Busy Weekend & a Blueberry Oat Crumble

I apologize for the lack of posts in the last week, but it’s been a busy weekend!  But don’t worry, this does not mean we have not been cooking or baking.

As you might have noticed, due to the craziness, there was no Food Matters Project post this week.  This weeks host was Margarita, from Let’s Cook and Be Friends, and she chose the Chocolate-Cherry Panini.  She’s wonderful about commenting on all posts- I always love hearing from her!  Although we didn’t make Mark Bittman’s recipe, definitely check out what the other bloggers did!

So this last weekend Sam and I were dog-sitting and cat-sitting!  It was a lot of fun hanging out with our furry friends:

Wayne was hanging out with us for almost 2 weeks while his parents were having fun at weddings.  He was trying to do some yoga moves with me, the Downward-Facing Dog was giving him some problems!

We also enjoyed a lovely weekend with Mia, her parents were also at a wedding!  (wedding season is upon us!) Can you tell she was eying something delicious on the table? (chips & salsa)

Our plan on Saturday was to make burgers and enjoy our friends porch in the lovely Capitol Hill neighborhood.  The weather was absolutely amazing, and I wanted something easy for dessert.  We still had leftover blueberries from my visit to Butler’s Orchard, and a crumble just had to be made!

I have very fond memories of blueberry picking with my parents.  I spent a couple of summers at Cedar Lodge, a horseback riding camp, eating s’mores.  The camp is located in Michigan, which is definitely a blueberry state!  At the end of every summer, when my parents picked me up, our next stop was one of the blueberry farms which you can find right off of I-94.  We always drove back with a couple of buckets of blueberries that we snacked on as we sat through the Chicago traffic!

Blueberry Oat Crumble
Adapted from: Bake Your Day

This dessert is also perfect for breakfast- especially when it’s a little cold!  It’s not just a summer dessert, but can always be made from frozen fruit (defrosted) throughout the year.  If you don’t have blueberries, definitely give this a try with any fruit that’s in season!

2 1/2 cup oats
2 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup canola oil
3 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Meanwhile, grease a 9’x13′ baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine and stir oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.

In a small pan, over medium heat, melt the butter.  Once it’s melted, add the almond extract and vanilla, stir well.  Next, add the melted butter and canola oil into the large bowl of dry ingredients, stir well.  Lastly, gently fold in the blueberries.

Transfer the mixture into the greased baking pan.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.  Allow to cool completely before cutting.  It’s wonderful with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Book Club: S’more Cookie

I hosted my Book Club at our house last week, there were 8 of us here to talk about The Corrections, and catch up on what’s going on in our lives.  Check out what else was on the Book Club menu!

I’ll skip around the book club menu a bit to tell you all about the dessert.  I do have a reason- today it’s my Dad’s birthday, and I think he’d love this dessert.  Happy Birthday Dad!  One of his favorite desserts are chocolate chip cookies, and this is equally good.

I found this recipe thanks to Pinterest, I kept seeing recipes for s’more bars or cupcakes, and since it is an American dessert, I thought this would be perfect.  Although s’mores tend to be eaten near a bonfire or while camping, this is the perfect indoor substitute.

Growing up I spent a couple of summers at Cedar Lodge Summer Camp, in a tiny town of Lawrence, Michigan.  It’s mainly a horseback riding camp, but there were some that attended and didn’t ride.  I have very fond memories of my summers there, especially at the campfire at the end of each week!

Every Saturday night, all the campers and staff would gather around the bonfire with their blankets, bug spray, flashlights and sticks to make s’mores.  First we would eat dinner (burgers, hot dogs, or sloppy joe’s) and then we would find a great place to sit to hear stories.  My first week there, I remember Eddy, the owner of the camp, told us a scary ghost story which kept me awake that night in the cabin.  After he passed away, Amy (his daughter and Camp Director) continued to keep us entertained.  With night settling in, all of us would make s’mores and huddle together.  It was the perfect way to close a week of camp, before the new set of campers arrived.

S’more Cookie
Adapted from: Wit & Whistle

I basically did the same recipe, although I made it in a bigger pan.  It’s possible to make it smaller as well.  Best served when it’s cooled off, maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 6-8 blocks)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 King-sized Hershey’s chocolate bars
3 1/2 oz marshmallow puff*

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Using about a tablespoon of butter, grease a 9’x13′ baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar.  Add in the egg and vanilla, beat well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.  Slowly incorporate it into the large bowl, mixing at a lower speed until it’s combined.

Divide the dough in two chunks.  Press the half into the baking pan, an even layer.  Then place the chocolate bars on top, try not to break the bars.  Spread the marshmallow puff onto the chocolate in an even layer.  Press the remaining dough onto the layer of marshmallows.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is lightly brown.  Cut into pieces after this has cooled off.

*Do not use melted marshmallows!