By Staff
It’s here and I’m excited! The 29th annual Alabama Blueberry Festival Cookbook is ready to purchase from the Greater Brewton Area Chamber of Commerce.
I picked up a copy this week and am looking forward to trying some of the recipes I’ve found in the treasure of a book.
Many Brewton area cooks submitted recipes that are included in this year’s version of the book. It’s interesting to see just who submitted which recipes for the book. I can’t wait to try some of the recipes.
Not all of the recipes in the book are for blueberry dishes. Although there are plenty of recipes that use blueberries as a main ingredient, there are some other recipes for dishes that sound just as good.
Whether you enjoy blueberry recipes or other kinds of dishes, you’ll find something new to try from this book. Just to get your taste buds quivering, I’ve chosen a couple of recipes straight from the book to share with you this week.
The first recipe is a blueberry recipe straight from the kitchen of Arden Cooper. She submitted this recipe for a cobbler that could easily be made with other kinds of berries. Since blueberry is the theme, we’ll go with that version of this recipe.
Blueberry Cobbler
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups blueberries.
Melt butter in baking dish. Mix sugar and water in a boiler. Keep hot. Mix together flour, shortening and milk. Roll out on floured surface. Place berries on dough. Fold dough over one side and then the other. Cut dough and berry roll about two inches apart. Place in butter in baking dish. Pour sugar water over dough and berries. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.
This next recipe is one for a dish that is perfect for this time of year. The recipe was submitted by Rita Headley and is certain to be a hit at your summer meal.
Strawberry Layer Salad
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 c. crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
2 small pkgs. Strawberry Jello
2 (10 oz.) pkgs frozen strawberries
1 container Cool Whip
Melt butter in a 9×13 dish. Add 2 cups crushed pretzels. Press down to cover bottom of dish and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Cream one cup sugar and eight ounces of cream cheese. Fold in eight ounces Cool Whip. Carefully spread mixture over pretzel crust. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Dissolve two small package of Jello in 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Stir in two packages of frozen strawberries, unthawed. When thick enough, pour over middle layer. Refrigerate.
Sounds divine and I can’t wait to use this recipe for a great summer cookout. Although the recipe says it’s a salad, it sounds like a wonderful dessert to me.
This next recipe is one that appears in the book courtesy of Mary Johnson. This would also be a great recipe for a summer gathering. With all of the wonderful additions to plain ground beef, this one is sure to be a winner.
Country Burgers
1 lb. ground chuck or round beef
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. dry mustard
salt and pepper
1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tbs. butter or margarine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Mix together beef, milk, dry mustard, salt, pepper and bell pepper and shape into four dinner patties or smaller patties as needed. Brown patties in butter on both sides trying not to break them when turning. Add cream of mushroom soup and a tiny bit of water if need. Cook for 20 minutes basing and turning patties occasionally. For larger portions, use 2 to 2 1/2 pounds beef, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tsp. dry muster, 1/2 cup bell pepper, 2 tbsp. butter and 1 to 1 1/2 cans cream of mushroom soup and salt and pepper to taste.
If you want to get your Blueberry Festival cookbook before the festival, all you have to do is stop by the offices of the Greater Brewton Area Chamber of Commerce.
They are located in the City Hall complex at 1010 Douglas Ave. Each book costs $10 and there are plenty for the taking right now. Don’t wait until they are all gone or you’ll be mad with yourself for missing out.
Next week, I plan to share more of the blueberry recipes in the book in this space.
You’ll want to check back and see what’s new on the recipe list for this year’s book.
Until next week, happy cooking!