Apple-Date Cobbler...and Homemade Biscuit Mix

I have been searching around in my little trusted file box from Better Homes and Gardens to pull out some "magic"...as in pulling a rabbit out of a magic hat?...well, it certainly came down to that, because I am just fresh out of ideas, for finding something out of my favorite cookbooks, ie: How To Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman, or my Southern Living collection, my Food and Wine Collections, or my Cooking Light collection of series, from the year 2000 all the way through 2010...all of which are "thrift finds," but my collections of newspaper clippings, which I have totally narrowed down, and have stopped collecting, and index cards that I have pasted or written recipes on, are now, a "thing of the past."...done, and gone!

Nowadays, you can find so many recipes on the Internet, and you don't have to go further than, your foodie buddies' blogs, to get inspired by all the amazing recipes they create, and post. I get inspired just by visiting, and commenting on all the my favorite blogs...most of, who are my friends that I like to keep in touch with! So why don't I just stay comfy-cozy, and keep getting ideas from their blog?...it's because I need to accomplish what I set out to do, is to go through my collection of recipes...or just toss them out...which most I have already done so!

Homemade Biscuit Mix
from Sun Sentinel, West Palm Beach, 1994

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking
powder, sugar, and salt. cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Store in an airtight container, and refrigerate. It will keep fresh for up to one month, or you can freeze it and keep up to 6 months. Just let it come to room temperature before using it, either way.
Makes up to 2 1//2 cups.







Apple Date Cobbler
my own recipe

1/2 cup Homemade Biscuit Mix
2 Tbsp. whole-wheat flour
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cane sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. milk
4 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup pitted dates

In a medium mixing bowl, combine biscuit mix, flour, and 1 Tbsp. of cane sugar. Stir in the lightly beaten eggs, and the 2 Tbsp. milk, just until they are combined, and smooth. In another medium bowl, combine the sliced apples, the 2 Tbsp. brown sugar the one teaspoon cinnamon powder, juice of the one lemon. In a medium skillet, melt butter, add the apple mixture, and saute until al-dente (not quite soft)...add the 1 cup of the pitted dates, stir for a few minutes to let the dates heat up, and soften a little.

Transfer the mixture to a 1 quart oven proof casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Immediately spoon biscuit mixture atop of the hot fruit mixture, into 4, or six mound (I added 6) Bake in a 400 -degree F. oven for about 15-20 minutes. Spoon out, 1 biscuit, and surround with fruit. You can sprinkle with powdered sugar, or additional cinnamon, mixed with sugar.
Serves 6.
Note: If you are using frozen fruits for the cobbler, you can mix 1 Tbsp. cornstarch into 3 Tbsp. water, to add to the fruit mix to heat up.

Enjoy!
I made this in the middle of the afternoon, and my 10 yr.old  granddaughter Gabby and I enjoyed a serving of this...just check out the biscuit, how light, and fluffy, the apples still in beautiful pieces, and the dates, slightly softened...Mmmm...let me tell you, this is a TREAT!...a great middle of the afternoon snack, with a nice cup of hot tea (which I don't drink unless it gets cool outside)...or a cup of cold glass of milk!

As you can see, these are my "best loved recipes."
Tucked away, in the little red box, ready to downsize, and toss some of them out since I have not made those recipes, and probably will not make them. I have another box, full of more recipes, which I will get to next time, to sort out.

These are not in order, any more...can't believe I actually glued them onto index cards...before I even owned a computer, in the early nineties. This is something that kids in grade school do these days...my little 5yr. old grandson Luca knows how to make copies in the printer/scanner/copier, he cuts out his little "fishies," "cars," and what have you and glues them on to his index cards, and sheets of papers, using up his momie's computer paper, and color ink in the copier...LOL

...and here's the Homemade Biscuit Mix recipe, and the Fruit-filled Cobbler, which actually called for frozen unsweetened cherries, that I didn't have, but did have the apples, and decided to use up my leftover pitted dates.
I also have a bag of frozen cranberries, which I will use next time, in place of the frozen cherries, and will follow the actual recipe!

This recipe, for the Lemon Meringue Bars, is a keeper. It has the recipe attached with a paper clip, for the Basic Butter Cookie Dough, which is very versatile. I can't wait to make this soon!
From Woman's Day magazine, 2004

I can tell you exactly, where I copied this recipe from: Border's Bookstore, the year, 1999. Bookstore has gone out of business in my former area, where I lived. It was walking distance from my home, and I would just walk over in my spare time, always ready with scratch pad...which actually was a "scratch pad"...copying recipes that interested me, so I wouldn't have to buy the entire book. Frugal, and "thrift"...get it?...that's me!
As for the source, just did not jot that down:(
Another keeper, really a very good recipe for pastry cream used for tarts, covered with fresh berries!

...and yes, I have made this a long time ago, will attempt to make it again, soon!

This is a photo copy from a library book, which I made at Office Depot, for about 5 cents a copy, cut out with scissors, and glued on an index card with Elmer's glue...again, don't know the source, at any rate, in retrospect...did I have a life back in the mid nineties?...I'm sure I did, working 2 cooking jobs, about 60-70 hrs,,,hmmm. Kids were away in college, abroad...was this my only entertainment on my one day off? collecting, clipping, copying, pasting recipes?...all before I owned a coputer? I had my first Windows 95 computer, in 1997...had no clue how to use it...self taught...crashed it a couple times! Got hacked a couple times...ahh, but Windows 98 was much better, and I became sophisticated...again. self teaching with those "Windows" 98 for Dummies!...well, this "dummie" learned a lot since then, and all is Good!

Have a wonderful weekend, my dear friends, (and readers)...(and followers)...who I never hear from, but I know you are out there, in silence, but that's good. I missed Wednesday's posting...jurst pondering, and planning things for Halloween...and today, I have to make a cake for my granddaughter Sophia's 10th Birthday, for tomorrow! Good luck Lizzie (that's me)...not a "cake baker"...not too many chef's are!...just no time, and mostly "no patience."...and/or imagination...creativity maybe, but that's not enough. You have to be a "born" cake baker...I could start a list, of fabulous bakers... but I'm running out of time!
Hugs, to all!

Original Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Thrift Finds

It's been raining practically all day yesterday, and I have not had the desire to go outside in the rain, to do any errands, except just to chill out inside my condo apartment, open the windows in my living room and listen to the rain. I just love watching summer rain, and listen to the rain drops. Sounds corny, but it's one of the sounds of nature that I love so much. In the early morning, I love to open my back windows in the bedroom, just to hear the cricket sounds, and watch the lush greenery of the enormous grape leave trees. The clean fresh air, even if it's 79 to 81 degrees F. in the morning, I love to open my windows and get the nice cross breeze from the ocean, which is only about 100 ft. away.

I'm linking this to:

 Full Plate Thursday 8-11-11 @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage

I decided to bake cookies last night, and I always refer to the Original Nestle Toll House Cookies recipe.

The only adaptation I use for the full recipe, is instead of 2 sticks of butter, I substitute 1 cup of Crisco all vegetable shortening, which equals to the 1 stick of butter. The reason for that is...my cookies always come out so perfect and just the right amount of crispiness. It never flattens down, as it would with the full amount of the butter. So that's my little secret "tip!"

Now, do you see what I mean?...Perfect cookies every time! Later, I plan to make enchiladas, which I have not made in ages...one filled with leftover rotisserie chicken, and the other vegetarian.

In the meantime, here's the link to the Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. Yeayy!!! saves me from typing it all out! Trust me on this one. Perfect cookies every time!

 Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since my blog originally started out as a Thrift Finds blog...but unfortunately I can't seem to hook up with thrift blogs...wonder if they have a Thrift Community, as we do have a Foodbuzz Community. I tried, but they "snub" me for some reason. Is it because I combine it with the food?...don't know, but at any rate I still enjoy finding some awesome thrift items...no! not the fresh rosemary, or the sea shells, but the vase, so pretty. I use the sea shells that I found on the beach last year...sorry to say, but this year it's as if they are extinct! The fresh rosemary, I use as a decor, it has such wonderful aroma permeating throughout my apartment. My ex-hubby grows these gorgeous rosemary in his garden. Every time he comes to visit, he brings me a bunch of fresh herbs. I have so much in my freezer as well, and I thought this would be a nice way to display it...just put it in water, add about 1 Tbsp. white vinegar, and a couple of ice cubes, and with the sea shells they make a pretty "conversation piece" on your table!

These shells are so gorgeous...last year at this time I was able to scoop up dozens, and dozens, of these beautiful shells, just could not resist them. This year just little generic ordinary ones are to be found!

These rosemarys are not just any ordinary rosemary bushes. They were originally brought here from Sicily...just a little baby bush, smuggled in the suitcase, wrapped up in wet newspaper, and in a plastic bag, and they thrived, over the last few years. They must love the South Florida climate.

Another beautiful thrift find...this cobalt blue vase!
I just love, love, cobalt blue vases, glasses, dishes. I have always said..."you gotta have at least one cobalt blue vase in your house."
The cost of this gorgeous heavy crystal vase?...under $5.00, and the other, the same! I love collecting vases, and giving them as gifts as well!

The bronze colored crystal platter that these amazing and gorgeous "hand picked" sea shells and corals are on, is also a thrift find...as is the glass dish that the sea glass collection is in. I collected these shells last year! Some were in the ocean, and you could actually see them when you you would go in the water...of course, the ocean water would be crystal clear, and no waves.

I would first clean them from the sand, and bring them upstairs to soak in my kitchen sink, with bleach and water...let them dry, and display them. As for the sea glass, they are very rare! I've been collecting them for the last ten years. From what I learned...they are at least 50 to 100 or more years old. Bottles that were tossed into the ocean, and over the decades and centuries would be washed ashore, shaped and formed the way they are from the ocean. They are not jagged, they look like jewels. To me, this represents, the past of all the people that have been out there on ships, and boats...they have good "vibes"...as do the shells, as well. It brings peace, and serenity from the great vast ocean!

I'm sharing more, than I probably shouldn't, about what I like...now you get to know a little more about my lifestyle, and the things that I love! This is my beautiful Scandinavian dining room table, that is a true "Deco" piece from the fifties, which I purchased 15 years ago at an Antique Consignment shop, and had the seats recovered at least three times, since then.

Originally the seats were yellow vinyl...yuck...they were so ugly. Now, they are Zen Green, with a soft floral design like "Lilly Pulitzer"...my dining room walls are also a Zen Green, from Lowe's. On the floor to the right is my kitties' food, on a tray. In the background is another chest, an antique, that I purchased in West Palm Beach "Antique Rowe"...way overpriced, but I also had this now for over 10 years. On the chest to the left, is another Cobalt Blue Vase, filled to the rim with the same sea shells, as in the clear vase. Anyone that enters into my place immediately feels a calmness, and peace...seriously! They all tell me, over, and over. I wonder why?...is it the Cobalt Blue, The Zen Green walls? The Sea Shells? The Sea Glass? The Antique Furniture? The Sicilian Rosemary?...They all have a story to tell!

I always keep fresh flowers in the vase, or other greens, or "baby breath"...all, very economical!
Have a wonderful Wednesday, my friend!...Be kind to one another, and say at least one positive thing to a friend, that would put a smile on their face!