Up until today it still felt like summer…so much so that one day last week when I went out to feed the fish in the pond – I encountered a LARGE snake on the deck. I can only imagine he was out there sunning himself as the temperature was in the upper 90′s. I got about 3 steps onto the deck and heard this strange rustling sound – and there about 6 feet in front of me was this snake – looked to be about 4 feet long – gliding across the deck towards the house.   When he got to the edge of the deck he fell over and disappeared in the crack that’s between the house and the deck floor. I just froze – first off I couldn’t believe I was seeing a snake and secondly, couldn’t think of anything to do. Don’t think the snake was poisonous as it was totally black, so my best guess – being in a frozen state of mind – was that it was probably a coach whip. Haven’t seen it since – but you can bet I’m on the lookout.

With fall upon us and winter not far behind, going to have to start thinking about winter foods. All those dishes we enjoy in the winter but for some reason aren’t quite as tasty in the summer. One of our favorites is cheeseburger pie. This is a really simple dish using ground hamburger and a biscuit mix. I’ll be posting that recipe plus a couple more next few weeks. In the meantime, if you like lemons, check out the Lemon Chess Pie recipe on I Can’t Believe It’s Sugar Free. It’s an old-time favorite and I’ve put up two versions. On for making a traditional pie using sugar and the other sugar free using Splenda. Enjoy!

We didn’t have to go far to get more than enough for me to make a cobbler.  The oak  by the carport had a carpet of blackberries under it –  all just laying there for the picking.  I have lived here long enough to know that you wear high-top boots, carry a long stick and wear gloves when picking berries.  Even with the berries literally being right on top of the ground I didn’t want to take any chances that I might come face to face with a snake.

The following is my recipe for a quick, tasty no-sugar-added  blackberry cobbler.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  You will need a deep casserole or pie pan in which to bake the cobbler.  You’ll also need  1 Pillsbury Pie Crust; 3-4 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen), 1 cup Splenda, 1 teaspoon lemon OR lime juice, 1 tablespoon corn starch. 

Make sure the blackberries are clean and bug-free if you are using fresh – then mix in a large bowl with the lemon or lime juice, Splenda and corn starch.  Fold the berries and other ingredients carefully so as to not break the berries  apart.  Pour this mixture into the casserole (about quart size) or deep pie pan.  Spread the mixture out evenly.  Next place the pie crust over the berries making sure it extends all the way to the edge.  You can then fold the excess dough under or trim it off.   If you are baking the cobbler  in a pie pan, you can cover the edges with foil to prevent them from  burning.   To get a nice color or crunch on the top crust, you may want to do one of the following:   sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar on the top; brush with egg wash or melted butter.    Don’t  forget to cut a few slits in the top to allow the steam to escape.  Place cobbler on a cookie sheet (helps in clean-up if  juice boils over) and bake for about 30-45 minutes.  Since oven temperatures may vary – check on the cobbler after the first 20 minutes about every 3-5 minutes for doneness.   

Once your cobbler is done, you can serve with a scoop of Sugar-free Blue Bell Vanilla ice cream – or if you’re not in Texas – your sugar-free ice cream of choice.    The leftovers reheat nicely in the microwave the next day.  I don’t think you’ll have to worry about anything leftover after the second day.

To make this delicious and delightful-to-look-at dish, begin by cleaning a quart of strawberries, cutting them into small bite-sized pieces.  (Retain a couple of whole strawberries if you want to use them as a garnish.)  Mix the chopped strawberries   with a container of store bought (sugar-free) strawberry glaze.   Glaze can usually be  found in the produce section.   Cover and store strawberries in the ‘fridge.  This mixture will keep for well over a week.   Although our glazed strawberries have never made it past  a week. 

Next, prepare the ice cream.  Use approximately 1/2 cup sugar-free ice cream (Blue Bell, of course!) per serving.  To give this dessert it’s own special  flavor I’m sharing my secret ingredient with you.  In a separate bowl mix the ice cream with 1/4 teaspoon orange flavor for each cup of  ice cream used.  Mix the flavoring into the ice cream until ice cream has the consistency of  ‘soft-serve’.  Replace the flavored ice cream in the freezer until you are ready to prepare the desserts.   I know adding the orange  flavor doesn’t sound like a big deal  and may even sound strange –  but trust me, you’ll be amazed at the difference in the overall flavor.  

Have a container of Cool Whip, Reddi-Whip or Splenda powdered sugar on hand for topping.  Recipe for Splenda ‘powdered sugar’ can be found in the Apple Strudel post.

When  ready to assemble this delicious dessert  have plates, spoons, and ingredients lined up and  ready to go.  Lightly toast the waffle or waffle portions.  Place toasted waffles on plate,  place scoop of  ice cream on top of waffle.  Next put your whipped topping of choice on top of  ice cream.  Then spoon glazed strawberries over the top.  Get creative and artistic with the placement of the drips and have some fun.  You can garnish with whole strawberry or  sprinkle small amount of powdered sugar if you like now.  Not necessary but makes  for a more elegant look.  Serve and enjoy immediately.