Blueberry Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits

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On Monday Jake and I went to our favorite Reed Valley Orchard, we picked five and half of blueberries and ate about a pound or more of blueberries each. It was a lot of blueberries, but I loved it!

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Continuing with my summer list, I picked enough blueberries to make all the dessert I want and make enough jam.
Here is my list for blueberry recipes:
- Cobbler (done!)
- Jam (done!)
- Pancakes
- Muffins
- Yogurt parfait (done!)

Imagine the possibilities if I had two of these blueberry bushes.

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Homemade jam in half-pint jars and pretty bows = pretty presents. Jake and I were thinking of giving jams in 4 ounce jars as our wedding favors. That would be quite a production in our tiny apartment kitchen.

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Today I am having trouble with the lighting in the kitchen. The fluffy cornmeal biscuits look overexposed and the blueberry sauce looks like black tar. I took more than 40 pictures for this post. I am having a bad photography day, at least my hair is nice. (haha!)

The pictures don't do justice because this cobbler is delicious. I used only 1/4 cup of sugar, which enhances the taste of blueberry natural sweetness. While the sweet cornmeal biscuits make perfect complement to the juice blueberries.

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Blueberry Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits

Filling:
 1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cornmeal Biscuits:
1.25 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Combine all filling ingredients in a mixing bowl. Toss gently to evenly coat all blueberries. Spoon filling mixture into baking dish.
3. Whisk all-purpose flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in another mixing bowl. Use a pastry blender and mix in butter, cut butter until pea size.
4. Slowly add in milk and stir with a fork until dough forms. (May not need all milk)
5. Divide dough into 9 pieces and pat each piece into 3-inch disc shape. Distribute biscuit dough evenly on top of blueberry filling mixture.
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until biscuits are brown on top and filling is bubbling.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

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Hop Gallery Hop

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Friday night Jake and I joined a couple friends to downtown for Gallery Hop Lexington. It's an event that occurs 5 times a year when lots of art galleries in downtown Lexington open until night. I am not a big fan of art galleries or museums, but it was interesting to learn about local talents and look at others' creative work.

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I wish there was a food hop of Lexington.

My favorite spot was the Artists' Attic at Victorian Square, where artists get to rent out a studio and let their creativity flow. One painter asked if I would like to rent a studio for photography. That would be a dream of mine. A studio with built-in kitchen, where I get to make yummy food and take plenty of pictures. Someday.

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I like to look at an art work and imagine the artist's thoughts when making the piece. Then I think about what is going on in an art collector's head to make them purchase this piece. The definition of atheistic is different in each of our mind, yet there are certain art pieces that become the grandest of all. For me, I am still working on creating those master-pictures with my DSLR. In time, I will have my studio displaying all of my masterpieces.

What masterpiece are you working on?

Potato Beets and Bacon Gnocchi

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Last week I got beets in my CSA share. I never had fresh beets before (shocking, I know) and I was pretty excited to try them. The only beets-product I had was pickled beets from Oasis (my favorite Mediterranean restaurant over at Chevy Chase), and they were sweet and crunchy. I thought these fresh beets would be just the same, except they weren't. The beets tasted earthy, a bit tough and with a slight hint of sweetness. I almost threw the beets out when I remembered a potato-beets gnocchi recipe I saw from Cooking Light magazine.

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I never made gnocchi before, so this was quite the experience. As expected, all the gnocchi came out different shapes and sizes. Good enough for me.

I love the vibrant magenta color!

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Boil the gnocchi, sautee the beet greens (which I didn't know were edible), add some bacon and Parmesan cheese....Ta Da!
Thanks to CSA for allowing me to show my culinary creativeness.

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To complete our dinner, Jake made a green apple-walnut-grapes salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Yes, he made something in the kitchen! All due to a lovely salad spinner that we got at Ikea, it's the best salad invention after chopped salad. No more drying lettuce leaves in front of box fans (haha!).

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Potato-Beets and Bacon Gnocchi
(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine)

1 (8-oz) medium red beet with greens
1 pound medium baking potatoes
2.5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups vertically sliced onion
1 ounce freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 slices bacon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove greens and stems from beet. Chop greens and stems. Piece potatoes and beet with a fork. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
2. Peel beet and potatoes in to a bowl(when cooled, return potato skins to oven for crunchy potato skins. Excellent snack while making gnocchi). Use a potato masher to blend in. Add salt and flour one cup at a time into the mixture. Stir to form dough.
3. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and all flour is incorporated. Divide into 4 equal portions. Shape each into a 16-inch-long rope, dusting with remaining flour to prevent sticking. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece down with the tines of a lightly floured fork.
4. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a stock pot. Add half of gnocchi, cook for 2 and half minutes or until done. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon, place in a strainer to drain. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.
5. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon, cook until slightly brown and crunchy. Remove bacon, blot off excess grease with paper towel. If too much grease in the skillet, drain some until two tablespoons left. Add onion, sautee until translucent and brown. Add stems, sautee for 2 minutes. Add greens and gnocchi, cook for 2 minutes. Add pepper and salt to taste. Sprinkle with cheese.

Instagram Love

I finally gave up my not-so-smart phone and upgraded to an iPhone 4s. It was an instant love. Not to mention all the awesome apps that I can use to find restaurants, maps, blog, and more. Even better, I am in love with Instagram. A bit slow on the "look-I-can-take-vintage-photo" move, but it definitely brings in another creative aspect with photography.

Now I can take pictures of every meal I have and every place I visit, and them share with the world in a touch of the screen. Wow, I sound like I just learned how to use the Internet. 

This weekend jake and I went to Cincinnati for a friend's weekend. My iPhone and Instagram worked well in low light situations (beats my DSLR when I don't have a speedlight or prime lens).

Although some pictures I took from this weekend look like they are from an lost-and-found roll of film (remember those?)

It's more than aiming with my phone and click. Understanding which one of the numerous photo edit options takes lots of trial and error to create a life-like photo. Such small device with some genius photography mind can create this awesome app. Give it a try. You'd love it.

P.S. You can follow my daily updates at From Horses to Photography Facebook Page (Click!)

Red River Gorge - Koomer Ridge Trail

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Yesterday we went to the Red River Gorge for a 7.63 mile hike. Originally we planned for a 4 to 5 mile hike, but somehow we went a few more miles than expected. It took us 4.5 hours including breaks. We joked that this was our training for Appalachian Trail (2,180 miles!).

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Being an avid runner, I thought I would be in great shape for this hike. My gluteus maximus (butt muscle, that is) is still in pain this morning. Lola, on the other hand, was a great hiking champ. 

By the way, Lola just turned 6 years old and today marks the 4th anniversary since I brought her home from the humane society. I can't ask for a better companion and best friend :)

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During the hike, there was a few area along the stream and Lola couldn't get enough of swimming.

I can't decide which camera setting is more appropriate for taking pictures in the shade. On the left is "Auto" white balance and on the right is "cloudy". The pictures above (except the blue sky one) were taking with "cloudy" white balance, which made the green color more vibrant. However, the right one below looks like Lola turned into a Hulk-Dog.

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On to more stretching.
Tomorrow I will be traveling north to Cincinnati for a friend's wedding, updates from the road then! (follow my updates at here Click)

A Summer List

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Between graduation in May and starting the dietetic internship in August, I have a couple months of summer vacation. I still have my weekend job at the hospital, but I want to enjoy myself since this might be the last time I get to do so. I don't remember the last time I get to do whatever I want in the summer, maybe since elementary school. Growing up, my parents always enrolled my sister and I in summer classes, the academic ones like math and science. Even throughout college, I took summer classes. Well, this summer I am taking it easy, so I decided to come up with a summer check list.

1. Blog every other day.

2. Make something yummy every week.

This week I made Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

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3. Read as many books as I can. Follow my reading list by clicking on Goodreads box on the left side.

4. Take pictures everyday, if possible.

Picture from yesterday's visit to Ashland.

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5. Run 100 miles per month.

6. Pick strawberries (done!), blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and peaches. Make cobblers/pies/jams with these fruits.

7. Go to lots of festivals/events in the Lexington area.





What's on your summer list?

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Woodford Reserve

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Jake's friend from Wisconsin is visiting us this week, and we took him to Woodford Reserve . I have visited a couple bourbon distilleries of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail already, and Woodford Reserve is the best I have been to. Located in Versailles, Kentucky, the distillery is the smallest and oldest one in Kentucky. Besides its fine bourbon, Woodford Reserve is also a great photo op spot.  

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Although I am not a big fan of hard liquor, I love the aroma especially when we were inside the storage warehouse and the fermentation room. I know, I can be weird.

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During the tour I kept wondering how bourbon marinade is made, and what ingredients I would use to make it. Moreover, what can I cook with a bottle of good bourbon. I am sure many of you are the same as me, always thinking about food.

This reminds me of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Bourbon Factory.

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The tour gave us a detailed insight on how fine-crafted Woodford Reserve is. Not to be biased against other bigger name brands, but the detail and care that go into making the bourbon really makes the product different. According to one of the guides, tasting bourbon should be like "chewing" and not sipping or slamming the beverage.

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Besides the barrel warehouse, my other favorite scene from Woodford Reserve is the historic limestone structures. The buildings give the distillery the rustic feel to it. Definitely worth the trip to take pictures, and I supposed the bourbon.

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P.S. Like the new banner? There's nothing I can't do with Paint and Word :) You can now follow FHTP on Facebook, click on the FB icon on the left side.