First Pumpkins

Even though the weather is still pretty warm here in Georgia you can tell it is fall because the grocery stores are beginning to carry pumpkins in their produce departments.

This young man asked for five pumpkins because he wants almost everyone in the family to have one to make Jack-O-Lanterns. When I saw this perfect pumpkin while shopping at my local Publix store I knew I had to take it home -- and no I didn't grow any pumpkins this year. I was a bit frustrated with myself about it, but when it was time to plant pumpkin seeds we had a pretty good drought going on. I don't think it would have been worth my time this year -- maybe next year.

Pumpkins are very attractive right now, but wait too close to Halloween and you will be left with knotty, ones. They won't be like this beautiful one in the photo. Its cost was $5.99 and I didn't think that was too bad for a large, perfect pumpkin.

I don't know if I will buy five pumpkins, but I know I will buy a few more and I will shop the sales and try to get them early. I will buy some sugar pumpkins and a couple more carving pumpkins. I usually also buy some small decorative gourds that look like pumpkins but (as far as I know) are not edible.

I always look for a well-rounded pumpkin that sits pretty and looks good on most sides. I want the stem to be nice and green and I don't buy a pumpkin that has flaws or dings. They tend to rot quickly.

I usually store mine close to the air conditioning vent in the kitchen until we need heat, then I move it to the coolest place in my house, probably my wash room and I will later use the carving pumpkins for an outside display. I know once I carve them, they won't last but about a week outside, so I will wait until Halloween is almost here to cut out a funny face. The sugar pumpkins will go into my Thanksgiving pumpkin pies.

Our pumpkin lover wanted to carve a face in the pumpkin right away. When we said no to this, he wanted to draw a face on with magic marker. Unfortunately for him he had to be content with drawing faces on paper that we will carve on the pumpkins when it is time. It is so hard to wait.

Surprise Lillies

The recent, long-awaited rain brought more than just a boost to our vegetable garden.

My sister went outside a couple of days ago and was inspired to take this photo of lilies that suddenly sprang up after the rain.

Her text message that she sent along with the photo said, "I am sending u some pics of some surprise lilies for ur blog when u have a chance to use them ... I don't know the real name ... I just know I was surprised yesterday when I came out and saw them blooming ..."

I knew what they were the minute I saw the photo because we recently had an article about Spiderlilies in our September/October issue of Newnan-Coweta Magazine.

Evidently, they are late-season bloomers that originated in Japan and brought to America during the time of Commodore Matthew Perry's diplomatic mission there in 1853. They understandably became popular in the south since they add a touch of brilliant color just when things are turning brown and gearing up for winter.

Red Spiderlily or Lycoris radiata, is also known as "naked lady, British soldier, surprise lily and rain lily." I know this courtesy of Katheryn McCall's Thoughtful Gardener feature in every issue of our magazine. I always look forward to her thoughtful and educational articles and I find that after almost every article, the plant featured (often not a plant or flower I am familiar with), suddenly shows up somewhere and surprises me with it's beauty or fragrance, or both, and I usually have to reread the article and look at the photos to learn more.

These perennial lilies have no foliage. The delicate flowers just spring up where they were planted and give us a treat for a few days -- a beautiful surprise.

Amazon Unveils $199 Kindle Fire Tablet, Targeting IPad

 

Amazon.com Inc. unveiled its Kindle Fire tablet computer, taking aim at Apple Inc.’s bestselling iPad with a device that’s smaller and less than half the price. Source: Amazon.com Inc. via Bloomberg

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), the world’s largest online retailer, unveiled its Kindle Fire tablet computer, taking aim at Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s bestselling iPad with a device that’s smaller and less than half the price.

The Kindle Fire will have...

 

To read the remainder of this article from www.bloomberg.com, click here. 

 

For similar posts, visit cjrlwebinteractive.blogspot.com. 

Making Funnel Cakes

It is officially fall and the fair is in town. That means it is time for funnel cakes -- a treat we only have when the fair (or one of our local open-air events) is going on.

This year, someone had the idea at our church to serve funnel cakes at our annual SonRise Church fall event. No one really knew how to cook funnel cakes but they were willing to learn. The attendees were glad we were willing to try our hands at making them because our funnel cakes were tasty and a big hit.

Luckily, we had professional cooks on the job. Richard and Zandra who own the local restaurant, Papa's Smokehouse, mixed up the easy recipe (which I will include below) and also came up with stainless steel rings that made the job so much easier.

I am not sure who came up the idea of using squirt bottles, rather than funnels to squirt the batter into the hot grease but these squirt bottles worked so well and made the job so much less messy. I think it was Kim, who led our team at the event. Whoever it was, is a genius!

Besides Richard, Zandra and Kim, we had Lucinda and Sandi ready to cook with utensils ready and aprons on. They set up the propane tanks and cook stoves under the shade of a big tree and soon the crowd was clamoring for funnel cakes.

Someone asked me if I was the expert who was cooking the funnel cakes and I told them I was the apprentice. That was certainly true. I didn't bring any skills to this job but I really did learn about cooking funnel cakes.

We did use a funnel to put the batter into the large squirt bottles. We first had to cut the tips off the bottles so more batter could come out at one time. Filling the bottles was a messy job.

You can see how the tops were cut to make larger holes.

When the grease was hot, we poured enough batter into the funnel cake ring, sitting in the hot grease to make a firm "cake."

We removed the ring and waited for the cake to show brown on the top side.

When the cake was golden underneath we flipped it and let it brown on the other side.

We then removed the hot cakes from the grease and let them drain.

There were variations of color. I think people liked them best when they were browned and crispy.

We then sprinkled powdered sugar on the cake that was sitting on the plate and delivered them to the waiting crowd.

People kept thanking us for cooking the funnel cakes and I think it was a novelty treat that reminded me of a time I helped cook donuts at a another community event.

I am not sure I would make these at home, but I really did enjoy getting outside and cooking with some very nice and talented cooks who all enjoyed making treats for the large crowd. It was fun and rewarding.

Here's the easy recipe:

1 box of Krusteaz pancake mix (mixed according to directions, 3 cups mix + 2 cups water)
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring for each box
1 tablespoon cinnamon per box

Mix well and batter is ready for making funnel cakes. Each box of mix should make around 24 funnel cakes. This will vary with the size of the funnel cakes.

Bears Week #3

Yes the Bears lost to the Packers 27 - 17. This was a real upset to all the Bears players and fans.

I was at work for the first quarter so I don't know what all happened there.

But I was home for part of the second quarter and all I seen was a lot of dropped passes on the offense line. That was really sad.

I thought after half time they would come back and play as a team. But that did not happen. The defense was there after half time but the offense wasn't. They really do need to get it together and play as a team.

Then in the fourth quarter Ulacher got an interception and I thought they would get a touchdown with that. The other thing that happened was the touchdown that was brought back. I didn't know it was called a fair catch at first until my boyfriend told me.

This was a really disappointing game for me to watch. I hope they get it together soon.

Garden view

This weekend brought some pretty dramatic changes to our garden. You can tell it looks a bit greener. What a difference a few rainy days makes to a dried up garden!

Our collards, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli look great but the most exciting thing is happening -- our greens are sprouting. It looks all green and fuzzy in our greens row.

There's no sign of beets, carrots, garlic, or spinach. Those take a bit longer. Our lettuce is beginning to sprout but it's only in the beginning stages. It will take a few days more to see green in those rows.

Here's a closer look at the turnip greens. The mustard greens and rutabagas look just like the turnip greens at this point!

And we have some cucumber blooms. We just might have a few late cucumbers before the weather gets too cool. We planted them because we had the extra seeds and were beginning to think they were not going to do anything. They look really amazing now.

I can also see some nut grass sprouting up in the greens. Looking at all the dirt that is showing reminds me that we really need to mulch. That's the next step -- plus the nut grass.

I am waiting for my order of bok choy and organic blue Scotch kale so we can finish our fall garden. They should arrive in the mail within the week.

Fall garden -- not much to see, yet

The photo of tilled soil, above, is pretty boring. This photo is from last week. I couldn't get out the last couple of days to take photos because thankfully, it was raining. I know gardeners all around our area were ecstatic because we have all been hoping and praying for rain for our lawns and especially our gardens.

I was just happy we finally had a good natural watering. It came just after we planted the majority of our fall garden. We had already added collards, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and broccoli plants and we then planted some root vegetables -- beets, garlic, carrots and different kinds of greens. We planted turnip greens, rutabagas, spinach and mustard greens, lettuce and arugula.

We still need to plant kale seeds but I can't find them anywhere! I have ordered some bok choy and red bunching onion seeds and they are supposed to be in the mail so I know we will plant them as soon as the ground is dry enough.

I really love the greens and I really hope we find some kale. I am thinking about ordering some heirloom kale seeds so that we can just let some of the kale go to seed, save the seed and plant our own. It is more economical. Usually Arnall's Grocery has plenty of kale seeds, but not this fall.

Most of the things we planted should withstand the winter. The greens, we should be able to pick before frost because they are fast growers. The collards should be really to pick around Thanksgiving or Christmas, at the latest.

The broccoli, carrots, beets, Brussels sprouts, and lettuce should survive over the winter and we know it is unlikely that we will get a harvest until early spring. If we plant some of these vegetables -- like the broccoli, beets and Brussels sprouts we should have a nice harvest after the first of the year. If we wait until spring, the weather will just be too hot for them and we won't get a harvest at all -- that is at least what I have heard and been reading lately.

We also have row covers, so if we get worried about a hard freeze, we will just cover our plants. I am always so excited about planting and I just hope this fall garden will be the best ever.

Healthy Popsicles

Here's a healthy treat -- and yes, in addition to being healthy it is very good.

You will need a popsicle mold. Ours look like little rocket ships and makes six popsicles. If you don't have a popsicle mold, use yogurt cups and an ice cream stick or a small dowel.

Mix 2 bananas, 1/4 cup walnuts and 1 cup of apple or white grape juice. Mix it in a blender that is powerful enough to cream walnuts. A smoothie maker is great. (We used a Vitamix blender.) Blend for a minute or two until mixture is ultra creamy, pour into molds and freeze.

Most kids (especially the one pictured above) won't eat walnuts even though they are nutritionally very good for you. Walnuts make an extra creamy base for treats and if you can make them as smooth as a smoothie, kids love them -- they also love popsicles, especially when they get to help.

You could also substitute almond milk or coconut milk for the walnuts if you can't cream them. This is a vegan recipe with no trans fat or milk products AND it puts happy smiles on faces, as you can tell.

My Revue on Stevie Ray Vaughan Soul To Soul!

Stevie Ray was born on October 3, 1954 in Oak Cliff Texas. He was the second son to his mom and dad.

Stevie's love for music did come from his mom and dad listening to music and going out dancing. He does have an older brother Jimmie that is three and half years older.

Stevie did get an education but never graduated high school. The school was giving Stevie a hard time about the length of his hair. So Stevie cut the back of his hair short but kept his bangs long to cover his face. But the school would not let up on him so Stevie dropped out his senior year of high school. 

At age seven Stevie had a Roy Rogers guitar and he was playing for the company that came to the house. At first Stevie wanted to play drums then he wanted to play the saxophone but only could get a couple of squeaks or two out of it. Then he decided to follow his big brother and play the guitar.

That is when Stevie would sneak into Jimmy's room and start playing his guitars. He would also listen to Jimmy's albums. Stevie would listen to Eric Clapton, B.B King, Chuck Berry and Jimmy Reed and more. He would sit in his room and practice his guitar playing the music.

Stevie's teenage years he was playing in clubs until two am then  going to school. But he was starting to fall asleep in school so he dropped out of school. He seen how good his older brother was doing with his band. Jimmy never graduated either. Stevie could play the music but couldn't read music. Kids would be drinking alcohol when they were teenagers and in the cars they would have a case of beer. Stevie played the rockabilly blues. He knew how to play that guitar so good. I just love listening to him on his solos.

Stevie had a great career with his music. But he was drinking and on drugs really bad. In September of 1986 Chris Layton called a doctor in Switzerland to see Stevie. Stevie was really bad he was spitting up blood, bleeding internally and if he didn't get help he would die with in a month. He had called his mom to ask for her help but she was not home. Eric Clapton told Stevie he would help him out with his drugs and alcohol problem. Eric had the same problem and tried to tell Stevie to get off the stuff earlier. Stevie did get clean   in late 1986.
    
On August 27, 1990 is when Stevie passed away in a helicopter crash. Stevie was leaving Alpine Valley in East Troy Wisconsin to go to Chicago. The Crash happened at about 1am after the concert. There was dense fog and they went into a 300 ft hill. It was at about 7:30 am his mom had gotten the news. By noon a shock wave went through the Texas capital and people where walking the streets in a daze. The tv, shops posted signs saying " We Love You SRV " . The city coliseum put on their sign "SRV R.I.P". By about 7:30pm  over 3,000 people had gotten together to mourn for Stevie. This is how much he has touch each of these people. They are all strangers and coming together for him.

If you like Stevie Ray this is a must read book. It is excellent and I only did a very short parts of the book. I really enjoyed reading this book you learn a lot of what happened to Stevie growing up and starting his career. I hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I did. I am going to leave you with one of his videos.

Track Almost Any Package by Googling the Tracking Number

Amazon addicts and people who obsessively track packages may know this already, but pasting the tracking number into Google and hitting search will bring up a link to go directly to the package status page on whichever carrier has the package, saving you the hassle of figuring out which carrier has your package, visiting their site, and then pasting in the tracking number there.

This trick works for USPS, UPS, FedEx, On-Trac, and a few other national carriers, but if your package is in the hands of a small company or a courier service, your mileage may vary. It's particularly useful if you have multiple tracking numbers from a series of orders and some of them are being shipped UPS while others are FedEx and others are USPS.

You don't have to care: just make a list of the tracking numbers and paste them into your browser search bar or omnibar and press enter to find out where your package is.

This post was obtained from www.lifehacker.com. 
 

Coconut whipped cream

 

 Here's something for those who can't enjoy dairy products but would just love something rich and cream for dessert -- coconut whipped cream.

I think it should probably be labeled "Vegan's Delight" because it has the richness and body of whipping cream but no trans fats and no animal fats. Talk about easy! This was probably the easiest whipped cream I have ever made. I have seen some really complicated vegan whipped cream recipes with tons of ingredients, but this was simple and quite a surprise. 

My recipe:

Coconut Whipping Cream

I used a hand mixer for mine but a stand mixer would probably whip it more quickly. I will probably double the recipe for our family in the future but I just wanted to try making whipping cream with coconut milk and I didn't want to risk a flop with more than one can. This does have a coconut flavor but it is not overpowering. I think it tastes more like whipped cream with a medium hint of coconut flavor. From now on I will store at least one can of coconut milk in my 'fridge to make coconut whipping cream.

1 can coconut milk (NOT the low-fat variety)

1 heaping tablespoon Confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Place the unopened can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Open the chilled can of coconut milk and carefully skim off the white, creamy hardened top of the coconut milk. Leave the watery "milk" for another purpose. (Use it in smoothies or other recipes.) You are basically skimming the fat part of the coconut milk off the top. Approximately 1/2 of the can will be left.

Place the thick coconut milk into a small mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and sugar and mix until it is the consistency of whipping cream. Store it in the refrigerator, it will not last long if it is hot. Yields about 1-1/2 cups of coconut whipping cream. Use as you would regular whipped cream.

This keeps better than I expected. The photo at the top was made two days before!

Plant tags have more information than ever

The other day when I was planting my Brussels sprouts, I glanced at the plant tag because I wanted to see just how far to space my plants. When I looked at the back of the tag I notice a QR (Quick Response) code and I was quite excited about this because I knew it probably would lead to a wealth of information from Bonnie Plants on how to grow Brussels sprouts. I scanned the code, using my phone and I was directed to the page below.

QR codes are like little gems all around us that are there to guide us to information on the Internet that is very useful. (Well, that isn't always true. Sometimes it just leads you to a website that might be a waste of time. At other times you can also see useful videos or get coupons. You really don't know til you scan.)

The QR codes from Bonnie Plants are a treasure trove of information. When I scanned the code (with my Android phone) it took me to a website that told me, when to plant, how to plant, what companion plants to use with Brussels sprouts, how to cook them and it even included a video to show me how to plant my brand new plants.

I only recently found out that in hot climates with early warm spring weather (like ours) you really should plant these plants in the fall to harvest in the spring. Had I scanned the tags on the Brussels sprouts I planted last spring, maybe I would have known they wouldn't "make" by hot weather.

You must have a Smart phone and download the free application to scan bar codes but I think the wealth of information from things like these QR codes are just priceless. If you have a smart phone, check it out. I love QR codes and though I wouldn't just scan anything, I will be taking advantage of all the plant information I can find.

Bears Week #2

Yes the Bears lost against the Saints final score was 30 - 13. This was one of their worst games. I know that it is only the second game of the season. This was a really sad game today.

The offense has to protect Cutler more. What I heard during the game was last year he was sacked 56 times. This was the highest number of sacks for last season. The Saints sacked Cutler six times during the game which shouldn't have happened if he had the protection he should of had.

The one I thought wouldn't be with it for the game was Urlacher. Because of his mom passing away earlier in the week. But he was there one hundred percent.

The Bears defense was really good today. They did keep the Saints from getting touchdowns and having to kick a few field goals. 

Next week we have the Packers to worry about. I just hope that the Bears straighten up and the offense coach get them on track for the game. I do not want to see the Packers win next week.

What I Came Home Too!

When I was at work on Wednesday I called my boyfriend on my break. He told me that he had a surprise for me when I came home. When I had gotten home I was just so tired and didn't want to deal with anything. Then I went into the bedroom and seen this rose and a card lying on the bed. That brought the biggest smile to my face. I couldn't believe he did that for me. He is the only man that has ever done something like this for me. That is why is means so much to me.

Not only did he buy me the rose and the card he also had the house cleaned for me.

I know I have the sweetest man. I love him so much and I am the luckiest woman to have someone like him. When he does something like this I know just how much he loves me. When we are not together I miss him so much. Babe I love you with all of my heart and soul!♥

Gluten-Free Bread on the Market

It can be tough for kids who can't have all the great-tasting foods that other kids can have. Wheat is just such a huge part of the American diet that when you are forced to make a change it can be a bit traumatic for those with food allergies and celiac disease.

There are a couple of new bread choices that have recently hit the grocery store shelves in our area. One is Rudi's gluten-free bakery and the other is Udi's gluten-free bakery. I was very confused at first and thought it was the same company. The names were so similar and both company hail from Colorado -- though one is from Denver an the other from Boulder.

When I looked in to it further, I realized that they were indeed two different companies. Rudi's has been selling organic bread for some time at Whole Foods Markets and have just recently provided gluten-free bread seekers with bread, buns, pizza crusts and bagels. They are known for using a low number of  healthy ingredients in their products.

Udi's is a newer company that opened in Boulder and they apparently own and operate some very nice restaurants and are trying to provide consumers with a good-tasting, alternative to gluten-containing products. I got the impression from their website that someone in the family has a wheat sensitivity. Whatever the reason, I can see a person using their old company name, even if it is eerily similar to a another bakery in their state.

Udi's does have a larger product line at this time for gluten-free foods. They carry breads, buns, bagels, muffins, pizza crusts and granola. I think the ingredients aren't quite as "healthy-sounding" to me but I haven't yet tested their products to see what I thought of the flavors.

One thing to consider, one of these gluten-free buns (which come four to a pack) come out to a hefty $1.25 a bun. This is very expensive compared to regular buns. We have the regular buns for non-sensitive members of our family and save the gluten-free ones just for our grandson. 

I am just glad they are responding to a need and getting some better-tasting gluten-free breads on the market. They can be purchased at Kroger and Publix in our local area. If you want to try them and the price is too high, download a coupon from their websites for $1 off.

http://www.rudisglutenfree.com

http://udisglutenfree.com/special-offers

My little grandson who is the wheat-sensitive one, didn't complain much when we took away his hamburger and hot dog buns but when we purchased some Rudi's buns he was so happy to have a hot dog in a real bun. He wanted to have them every day.

While our grandson is so over the moon about the buns, I can't really recommend one over the other at this point. I plan to do a side by side comparison at some point so I would love to include your comments on that subject. Just post a comment on my blog and I will include what you think. I can't wait to do a side-by-side comparison.

from www.bargainbriana.com...

Free Kindle Download: Marysvale

by Briana Carter on September 15, 2011

Here’s another FREE Kindle download to add to your collection – Marysvale.  Prices change often on Amazon so check to make sure this is still FREE before downloading.

Remember, you don’t have to have a Kindle device to read these novels.  In addition to reading the Kindle books on an actual Kindle, you can download one of the many FREE Kindle apps for a device you already own including:

• Kindle for iPad
• Kindle for iPhone
• Kindle for PC
• Kindle for Mac
• Kindle for Blackberry

Find thousands of FREE Kindle books ready for you to download now.

More about Milky Spore

This is the first year we have treated our garden for grubs and I am hoping that we see a long term benefit from treating with Milky Spore.

Milky Spore is a bacterium that when spread into the soil, begins a cycle that is supposed to eventually get rid of grub worms, especially the dreaded pest, the Japanese beetle. I would love for my green beans NOT to have lacy leaves on the top from Japanese beetles feeding on the leaves and the beans. But there are many benefits of using this product.

One is the benefit of being environmentally friendly. Pets and beneficial wild animals, especially birds, can be harmed when using products like Grub-X, but they are not harmed by Milky Spore. It works by infecting the grubs who feed on the Milky Spore after they hatch. The bacteria then grows in the grub and when they die from the bacteria, the Milky Spore continues to grow and there is even more bacteria in the soil for more grubs to ingest. In some reports I have read, the grubs can be controlled by Milky Spore for ten to fifteen years.

Another benefit is that you can rid yourself of some non-beneficial birds, like blackbirds (who fly in to feed on grubs and can also help themselves to other things) and a new pest to our area, armadillos who love digging holes in your yard at night while you sleep. They feed on the grubs and tear up your turf. Milky Spore will eventually control the armadillos by controlling the grubs. I've heard that you rarely see armadillos but they can really destroy a lawn. They are hard to control by any other means but when you take away their favorite meal, they will go where the grubs are plentiful.

Armadillos also carry some nasty diseases, like leprosy, and while it is extremely unlikely that a human or pet would catch a disease from armadillos, I have read that it is a possibility, though a remote one. Leprosy not easily transmitted even from person to person. I would rather have a disease-carrying pest somewhere else besides my lawn or garden.

We will treat again in the spring and then in the summer but I am hoping to reap some long term benefits from Milky Spore and I intend to keep a record of just how beneficial the treatment will be to our garden.

Deep-Dish, Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler

It was time to use the rest of my peaches, or freeze them. I did freeze quite a few plastic freezer bags full, but I had a request (by my husband) to please make a peach cobbler. Normally, it would have been easy -- buy pie crusts, cut up some peaches, add sugar, flour and butter and bake.

The only problem is that I can't use flour or butter now. So I had to put on my thinking cap and try to come up with something that would make everyone happy. This cobbler was the result.

I started out by making a crust for the top only. I think this is best when making a gluten-free pie. If one is put off by the taste or texture of the crust, they'll love the peaches baked in sugar inside which makes up most of the pie.

I used a deep-dish stoneware casserole dish, sprayed it with cooking spray and then cut up enough peaches to fit my dish (This dish holds almost as much as a 9 x 13 dish because of the height of the dish.) It took about 6 large peaches to fill the dish. The peaches will shrink a bit so I made sure they were mounded over the top. Then I transferred my peaches to a bowl. To this, I added 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of tapioca flour, which makes a great thickener. I then dotted the top with about five teaspoons of non-trans fat margarine. Some like to add cinnamon but I don't care for cinnamon with peaches. I save the cinnamon for apples. The cobbler was then ready for the crust.

I then made my crust, using the recipe below.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

There are so many pie crust recipes out there so use one you prefer. (You can also purchase gluten-free crusts at Whole Foods.)

1-1/2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup coconut oil (Coconut oil is solid rather than liquid.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

In a small mixing bowl, using a pastry knife, mix the coconut oil into the rice flour. Add salt, agave nectar and ice water, one tablespoon at a time until it all works together into a smooth dough.

Roll out the dough for the size of the pie top onto a sheet of parchment paper, using a rolling pin dusted with rice flour. Flip the parchment and rolled out dough onto the top of the pie and use the excess around the sides to make it thicker. The sides will become a bit browner and it is nice to have a thicker crust there.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes longer or until cobbler is golden brown. Allow to cool. Serve alone or with whipped topping or ice cream (if you have a problem with ice cream try coconut milk ice cream.)

Is this a healthy alternative? Probably healthier than a normal cobbler but there is still a great deal of fat and sugar. I am just trying to minimize allergic symptoms and give alternatives. It was very good.