Marionberry Cobbler

Yesterday I had a bad night.  Replaying it in my head, however, I could see it as a wonderful romantic-comedy movie.  Here’s what happened in my head: A slender woman leaves work, enduring a rainstorm as she tries to get to her car.  She’s in a hurry, as she’s late to a meeting.  Suddenly, while trying to put her hood on her head, to protect herself from the wind and rain, she trips on the curb.  As she falls on her knees, she feels the tremendous pain from the cement.  A moment later, she realizes that the warm sensation trickling down her leg is blood.  All of a sudden, she feels the warmth of a strong hand helping her up.  She looks up to see this stranger helping her in her moment of need.  She locks eyes with a handsome, young man.  Cue romantic music.

Okay, so what really happened.

1.  I stayed late after school so some students could make up a test.

2.  At 5:15 P.M., my last student left.  I was beginning to freak out because I had to pick up Matthew from the sitter by 5:30.

3.  It was very rainy and windy outside.

4.  As I walked out to the poorly lit parking lot, I tried putting my hood over my head, concentrating on that, and not where I was going.

5.  I tripped over a curb and fell onto my knees, scraping them badly.

6.  A parent from the parking lot yelled, “Are you okay?”  Sheepishly I said yes, as I hobbled painfully on a bruised foot to the car, trying not to cry.

I am thankful for two things.  One, it happened after school hours, so it is very unlikely that any of my high school students saw me, and two, it happened after school hours, so it is unlikely that any of my co-workers saw me. 

My husband came to my rescue though, being my knight in shining armor.  He helped me rinse off the wound and take out as many of the pebbles and small rocks that were imbedded in the skin.  He even made dinner for me and watched Matthew as I tried to act all brave.  And later in the evening, as I was lying on the couch elevating my ankle, (which I think I mildly sprained, as it swelled and bruised) he brought me my cold compress–a gallon of milk.  I am sure I gave him a weird look, because he said, “What?  It’s cold.” 
He then came back with a bag of frozen blackberries.  About half an hour later, I realized those blackberries would be perfect in a dessert, so this morning, I put them in a cobbler.  And with the rain beating down all day today, and my wounds trying to heal, it was a nice comfort.  I remember my grandmother making this dish for me, and whatever was going on in my life at the time seemed to melt away with each bite. 

This cobbler is so simple, yet so delicious.  It fills the whole house with the smell of sweet, baked fruit.  When Eric came home from work, it was the first thing he laid his eyes on.  And he wanted to eat it before dinner, but I said it wouldn’t set a good example for our one-year-old.   So if you’re a berry lover (of any kind), a cobbler lover, or just a dessert lover, this recipe will not disappoint.  You could make it with fresh or frozen berries.  You could make it with tart or sweet berries.  You could serve it with ice cream or whipped cream.  Me, personally, I just add milk.  Enjoy! xoxo

Marionberry Cobbler

printable recipe

½ c butter

1 c flour

2 t baking powder

1 c sugar

1 c milk

½ t salt

1 quart (4 c) marionberries, fresh or frozen

Additional sugar ( ½ c – 1 c)

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  As the oven heats up, place the butter in a 7 x 11-inch baking pan and place in the oven to melt.  (Watch so you don’t burn it!) 

 In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, milk, and salt until combined.  (It will be a little lumpy, and that’s okay.  Make sure there are no traces of flour though.)  Rinse the berries.

 Once the butter is melted, take out of the oven and place the flour mixture on top.  Then pour the marionberries on top.  Add the remaining sugar, depending how sweet or tart you want the cobbler.  (The dough will rise over the berries during baking.)

 Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the tops of the cobbler are golden brown.  Cool slightly before serving.  Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or cold milk.

 Serves 6 happily.