Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and your loved ones!

This week I’m going to be sharing with you three recipes out of my grandmother’s cookbook.  She passed away this year, and I’ve been putting off writing about her because it’s painful to think about her being gone.  She was an important influence on my life and my cooking.  I suppose it’s easier now that some time has passed, and writing about some of her beloved recipes helps as well.  I’ll go into more detail about my grandmother with the last recipe.

As a fair warning, these recipes are very vanilla.  No complex techniques or outrageous ingredients here, just solid comfort foods.  And while there are tons of butter and sugar in each of them, these recipes aren’t about reducing your waistline, they’re all about tasting good.

We’re starting off with one that I’ve made dozens and dozens of times, my grandmother’s simple fruit cobbler.

FRUIT COBBLER

1 stick of butter
1 cup of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup of milk

2 cups of any fruit, fresh or defrosted
1/2 cup of sugar

Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176.67 ºC).

In an oven safe baking dish, melt the butter.  Set dish aside.

Combine flour, 3/4 cup of sugar and baking powder.  Add the milk and mix until everything is blended together evenly.  If you find that you need more milk to achieve a decent batter-like consistency, go for it.  Just add a little at a time, until you’re happy.

Pour the batter into the baking dish over the butter.  DO NOT MIX THE BATTER AND THE BUTTER.  Combine the two cups of fruit with the 1/2 cup of sugar and pour that into the baking dish on top of the butter and batter.  DO NOT STIR.  You want to see something similar to the picture above.  Place the baking dish in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes.

Here’s what the cobbler should look when it’s finished.  A nice brown, crusty top with lots of gooey sweet goodness underneath.

Serve with a healthy amount of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, and you’re set!  Every time I’ve made this dessert, people end up asking for the recipe.  The best part is that you really can use any fruit in this, just make sure that bigger fruits such as peaches are cut into bite size pieces.  I have fond memories of watching cobblers bake in my grandmother’s oven, enjoying the kitchen magic when the batter would rise and encompass the fruit.  This might be my favorite recipe of all time.

Consider making a cobbler tonight for your family!