Monday, June 4, 2012

Mission Cobbler: Fail!

Missy, here. Or maybe I shouldn't admit that. I could try to post as Ruthy, only you'd probably guess it was me. Because Ruthy would never make such a dumb mistake as I made last week!

I'll share it with you just so you can have the joy of making fun of me. You're welcome.

:)

I recently watched an episode of The Pioneer Woman on Food Network. She made this delicious looking cobber. So on Memorial Day, I thought I'd make it and then share the recipe with you.

Ree's Blackberry Cobbler. Click here for the recipe.


I decided to make the cobbler with blueberries, since that's one of my favorite flavors for cobbler (along with peach). So I made the batter according to her recipe.




Then I topped the batter with blueberries. 


Then I sprinkled it with sugar. I cut back some on sugar since blueberries are so sweet already. I was so excited! I hadn't made cobbler in ages. I pulled it out of the oven and...


What??? It looked flat as a flitter! Didn't even look cooked. It was ghostly pale. Didn't look yummy and golden like Ree's. What happened??

Well, the flatness was a clue. I went to check the bag of flour. And yes, you guessed it. I used all-purpose flour!! How could I have made that rookie mistake??!!!

So embarrassing. I can't believe I'm even admitting this online--and sharing a photo no less.

It still tasted okay. Not great, but okay. We managed to eat it all. I even sent home some (the missing portion you see in the photo) with my son back to North Carolina. I got a text that night from him that said: "I'm sitting here eating blueberry cobbler, missing you."

I thought, how sweet. And then I got another immediate text that, oops, that message was meant for his girlfriend!! LOL Then he added that he missed me, too.

:-/

Oh, well. At least he was eating the cobbler and didn't notice it looked weird. :)

So, share you biggest cooking flop. Please, so I feel better about myself.

23 comments:

  1. Missy is all purpose flour what we would call plain flour? We have Plain Flour which you have to add a raising agent like baking powder or bicard soda and cream of tartar. And we have SR Flour or Self Raising flour with it already added.

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  2. Hmmmm...I'm mystified because I only used all-purpose flour when I back, but my recipes all call for baking powder or baking soda. I didn't know there was any other kind of flour. So I would have made the same mistake. What should you have used?

    And how about a peach/blueberry cobbler? Wouldn't that be divine. I think I'll make a cherry one later on in the week.

    Kitchen faux pas? Ugh I make so many but I can't think of a single one that stands out...other than not realizing the dog was jumping up onto the kitchen table when I was out and licking the butter. I kept accusing my daughter of snitching bits. Then, when we had company I made sure they got the last of the butter (dog slimed, but I didn't know it) as any good hostess would. The next day we caught the dog in the act of table grazing. I was purely mortified!

    :-)

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  3. Yes, Jenny. The recipe called for self-rising flour. :) And yes, Kav, wehn a recipe like that calls for all-purpose flour, you add baking soda and baking powder. So I really goofed!!

    And Kav, that's hysterical!!!! We'll keep your secret here. :)

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  4. Ah, Missy, my pet, let me just say that anything you make is delectable...

    Nay, let me go further and say that you need make nothing, my love. Nothing at all.

    And you are still delectable.

    Coffee, m'love? With a shot of rum, if you will!

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    Replies
    1. Wait - baristajack is here?

      Hide the rum...

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    2. Jack, you're a balm to my humiliated soul. I love that you're here to take care of me. I'll never cook again...

      (big sigh)

      :)

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    3. He was here?????

      Sure, while I have a gazillion and two sweet babies runnin' 'round beneath my feet!!!!

      Did you give him rum? We've got fake stuff to make Captain Morgan iced or frozen coffees... Oh my stars, ladies they are to die for.

      But not as good as Jack!!! WHAAAAAAAAAA!

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  5. My biggest goof (which I usually catch in time!) is to mix up recipes that are side by side in the cookbook. You know, like when German Chocolate Cake is in the left hand column and Devil's Food Cake is in the right?

    On Saturday I caught it before it was time to mix the wet and dry ingredients together... So I put the dry ingredients for the Devil's Food away until next month (another birthday) and started over.

    BTW - as we're talking about flours, I always use cake flour (Swan's Down brand) when I make cakes. I tried it several years ago and couldn't believe the difference it made. What other varieties of flour do you all use?

    And Missy, I KNOW you're a southerner when your normal flour is self-rising. I've only bought self-rising flour once in my life, and that was to make Mindy's Chicken and Dumplings recipe. I bought the smallest bag available, and I still have some left.

    Yup, just another rift in the Mason-Dixon line.

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    Replies
    1. I use the Baker's and Chef's 25 lb. bag of bread flour at Sam's Club. I like the higher gluten ratio... as if I don't fight calories and carbs enough, right?

      But it's probably better to use the all purpose for cakes... things you want lighter. I should stock up on some. I never use self-rising unless a recipe calls for it... And then I just add to my own and pretend it's self-rising. Usually 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder (and a little salt) to one-cup flour.... So if I need three cups self-rising, I use 3 cups regular, remove 1 1/2 TBSP. flour, add in 1 1/4 TBSP baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, more or less.

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    2. Ruthy, if you haven't tried cake flour for cakes, you've got to. You end up with a much lighter cake than with all-purpose flour.

      I use the high gluten flour from Sam's for breads and anything with yeast, and all-purpose for almost everything else.

      I'll have to try making my own self rising.

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    3. I'm putting cake flour on my list today. Trying it asap!

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    4. Jan, I'll be sure to try the cake flour, too!

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  6. Jan, I always keep both on hand. And actually, I probably make more gravy than anything! LOL So I would use AP for that. :)

    I have to admit that before starting this blog, I used more store-bought mixes than anything else! {grin] But since the blog, I've baked more than in the past. And the type flour used depends on how the recipe is written. I just need to be more careful!

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  7. Missy, I've been wanting to try her recipe for cobbler too.

    My biggest flop was as a young bride. I had learned how to make homemade fried chicken and chicken fried steak, but I had yet to master the cream gravy. I couldn't figure out how just a little bit of flour added to a little bit of grease could yield so much gravy. So I foolishly thought that you must leave in all the grease.

    Instead of cream gravy I ended up with grease gravy. Bleck!

    Lucky for me, and my family, I finally mastered the technique and can now make yummy, non-greasy gravy:-)

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    Replies
    1. LOL, Mindy! Grease gravy, huh?? I've made my gravy a little too greasy before. It kind of has a sheen, doesn't it? :)

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  8. My young bride mess up: I cooked summer squash, the yellow one? And when it was tender, I put it in the mixer and blended it into mush because the only squash I knew about was butternut.

    And I always mixed that, right?

    So I had this bowl full of soppy, sloggy, slimy, seedy mess instead of deliciously steamed yellow squash.

    Doh!

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    Replies
    1. LOL, Ruthy! I can just imagine how icky that looked! But it probably would have tasted just fine. :)

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  9. I made cookies once that should have had corn flour (corn starch I think) and I used bicarb soda. they also had flour in them. needless to say they tasted aweful. I dont think even my cat ate them and he ate anything.

    Oh I boiled my second ever roast. I knew mum added water I just added a little to much and it was more boiled than roasted. needless to say I am not good with cooking.

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    1. Oh, Jenny, those are common mistakes! I bet you're not as bad as you think, kid. But I've done that same thing. Or not added water and burned the drippings black.

      No gravy.

      SO SAD!!! :)

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    2. Jenny, just think of your roast as a pot roast! I make those in the crock pot all the time. :)

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  10. My cooking disasters are too many to list here. If only they were limited to young bride mistakes!
    The best cobbler I've ever made was Paula Dean's Peach & Blueberry Cobbler. Yummy!

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    1. Well, I just love Paula so I will mosey on over there, Donna and see if we can't tempt Missy to try hers. Gotta go make coffee for the Texan!

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    2. Oh, yes, that's very tempting!! I bet it has lots of BUTTER! :) And also my two favorite fruits! Thanks, Donna. I'll look that up and try to redeem myself. :)

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