Dutch Oven Three Berry Cobbler

As an adult, I am exercising my right to make dessert two nights in a row…well…because..I can! Cobblers are one of my favorite desserts, but I usually save them for special occasions because they can be time consuming. I took bits and pieces of different cobbler recipes and added my own twists and voila! Delicious berry cobbler! The secret to the success of this dessert is the dough. Usually, traditional cobbler dough is made, chilled, rolled out, and then baked. I cheated and used Bisquick so the dough takes 3 minutes to make. Honest to God it tastes just as good. I still love my homemade dough cobblers, but on weeknights when I have a craving, I will turn to this recipe. I always have berries on hand because I put them in smoothies, but you can definitely use frozen fruit as well. If you do though, just add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, instead of 1, in order to ensure the sauce is thick enough.

 Dutch Oven Three Berry Cobbler:

Serves 4-6 || Total cooking time: 1 hr and 45 minutes || Active time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for filling:

·      1 pint fresh blueberries

·      1 pint fresh raspberries

·      1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced (about half a container of strawberries)

·      1 cup sugar

·      1 Tbsp cornstarch

·      2 Tbsp lemon juice (half a lemon)

·      zest from half a lemon

Ingredients for topping:

·      2 ½ cups baking mix, such as Bisquick

·      ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp sugar

·      ⅛ tsp baking powder

·      ⅛ tsp salt

·      ¼ cup (1/2 a stick) butter, melted

·      ¾ cup milk

·      cinnamon for dusting, optional

In a bowl, toss the fruit with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest. Let the filling sit for 30-45 minutes at room temperature to allow the berries to macerate.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, combine the baking mix, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and milk.

Using a dutch oven, generously grease with butter or nonstick spray. Add the berry mixture to the dutch oven. Take large dollops of dough and evenly drop it around the cobbler in a circle and one dough ball in the middle (you should have 7). Brush half and half (I only had skim milk, so that’s what I used) over the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until bubbling and browned. Start checking the dough after 30 minutes and remove it from the oven as soon as the dough is cooked through and browned. For my oven, exactly 40 minutes did the trick. Let sit for about 10 minutes and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes and Fennel

I love potatoes and I love fennel so why not put them together? I've seen recipes similar to this so I took ideas from each and out popped a delicious side dish. I personally believe that vegetables taste best roasted and are so incredibly easy to cook. You let the oven do the work and I PROMISE you can turn vegetables haters into vegetable lovers! I think fingerling potatoes are best for this dish, but if you can't find them just make sure to use small red or yellow potatoes instead.

Roasted Potatoes and Fennel
Serves 4 || Active cooking time: 10 minutes || Total cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fingerling potatoes, halved
• 1 bulb of fennel, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.

Halve the fingerling potatoes and set aside in a large bowl. To slice the fennel, first cut the bulb down the middle. Cut off the leaves and leave about an inch of the green stem of the fennel. Take each half, and slice the fennel, about 1/4", lengthwise. Add to the potatoes. Slice the onions and combine the vegetables in the bowl with the 3 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray and add the vegetables. Evenly sprinkle the vegetables with the garlic.

Bake 35-40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the potatoes are tender and the vegetables are browned and carmelized.

Craisin and Walnut Granola

With the combination of working at a hospital and an intense cold and flu season in full peak, it was inevitable sickness would come. And come it did, everything went on hold for a full few weeks! I have been a bad amateur blogger, but here is a delicious recipe that will have you munching for breakfast, lunch, and snacks! 
It probably is not the healthiest granola out there, but the reason I love it is because there are NO preservatives! There's nothing in here but yummy natural ingredients. Plus, as long as it is in an air tight container, it will keep for a month! Another perk is that, unlike pricey granolas, the whole batch probably costs around $2.50

Raisin Craisin and Walnut Granola
Makes approximately 6 cups || cooking time: 1 hour 5 minutes

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon salt
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 - 1 cup craisins
**Optional: 1/4 cup flax seeds or chia seeds (for more fiber)**

Preheat oven to 300°. 
 
Prepare a large jelly roll pan, broiler pan or large cookie sheet by covering with parchment paper that is sprayed lightly with Pam. If for some reason you forget parchment paper that week at the store (like me), you can always go without, but make sure you really spray the heck out of the pan!

Combine oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts and salt in large bowl. Stir in condensed milk and oil and mix thoroughly. 

Spread granola mix in pan on top of parchment paper. The key here is surface area. Make sure every inch of the pan is covered in order to get the granola to be the spread.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour - stirring every 10-12 minutes (This is a VERY important step; otherwise your granola will be burned in some areas and raw in others!)

Remove from the oven and stir in the craisins. Let cool and store in a tightly sealed container. Will keep about a 1 month.