pumpkin spice coffee recipe

My master plan for this most recent Saturday morning included 3 things:

1. Zum-bah!! (Say it with the emphasis on the second...)
2. Quick stop at the library to pick up a much desired What Alice Forgot {still trying to keep up with my book club from home...miss you ladies!}
3. a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks

That's a far as my planning took me...to 10:30am...ha!

The first 2 don't disappoint, but the 3rd did. Hrmmph.... In fairness, I asked the barista to lighten it for me, so maybe that was the difference...less sugar and fat?

So, to truly satisfy that craving, I made my own Pinterest-inspired PSL this morning. You can, too!

1. make a simple syrup with equal parts water and sweetener in a saucepan {I used sucanat, but you could also use brown sugar, white sugar, or even maple syrup or honey}
2. bring to a low boil and take off the heat, let cool
3. in a container large enough to hold and store all ingredients, add 1/8 c. pureed pumpkin
4. add 1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice {you can also combine your own with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves}
5. pour your cooled simple syrup into the container and shake
6. add a smidge to your hot coffee with or without cream 
7. keep in  fridge

I'm enjoying mine right now and I hope you try it. Delish!

daddymoon

We spent a fantastic {and sweltering} camping weekend with some of our favorite people. I took entirely too many pictures of our kiddos...bordering on the intrusive, but flinging a "you'll thank me in 20 years" at the reluctant subjects.

we fished, we swam {so hot,} we ate {still dreaming about that granola, JRS,} we played

{each camping trip, I challenge myself to make something in the dutch oven on the open fire {I should probably stop}...this trip, I tried Granny's fruit cobbler using the peaches from Grandma and Grandpa J and blueberries we picked with Opa

it was a little crispy around the edges, but worked okay...tasted okay...it'd be better with ice cream, but I haven't figured out how to camp for four days keeping ice cream cold...let me in on the secret if you have}

Daddy arrived to meet us a day after we got to camp...safe and sound from Tennessee. Home {well, camp home.} Together. 

To round out our trip, we met friends at another campground for a night, opting for a cabin in the rain instead of a tent. Wise choice. We swam indoors, ate cheap pizza, and played bingo with dozens of other campers. I won twice...9 bucks {enough to pay for the pizza} and left as soon as people started glaring at me.

Now we're home {real mortgaged home.}

Fifteen hours...the number of hours asleep I've had in the last 24. Blissful. There was the quick go-back-to-sleep, snuggling with my best boy as the rain fell outside our cabin. A cat nap on the car ride home. An honest to goodness sack out after the great unpacking. And then starting a family movie at 9:30. {I mean, come on...that's not even giving me a fair chance.}

I must have needed it. My annoying cough and cold must have needed it.

So, the house is a wreck...we're assimilating his stuff with our stuff...it reminds me of getting married. And there's the soggy, muddy laundry and the food that stayed in the cooler too long to deal with. All very much worth the weekend fun.

I'm loving the nip of fall in the air...fully recognizing that it may not last...but I'm ready for it.

Goodbye, summer. Hello, autumn. Hello, Sweet Man. I'm going to wrap myself up in you.

nitty gritty

Back to the original purpose for this journal...an account of our travels and life...instead of all that book reading mumbo jumbo. This is what some of you really want to know. Most of you couldn't care less.

Currently we are in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Been here for a bit, staying for another while. 

Bloomington and Normal are two cities that grafted into each other. Together they make for a larger town/small city. There's a saying, Bloomington is 10 minutes from Normal. Some people think that's funny.

In the combined towns are 3 university campuses, Illinois State University being the largest. 

We live on the eastern edge of Normal, with Uptown Normal {Children's Museum is there} to our west and a large commercial district in between. {TJ Maxx is a hop, skip & jump...holla!} Our favorite places in Bloomington are Miller Park Zoo and the Davis mansion.

Sweet Man was moved into a one bedroom apartment right around Valentine's Day. Roomier than the hotel, we have an enclosed bedroom, more storage and a larger kitchen. In the move, we lost a pull-out couch and a table. But we gained a washer/dryer! Oh yeah...and a wall for the bedroom! We're making due as Bean sleeps in the large closet in the bedroom {she thinks it's fun} and Bug sleeps on couch cushions in our room. The kids eat at a bar in the kitchen and Sweet Man and I use our laps...meals around a table will resume at home.

I've been cooking every night. Finding a back issue of Cooking Light in my stash has inspired me to try some new recipes this week: cabbage rolls {who knew those were so yummy?} skirt steak with a cucumber-pepperocini relish, and the older favorite: mango salmon...guess I'm bored with soups and casseroles at this point in the season. So the kitchen is pretty well stocked...no mixer, but I brought a few other essential tools from home...even my frying pan.

{ our view on a dreary day}

It's very quiet...our windows look out onto a pond and there are houses beyond it, but no street noise. And it's very hot...we're on the second floor so our windows are open more often than not.

Right across the street is part of the extensive bike path system. Lovely, although it sometimes uses sidewalks as the path and has several street crossings. So we drive to the bike path. Second problem...they all have bikes, I don't. I want to get one, but don't want to spend the money...seems foolish to spend money again on a meantime bike. I should just go for it, right? Can't do it, yet.

Sweet Man discovered that on one side of our apartment complex is a path that connects to our favorite playground. Bonus! It's a 5 minute ride/walk to the park with one street crossing. Just sent the kids off for the day...just kidding. And finally the weather is allowing us to enjoy the outdoors...cold and rainy when we first returned...latter part of this week has been in the 60's, 70 yesterday. 

School is great...Bug's almost finished with his Math book and his phonics/spelling. And because of that, we've loosened up on our schedule a bit...not that it was ever tight. I'll be supplementing those areas with something, surely...we can't be done yet. Too much day to fill.

We're never finished with history, but we've camped out for a few weeks with the Corps for Discovery {the Lewis & Clark expedition.} Lots of map work and fun stories. Bean is calling everyone Pompy, the nickname of  Sacajawea's baby. Today we are cutting and assembling a balsa wood keelboat, a replica of what they used to get up the Missouri River. We'll launch it on the pond when Sweet Daddy is home from work. 

Don't have a handle yet on where my Jellybean lands in her school skills...but she will surely be a different student than Bug. She is hungry for learning, whereas he is a bit more passive. Mom, can we do letters? She wants my attention pretty constantly...and I try to oblige more often than not in these fleeting days. I did have a mini-fuss a few days ago when she said, for the 27th time...Mom, you're not playing with me. I proceeded to catalog our activities for the day: read/cuddled on the couch, played Set, played monkey in the middle over the bed, played Pollies, she helped me in the kitchen...didn't work...I ended up on the floor drawing with her. No regrets, of course.

Other sweet news: Sweet Man was finally able to visit the zoo with us, Saturday. We took him to see our favorites, although we found many exhibits empty...boo.

I discovered that the church we attend has a Zumba class twice a week!!!! I went Monday and it was a little more hip-hop than I'm used to, but fun.

The kids and I went to another favorite playground yesterday afternoon. Sweet Man arrived after work, shamrock shakes in hand...yum, then ugh! The plan was to play a little tennis. Sloshy bellies were not part of that plan. Sweet Man and I played first while the kids hit against the wall and then they convinced us to all play together...mixed doubles. Ha, it was a sight! And no dinner for me after that 550 calorie (!!!!) shake...I felt so yuck...definitely not worth it.

So we've settled back into this area. I have plans to visit with a college friend who lives in Chicago in a couple weeks. The kids and I will go up and spend the night. I haven't seen her for 15 years{? is that possible?}...a late night and much catching up in our future.

{I feel like I should explain about the hair...it is very windy here in Bloomington, it's bath day - that's right...the day of the week for baths....in addition, we're homeschoolers...so we don't much care about hair....}

Okay...gotta go play Flip Puppy Over the Bed. Tell me if you're itching to know anything else.

the unloading of February

* Haven't had much to say, friends...less words...good for me, good for you.

No knitting or crafting lately. A little reading, school, some friendly visits, a sleepover, tennis lessons, two fun outings {here and here,} a loooonnng  hike with Uncle Nack & the hound dog...occupied our time last week. 

No particular crises or victories to speak of...just plugging away, missing Sweet Man terribly, seeking signs of spring desperately, trying to grab a foothold on time slipping away.

Other random thoughts in my head these days:

* My camera is in the shop for its annual cleaning...so no recent pics. I'm missing it. 

No, really...I'm missing it.

*  While I am enjoying the great thaw immensely, it reveals bagsful of trash that have blown into our yard. Better get to work.

* I am allowing myself one minor freak-out per day and the kids have ample warning. Taking place at that time when I look around and see the shrapnel of our activities, I set the timer and challenge them to beat the clock. All toys on the first floor must be returned to the playroom, couch cushions replaced {gah!,} games and puzzles back in their boxes. I've even smartened up and put them to work more regularly...using the electric broom for spot floor cleaning or to do the stairs, fetching this and that, emptying trash cans inside and bringing the trash cans in from the street, emptying the dishwasher, putting away laundry.

* I've also enticed/cajoled encouraged the boy to read to the girl...what a concept...fantastic. Not to worry, I'm still reading to them myself, plenty. Our current bedtime read is The Jungle Book.

* And to fuel all this child labor...we've been more deliberate at breakfast time...each morning asking which protein do you want? Years ago a friend passed on this advice to me feed them protein at breakfast and it was reiterated more recently. We've been at it for more than a year and it makes a world of difference. The boy and I are classic carboholics. Try to take our box of crackers away and you'll pull back a bloody stump. So, we've been talking about the difference between carbs and proteins...our bodies use carbs up faster and we are hungry sooner than if we've eaten a protein, alone or with carbs. {We don't talk about good or bad foods in our house...just balancing foods that make our bodies work better with foods that don't.} You can have a pancake or cereal, with a protein. Eggs, PB, yogurt, kefir, or turkey bacon are our protein staples. By the way, my kids really like the kefir at Aldi. I don't know how the price compares to those elsewhere...we just pick it up there as that's our frequent grocery stop.

And I've added another favorite breakfast to my repertoire: my version of the fantastic Subway breakfast sandwiches ~ egg or egg white, grilled green peppers & onions, tomato slice...avocado slices or sprouts if we have them...on an English muffin or not.

* My Christmas fry pan {in ocean, *wink} is getting a workout. Seriously, I use it at least 3 times a day.

* This girl of mine eats frozen peas like jellybeans. Weird.

* Veering into the spiritual realm...I would like to stop the wishing...I spend an inordinate amount of time qualifying dreams with phrases...biding time until life is different. 

• when he gets home, security will return...
• when we leap off this merry-ground life, life will be less complicated...
• when relationship A, {B, C, D, etc.} becomes healthier, my restless heart will stop its wondering...
• OR I need to accept the fact that some people just don't dig me...and can't I be okay with that?
• if we ever sell this house, I can't wait to settle into a home with some woods and land...and get a big ol' dog
• when I get a grip on my health, I will be confident and purposeful....

Really a waste of time, don't you think? I was reminded in last night's sermon that this use of my brain power {and several others habits of mine} is a purposeless pursuit.

Kick me and remind me that my life rrrr-hocks.

Today, I will...cuddle, take a walk with the babes, not clean, take a nap, read my Bible extra long, try a new recipe {yum! reminds me of chili-cheese fritos and sweet HLMC...thinking of you and your family, sweetie...}

* Some of you have asked about churches...specifically why I think Eastview is "my favorite." I'm working on an answer for you...gathering and gleaning from that community, Mars Hill, and our home church. One thing in my evaluations has become clear again {thank God!}...church is not about me or my comfort.

Okay...I broke my less words policy. Bye!

Amybars

Each year as the weather drops below freezing I feel a stronger urge to hole up and wait it out. So like the proverbial ant, I gather. After I fill our pantry and freezer, I start filling the garage, as the outdoors becomes a veritable refrigerator and our storage capacity increases exponentially. If I don't need groceries, I won't have to go outside until April, right?

And I cook...soup, bread, casseroles {remind me to give you our new fave - chicken enchillada casserole}...you know, warm stuff.  And my latest experiment....

Have you tried a Larabar? Lovely stuff...healthy fruit and nut bars, with the main ingredient of dates. {You may remember last winter's fling with dates.}

Back to the bars...I like the density and sweetness of them. And their ability to emerge relatively unscathed from the depths of my knitting bag is a plus. Which makes them the ultimate sneak-into-a-movie snack...if you are one...who...does...that.

Of course, the delusion that I am eating something healthy to offset the handsful of Halloween-moving-right-thru-Thanksgiving-to-Christmas candy I drop down my gullet or my new habit of eating crackers and cheese at 9:30pm {yeah, how did that begin?} helps.

But I don't like paying close to $2 for each bar. Alternative?

I googled for a minute {that's sounds bad, doesn't it?} and found a couple of homemade versions. Choosing this one, I found it fast and easy. I made one batch with toasted pecans and dried cherries. The next was with unsweetened coconut and dried cranberries. 

Yum. I called the kids over and popped a sticky wad in each of their mouths. Thumbs up from them. Mom-tested, kid approved. Now we have a stash in the refrigerator apple bin, so that when grabbing for snacks, the kiddos may see them and remember they likey. And now you know and can help yourself when you're here.

Home again, home again

We're here, friends. And it's good. And decidedly boring. No big outings...just reading in front of the fireplace, watching a little PBS.

Coming home, I confess that I shed a few tears when I opened my silverware drawer and saw the knives for which I registered lo these 11 years ago. Silly, I know...I didn't expect to have that reaction. But after 2+ months in spaces owned by others, I'm sinking back in to this house and enjoying using our things.  I still don't understand why it's important for me to be in my own space, but I guess it is. It must be part of the American dream v. kingdom of God struggle I have. 

We haven't been without a little distress...Bug and I were sick as of Wednesday. He, with a little stomach bug and me, with a sinus infection. He was fine the next day. And at the first hint of my sore throat, I sucked down Emer-gen-C and oscillococcinum...love that stuff. By yesterday, I was back to normal. 

Thursday, my sly friend asked me to watch her kiddos while she went to an appointment. I asked if when she came back, I could go to the grocery to do my big shop sans enfants. But then she canceled her appointment, and still granted me an hour and half of kidsitting. Very sneaky, sweet friend! Thank you and I owe you!

Stocked up are we. I can barely close my freezer. I've decided I'm done with the I'm out of a couple things, we need to run to the store nonsense...especially when I'm a single mom. I bought 3 of anything non-perishable and 2 of perishables. Totally went over our grocery budget for the month. Speaking of which, we are an all cash household! No more credit card purchases except to gain points or order something from afar. The monkey is off our back and it feels so good.

Friday, we shared lunchtime with other dear friends and made a trip to the library and a little thrifting.

Saturday, we had brunch at Opa and Anne's house. They had built a huge leaf pile {Mount Leafmore} and the dogs and kids rolled around in it...I think there were some adults in on the action, too. It was a lovely afternoon, sitting on the porch, knitting and visiting with Anne. We were able to catch up with the neighbors a little, too. Heading home after a while, we had de-leafing showers and attended a great Saturday night church service.

Sunday, I indulged my crunchy tendencies...a batch of granola for my favorite breakfast, a batch of granola bars for my boy. Cooking up a storm. Yesterday, a meal for my friend who just had a baby and some Corndog Muffins for the kids. I'm thinking about whipping up some sourdough starter...never done that before.

So fun being able to catch up with friends and family. To shop in our familiar aisles and go to our library and get too many books. The library cracked open its borrowing policy like I was Aladdin at the mouth of the cave. I uttered the magic words...I'm a teacher. Bingo, bango...6 weeks of time with these tomes...and we may need every bit of that to get through this stack. Bug has recently discovered Encyclopedia Brown  and Judy Blume {don't worry, just the Fudge books...not the other ones ;) }

Sweet Man returns home this Friday for 10 days. He thinks he will tackle getting our back fence up and building bunk beds for the babes. You go, babe.

Pumpkin Bread

The cooking continues. {And still no laptop...although there are pics of at least 2 adventures I'd like to share with you...they'll have to wait.} So, I thought I'd share another recipe with you.

When we first married and it was Sweet Man's turn to cook, he'd pull this bachelor foolishness, loosely follow a recipe, throw in weird ingredients, and whip something up. Who doesn't follow a recipe? Really, sheesh.

I'd stand aside, watching and declaring, "You can't change the recipe. That's a bastardization. It's just not right." I was such a good newlywed wife...supportive, encouraging, wise in my words, etc.

Of course, his experimentations were very edible and quite tasty. {Recipe experimentation SCORE, as of August, 2002: Sweet Man = 18, Gypsy Momma = 0}

Days ago, Bug saw a can of pumpkin in the pantry and requested pumpkin bread. I found this from Food Network, but I modified. So, here is my, ahem, bastardization of pumpkin bread. The strikethroughs are the original; my modifications are in orange.

Pumpkin Bread

Recipe Courtesy of Cathy Lowe
Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 30 min Level:
-- Serves:2 loaves

Ingredients

3  2 c. sugar

1 cup vegetable oil 1/2 c. coconut oil


1 c. applesauce

4  2 eggs, lightly beaten + 2 eggs' worth of egg whites

16 ounces canned unsweetened pumpkin

3 1/2 2 c. flour + 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 T. wheat germ

1 T. milled flax seed

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

2/3  1 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 9 by 5 loaf pans. Stir together sugar and oil. Stir in eggs, applesauce, and pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients and water into wet mixture, alternating. Divide batter between two loaf pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

Printed from FoodNetwork.com on Mon Sep 27 2010
© 2010 Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved


It was delicious...very moist, not too sweet. Both kids liked it, too...Sweet Man isn't a quick breads kinda guy, but he acknowledged it was good. {Recipe experimentation SCORE, as of Sept. 2010: Sweet Man = 356, Gypsy Momma = 1}

Breakfast ideas

Breakfast is my fave. My dad can whip up a mean one. Our wedding ceremony was scheduled in the morning so that we could have a brunch reception with omelets, waffles, fruit & pastries....and mimosas.

Eleven years later {yes, they said it wouldn't last,} my summer breakfast of choice has been oatmeal with pineapple {fresh or frozen ~ not canned, ick.} Since a trip to a large chain restaurant {Crisp Bread~Wooden Tub} when I had a scrumptious concoction of thick yogurt, cooked apples and granola...my tastebuds pull for another. I have fantasized about re-creating it for my family myself.

This morning I tried it. Think I'll have it for lunch, too.

I used plain Greek yogurt. And I'm not sure if the restaurant used apple pie filling, but it sure tasted like it. Because the apples at Dad's house just keep on coming and despite giving dozens away yesterday, I made apple pie filling. It may even stay around long enough to actually fill a pie. I also made a batch of each of these.

This house is getting so hot...I'm resisting the urge to turn on the AC. My head says fall cooking ~ soup, bread, hot tea; but my sweaty brow says, stick a popsicle in it. Summer ain't over. If I keep the stove on, we'll all be walking around in our underwear. You needed to know that, right?

Sidenote: No pictures for while...believe it or not, my laptop is on its way back to the shop. Reeee~dic~ulous, I know.

Dear HP,

Five times, really?  This back and forth with the boxes and the foam is becoming comical. And introducing the UPS man into the mix won't help. I believe he tires of it all.


Let's start over brand new, shall we?

Your somewhat disgruntled,{don't-push-me, there-are-plenty-of-motherboards-in-the-sea, and do you remember just how much of my $ you have?} but ever-hopeful customer.

$.99 Margaritas?

We have a mini-tradition with our friends, Abi & Charlie...Tumbleweed (tex-mex restaurant) on Sunday afternoon (kids eat free!) or Monday evening...we probably make it 6 times a year, when our lives are normal and we actually live here.

This weekend, we were making plans...for Monday...let's do the usual....

...but later, I thought...we go out to dinner all the time...and they practically live around the corner from our sometimes homebase...can we just...get together here? They graciously agreed.

Much better...except that I can't take orders and fulfill them...one meal would have to do...

(Here are the vidiots...)

Chalupa (at least that's what my mom called it)

In a 4 qt. crockpot, combine dry pinto beans with broth (I used chicken,) onions, garlic, oregano, cumin, chili powder, chopped green chiles...easy peasy...add as much as you think you like.

Cook the snot out of them...like all day and night and all day again. Check occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid...drying out is bad.

Crank pot up to high, add 1 slice bacon for the last 4 or so hours,  and remove before serving. Finally add cooked chicken...I cooked 2 whole chickens (in seasoned water) yesterday, then separated the broth and the meat. I cannot abide (oooo, such a very intimidating phrase) dried out chicken in the crockpot, ick, so I added the cooked chicken (about 3 breasts and some dark meat) for the last hour...just to warm it up. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with warm tortillas, cilantro rice, cheese, lettuce...etc.


And good friends who bring brownies & ice cream & margaritas...and one cute puppy.

 Way better than Tumbleweed, even on $.99 Margarita night.

When life gives you apples

I feel like every day is an effort to get back to normal. Will it ever be normal again? I think I know the answer to that.

So with the resolve to be normal, we had a normal day on Wednesday. We went to the dentist, did school, shopped for groceries, made some applesauce, and fished with Sweet Daddy (yup, he's still here and we are loving being normal together.)

No secret to the applesauce...pick apples at Mimi and Opa's house, peel and chop, add water, apple juice, a little sugar and lemon juice and cook the snot out of them. All day. Enjoy the scent. Let babes stir and mash. But leave it a little chunky. Can as the babes are going to sleep and the moon rises. (Update: Anyone who receives this applesauce should consider adding a little water to it before eating; it is rich!)

Found a gem

Love finding a fun, affordable, run-them-ragged, outdoor activity.... The Hamilton County Parks people really know what they're doing. We traveled 15 minutes to Parky's Ark at Winton Woods: $2/child, $2 for parking (I could have paid $5 for an annual pass....) It's a fun "wet playground" with a large structure in the middle (The Ark) and several features around it. Tough place to keep a camera dry....

I love finding an activity that we don't have to endure for hours to feel like we've gotten our money's worth. I would have stayed longer, but one of us was having an, ahem, equipment problem. I plan to explore their other parks in the coming days.

So we met Daddy for lunch a little earlier than planned. We fed him leftovers at another delightul spot...try this, you carnivores...disregard the Oprah stuff (blech)...the recipe is so worth it. It's one of my new go-to meals...yum....

And just to push the outside-all-day, no-nap envelope...we went to IKEA. Very interesting place. I could certainly spend a boatload of money there if I was furnishing a house...uuuhhh...but have been cautioned not to do so right now. The kicker is, that a body is routed through the 2 levels of gi-normous store, with little chance of escape. We finally got out and were pleased to find a little snack bar at the end and rewarded ourselves with lingonberry and vanilla frozen yogurt cones ($1@.) Reward = food, in my world.

Does anyone agree that this was maybe the most beautiful day today? Wow.

Pickin' and Grinnin'

It's that too short time of year...black raspberry season (not to be confused with blackberries...those are larger and ripen later in the summer.) The hunt is on. If I am outside, I can never quite concentrate on the task at hand...because I am scanning the bushes looking for those jewels.

Grandpa J picked a quart yesterday and I promptly commandeered them and made a cobbler with Granny's recipe. I doubled it and then didn't bake it enough...and was disappointed. I've been messing up most of the little bit of cooking I've done in the last month. At my MinL's suggestion, I baked it a bit more and now it is delicious. I try to walk past the dish without taking a bite...tough. And to think I was going to rein my eating in this week after Creation's camp food gluttony. Not this week...ha!

I've been to 2 stretches of the Kokosing Gap trail in the last 24 hours and have scoped out the harvest. And there are more here around the spring (not the season...a water source spring). Thursday or Friday will be the best days to pick, I think. I'll suit up against the bugs and poison ivy, but the potential itching is worth the taste of the berries. I'm greedy; it's difficult for me to stop...I know there are always more perfect ones hiding from me.

Here's Granny's recipe...feel free to tweak it...it is pretty forgiving. You're gonna have to pick your own berries, though.... ;) Proceed with caution...this is a "get a spouse" recipe. Oh, the power of butter and sugar.

Fruit Cobbler

1/2 c. butter

1 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

1 c. milk

Oven 350 degrees. Melt butter in a smallish baking dish. Mix flour and other ingredients with a whisk to make batter.

1 1/2 c. fruit (berries work best, but you can do peaches or plums)

2/3 c. sugar (optional...tweak away)

You can cook the fruit and sugar or just weep the fruit.

Pour batter into dish with melted butter. Drop fruit on top of batter. Bake for 45 minutes until the top is golden and the cobbler doesn't jiggle too much (my mistake last night.)

I suggest refrigerating it overnight and eating it for breakfast...decadent.