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Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler, luscious, juicy blackberries layered between three layers of buttery, flaky crust with a rich syrup of butter, sugar, vanilla, and water poured over the whole cobbler.  This is where all the magic happens when the dough in the center forms pillows of tender dumplings.  I know you are thinking, why am I posting a recipe for blackberries, a summer berry.  Well, we love blackberries and eat them throughout the year.  I missed the window for posting the recipe this summer and thought, why not.   When I was young and newly married blackberries were only in the grocery stores and better yet on the vines during blackberry season in the summer.  Produce these days have changed so much.  We see blackberries year round in the grocery store and farmer's markets.

Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers

Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers, flavors of the traditional fajitas in colorful bell peppers.  The peppers are stuffed with cooked strips of grilled chicken, bell pepper, onion and folded altogether in white queso then sprinkled with shredded sharp cheddar.   Chicken Fajitas Stuffed Peppers are filled with all the ingredients served on the hot iron skillet you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant.   The bell peppers are cut in half and used for the vehicle for eating the fajita instead of flour tortillas.   I like to cook the filled pepper in the rich sauce leftover from the cooking the peppers and onions just until they are soft yet still sturdy enough to pick up to eat.  That way, they are easy to pick up the whole filled pepper.  Leaving the stem on the pepper helps them hold together.  

Summer Vegetable Gratin

Summer Vegetable Gratin, four simple vegetables layered in a gratin fashion on a bed of sauteed sliced onions then topped with a mixture of buttery breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan cheese.   With summer overload of squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant, I like to make a lovely Vegetable Gratin.  The vegetables bake into a tender bubbly casserole, rendering them into a vibrant melody of summertime freshness. The vegetables are beneficial to using uniform size, so the gratin cooks evenly and not yielding too much moisture.  Also, the larger the vegetables, the larger the seeds. In the recipe, I use fresh Roma tomatoes, straight neck squash, slender zucchini, and mini Japanese eggplants.  At the last minute, I scattered a few garlic pods in and around the vegetables to enhance the flavors.