BBQ Corn on the Cob

I am by no means an experienced cook when it comes to BBQing. But this recipe was super simple and didn't take long to put together. I have to admit, I am pretty proud of myself for coming up with the recipe and actually executing it so well. The best part is, I walked away from the BBQ with my eyebrows still in tact! Seriously. This is a victory for me. If you talked to my best friend about my BBQing skills, I'm sure she'd tell you about the time I nearly blew up the BBQ at a condo we stayed at in Canada...

It was a gas grill and I was completely unfamiliar with how it worked. Being the stubborn person that I am, I decided to mess around with it rather than ask someone for help. With the lid still covering the grill, I turned on the gas. But I still couldn't figure out where the "on" switch was. Finally I found it. However, might I remind you, the gas was still going this whole time with the lid still on. So I had, unknowingly, created a tight enclosed container of gas that I was about to add fire to. Basically I had created a bomb. Sure enough, as soon as I clicked the little dial for the flame, the lid came bursting open, grazing my arm with flames and sending me and my friend jumping backwards. It was a miracle neither of us were seriously hurt and even more of a miracle that I didn't actually break the BBQ.

So now that you know just how stupid I am when it comes to BBQing, you can have complete confidence in this recipe being a no-brainer. If I can do it, you most certainly can!



**You'll notice I didn't add any measurements. This recipe is just a "season to your liking" kinda recipe.

BBQ Corn on the Cob

Ingredients:
corn on the cob, shucked
butter, melted
garlic salt
paprika
pepper
parsley

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and carefully place corn on the cob into boiling water. Boil for approximately 10 minutes.

Then remove the corn from the boiling water and place the corn into a casserole dish or large Tupperware.

Drizzle melted butter over corn cobs, making sure to turn the cobs as you go so they are evenly coated on all sides.

Then sprinkle corn cobs with the remaining ingredients, again making sure to turn the cobs as you go so they get an even coating all the way around.

Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

When you are ready to BBQ, make sure the coals aren't too hot. It's best to cook the corn when the grill is either still heating up or already cooling down after BBQing any other items you may be cooking. The corn can burn easily so be sure to only leave it on the grill for about a minute at most per side. Be sure to rotate and check your corn often! The idea is to just slightly grill the corn for the smokey taste. It doesn't take much.

Serve with a little extra salt to help the flavors really pop.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

Because I like to stress eat, and because baking helps to calm me down, it can be a confusing combination. I start off determined to make myself a dessert that I can consume in my stressed-out state. But by the time I'm done baking, I've usually calmed down and lose interest in whatever it is I've made. Consequently, in times of stress, a mountain of sweets begins to grow in our home, only to be shipped off to my husband's work. But this time...this time I think I might just keep the dessert around. This cake is a chocolate lover's dream! And if you're a fan of the ol' chocolate and peanut butter combination, you will die over this frosting! Creamy, chocolaty, melt-in-your-mouth goodness!!!

I apologise to my husband's co-workers. This dessert is happily going right to my belly!

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
1 cup cold water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly oil a Bundt pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the vanilla, oil, vinegar, and water. Mix until just combined. Pour into your prepared pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack. To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup nondairy milk
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream together the peanut butter and cocoa. Add the milk, and beat until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, salt, and vanilla. Frost cake when cake is completely cooled.

Blueberry Cobbler

It's that delicious time of year when blueberries are ripe and ready for the picking! I have been very fortunate to grow up in a house where we had a surplus of blueberry bushes and raspberry bushes. Every morning, I'd saunter outside in my pajamas, bed-head and all, and pick a large bowl of fresh berries for my cereal. More often than not my ratio of berries to cereal was grossly disproportionate. I basically had cereal with my berries for breakfast and preferred it that way. Naturally it comes as no surprise that one of my favorite summertime desserts celebrates these poppable little explosions of sweet-tart juices.

Blueberry cobbler is really not all that difficult to make. However, it can take some practice getting the sauce just right. It might take a few tries to understand how cornstarch works as a thickening agency. It doesn't instantly thicken up, but once it does, it's hard to miss. Although the recipe says to boil it for just one minute, sometimes it can take a little longer. So be patient, don't set your heat on high or you might burn it, and just keep stirring.

Also, this dessert is delicious either cold or hot. When cold, it tastes like biscuits and jam. When hot, it takes like warm pie filling. It's hard to go wrong with this dessert.

Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups blueberries*
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch in a pan. Stir in blueberries and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for about 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole dish; keep blueberry mixture hot in oven while preparing the biscuit batter.

Mix 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder and salt. Cut shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by 6 big spoonfuls onto hot blueberry mixture.

Bake until topping is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Serve warm and, if desired, with a little bit of vanilla ice cream on the side.

*You can substitute blueberries for several different types of fruit to make the cobbler how you like it best. Examples are: peaches, blackberries**, cherries, or raspberries**. Use the same measurement of 4 cups for whatever fruit you choose.

**If you choose to make a raspberry or blackberry cobbler, I recommend adding in 1 more tablespoon of cornstarch. Since both of these berries tend to be juicier, they need a little more cornstarch to thicken up the sauce.