Cooking on Campus: Blueberry Crisp

Welcome back, Oles! It’s that time of year again. The leaves are starting to change and crisp fall mornings replace the hot, muggy mornings of summer. As we transition into our fall routine – school, followed by more school, we fondly remember our summer routines. Whether our summers consisted of working or laying out by the pool, we all accept that our routines change as fall begins. This change involves many aspects of our lives, and for me, one of the most fundamental changes involves food.

I am eating in the Caf again and snacking on crackers in my dorm room instead of enjoying my mother’s home cooked meals and snacking on fresh fruit or homemade baked goods. While I love the Caf, and am so happy we are blessed with the #1 cafeteria in the nation (http://www.minnpost.com/learningcurve/2011/09/07/31373/from_parmesan_risotto_to_cider-brined_pork_st_olafs_food_dubbed_best_in_nation), I miss my mother’s meals. I especially miss all of my favorite summer deserts like blueberry crisp, fruit pizza and homemade ice cream.

So, for my first post this fall, I wanted to give an ode to summer. My first dorm friendly recipe will be one of my all time favorite summer deserts – blueberry crisp. Blueberry crisp is the perfect dorm recipe because it involved just five basic ingredients: butter, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and blueberries. Blueberries are the perfect fruit for this recipe because you do not need to cut anything, however, substituting other fruits like peaches or apples would be perfectly delicious. Apple crisp would be an ideal fall recipe, but involves a little more cutting. Not only does blueberry crisp require little cutting, all you do is hand mix the ingredients together and pop in the oven, and out comes a bubbling, fruity dessert.

Blueberry Crisp:
 
All you need is:
1 stick of butter
1 carton of blueberries
2 cups brown sugar
3(ish) cups oatmeal (or rolled oats)
A few tablespoons of flour
 
 

 
-After washing the blueberries, toss with the tablespoons of flour until coated. Place in a pie dish (or whatever baking dish you want)
– Melt the stick of butter, and pour over the oatmeal & brown sugar, mixing until combined. You can use as little or as much oatmeal and brown sugar as you like. I always use a lot, because the crisp is my favorite part.
-Place the oatmeal & brown sugar crisp on top of the blueberries
– Bake at 375 for approx. 40 minutes, or until bubbly.
 

Enjoy!
 
 Be sure to read again next week as I try out another yummy, dorm friendly recipe!