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05:47:00 o'clock BST
Words to live by
I found this poem of sorts the other day and thought it was too good not to share it with all of you. I have no idea of who wrote it as there was no author attributed to it. Whoever it was, they are pretty wise!
Standing for what you believe in regardless of the odds against you,
and the pressure that tears at your resistance
...is Courage.
Keeping a smile on your face when inside you feel like dying,
for the sake of supporting others
...is Strength.
Stopping at nothing and doing what's in your heart
That you know is right
...is Determination.
Doing more than is expected, to make another's life a little more bearable,
without uttering a single complaint
...is Compassion.
Helping a friend in need, no matter the time or effort,
to the best of your ability
...is Loyalty.
Holding your head high
And being the best you know you can be when life
seems to fall apart at your feet,
...is Fortitude.
Facing each difficulty with thoughts that
time will bring you better tomorrows,
And never giving up...
...is Confidence.
The hedgerows around us are full to bursting with blackberries right now and it is a race to see who will get them first, us or the birds! My mother never liked blackberries. She said they always reminded her of those big black ants we used to get back home, and I suppose in a way they do. I don’t personally like eating berries with a lot of seeds in them, but I do love the flavour of blackberries. I used to make countless jars of blackberry jelly back home that we could take out in the winter months and savour on our toast and in between the layers of a lovely Victorian sponge. My Todd though loves blackberries and so I pick them for him. I place them on parchment paper in a single layer on baking sheets and then place them in the freezer until frozen solid. Then I pour them all into a large zip lock baggie. That way I can take out as many or as few as I need in the months ahead. It’s a smart thing to do. I made him this lovely version of fruit cobbler the other night which he really enjoyed. It’s very novel in that it uses up stale bread for the topping. You can use whatever kind of fruit you want in the filling. I just happened to have an abundance of blackberries that I wanted to use, and besides I wanted to spoil my Todd just a little bit . . .
*Grandma’s Fruit Cobbler*
Serves 6
People were very thrifty in the old days. They made use of everything, and nothing was wasted or thrown out. This delicious dessert makes full use of that ethic. All you need is some fruit and some stale bread and you’ll have a delicious dessert on the table in no time at all. Served with lashings of warm custard this is a treat that just can’t be beat!
1 cup of sugar
2 TBS plain flour
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup butter, melted
5 slices of white bread, crusts removed and cut into strips
3 cups fruit, approximately**
1 ½ tsp of ground cinnamon or cardamom
Pre-heat the oven to 180° C/350° F. Butter an 8 inch by 8 inch pan and set aside.
Mix the sugar, flour, egg and butter together in a bowl, combining thoroughly. Place the drained fruit in the prepared pan and top with the bread strips evenly. Pour the sugar mixture over the bread and then sprinkle the whole thing evenly with the cinnamon or the cardamom, if desired.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve warm spooned out into bowls, with pouring custard or scoops of cold ice cream melting on top.
**Frozen fruit that has been partially defrosted works great in this as does soft fresh fruit. Hard fruits such as apples should be partially cooked until a bit softened first before using. Well drained tinned fruit works great as well. Two 14 ounces tins are about the right size to use. Fruit cocktail is very delicious done this way.
Written by mariealicejoan Blog about this entry |
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That is a very different cobbler. Looks tasty! My grandparents alway had blackberry jam from Smucker's on the breakfast table. I usually do too!
Traci -
Enjoyed the poem. But I'm really salivating over the cobbler. I love fruit cobbler made with any fresh fruit, and yours looks and sounds scrumptious.
BTW, thanks for always being a kind, friendly voice...here and when visiting my place.
Fondly...Melody
http://slurpinglife.typepad.com/ -
This entry took me back to memories of my childhood. My mother would have us put on long pants and long sleeved shirts, tuck the pants into our socks and then we were off to the woods to pick wild blackberries. When we got home, our tongues and fingers would be a deep violet from all of the berries we sneaked in spite of my mother's directions to wait until we got home. She had some notion that the berries should be washed before being consumed. She would simply cook them on top of the stove with sugar and butter and at the very last, she'd add day old biscuits. I still love blackberries.--Sheria
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27/08/07 06:58
Gaz ;-)