The Return of the Boys

I made a boy-friendly welcome home dinner last Friday when the boys returned from their father's for a two-week visit with us: cheeseburgers, tater tots, salad and plum-nectarine cobbler. The boys had their burgers plain, but I smushed up some guacamole for ours and we topped them with that, salsa and crunched up tortilla chips. Pie loved the cobbler so much that it was gone promptly. I had worried that we wouldn't finish it, but when I removed the lid a couple of days later, I found that he had been stealth-snacking on it. It's well worth stealth-snacking, too!

Plum Nectarine Cobbler

3/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. sugar
1 & 1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. flour
10 peeled, sliced nectarines (peaches, if they look better)
2 peeled, sliced plums
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 stick cold butter, cut in pieces
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 3/4 c. sugar and 2 tbsp. flour. Add fruit, then lemon juice. Gently stir. Pour into a casserole dish and bake 10 minutes. Mix 1 & 1/2 c. flour, brown sugar, baking powder & soda, salt together. Cut in butter. Add milk. Stir just until a very soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto top of hot fruit. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of dough. Bake 45 minutes or until topping is cooked through and browned on top. Serves 6 (or one 12 year old sweet tooth).