Cooking with Hope

Delicious Light Blueberry Pancakes

1          cup blueberries, rinsed and drained (I use frozen berries)

2          cups Original Bisquick

1 ½      cups skim milk

3            tablespoons sugar

2            teaspoons baking powder

2            tablespoons lemon juice

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for the blueberries. Mix thoroughly with a whisk until thoroughly blended. Gently fold in the blueberries. Using a very large tablespoon, pour mix about ¼ cup onto hot greased griddle. I like to use Crisco lard sticks, original flavor. Cook until edges are dry and slightly golden. Turn and cook pancake until golden. Makes 14 to 16 pancakes. Serve with warm syrup or blueberry sauce.

Blueberry Sauce

2          cups fresh blueberries, mashed

1          cup granulated sugar

1            tablespoon lemon juice

1            tablespoon butter

In a small saucepan, mash the blueberries with a potato masher. Mix together all ingredients. Over medium heat, cook until boiling and boil for one minute. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot or cold from the refrigerator.

Blueberry Quick Bread

(I won a Blue Ribbon Prize for this easy-to-make bread)

2 ½      cups all-purpose flour

½         cup sugar

1            tablespoon baking powder

6            tablespoons butter

1            tablespoon all-purpose flour

½         cup chopped pecans

3          eggs

1          cup milk

1            teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups fresh blueberries

At least 4 hours before serving:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with vegetable oil a 9" by " loaf pan. In a large bowl, with fork or whisk, mix flour, sugar and baking powder. With two knives in a scissor-fashion or a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles small crumbs. Stir in pecans until coated.

IN a separate bowl mix together eggs, milk and vanilla until well blended. Pour this mixture over flour mixture and fold in until well blended. In a separate bowl place the blueberries and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over them and gently mix with your fingers until berries are slightly dusted with flour. Fold in blueberries gently into mixture and then pour mixture evenly into loaf pan. Bake for approximately an hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Quick Freezer Blueberry jam

3          cups fresh or frozen blueberries, washed and drained

1          cup sliced and cut up into small pieces fresh or canned peaches

1            tablespoon lemon juice

1 ½      cups granulated sugar

1            package Freezer Jam pectin (like Ball)

(Note: Make sure to buy no-cook Freezer Jam pectin for this recipe)

IN a large bowl, whisk together sugar and 1 package of no-cook Freezer Jam pectin. Mash the berries and peaches in another bowl until fruit appears chunky, add lemon juice. Pour the sugar and pectin mixture into the fruit mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed, about 3 minutes. Pour or ladle the mixture into 4 8-ounce freezer jam jars, either plastic or glass and let stand until set, about 1 hour. Cover and freeze.

Hope is a retired professor from North Carolina. She resides in Hampstead for the past 13 years, with her husband Vincent, a retired New York City Police Detective. She enjoys cooking and has been awarded numerous ribbons for her breads and has a Blueberry Festival prize for her blueberry cheesecake, which is presently being enjoyed by cruise ship tourists in New Zealand.