Almond, Oat and Flax Thumbprint Cookies

I live in Nova Scotia, a place where practically summery hot days can occur just after a snowstorm.  Spring is more of a concept here than a reality, a very short season bridging winter and summer.  This spring has been s-l-o-w to get going, with really not a lot of dependable lovely sunshine.  Anyway, I'm not complaining, in two weeks the Union Street kitchen will be 40 degrees and sweltering.  
You can well imagine my excitement when my friend Stephanie told me on Saturday that fresh local strawberries had been spotted!   One of the Union Street girls just had a beautiful baby boy and I wanted to bring her strawberry something, but it was not to be: my favourite roadside stand just had a big "sold out" sign on it.  Oh well.  I made up these really good thumbprint cookies instead.  They are nutty with ground almonds and oats and whole wheat flour (sub in light spelt if you like).  I filled the pits of them with blueberry jam that I made last summer and some cinnamon-y apple butter that my good friend Melissa gave me.  You know when you're baking/cooking/creating something and it turns out exactly as good as you'd hoped?  Maybe better, even?  Then you keep looking/admiring/eating it, thinking, wow, that's really good. I can't believe that I made that.  So here you go, and welcome to the world, sweet little Joseph.

Almond, Oat and Flax Thumbprint Cookies
1 C. Roasted Almonds
1 C. Oatmeal
1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C. Flax Meal (or grind flax seeds in a coffee grinder)
2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt

1/4 C. Butter
1/4 C. Canola Oil
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 t. Vanilla
Jam, Jelly, Apple Butter (it's fun and pretty to make different kinds)


Preheat oven to 350° and butter a large baking sheet or two.  In a food processor, grind the almonds until very finely chopped.  Tip into a bowl, then grind the oatmeal until it is a fine powder.  Add the oat flour to the bowl along with the whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, cream the butter, canola oil and brown sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth, then add the flour mixture.  Stir (or mix with your hands) until combined.  Roll mixture into 1" balls and place about 3" apart on the cookie sheet.  Using your thumb, make a well in the middle of the cookie and fill it with jam.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffed and firm.  Cool and enjoy.  These are great in your lunchbox (or so the kids told me!)

Daisy, how'd you get in there?

Blueberries

I just want to say thank you to whoever dropped off the beautiful box of wild blueberries on my doorstep last week. An unexpected and anonymous gift of the season's best is a wonderful way of reminding us of the kindness and generosity of those around us. I love especially that everyone is suspect, making me feel a little more loving to all my friends and neighbours. I'm going to pass it on, and maybe at the farm market this week, you'll buy an extra bit of something to leave on your neighbour's doorstep too.

Fresh blueberries are a real treat, and this is the truly Nova Scotian way to indulge:

Blueberry Gumbo

2 pints Blueberries, wild or cultivated (we're loving Lazy Brook)
1/3 C. Sugar
1 T.Lemon Juice
1 T. Cornstarch
a pinch of Salt

Combine the ingredients in a large, wide pot and gently bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and let cook a minute while you make the dough:

1 1/2 C. Flour (Whole Wheat also works great!)
2 1/4 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
2 T. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Sour Cream (Low-fat works very well)

Combine the dry ingredients. then stir in the sour cream to make a soft dough. Using a 1/4 C. measure, scoop up portions of the dough and place on top of the blueberries. Try to space them apart-they will grow together a bit as they cook! Cover the pot and let cook for about 25 minutes, until the dumplings are puffed and dry to the touch on top. Scoop out portions with a good measure of the sauce and serve with sour cream, whipped cream, or vanilla yogurt.

Raspberry Blueberry Shortcakes

Well, raspberry fever continues. We found a u-pick right down the road from us with wonderful, huge berries. I'm not usually a berry picker, but I wanted my kids to experience the torture, and much to my surprise, they had a great time. While their boxes were nearly empty, their faces were smeared with red juice and they had the look of truly satisfied raspberry appreciators. At first I was concerned that they not eat too many, out of respect for the farmer and the fact that we pay for them by the full box, not the full belly. The solution is to guess how much they might have eaten and simply pay for it.
This recipe is so simple, but unbelievably good. If you live in the Valley, the some of the finest cultivated (and Organic!) blueberries are available from Lazy Brook Farm (year round, they freeze them). There are also dozens of blueberry u-picks open right now, and wild blueberries can be found growing all over the place...just look down! Collect your berries, make the Vanilla Cupcakes, whip up a little cream and make this tasty dessert in no time at all:

Raspberry Blueberry Shortcakes for 6

6 Vanilla Cupcakes (or use your favourite scone recipe instead)
1 pint Blueberries
1/4 C. Sugar
1 pint Raspberries
1 C. Whipping Cream
1 t. Vanilla
Sugar to taste

Heat the blueberries and sugar over medium high heat in a saucepan. When they are juicy and bubbling (after about five minutes), remove from the heat. Let cool about ten minutes, then fold in the raspberries. Whip the cream and add the vanilla and sugar to taste. Split the cupcakes, top with half the berries and cream, then replace the tops and spoon on the rest of the berries and cream. ahhhh...