Easy Fruit Cobbler

I never really get tired of cooking... but I do get very tired of doing the dishes.

And some nights, it seems that even if the cooking is worth it, loading and unloading the dishwasher one. more. time. might make me scream.

Tonight was one of those nights, so I was cleaning out the freezer and found a bag of frozen blackberries from last summer.  My kids happened to see them and instantly started clamoring for cobbler.  And I do have a favorite cobbler  - that recipe is here - but it requires the mixer.  And lots of pots and pans.

The cobbler above?

Add a 1/3 cup measuring cup, and these are all the dishes .*

This was Dixon's first recipe to make all by himself, and somewhere buried on my hard drive is a precious video where he lisps "Add a cuppa sugah and stirrrr...." with his motorboat noise.

Recipe, adapted from Cotton Country Collection

1 stick butter
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup quick oats
2/3 cup flour       (*the original recipe called for 1 cup of flour, no oats, but we like the extra body)
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk

2 cups fruit (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and peaches, or any combination of these, all work great -- fresh or frozen and defrosted).
Cinnamon for sprinkling (optional)


Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Place the butter in a 1 quart baking dish and it in the microwave.  Stir in the sugar.  Stir in the flour, oats, and baking powder until smooth.  Gradually add the milk and stir.  Add the fruit and stir gently to combine.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour, until brown and bubbly, with a baking sheet under your pan to catch drips. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.  Enjoy!

*I never use a dry measuring cup for liquids like milk, but I did last night. Because dishes.

Roasted Cauliflower with Curry

Some days, I make complicated dishes that cook for a long time, and usually I think they are worth it.  But usually, that's on the weekend. 

Some days, I remember that I'm a working mom who also has to do laundry and it's Tuesday.  So I make dishes like this.  

From start to finish, this takes about 20 minutes... and 10 of those minutes are when it's roasting in the oven.  We serve this with pork chops, grilled chicken, or really, anything.

Roasted Cauliflower with Curry

1 head cauliflower, cut into 2 inch long pieces (remove the core)

1-2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt (may need more)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp curry powder*

Cauliflower prior to roasting

Preheat the oven to 425.  Spread olive oil on a half-sheet pan.  Toss cauliflower out over the pan.  It's important not to overcrowd, so that the cauliflower gets a little crisp around the edges, instead of steaming.  Sprinkle seasonings and toss to combine.  Roast for 10-12 minutes, until lightly brown around the outside.  Open the oven once during cooking and give the pan a vigorous shake to move these around (or, I guess you can use a spatula, but I don't feel like washing dishes tonight).  

And after roasting... 

*Note -- What kind of curry powder? To be honest, I'm open for suggestions.  Currently, I just use McCormick, so I'm almost certain I can do better.  My friend Anu keeps a spice box by her stove where she makes her own curry by pinching from the seasonings... I'll update when I figure this part out.