Cherry-Plum and Blackberry Cobbler

We have a cherry-plum tree!  Which means it produces plums the size of cherries, basically.  It turns out it's really hard to find recipes for cherry-plums, so I modified a recipe I found here to make it work for these.

Cherry-Plum and Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup water
1 cup sugar -- divided
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter -- melted
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (only if you don't use salted butter)
1 cup pitted cherry-plums (that's 1 cup AFTER you've pitted them, not before)
2 cups fresh blackberries

Whisk together water, four, butter, baking powder, and 3/4 cup sugar.  Pour into ungreased 8"x8" baking dish.

In separate bowl, mix cherry-plums with 1/4 cup sugar until thoroughly coated.  Stir blackberries in with cherry-plums.  Pour on top of the batter in the baking dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until top turns golden and it's not jiggly in the middle.

Serve warm or cold, top with ice cream or whipped cream if you want a bigger sugar rush.

I know I don't usually post pictures, but I happened to take one, so here it is:

Cherry-Plum and Blackberry Cobbler, huzzah!

Asian Chicken Pitas

A colorful mix of things to fill pitas.  If you don't like pitas, you could use tortillas instead, I suppose.

Asian Chicken Pitas

1/3 cup Peanut butter
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
2 cups Chicken pieces
1/2 cup Pineapple tidbits – drained
1 stalk Celery – sliced
1 can Water chestnuts – drained and chopped
1 Red Pepper – chopped
1/2 cup Onion – chopped
8 Half pitas
1 tbsp. Oil

 Mix peanut butter and teriyaki sauce. In a large skillet, heat the oil, add chicken pieces and saute 5 minutes. Add celery and saute 3 minutes. Add onions and saute 3 more. Add peppers and chestnuts and saute for 3 more minutes. Finally, add pineapple and sauce and heat through. Stuff pitas.

Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Cherries

A quick, tasty salad that's perfect for summer!  Would work really well on a picnic.

Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Cherries

1 bag Baby arugula
4 Hardboiled eggs – sliced
1 cup Dried cherries
1 Red bell pepper – thinly sliced
4 oz. Goat cheese crumbles
Honey mustard dressing

 Toss first 5 ingredients together and serve with dressing.

Artichoke Stir Fry

A vegetarian stir fry!  The artichokes and lemon give it a nice zing.  We're not vegetarians, but we try to make meatless meals several times a week.  Saves money, gets us extra helpings of vegetables, etc.

Artichoke Stir Fry

2 cups Broccoli flowerets
2 cups Cauliflower flowerets
1 medium Onion - sliced
3 tbsp. Oil
2 cups Zucchini - sliced
1 can Quartered artichoke hearts - reserve juice
1 cup Chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 tsp. Lemon zest
2 tbsp. Lemon juice
2 tsp. Basil
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 tbsp. Cornstarch
4 cups Egg noodles - cooked according to package

 Mix cornstarch, artichoke juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, and spices in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat oil in a large pan over medium high. Add broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and sauté until crisp-tender. Move to edges of pan. Add zucchini and artichokes. Saute until zucchini starts to turn color. Move to the edges of the pan. Stir sauce and add to the center. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Mix with veggies. Serve over noodles.