I think I must have dreamt that I was back in college earlier this week because I woke up to the sound of rain outside and thought to myself, “Maybe I will just skip class…” It didn’t take long for reality to set in and for me to become cognizant of the fact that “skipping school” was not an option! However, there were two pieces of good news that followed: First, I remembered that I have a really cute raincoat. More importantly, though, I realized there are only 6 weeks left of taping until hiatus!
Counting down the days til summer almost always includes counting down the days until we go back to Hood River, Oregon!
It is such a relaxing visit. We stay in little re-finished cabins on our friend’s orchard and vineyard, all with beautiful views of Mount Hood. Nell is a certified organic gardener and has the most beautiful produce! We pick strawberries in the morning, blackberries in the afternoon, and squash for dinner. We go swimming in the lake and ride tandem bicycles up and down (preferably down) the rolling hills and winding roads, passing barn, after orchard, after farmhouse all looking perfectly picturesque. In the evening after dinner, we all sit out under the starry sky and drink the wine grown from the vineyard. Ah! I am more relaxed already just thinking about it!
Did I mention blackberries in the afternoon? Blackberries in the afternoon often translates to blackberry cobbler in the evening. (Although, I am not ashamed to admit that I have had blackberry cobbler for breakfast !) The simpler the recipe, the more delicious, which is why I love this one. Perhaps it will hold me over these next several weeks!
Blackberry Cobbler
(as told to me by Nell Able… and then practiced by me in my Los Angeles kitchen one day later… with smuggled Oregon blackberries!)
3 c. blackberries
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 egg beaten
5 tbls. melted butter
Pour berries into 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan. Stir flour, sugar and egg mixture, will resemble coarse meal. Sprinkle over berries. Drizzle melted butter over top of cobbler. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Enjoy immediately.
Enjoy again for breakfast 😉
Jen Pinkston 