Mizeria z Ogórków

Haha, psych. Don't worry, this post isn't in Polish.

Mizeria z Ogórków is a delicious Polish salad.

It's FINALLY feeling like summer out here in the Pacific Northwest and with that, I wanted to share one of my favorite summer recipes. This recipe reminds me of spending the weekend at my Grandma Ana's house and devouring large amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables. To this day cucumbers are still my favorite vegetable, so it makes sense I'm completely in love with this fresh, cool salad.

Here we go:

Mizeria z Oogórków (meesarias- ooorgokov)
2 cucumbers, sliced thin
2-3 Tablespoons sour cream (I use plain Greek yogurt- don't tell my Polish ancestors.)
1-2 Teaspoons skim milk
1/4 cup diced onions (if desired)
dill, salt and pepper to taste

I usually refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let it marinate, but it's not necessary. When you're finished it should look something like this:

Some of the more traditional recipes call for a lot of sour cream, feel free to play around with the proportions to your liking.

The Best Cobbler Recipe in the History of Baking

Alright, so that may be a bit of a hyperbole, but seriously this cobbler is a-mazing. I have The Pioneer Woman to thank for this mind-altering, life-changing cobbler. In some alternate dream world where this blog turns into a must read for thousands, maybe she and I will meet someday at a conference. We'd exchange witty banter and discuss our mutual love for butter. Seriously, butter makes any recipe better. Butter or cheese. I never said what I bake is healthy, people.


Anyway, before I digress even further, here's the recipe:

Patsy's Blackberry Cobbler
makes 8 servings
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar*
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries (or blueberries, peaches, raspberries, etc.)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter. (I use an 8" x 8" baking dish and it works just as well).
2. Place the stick of butter in a microwave-save dish. Heat in microwave for 30-45 seconds, until melted.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup of the sugar with the flour and milk.
4. Whisk in the melted butter.
5. Rise the blackberries and pat them dry.
6. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Spring the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter.
7. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries.
8. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown and bubbly. When 10 minutes left of cooking time remain, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top.
   

mmmmmm

*I use just over a cup of sugar in my version, it all depends on your sweet tooth. Feel free to add more/less. 

If you love this recipe, there are a ton more in The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook. (No, I was not paid to say that).

Hope you love this cobbler as much as I do!

Miller's Apple Crisp

I love fall for so many reasons; the weather, the clothes, the holidays, the colors, the sports, the activities and the food. 


Oh God, the food. 


One of my favorites is an apple crisp recipe that my dear friend M.E.M. shared with me a few years ago. It's simple, quick and filled with quintessential fall ingredients.

Miller's Apple Crisp

filling:
4 cups apples, peeled & sliced
1 Tblsp flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tblsp water

topping:
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

-Mix filling ingredients together in large bowl.

-Mix topping ingredients together in a separate bowl.

-Grease a pie, 8x8 or 9x13 brownie pan, (depending on how thick you prefer your apple crisp).

-Add filling then topping, spreading evenly.

-Bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Et voila!

**My friend A.R.S. and I decided to shake things up a bit and melt Havarti cheese for the last 10 minutes on top of the crisp. Result: an act of culinary genius. Havarti was delicious, but a shredded Gouda or Gruyère would also be wonderful. 

Then again, adding cheese to just about anything is usually a great idea. 

Recipe: Grace Mary's Molasses Cookies

My grandmother had wonderful friends. Sadly, most of them have passed away over the years. I'd argue one of the best ways to remember them is by passing on some of their recipes. In honor of the baking spirit that arises within me during the holiday season, I want to share a delicious molasses cookie recipe. It comes from my grandmother's dear friend, Grace Mary- whom I remember for these cookies (and awesome land we used to watch 4th of July fireworks on every summer).

Grace Mary's Molasses Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup molasses

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. cinnamon

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Mix sugars, butter, eggs, vinegar and molasses in medium-sized bowl
-Mix dry ingredients in separate, large bowl
-Combine ingredients and chill dough at least 1 hour (long enough so the dough will not stick to your hands when rolling into balls)
-Roll into ping-pong sized balls and roll in sugar
-Bake on greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes

*Makes about 6 dozen cookies

yum!