Blackberry Slumpie

This sounds too much like a dessert from Ankh-Morpork to pass up. Turns out to be pretty tasty, too. I've made it many times and every time I feel like there is not enough butter for the dumpling dough, and every time the dumplings come out light and delicate, clouds in a sweet dark syrup.

Stewing Liquid
3 cup blackberries
⅓ cup sugar
1¼ cup water
1 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Dumplings
1 cup flour
2 Tbsps sugar
2 tsps baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) cold butter
½ cup cream (I used light 18% cream)

(optional) Cream or Whipped Cream to serve

1. In a large saucepan, combine all of the stewing liquid ingredients and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With your fingers, mash the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the milk and only stir in until it's combined, and no more, or you'll have tough dumplings!
3. Divide the dough into 6 even portions and drop into the simmering berries.
4. Cover and cook for 10 minutes and do not lift the lid until they're done. The dumplings cook by steam and won't cook as well if you let the steam out by lifting the lid.
5. To serve, spoon out into bowls and serve warm with cream or whipped cream on top.

Baked Italian Sausage and Potatoes

This is delicious simple and quick to throw together. Great with bread.

2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 tsps fresh rosemary, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 (a little under 1 lb) Italian sausages (sweet or hot), squeezed out of their casings and divided into quarters
3 (a little over 1lb) medium old potatoes, quartered (peel if you feel like it)
1 onion cut into 8ths (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup water

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Whisk together in a large bowl the vinegar, oil, rosemary and garlic.
3. Throw in the potato and sausage and stir until well covered in the marinade.
4. Place mixture into a ceramic or glass gratin dish lined with parchment paper (it sticks terribly to the dish without lining) and bake for 30 minutes, then turning and bake another 15, until sausage and potatoes are cooked through.

Plum Compote

My wonderful mom and sister are visiting and it's early spring. Not a lot of fresh stuff to eat on the farm. However, I still have a bunch of frozen plums in the chest freezer. My mom likes fruits and veg and my sister likes desserts. So I made this, which we ate with plain cake and it was plate-licking good. I've also made it to eat with sweet dumplings and on toast and it's still tasty!

2 lbs Italian prune plums, pitted
½ to ¾ cup sugar (quantity depends on sweetness of plums, and personal taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tsps vanilla extract.

1. Stew the plums in a pot with the sugar, cinnamon sticks and vanilla with the lid on, mixing occasionally for about 20 minutes.
2. When the plums have released their juices remove the lid and keep at a medium simmer until enough of the liquid has evaporated to thicken the juice into a sauce, about another 15 to 20 minutes to my taste, but maybe more or less for yours.