This post was originally published on August 13, 2010 (yep, almost 4 years ago!) on Cooking for Seven. I was ever so proud of my photos.  

 I made this again recently and remembered why I liked it so much. I used sprouted flour for the topping this time around and it was still yummy. And I melted the butter instead of cutting it in - I'm lazy like that. I also baked it in a deep dish pie pan, which was pretty. 
Have I told you about this cobbler? It is wonderful. Easy, fast, delicious. My dad likes it better than blueberry pie. The first time we made it he said, “You need to USE this recipe.” And so we have.

The construction of the topping was new to me: Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then add boiling water. The result is a tender, tasty topping. And it’s so much easier than pie dough.

Notes: The original recipe calls for blackberries. Blueberries make a wonderful substitute, but I like to add more than the recipe calls for. Of course I substituted whole wheat for AP flour and maple sugar for granulated.


Blueberry Cobbler
Adapted from Buns in My Oven
Ingredients:
For the dough:
  • 1 1/2 (6 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup maple sugar, demerara, rapadura, or sucanat
  • 1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 9 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/3 cup boiling water
For the filling:
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4-6 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup maple sugar, demerara, rapadura, or sucanat
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) For the dough: Mix the flour, sweetener of choice, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until you have a coarse, crumbly mixture. Pour in the boiling water and stir together until all of the dough is wet. Set aside.
3) For the berries: Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice, berries, and sweetener of choice. Mix together well.
4) Transfer berries to a 10 inch cast iron pan. Heat mixture over medium heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
5) Drop spoonfuls of dough over the berry mixture and place the cast iron pan on a foil lined cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and the berries are thick and bubbly.
Note: If you don’t have a cast iron pan, you can bring the berries to a boil in a sauce pan and bake in a 9×9 baking dish.
Makes approximately 6-8 servings.

Blueberry Cobbler

Read more »


Roasted Garlic and Olive Focaccia
Roasted Garlic and Olive Focaccia
Roasted Garlic and Olive Focaccia
Roasted Garlic and Olive Focaccia
Roasted Garlic and Olive Focaccia

This Focaccia was really good, guys. Soft, olive oil-saturated dough with a hint of roasted garlic, topped with Kalamata olives and coarse salt. Mmhmm. 

You can check out the recipe and my step-by-step instructions over on the Tasty Kitchen Blog HERE.

Have a lovely day!
Erica


Roasted Garlic and Olive Focaccia

Read more »


Top Recipes from Buttered Side Up

Buttered Side Up is one year old!



Here are some of my favorite recipes from year one:




In celebration, I'm giving away these awesome items from West Elm:
West Elm Giveaway
Herb Tea Towel | Your choice of two Weck jars | Your choice of one enamel mug



Here's how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post answering this question: Which is your favorite Buttered Side Up post so far?

Rules:
  • Only one comment per person.
  • You MUST leave a way for me to contact you (email, Twitter, blog, etc.)
  • Only US residents, please.
  • Giveaway will end on Monday, June 30 at 11:59 PM. After that time no comments will be considered for giveaway.
  • Using random.org, I will choose one winner. If the winner does not respond to my message within 48 hours I will select a new winner. 

Good luck!



One

Read more »



Homemade Tortilla Chips

Tortilla chips are one of those things that's really hard to find a truly healthy version of in stores. Even if they're made with organic corn, they're nearly always made with a polyunsaturated fat. What's a chip lovin' girl to do? Deep fried chips are delicious, but it's way too much work to heat up the oil and grease up your kitchen on a regular basis. 

My grandma is a big fan of The Food Network. A while back when I was visiting her we sat down to watch some cooking shows. Giada was on, and she made baked tortilla chips. It looked ridiculously easy. I tried it, and it was (ridiculously easy).



Here's the super simple process:

Homemade Tortilla Chips
Everything you'll need: Tortillas, coconut oil and salt. That's it!


Homemade Tortilla Chips
Brush both sides of the tortillas evenly with the oil.


Homemade Tortilla Chips
Cut into triangles.


Homemade Tortilla Chips
Arrange on a baking sheet.


Homemade Tortilla Chips
Bake until golden and crispy. And you're done!


Homemade Tortilla Chips
These chips are (of course) best eaten fresh, so I like to make them in small batches.




Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips
recipe from Giada | makes about 2 servings

Ingredients:


Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) 

Brush each side of the tortillas evenly with the melted coconut oil. Cut into triangles with a big knife. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.

Bake in preheated oven until golden and crispy, about 15-17 minutes (you might want to start checking the tortillas at the 12 minute mark). Cool completely and store in an airtight container.





Homemade Tortilla Chips


Note: Some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own and I would never share a product with you guys that I haven't already tested unless otherwise stated.

Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

Read more »


I originally published this post three years ago on June 8, 2011, three days before our wedding. Wow. All the feels.


Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
These last few days of being single (yay!), I have been reflecting a bit on my life at home. Until now, it hasn’t really hit me that I’m leaving – entering a wonderful, new life with my husband-to-be. Apparently it hit my mom as well…we had a crying-and-hugging-fest today.
Cooking for Seven has been such a great creative outlet for me over the years (Did I really start this blog almost three years ago? How time flies…), and a bit of a challenge. Thank you all for your encouragement, tips, praise, and corrections (thank you for being honest!). It is my intention to continue sharing recipes with you after I’m married…my future mother-in-law instructs me to continue “cooking for seven” — my fiance eats a lot! :)
But I must say goodbye for a little while as I am getting married this weekend! Until we meet again, here is a scrumptious recipe for Maple Pecan Sticky Buns.



Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
Ingredients:
For the dough:
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 3 tablespoons maple sugar, granulated sugar, or sweetener of choice
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons soft butter
For the filling:
  • 3/4 cups pecans, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • soft butter for spreading on dough
For the syrup:
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Direction:
For the dough:
1) Mix and knead together all the dough ingredients in a stand mixer, bread machine, or by hand to form a smooth, soft dough. Add more milk or water if the dough seems too stiff.
2) Place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel. Set in a warm place and let raise until almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
For the filling:
Mix together all the filling ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl.
For the syrup:
Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Combine maple syrup and butter in heavy medium skillet. Stir over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Mix in brown sugar. Pour syrup into prepared dish; tilt to coat of bottom of dish evenly. Sprinkle the pecans; cool
To assemble and bake:
1) Roll out dough on a lightly greased counter to an 11 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the soft butter all over the dough, leaving a narrow strip free of butter along one long edge. Sprinkle with filling ingredients.
2) Starting with the buttered long edge, roll up the dough and pinch the edges to secure. Cut dough with a sharp, serrated knife into 1-inch rolls. Place in prepared baking dish. It’s okay to crown the buns a bit.
3) Cover and let raise until quite puffy, about 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours. Preheat oven to 375° F.
4) Bake buns uncovered until tops are golden brown and syrup bubbles thickly, reversing dishes halfway through baking, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a baking sheet. Cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with lots of butter. (Can be made ahead. Cool buns completely. Wrap buns tightly with foil on baking sheet. Freeze up to 2 weeks. Bake frozen buns covered 375°F until heated through, about 15 minutes.)
Makes approximately 14 buns


Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
Reuben and Erica


Until after the honeymoon!

Maple Sticky Buns

Read more »




Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting | Buttered Side Up
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting | Buttered Side Up
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting | Buttered Side Up

I have a few (random) things to say to you:

1) May must be the month of illness, because we had three or four bouts of it last month. Helen has been going back and forth between being a pro sleeper to refusing naps and bedtime. No more colds, please!
2) Because of all the craziness surrounding sickness, I have had very little energy to get things done once Helen is in bed. Thus the lack of posts (sorry!).
3) I wasn't going to take pictures of this cake because I was exhausted tired from making it. Once I tasted it and realized how delicious it was, I knew I wanted to share the recipe with you guys. So I pulled out my tripod as the light was fading and snapped away.
4) Did I mention how scrumptious this cake is? It's kind of like a peanut butter cup in cake form. I could eat the frosting by the spoonful. 


What's life been like for you lately?


Note: Since I have a thing for small cakes, I halved the recipe and baked the batter in 6-inch pans. If you want to make a regular sized cake just double everything and cook the cake in a 9x13-inch pan or two 8-inch round cake pans.



Chocolate Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup organic sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon real salt
  • 2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the cake:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Butter two 6-inch round cake pans and line with a round of parchment paper on the bottom.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.

3) Boil the water. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the cocoa powder, then the boiling water; boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Pour over the dry ingredients and give it a gentle stir.

4) Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, baking soda and vanilla. Stir into the chocolate batter and mix just until combined. 

5) Pour into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick comes out nearly clean, about 20 minutes (check at the 15 minute mark). Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

To make the frosting:
Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until smooth. Add the peanut butter and beat again, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add the butter and beat until smooth again. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla.

To assemble the cake:
1) Once the cakes have cooled completely, cut each one in half horizontally. You can either leave the dome on one of the cakes or level them both off. 

2) Place one layer on a cake stand or plate and put strips of parchment just underneath to keep the surface tidy. Spread with frosting to create a layer that's about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with the domed layer if using. 

3) Frost the top of the cake and put a thin "crumb coating" on the sides. Refrigerate cake until the crumb coat is firm, then add the rest of the frosting to the sides (or save a bit for eating on its own). Remove the parchment strips, slice and enjoy!

Chocolate Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Read more »



This was originally posted on May 7, 2012 on Cooking for Seven. I wrote about my experience when I took care of my sister's kids when she had her third baby. Less than a year later I was a mom myself. It's a bit strange to remember when I didn't have a little person to take of...

Rhubarb Crunch
The other day, my sister called me up and asked if I’d be willing to stay with the kids while she made a trip into town. Of course I said yes – being home alone is kinda lonely sometimes, and I love my little niece and nephew to death.
Rhubarb Crunch
While she was in town and the kids were napping, I decided to harvest some of her beautiful rhubarb and make a dessert.
Rhubarb Crunch
Everything went together easily and it baked up as described by the recipe. When the kiddos woke up from their nap, they were very interested in my creation and desperate to give it a try.
Rhubarb Crunch
Rhubarb Crunch
The guys got home from work and Reuben spied the rhubarb crisp. He, too was eager to try some – perhaps before supper?
Rhubarb Crunch
Just as we were getting ready to eat, my sister announced that she was going into labor. We quickly finished the meal and cleared away the dishes – but she need us to leave: NOW. We scooped up the kids (and the dessert) and headed home.
001
Judah and Ellie finally got to eat their dessert (with whipped cream, of course). We waited (somewhat) patiently for news of the arrival of the baby. Ten o-clock rolled around and no phone call. We put the kids to bed and settled down at the computer to relax a bit after a very busy day.
Susan
Just as Reuben and I were drifting off to sleep, we got the call. It’s a girl!
The next morning we packed up the kids and headed out to see the newest member of the family: Susan.
And what a doll she is.
008
I’ve gotta tell you, these kids are aDORable. But, like all little kids, they’re also a handful. They need help doing almost everything, from wiping their faces, to washing their hands, to getting dressed. They seem to have two modes: super energetic or sleepy. After two days of taking care of them I was exhausted.
All of this to say, I have a new appreciation for the unsung heroes of the world: mothers.
The only time you have to yourself is the few short hours when the kids are taking a nap. All other hours are spent keeping the kids fed, happy and safe. Just living becomes a chore.
But their happy faces and excited voices make it all worth while.
So to all mothers: my hat is off.
Rhubarb Crunch
But about this rhubarb crunch.
It’s a bit different than most crisp recipes I’ve made – you press half of the topping into the pan before adding the rhubarb. Also, you boil together sugar and water and pour over the rhubarb in the pan for sweetener.
I used whole wheat flour and a natural sweetener, partly because that was all that I could find in Audra’s pantry (go sis!). Also, she didn’t have any regular rolled oats on hand, so I used quick instead. Feeling a bit lazy, I decided to melt the butter and mix into the topping ingredients instead of cutting it in. A trick my mum taught me.
Reuben thought it was a tad too sweet, even though I cut out some of the sugar. Of course, rhubarb recipes usually call for a ton of sugar to combat the sourness of the fruit (is rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable?). And we’re not very tolerant of overly sweet desserts.
Would I make this again? Definitely. It was very easy, and I think it would easily convert to other fruits, such as raspberries.


Rhubarb Crunch | adapted from Taste of Home | printable page | make 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup old-fashioned or quick oats
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar (I used about 3/4 cup sucanat)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed (or melted)
  • 4 cups diced fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb
  • 1-1/3 cups sugar (I used 1 cup of sucanat)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • whipped cream or ice cream, for serving
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a square baking dish (I used a pie pan because that’s all I could find).
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter or mix in the melted butter. Press half of the topping into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the rhubarb on top.
3) In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Slowly mix in the cold water and heat over medium until the mixture boils; boil for 2 minutes or until thickened a bit. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour over the rhubarb in the pan.
4) Sprinkle with remaining crumb topping. Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour (start checking at 40 minutes) or until bubbly and beginning to brown.
5) Serve warm with ice cream, lightly sweetened whipped cream or plain cream.

Rhubarb Crunch + Being an Aunt

Read more »

Nutrition 101

Before we begin discussing the topic of nutrition, I'd like to clear a few things up and tell you about my journey to better health. 

First of all, I do not claim to be an expert in this area. I'm still very much a student when it comes to health. 

Secondly, I'm not trying to say that you need to eat 100% according to the principles I'll be writing about. Everyone has their own standards. I just hope that you're able to learn something and be encouraged to try to live a healthier lifestyle.

Lastly, don't get the impression that I'm a health-freak (well, maybe I am a bit) and never eat anything I consider unhealthy. Just over the weekend we ate fast food. And I like to be polite when I'm at another person's house and eat whatever they have to offer. But I try to make healthy choices when I can.


Let me tell you about my journey: 


I have been concerned about my appearance/weight since I was a little girl. When I was about 10 or 11 years old, I heard that someone had mentioned that I putting on some weight. I was horrified. Immediately I put myself on a diet and lost weight. 

At 13, I started to put on weight once more. Again I set myself on a diet. I called it the "half diet" - I would estimate how much food I would normally eat and only take half that amount. I was hungry a lot, but it felt good to see myself get skinnier. 

At this point my ideas about nutrition were very limited. I was definitely following the low-fat craze. I made many smoothies with skim or low-fat milk and ate apples for a snack. I was hungry, so I would eat every part of the apple except for the stem and the seeds. 

During this time we were also doing a lot of bike riding. Needless to say, I was able to lose quite a bit of weight. At my lightest I was about 92 pounds (I'm 5'2"). This could possibly be a healthy weight for some people, but this was NOT good for MY body. 

Then I began to dig a little deeper into the nutrition aspect of food. Even from a mainstream source (I think it was a Reader's Digest article) I was able to discover that not all fat is evil. 

One day Reuben's mom (who has always been a great source of knowledge about health/nutrition) loaned a book called Eat Fat, Lose Fat to my older sister. It really opened my eyes about healthy fats being essential to good health. From there I continued to read about traditional nutrition.

And so I relaxed and let myself eat again. It felt good. Of course I put on some weight, but that was what my body needed. I had to give up my crazy notion that being super thin was the ideal form of health. Again, some people are naturally thin and healthy, but it wasn't a good thing for my body. 

Ever since then I have tried to make good food choices. I eat until I'm full and I can easily maintain a healthy weight. Of course I still struggle with body image - what woman doesn't? But I try to stay grounded in reality.

God gave us our bodies to live in and we should take care of them, but our obsessions about looking a certain way shouldn't be more important than our character (I'm talking to myself when I say this because it's something I still need work on).

Okay, I'm done preaching.



Up next I'll get into more particulars about what I believe to be good nutrition choices.



Thank you for reading my story! How about you? Have you ever struggled with weight/body image?




Nutrition 101: Part 1 - Introduction

Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)