Fresh Pineapple and Shaved Ham Pizza with Mascarpone Cheese

Thinly-sliced fresh pineapple and shaved ham atop a red sauce & mascarpone-spread honey wheat crust. It's the little touches that elevate a common pizza.

For other pizza ideas, please see my Visual Pizza Recipe Index. It's got categories for dough, vegetarian pizzas, pizzas with meat and, where this one belongs, savory pizzas with fruit. I've also got a Friday Night Pizza Night! board on Pinterest if you crave ideas for pizza like I do. Want to know how to use this blog? Click here.

I'm sharing a pizza today that, for a change from my usual pizza recipes, is a topping combo found in standard pizza joints. No Beet Greens & Scrambled Egg Pizza here. No Shaved Kohlrabi Pizzas. Nope, I'm keeping it simple today with ham & pineapple on red sauce. Except, as you'll see, it's the little things that matter. Little touches that make your homemade pizza just a bit better than delivery.

For this pizza my little changes are using fresh pineapple, using shaved ham, spreading a thin layer of mascarpone cheese on the crust, and using a honey wheat pizza dough.

Let's start with the crust. If you don't want to make your own dough--don't bother. It's a pizza, and if making dough stresses you out then skip it. It's pretty easy to get good pizza crusts in bakeries and grocery stores these days. I threw my ingredients in the bread machine and let it do the work. [I threw a different set of 'ingredients' in my washing machine and let it work as well. I love technology.]

Get some mascarpone cheese. This is what, the third pizza using mascarpone that I've shared this year? THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST FOR TIRAMISU. I've never even made tiramisu, but I frequently have a tub of mascarpone in my cheese drawer.

Use shaved ham. A very thin slice of ham gets crispier in the oven or on the grill, when compared to a standard slice of ham. That little touch adds texture and flavor to your pizza.

Splurge on fresh pineapple when it's on sale. When living in Hawaii I learned to tell a ripe whole pineapple (look for 'eyes' all the same size), but unless I'm grilling spears I buy the pre-cored fresh tubs at the store. Do I ever buy canned pineapple? You bet--great in a dump cake and a smoothie. Fresh is better on a pizza because it is drier and the heat brings out the sweetness easier.

With just a few little changes you can make a terrific pizza at home, better than you could get at a pizza joint. Aren't you worth it?

Eggplant Feta Casserole

Slices of crisp baked eggplant chips layered with feta cheese and smothered under tomato sauce. Served on a bed of spaghetti, this is a vegetarian casserole that will please the whole family.

Sometimes I've got a lot on my mind. Sometimes I don't have much to say.

This is one of the latter times. If you've been getting a lot of eggplant in your Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share like I have, then you may be ready for a new idea without scrolling through a story. If the weather is turning a touch cooler in the evenings like it has been here, you may even be willing to turn on the oven.

If you've got eggplant and you're willing to turn on the oven, this Baked Eggplant Chip recipe from our old CSA farmers of Blenheim Organic Gardens is a must try. I took it one step further and added a layer of feta cheese, because while living in Richmond, Virginia the Greek spaghetti from Texas Wisconsin Border Cafe was one of my favorite take out meals. I often throw a layer of feta between the noodles and the sauce on my plate when our family eats spaghetti just to recreate this memory.

For other recipes using eggplant, please see my Eggplant Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share.

Make Your Own Layered Taco Dip Bar

Set out skillets and bowls of your favorite fixings, along with plenty of chips, and let everyone make their own layered taco dip just the way they like.

I think this time of year is an ideal time to strut your stuff. Show off what you've been up to in the kitchen, show off the fabulous job your Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers or you cousin's sister's daughter* did in the farm or garden. I think a Make Your Own Layered Taco Dip Bar is an excellent way to do so.

A Make Your Own Layered Taco Dip Bar works for a variety of eaters and appetites. Vegetarians and omnivores alike can heap their plates high, and if you just want a nibble of a few things you're good as well. It can be an appetizer spread or a full on meal. Most of the toppings can be prepared in advance, making this as easy as browning ground beef and whipping up a Fast & Easy 3 Ingredient Bean & Hatch Chile Dip.

You can set up this concept any time of year as fresh vegetables--while delightful--are not integral to the spread. Preserved [I've put up 4 kinds of salsa so far this year] and frozen vegetables work just fine. A Superbowl party, an entertainment industry award event, basketball playoffs, the Stanley Cup . . . [do they do something for baseball?] or just because. Or you could just set up a Make Your Own Layered Taco Dip Bar for a family dinner, like I've shown here.

My brilliant friend Cathy, upon hearing all about the salsas I've been making, suggested I host a Salsa and Margaritas party. I love the idea! Right now is hectic--along with putting up the garden bounty as it comes in fast & furious, I'm spending my energy helping my spouse deploy. The idea of a party is a wonderful thing to clean the house for look forward to, so I've scheduled one for later this year. I'll provide the house, my Cheater Margarita Smoothies and an assortment of salsas [and dogs, I also have an assortment of dogs--but they will be out of the way with the kids]. I will invite my guests to bring their favorite margaritas, guacamole or salsa, chips, or dessert. Let me know if you host one!

For more appetizers, please see my Awesome Veggie Apps and Snacks board on Pinterest. For more Layered Vegetable Appetizers, please check out my Clickable Collages of Recipe Suggestions page and scroll own past the beets. Finally, because I started this blog not to bury Caesar my recipes, I've got both a Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient and a drop down menu of ideas on the right sidebar. Want to know how to use this blog? Click here.

Onion Mascarpone Grilled Naan Pizza

This easy yet elegant vegetarian pizza combines cream-tossed onions, feta and mascarpone cheese on a simple naan bread crust. Cooked quickly on the grill, you've got fancy flavors in a flash.

For other recipes using onions, please see my Onion Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. For other vegetarian pizzas, please see my Visual Pizza Recipe Index or my Friday Night Pizza Night Pinterest board.

While I am always inspired by the contents of my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share box, the freezer, the fridge, and the pantry--sometimes I get additional inspiration for a recipe while I am in the shower. Sometimes I am inspired by my email inbox. Other times it is social media. When the Pizza Cipolla from Karen's Kitchen Stories came through my Facebook feed I was intrigued, and inspired.

First, it caught my eye because it is a pizza, and I make pizza nearly every Friday night. [With a son in the high school marching band the 10-12 weeks of football season are a slight aberration.] Second, I happened to have 2 bags of onions lying around. It's August, I'm canning, and in a fit of 'what if I run out?' I sent said son to the grocery store for 'better make that 2 bags!' of red onions to supplement the pint in the farm share box. [Said son did not mind--he know he can buy a coffee with the change, and he's got plenty of room on his wheelchair for packages.] Third, I'd bought a bunch of heavy cream and mascarpone cheese to make this delightful Low Carb Mascarpone Mousse by Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food. [It is delicious, even if you're NOT looking for a diabetic-friendly dessert for a luncheon honoring someone living with diabetes.] Since I had the right stuff for a good topping, I was all set.

Except, as I mentioned, it's August. I'm canning tomatoes. [So far I've made crushed tomatoes, salsa, and pizza sauce. My plants are nearly dead--some weird brown leaf fungus this year--so I will end up bringing in the rest to ripen in the house and can later.] I had no desire to a) fuss with pizza dough or b) turn on the oven. Instead, I opened the freezer and fired up the grill. [Did you notice all the packages of naan in this photo of my freezer?] With an easy crust, I used Karen's pizza topping and added a bit more white stuff--mascarpone, feta, and shredded Italian blend cheese--to make a very easy, elegant, vegetarian pizza.

One thing I probably should have done--grabbed some fresh thyme. I've got plenty in the garden but walking into my backyard these days is kind of a minefield. [Not the 'you've got 3 dogs minefield' or the 'we've marked the cleared path and don't recommend you step off the marked area, Lt' minefields, either.] It's more like the If You Give A Mouse A Cookie minefield. If I walk into the garden to get fresh thyme, I'm going to stop to check the progress of the volunteer squash vines taking over the patio. I'll notice a few baby zucchini and make a mental note to pick them later in the week. Then I'll see a bunch of peppers ready to be pickled and scoop up a handful. Even though my daughter harvested tomatoes the day before, there will be more to add to my arms. Walking back into the house to get a basket I'd trip over the now baseball bat-sized zucchini and smash my face into an impromptu salsa. I chose to use dried thyme to avoid that fate.

Pot Luck Tabbouleh with Feta and How to Chop a Lot of Herbs Easily

Feed a crowd at a summer gathering with this vegetarian salad that shows off the flavors of summer. Packed with herbs, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, and chewy bulgur wheat grains lightly coated with lemon juice and olive oil this side dish can sit on a buffet table and keep its flavor.

For other recipes using a massive bounty of herbs, please see my Herb Recipes Collection. For other recipes using Cucumbers, please see my Cucumber Recipes Collection. For other recipes using ripe red tomatoes, please see my Red & Yellow Tomato Recipes Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, or the garden abundance. For another kitchen hack please see my Sun Gold Tomato Panzanella.

Normally I'm just cooking for our family of four so when I go bigger with a recipe that works for a crowd, and also uses the produce from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share, I want to share with the rest of the class. I've done it before with my Pot Luck Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad.

The First Tomato of Summer [yes, worthy of capitalization if you're like me and just don't buy fresh tomatoes November through June] needs something worthy to celebrate its arrival [then you can move on to the weekly Summer Tomato Sandwich]. I'd been eying my unruly mint patch and craving tabbouleh--oh, my mommy pronounces it tah-BOO-lee so that's what I say--so I picked up a package of bulgur and gathered my goodies. I followed the directions on the package and used Bob's Red Mill Red Bulgur (Amazon affiliate link). No sponsorship--I tell you the brand name because the recipe I started with came from the back of the package and because I'd never tried red bulgur before. Usually I buy it in bulk somewhere, and since I know the company name I thought I'd share. The product did work great, though, if you're looking for bulgur. I picked mine up at the grocery store down the street.

That tabbouleh was all I'd hoped for--bright and fresh with all the herbs, tangy but not gloppy from the dressing, crunchy from the cucumber, chewy and filling from the wheat. Plus the flavor of a local tomato picked when ripe and grown for flavor, not travel ability. /rant.

After the success of that tabbouleh I thought it would be good with feta, and with loads of herbs still to use I was looking for an excuse a reason to make more. Lots more. Cue marching band camp--filled with hungry teens, who arrived promptly at 11:30 each day and, like polite locusts, left the serving area decimated 10 minutes later. The band has both vegetarians and kids with sophisticated taste, as well as my kid (I shouldn't rag on him, but he's delighted with leftover concession stand hot dogs . . .). I knew it would not be ignored. One musician came back for seconds 3 times! That's probably not called seconds, but you know what I mean.

Spicy Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

A creamy soup of corn and sweet potatoes cooked in corn stock and spiced up with chorizo. A wonderful way to enjoy the bounty of late summer vegetables.

For other recipes using corn, please see my Recipes Using Corn Collection. For other recipes using sweet potatoes, please see my Sweet Potato Recipes Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, or the bounty of the garden.

One of my current failings with raising kids is my lack of follow through. [There's a corn cob connection here, but I'll meander first. Skip ahead to the recipe if you're squeamish.] I've got the "give your children chores" part down, I'm not always thorough on the follow up to see that the chore has been completed. Some chores are easy to follow through on--taking out trash, putting away clean laundry, clearing the table, walking the dogs.

My kids are in charge of emptying the compost bucket into one of the compost bins outside. Because an empty bucket comes back into the kitchen, I assumed the task has been satisfactorily completed.

Then I took Robert Barker on his morning walk and noticed what appeared to be chewed up corn cobs. Guess what? Corn cobs don't get digested, either. [That's the squeamish part, I'm deliberately being vague.]

Still, I didn't put it all together until my girl told her brother "just don't throw the compost, put it in the bin!" Aha! Apparently the raspberry canes had grown so much that he stopped bothering to lift them out of the way like she did. I sent him out with trimmers and now the path is clear and the compost is going into the bin.

Follow through--something I need to work on.

Sun Gold Tomato Panzanella with Mozzarella and Capers

Cherry tomatoes tossed with cubes of bread to soak up the luscious juices, seasoned with capers and marinated mozzarella. This salad is an excellent, fast, and easy addition to summer entertaining.

This tomato bread salad with mozzarella and capers makes a terrific meatless main dish in the summertime, as well as an excellent addition to a summer cookout or potluck.

It is easy to throw together at the last minute. Why? Here's a kitchen hack for you:

If you have unsliced bread--from your oven, your bread machine, or your local bakery--you know how hard it is to slice the last couple of inches? STOP DOING THAT. Cut it into cubes instead, and store those bread cubes in the freezer. 

Having bread cubes on hand comes in pretty handy. In the winter I make Panade, in the summer I make panzanella, and one of these days my son is going to make croutons on the grill. Or so he claims. Teenagers.

Besides the bread cubes in the freezer, this salad also uses cheese, capers, and vinaigrette that can all hang out for weeks in the fridge. This means it's an excellent last minute recipe--when I've got onion, basil, and of course the star of the show--cherry tomatoes.

When I get a pint of cherry tomatoes in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share I usually snack on a few bunch on the way home, then my spouse snacks on them if he's around--and otherwise they need a job. The kids aren't snacking on them. Throwing together a salad like this takes care of a pint quickly, though you can always use chopped regular tomatoes if that's what you've got. 

Now the photo above is this week's pint from the farm share. The tomatoes in the salad were from last week's share, and were all Sun Gold tomatoes (like the lil' orange one in the photo above). I just didn't get an ingredients shot since I was throwing the salad together minutes while a cake was baking and we were fixing to go to a cookout. A very last-minute dish, but since the cake took longer than I expected I snapped some photos of the completed dish.

Tomato Sandwich with Bacon and Avocado Mayo on Naan: Eat a Summer Tomato Sandwich

Fresh summer tomato with crisp bacon in a warm piece of naan spread with avocado mayo. What are you waiting for? Eat a summer tomato sandwich!

This one is tomato, avocado slices, fresh mozzarella, basil and bacon on toasted sourdough.

I feel slightly silly sharing a recipe for a summer tomato sandwich here, but I have to remind myself that an article in the Washington Post got me to try my first one a couple of decades ago. If I can move on person to slap a few tomato slices between 2 pieces of mayonnaise-spread bread, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and take a bite, I'll have passed along the summer tomato sandwich karma and be happy.

Now, I grow tomatoes in the back yard as well as get them in the farm share. I'm a little nuts about tomatoes because I think homegrown just tastes better.

Yesterday I spent the day putting up tomatoes, and I'm about halfway through the volume that my girl harvested from our back yard. Those photos appear on my FB page, but here's a shot of what I aspire to each August--a pantry shelf stocked with various tomato preparations.

No, the shelf doesn't look like this now. Picture all the jars hanging out in the basement waiting to return to service.

With all the tomatoes lying around waiting to be processed, you'd think the last thing on my mind would be a humble tomato sandwich, but you'd be wrong.

On sliced ciabatta bread with who knows what type of green stuff and fresh mozzarella.

I do not have fresh tomatoes in my house after the tomato season ends [usually the first frost sometime in October, though I'll have some green tomatoes ripening into November]. That means for 7 months out of the year I'm serving my family tomato pesto, tomato soup from home-canned tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce. I will miss fresh tomatoes, I know, so I set a goal to enjoy a fresh tomato sandwich each week while the season lasts.

With my summer favorite beverage--DIY Iced Chai.

I usually toast my Multigrain Sourdough Bread for sandwiches, but at Costco last week I picked up some of these mini naan breads which I opened like a pita. They fit in the toaster to warm up without heating my kitchen. Spread with some avocado mayo and topped with tomato and bacon, this is a delightful summer sandwich.

If you haven't tried a tomato sandwich recently--try one. Not liking tomatoes through your teens doesn't count. If you've tried fresh tomatoes into your 40s and still don't care for them--fine. Go on about your business. If you like tomato sandwiches--set a goal to enjoy one each week during the season.

No one ever says on New Year's Eve 'I ate too many summer tomato sandwiches this year'.

Banana and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

A whole wheat muffin that's delightfully delicious--peanut butter, banana and chocolate chips turn this from humdrum whole grain to a sweet treat.

A few weeks ago I helped out a bit feeding the locusts musicians at marching band camp. I don't mean to call the kids insects--but when 100 of them go through the serving lines in 10 minutes . . . well, what else would you call them? You may recall last year when they demolished Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Ice Cream Sandwiches. I sure do. This year I also made some food--Potluck Tabbouleh will be up at some point--but I got to take home a real treat--leftover bananas.

I'm firmly in the camp of not liking to eat really ripe bananas. I can handle a spot or two, but I really prefer a bit of green at the top of the stem if I'm going to peel and eat it. However, I will take extra bananas any day--they are so useful and easy to store!

I just throw my ripe bananas in the freezer (nestled here with aquavit, unagi and our newest cow--link to 106 Ground Beef Recipes if you also need ideas). When I am ready they thaw in about 15 minutes on the countertop and we're good to go. I'm using them in PB/Spinach/Banana/Yogurt smoothies but I realized I hadn't posted my standard banana muffin recipe here. Time to remedy that. This recipe is from my muffin bible/font of all muffin inspiration in my kitchen: Muffins: A Cookbook (Amazon affiliate link) by my mom's classmates.

Before I get to the recipe, though--I've got some other suggestions for what to do with leftover ripe bananas. Luschka of Keeper of the Kitchen has a round up of 45 Things to Do with Ripe Bananas which you ought to check out. Emilie of Oh My Sugar High has a round up of 35 of the Best Banana Recipes. I've got a few in my Banana Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.

How We Eat in the Summer

 How do food bloggers really eat in the summer? I polled a bunch yesterday and created a round up of favorite summer dishes to help you through the dog days of summer!

Originally I was going to write a post about how I eat in the summer. The plate above is a prime example--a bit of beet and goat cheese spread, some garlic scape pistachio pesto hummus, and a yellow squash version of zucchini pancakes. All are made ahead of time, and combined with some quick pickled vegetables, olives, cheese, meat and crackers.

Then I got to thinking--this will be a pretty boring post if it's just my favorite sampler plates [above is potluck tabbouleh, grilled green beans, hummus and mini naan bread with salami, feta, olives and the first sun gold cherry tomatoes from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share]. Since my goal is to be a resource for folks eating from the farm share, the farmer's market and generous gardens, I figured I should offer a wider array of options. So I asked a few food blogger friends to share their favorite summer dish, and I've got them for you below. Such a colorful array of food! [links appear below the collage, left to right, top to bottom]

Spiralized Zucchini with Pesto Tomatoes and Corn by Laura of Mother Would Know

Tomato Salad with Thyme and Honey by Donna of Cookistry

Lemon Asparagus Pasta Salad with Cucumber and Feta by Jenn of Peas and Crayons

Kale Pesto by Gwinn of Swirls of Flavor

Grilled Zucchini Tacos with Mexican Street Corn Salsa by Taylor of Greens n Chocolate

Paleo Shrimp Scampi by Lindsay of The Lean Green Bean

White Acre Pea and Corn Salad by Robin of Simply Southern Baking

Korean BBQ Zoodle Stir Fry Bowl by Margaret of The Plant Strong Vegan

Grilled Green Vegetable Salad by Kelly of Tasting Page

Vegan Summer Pizza with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes and Basil by Karen of Kitchen Treaty

Low Carb Smoked Turkey 'Sandwiches' by Tracey of The Kitchen Is My Playground

Healthy No Bake Cheesecake Cups by Arman of The Big Man's World

Peach Caprese Salad by Joy of The Joyful Foodie

Fruit Salad with Tomato by Dorothy of Shockingly Delicious

Salmon and Heirloom Tomato Farro Bowl by Meredith of In Sock Monkey Slippers

Rainbow Sherbet by Rachel of Baked by Rachel

Vermont Meets New Jersey Ultimate Cobb Salad by Brianne of Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Egg Potato Green Bean Salad by Tara of Noshing with the Nolands

Time of the Tomato by Meghan of Clean Eats Fast Feets

Savory Sweet Summer Rolls by Kristina of SpaBettie

Creamy Corn Penne with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes by Izzy of She Likes Food

Creamy Sweet and Spicy Corn Salad by Christine of Cook the Story

Coconut Cream Fruit Dip by Amber of Dessert Now Dinner Later

Cherry, Grilled Corn and Quinoa Salad by Liz of Floating Kitchen

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini with Shrimp by Taylor of Food Faith Fitness

Thai Green Curry with Summer Vegetables by Laura of The Spiced Life

Broccoli Salad by Michele of Flavor Mosaic



I was delighted to notice that the majority of dishes are vegetable-centric. Eating food when it's picked at the point of ripeness and especially if it's been grown close by means that you're eating food  with as much flavor as possible. And that's always a Good Thing.

I have to admit, though, that your first corn on the cob after you get your braces off is one of THE BEST summer dishes. Ever! Just ask my girlie.

There ya have it--a round up of summer dishes that us food bloggers crave. What do you crave?

For even more recipe ideas, please check out my Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. It's arranged from Acorn Squash Recipes to Zucchini Recipes and many types of fruits and vegetables in between.

Wondering where my Friday Night Pizza Night recipe is? Check out the Visual Pizza Recipe Index for inspiration since I'll be grilling up something good for my honey tonight.

Wanna know how to Use This Blog? Click here.

Spicy Korean-sauced Corn & Green Bean Skillet

Nearly a Korean Succotash, this skillet side dish of fresh corn and green beans is spiced up with a teriyaki and gochujang sauce.

Moving to Ohio I understood that I'd be living in a more rural area. Shoot, I drive past 3 farms just taking my daughter to sewing school [she made a medieval dress last week at camp--how cool is that?].

This fact reminds me of when I joined the Air Force to see the world. This suburbanite drove past 13 barns (!) en route to work each day. Quite a shift from the beltway and subway commutes I'd been used to, so I'd say I did see more of the world even before moving overseas and deploying.

What I hadn't expected in Ohio, and what was a happy surprise, was all the farm produce that appears every summer in addition to our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. There's a wagon with a red striped awning that parks next to a Tim Horton's with produce each week. A flat trailer that appears with corn in a shady area of a strip mall lot. A 'peach truck' I just heard about from a fellow band parent (but haven't seen yet--saving that for next year). And of course our local farmer's market, a few blocks down the street on Saturday mornings. Thanks to these folks I am able to squirrel away plenty of corn for winter while still enjoying some ears fresh.

note to self--get a pedicure before next farm share box photo

For more recipes using corn, please see my Recipes Using Corn Collection. For more using green beans, please see my Green Bean Recipes Collection. These are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the abundance of fresh produce in my community, and from generous neighbors. I'm on a Corn Sweet Corn Pinterest board with loads of ideas from around the web, follow that for more ideas or follow me in general for all of my pins. Want to know how to use this blog? Click here.

Blueberry Breakfast Cobbler with Grits

Blueberries, fresh or frozen, in a sweetened filling layered under a topping of grits?! Here's a breakfast or brunch treat that is sweet enough for a dessert and hearty enough to start your day. 

Make the most of what you've got is my near-daily kitchen mantra.  I was inspired to buy a canister of quick-cooking grits for a side dish, but my family didn't go for the finished product at all, and I was left with an open canister of perfectly good grits.

Aside to grits lovers:  I know grits are good--I like them! My folks now live in a place where breakfast is provided, and when grits are on the menu mom pops back up to their apartment and fetches a package of pepper jack cheese to make her grits cheesy. Apple . . . tree . . . I know!

My family members didn't spend years working across the street from the Museum of the White House of the Confederacy, however, and in addition to not loving grits these family members don't share in my love for collard greens either, so all the more for me.  Except I didn't want to eat most of a canister of grits all by myself, so I started searching for other ways to use them.  This recipe was inspired by combining this blueberry cobbler filling (that my daughter found on the internets) with this coffee cake topping (that I found on the internets). Since dessert teamwork works well in our household, my daughter prepared the filling while I prepared the topping.

The topping ended up kind of heavy for a dessert--if you're looking for a light pillowy dumpling to absorb your blueberry goodness, try the Brown Eyed Baker where we found the filling inspiration.  This was a sturdier, chewier, heartier topping, which is why I let my daughter eat a bowl for breakfast the next morning.  I know there's a ton of sugar in it, and it will never become a staple breakfast or even dessert in my home, but the combination of grits and blueberries really is tasty, so it's worth having as an option for a brunch.

For other recipes using blueberries, please see my Blueberry Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. For other dessert ideas, there's a drop down menu on the right sidebar with ideas. For more ideas using fruit, I've got a Fruit Board on Pinterest, and I share some creations on my FB page. Want to know how to Use this Blog? Click here!