Waist Not, Want Not!

What a waist!!

When I graduated from college, one of the things I missed most was the ability to be with so many other people who were like me and shared the same interests. Today through visiting internet blogs devoted to either music or photography, I once again find myself conversing with others who share my passions.

One blog that I visit regularly is http://mattadoresit.tumblr.com/. If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then the blog's creator, Matt Callaway has composed a blog worth millions and millions of words.

Each day, Matt brilliantly adds just the right images to the blog in order to create a continuing narrative that flows from image to image. Here are some recent additions to to give you an idea of what he does :

I was so taken by Matt's assembly of images that I felt compelled write to him one day just to tell him how much I liked what he was doing. Since then, he and I have written back and forth several times and have developed what I like to think of as a cyber friendship.

When I started this blog, I sent Matt the link and asked him what he thought of it. Matt wrote back that he liked the blog. He was even inspired to send me one of his favorite recipes after reading my story about Berries (see http://1cor2.blogspot.com/2011/07/its-berries.html)

What Matt didn't know was that at the time he sent the recipe, I had already decided I needed to do something about my ever increasing waist line.

When I contemplated starting my diet I kept thinking about the saying: Waste Not, Want Not. The phrase is intended to mean by being thrifty, one will be less likely to be without the things they need. I use the phrase to remind myself that if I want a smaller waist, I am going to have to do without some of those sweet and delicious things that I normally want to eat. For me, it is more of a "for a big waist not, want cake not" type of interpretation.

Party time!! I also think sweet treats are worth singing about!!

Due to the fact that my belt buckle was starting to feel the strain brought on by a few too many cookies and slices of cake, I figured there was no better choice to finish off my eating binge than MattAdore's Blueberry Buckle. And I am so glad I did. It is scrumptious.

And it smells as great as it tastes!!

Matt urged me to make this recipe right away while blueberries were still at their peak. Even though the local blueberry season has now passed, these days fresh blueberries are readily available in most supermarket produce areas or frozen in the freezer section.

When I bake with blueberries, I normally prefer to use frozen blueberries as they tend not to fall apart when mixing the batter. For this recipe, I followed the directions and used fresh blueberries and they worked just great.

Are you ready to give MattAdore's Blueberry Buckle a try?

Sorry! Wrong image!!! (Just kidding).

Here's the real deal.

MattAdore's Blueberry Buckle

( you'll adore it too!!)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together:

3/4 of a Cup of Sugar

1/4 Cup of Soft Shortening ( I used Butter Flavored Crisco)

1 Egg

1/2 Cup of Milk

Sift together:

2 Cups of Flour

2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Mix the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Once combined, carefully fold in 2 pints of fresh, rinsed and well drained blueberries. Spoon mixture into a buttered 9" square glass dish. ( I did not have a 9" square dish so I used a large glass pie plate).

Mix together until crumbly:

1 Cup of Sugar

2/3 Cups of Flour

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/2 Cup of Soft Butter

Top the batter with a Crumb Mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes. This Buckle is not only a show stopper,as it bakes it makes your house smell fantastic. If you are having guests over for brunch or just coffee, this is the dish you want to bake.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

By the way, more than a month later, I am still on my diet and am happy to report that despite a treat here or there, I have already shed 20 pounds. I am still cooking just about everyday. More on how I am eating differently coming up in a future post.

Until next time, is that the blueberries I hear calling?