are we there yet?

just like the annoying little kid in the back seat, the little voice in my head keeps asking "are we there yet?" no i haven't lost my mind (at least i don't think i have), yes i am dangerously close to that point and just what the heck am i talking about anyway? the deadline to finish the book that's what. the thing is due on tuesday and we are hammering away at it trying to make it to the party on time.

all of the recipes have been tested (WOO HOO!!!) all of the equipment has been washed and my fridge is showing signs of emptiness (hard to believe). i even got on a scale last week and discovered that i did not gain any weight during this adventure (not so sure about the cholesterol count though). i almost feel like a sentence has been served and i am suddenly free. then it hits me, i still have to do the photo shoot...

last week was a blur, i needed to get the last 12 recipes tested and what a fun time that was. i tasted so much sweet fruit and cake/biscuits that i made myself sick. a salt lick sounded pretty good to me by the time i was done.

just in case you needed to know, this last chapter was a collection of cobblers, crisps and shortcakes-mainly fruit desserts.

first up was an apple crisp. here it is in one of my nifty thrift shop finds-an apple shaped baking dish. apples hold a special place in our family. my uncle (and coauthor of sky high) wrote a book on apples years ago and everyone in the family seems drawn to anything apple.

one of my favorite fruity desserts is a buckle. it is a cross between cobbler and cake. fruit is flavored and sweetened and poured over the cake batter. while it bakes, some fruit sinks and some cake rises giving it a buckled look and the name as well. this one is blueberry and peach with a cornbread cake.

blueberry skillet cobbler portioned out and on display in one of the many little coffee cups and plates in my collection.

and because i am who i am, i made the buckle again today using blackberries. each sunday morning, darry and i go to the ellington ag center to work in the demo garden (we are master gardeners and this is our project). when we arrive, i always have a cake to share with our fellow gardeners.

just because i am done with recipe testing that does not mean i am finished here. look for posts from the photo shoot.