It seems all we have been able to get is rain sprinkles, I do hope one of these days we get a good 1-2 inch rain shower! My flowers need rain desperately. At least it is supposed to warm up so perhaps I can get my window boxes planted. I want to have my four year old great granddaughter Lydia over to help me plant. That should prove interesting, she loves to be outdoors.


I don’t do as much baking as I used to but Pa Lloyd had a birthday and I had a supply of blueberries on hand so I made a blueberry coffee cake. It should have lasted the two of us much longer than it did. I am sharing the recipe with you, hope that you will like it too. It did not need any glaze or even a sprinkle of powdered sugar.


Blueberries and Cream coffee cake


1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh blueberries


Streusel filling
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon  Mix together and set aside.


In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes, add eggs, one at a time beating well after each, beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in blueberries.  Spoon half of batter into a prepared tubed (like a Bundt pan) , then sprinkle on half of the streusel mixture, then rest of cake batter, lastly the last half of the streusel mixture. Cut through the batter with a knife to swirl the brown sugar mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. You can dust with powdered sugar before serving if you wish.


Have a great week and stay safe!

​It looks like we have another week of cool weather so a soup recipe will still hit the spot!  Even though it has been cool and cloudy the birds in our neighborhood have been very vocal in the morning, singing their little hearts out! We have a chickadee busy building a nest in our out door old fashioned water pump. they have done this other years and then fuss at us when we sit outdoors, too close for their comfort!
Asparagus says spring to me, I had some last week that tasted so good, my favorite way to fix it is to roast it but we like this soup too!
 
Cream of Asparagus Soup
 
2 # asparagus
6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
6 Tablespoons flour
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1 Tablespoon dill weed
salt and pepper
 
Break off asparagus bottoms and discard, cut off tips into 2 inch pieces. Melt butter , add cut up asparagus and onion . Cook 8-10 minutes, reserve tips of asparagus. Add flour. blend and cook 1 minute, add broth, cook 10 minutes. Puree in small batches in blender , return to pan add half and half, dill week, salt and pepper, reheat gently then add the asparagus tips. Serve hot or cold.
 
Have a great week and stay safe!