckman family reunion and it turned out great.  You just can't beat fresh fruit that you've preserved yourself. 
Here's the recipe:

blackberry cobbler

Easy Fruit Cobbler

8 large peaches, peeled and sliced or 2 cups of any type or combination of fruit, blackberries, blueberries, cherries or strawberries
2 c sugar, divided
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/2 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 1/2 c milk

Gently toss peaches, 1 c sugar and vanilla, set aside. Melt butter and  put in 2 qt baking dish, or can melt butter in baking dish in microwave. In bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt,  spices and remaining sugar, stir in milk. Mix well. Pour evenly over
butter. DO NOT STIR. Top with fruit mixture. Bake 350 for 1 hr or until brown and dough firm.
Is best served warmed and great topped with vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy,
Bamah

Black and blue on left and peach on right

cherry cobbler

Pork pie recipe

I tried a new recipe this month and it turned out so great that it is now a family favorite so perfect for this month's post.  One of my favorite shows on Food Network is Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.  I love Guy Fieri plus the concept of the show is great.  Over the years, we have visited several places featured on the show plus I have tried some of the recipes at home.  I was watching the show several weeks ago and saw where some place was serving pork pie and it looked good so I wanted to try it for myself.  I don't even remember where the place was but I had ground pork in my freezer and pie crust so looked up the recipe.  I found several recipes online but they all cooked the pork for 3 hours in water and no vegetables were added except mashed potatoes, so I created my own.  I browned the ground pork in a skillet and set the meat aside. In the same skillet with the meat drippings, I sautéed eggplant, sweet peppers, broccoli, kale and caramelized onions with a few seasonings until the veggies were tender.  Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, boiled potatoes with seasoned salt and pepper for mashed potatoes.  I added the cooked pork back in the skillet with the veggies plus added goat cheese to bind everything together.  You could add cream cheese instead but we really like the taste of goat cheese.  I then mashed the potatoes, adding a little butter and milk.  Next I added the mashed potatoes to the pork mixture until they were combined.   It all went into a prepared pie crust, smashing down a little then added top crust, crimping edges, vent top and brushed with egg wash.  The egg wash really made the pie pretty.  You could also substitute beef for the pork and make a beef pie. 

meat and veggie mixture

Here's the recipe:

1 lb. ground pork, browned

2 c. chopped eggplant

1/2 c. chopped sweet peppers

1/2 c. chopped broccoli

1/2 c. chopped onions or caramelized onions

1/2 to 1 c. chopped kale

1/2 to 1 t. each seasoned salt, pepper, parsley, garlic seasoning, sage

2 to 4 T. goat or cream cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 box pie crust with 2 crusts

2 c. mashed potatoes

mashed potatoes

In skillet, brown pork seasoning with salt and pepper and set aside.  Meanwhile cut up 5 to 6 small to medium potatoes and boil in salted water. I used red new potatoes which  don't have to be pealed.  In skillet with meat drippings, saute vegetables with seasonings until tender and add back in meat plus goat or cream cheese and stir until combined.  Drain potatoes and mash adding 1 to 2 T. butter and milk plus salt and pepper.  Potatoes should be fairly thick.  Add to meat mixture and put into pie crust, mash down a little to distribute evenly.  Top with 2nd pie crust, seal edges and vent top.  Brush with beaten egg.  Bake at 375 for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

I cooked my pie on a Saturday, let it cool then covered and put into the refrigerator to be eaten for lunch the following Sunday.  Before serving, I reheated in the microwave for 10 to 12 minutes and it came out great.

Enjoy,

Bamah

combination of meat mixture and mashed potatoes

evenly distributed in pie shell

seal edges and vent, brush with egg wash