Peanut Butter Bread

It's Spring, and time for picnics in the park!  Tired of the same old peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Why not bake this delicious peanut butter bread and pack your favorite jam to spread on when it's time to eat!  This bread takes around an hour to bake, so plan ahead.  You can prepare your picnic basket while it bakes so you'll be ready to leave as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Simply wrap it in tin foil to keep it warm until you reach your destination.  I hope you and your family will enjoy this rich warm bread on your next lunch outing. 

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
3/4 c. peanut butter
(reduced fat or generic brands are NOT reccommended for this recipe)
Your choice of jelly or jam

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add egg, milk, and peanut butter; stir just until combined.  Pour into a greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pan.  Slice and serve with your favorite jam! 

Blueberry Dumplings

It's a dreary, chilly, Spring day here in South Georgia; and I thought our family could use some blueberry dumplings to warm us up!  My Nanny Nora made blackberry dumplings when I was a kid, and they are equally delicious!  However, when making blackberry dumplings, you must thoroughly squeeze the berries in a cheesecloth to extract all of the seeds.  That can be quite time consuming, so these blueberry dumplings are a great substitute to the sweet treat I grew up eating. 

Blueberry Dumplings

Berry Juice:
1 quart blueberries (rinsed thoroughly)
1 c. sugar
1-2 c. water


Dumplings:
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter (room temperature)
milk

In a medium size mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  With a fork, cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly.  Add a little milk to make the dumplings doughy.   Set aside.  In a large pot, bring blueberries, sugar, and water to a rolling boil.  Drop dumplings in with a regular size teaspoon.  Shake pot after dropping several dumplings in.  Do not stir!!!  Once all dumplings are in, place lid on pot, reduce heat, and cook for about 20 minutes.  Do not open lid!  Shake the pot several times throughout cooking.  Do not stir!  Remove lid and let dumplings stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

*Tips:

1. Freezing blueberries?  Don't wash them!  Simply place them in a Ziplock storage bag and freeze them.  When it's time to use them, measure out what you need and wash them at that time. 
2. My Nanny Nora used flat dumplings in her origional dish of Blackberry Dumplings.  She may have made them from scratch, or simply bought them from the freezer section in the grocrey store.  Sometimes I make the thick, drop dumplings (above recipe), and sometimes I buy the frozen flat dumplings to use.  It's all up to you!  Try them both!  =)
3. I do not eat these with icecream, but I'm sure if you're an icecream kind of person it would be delicious with this dessert!  Try it and see!  I do remember Nanny pouring evaporated milk over hers at times.