happy 2010 and cast iron mixed berry cobbler

first meal of 2010.

homemade buckwheat blueberry pancakes and caw caw creek bacon.

happy 2010 folks. i have many goals set for myself this year and will eventually gather a list up for you to include more details in regards to the following:

1. learn to type without looking at the key board. 

2. learn more and more about gardening/farming and take a few workshops/classes. 

3. get my butt in gear when it comes to my photography and enter a handful of shows. 

4. cook, cook, and cook some more in my cast iron cookware... hopefully even try cooking outside on an open fire/hot coals. 

5. start and complete some promised crafts to folks.

6. eat right and exercise more.

7. sew more. 

 i think that list will do for now, don't ya think? so far on the second day of 2010 i have done NONE of these things.... well i did make chicken fried vension cube steaks and a berry cobbler in my cast iron skillet yesterday for our new year's day feast. so let's talk about that so i can feel somewhat like i accomplished part of a goal. 

first i started with a little glass of organic red wine.

did i tell you that wine was on sale for 20% off a 1/2 case. so ray bought a whole case!

and not only did he buy a whole case of wine, but the little booger had all day thursday off as well. so i sent him down to the happy cow creamery farm store to pick up some supper supplies. and even though we reviewed the list numerous times and spoke multiple time on the phone, i still forgot some things. so here i was with no eggs (sorry no cornbread this year), no apple cider for braising the collard greens, no hot sauce for the beans and rice, and no buttermilk for the cobbler topping... oh well, i just had to make do with what i had. 

no apple cider..... so i used up the rest of a bottle of apple juice that ray found hiding in the back of the frig and juiced up some local apples that had been hanging out in the crisper for a few months. this actually worked out just as good, if not better, than the apple cider.

aaahhhh, new year's day feast.

*local organic collard greens braised in freshly juiced local apples flavored with caw caw creek bacon

(i forgot the onions in the greens, but they were still yummy)

*brown and wild rice with carolina plantation cowpeas

(again i forgot to add onions)

*organic mashed potatoes with happy cow creamery sour cream

*chicken fired venison cubed steaks fried up in local caw caw creek BACON FAT!!!!!!!

since ray has moved on to homemade morning muslix with yogurt for breakfast, we have some let over frozen berries in the freezer that need to addressed. so to move that along, i made a mixed berry cobbler. (blueberries, a handful of strawberries, and some left over wild blackberries that we picked this summer) it was awesome, cause not only did it taste wonderful, but i made it in my cast iron skillet. 

oh you so need to make one!!!!!

mixed berry cobbler with a biscuit like topping

for the filling: 

about 4 cups mixed fruit (mine was frozen)

1/2 cup water

2 T cornstarch 

(go for the organic non-GMO kind)

1 T lemon juice

about 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar

(i use a organic raw sugar cause i like the taste and the big crystal are great when spread on top of the cobbler crust. you can also use more sugar if you like, but i don't like my sweets super sweet.)

for the biscuit like topping:

2 oz. butter

1 cup flour

about 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

2 tsp. baking powder 

(mine is a homemade baking powder of 3 parts cream of tarter to 1 part both baking soda and cornstarch)

1/2 tsp. salt

pre heat oven to 400 degrees. disolve cornstarch in water. add mixture to berries and sugar in the cast iron skillet. cook until the berries start to get mushy and the liquid starts to thicken. meanwhile, make the topping like you would a biscuit batter (although this will be a bit more like the consistency of a thick cake batter). add in the sugar and milk at the very last and try not to over mix. plop little dollops of the batter onto the berry filling all over and don't worry about spreading it out over the mixture. sprinkle a bit of the sugar over the topping. cook in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. cool for a few minutes and enjoy!