Oregon: Blackberry Cobbler

Or: How I Learned to Never Skimp On Fat

Straight Talk: Cobbler is gross. Yucky. Nasty. Why the heck would you ruin these delicious blackberries by turning them into mushy milk-addled versions of themselves? Look at these beautiful berries (California-grown, not Oregon-grown):

I toyed with the idea of making a blackberry-apple crumble instead, but it just felt like cheating. So I made the cobbler. However, like an idiot, I made it with skim milk. Without the fat, the cobbler turned to candy and was super-chewy. I found a way to make cobbler worse! I did not share this atrocity with anyone. Sorry, Oregon, I still think you're the best!

Note: JMN and I decided to use blue and green sugar on top. It is fun!

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Alaska: Tongass Forest Cookies

THE BEST COOKIES OF ALL TIME* For Alaska, I wanted to try Agutuk (Akutaq), which was described by the internet as: This is the most Alaskan of desserts, though only a few hardy travelers try it. Native Alaskans create this “Eskimo Ice Cream” by mixing seal oil, reindeer fat, snow, and berries. The ingredients are hand-whipped until they form a foam. Sugar is not traditional but adds fluffiness. This food was originally eaten for survival rather than as a treat, and recipes have been passed down through generations of Native families. Other traditional ingredients include moose, caribou, and fish. Modern variations often include Crisco. ASN, the party pooper, wanted none of this, complaining that she wouldn't be able to find reindeer fat. THE INTERNET defeats ASN. (She was unconcerned by the utter lack of snow in Raleigh, apparently.) So we decided upon Tongass Forest Cookies, which sounded positively yucky, and which the internet admitted had no origin story. But,

Oklahoma: Fried Pie

In case you were wondering, the only thing more American than fried apple pie, is fried apple pie with ice cream. This week brought us to Oklahoma where the fried pies are the chosen dessert. I found a seemingly easy recipe and was excited to dive in. That was a bit of sarcasm. I hate dicing apples and making pie crusts. This recipe had both. Regardless, I sucked it up and prepared myself for the task on hand. First up... Dicing the apples. Three apples later, it was done. Thank goodness... I almost broke a sweat. Next came the pie crust. Pie crusts are finicky and delicate. I do not enjoy them. But with (what I thought) the hardest parts out of the way, I moved on to filling and frying. The making the filling part was easy... Cook the apples in spices, water, and sugar. Easy enough. Then came the filling. I thought I hated dicing and pie crusts... No. Filling the dreaded crusts with the dreaded diced apples, was an arduous task. The syrup fr

Heads Carolina, Tails California

Watch this Video Before Reading Glad to be back in the saddle again, cross country baking with the best little sister known to man (or woman). We started off this year with North Carolina (sweet potato pie) and California (meyer lemon cake) because they both required produce that is in season. There's no clear winner in my book, both for desserts and states. North Carolina I have converted a number of Californians to sweet potato pie. I use a personal recipe that has developed over time, and uses bourbon. The bourbon is key, as are the candied pecans. (Also, using sweet potatoes and not yams.) Here she is: Comments on this pie include: --"The best pie I have ever eaten." -- Huge Notre Dame Fan --"I'm on the fence. It's good, but I'm not sure it's the best ever." -- Queen B --"I love it! Except for the sweet potato part." -- Random 7-Year Old I am also nearly certain that I only get invites to Thanksgiving because of th

I Hope There's Pudding!

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