Macaroni Salad

This side dish reminds me of my summers during childhood. Macaroni salad was a go-to addition to any meal from April to August. Probably because it takes no time to make, uses fresh summer vegetables, and is a chilled salad to cool down hot summer evenings. Really, I can't be featuring summer wrap-up recipes without including this one. I bet it was a spring/summer staple in your home too, or something very similar to it. 

• What You'll Need
• 4 cups of cooked shells
• 1 medium tomato diced 
• 1 medium cucumber diced
• 1/2 cup mayo (more or less to taste)
• Salt & pepper (to taste)

• What You'll Do
• Boil the shells until tender. Drain and set aside in a mixing bowl.
• Dice the tomato and cucumber (peel first). 
• Add to the cooled shells. Then mix in the mayo. Sprinkle salt and pepper; stir well. 
• Chill for at least an hour before serving.

If you make a cold pasta salad, tell me what you add to it by leaving a comment below!

Bourbon Blueberry & Peach Cobbler

Officially, it's still summer, but fall has very much taken over for me (you should see my house). As part of my summer-wrap up for foods this week I wanted to share a summer dessert treasure! You can't not make this, I'm telling you now.

During July, I tried out a Food Network recipe for a campfire cobbler. Instead of heating over the coals, I baked it in my oven. It turned out amazingly! As someone who is not a fan of bourbon, I was pleasantly surprised with the taste and how much I loved it. The crumble top didn't hurt, and was in fact my favorite part. Really, who doesn't love a good crumble?!

The first time I made this, we ate it with the recommended side of vanilla yogurt. Again, I was surprised with how delicious that was. Yogurt and cobbler don't sound like a winning pair, but it was such a nice combination of textures. The second time I made this (yes, it's good enough to make over and over again), we paired it with vanilla frozen yogurt. It was super that way too. I think you could keep pairing it with several different varieties of yogurt or frozen yogurt and it would still be a amazing. Maybe some different flavors too....how about a lemon version?

Hurry and grab the fresh fruit before it disappears as autumn creeps in! You're going to want to gobble this cobbler up!

• What You'll Need 
• For the filling
• 5 peaches, sliced
• 3/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 1 TSP cinnamon
• 1/4 TSP grated lemon zest
• 1 TSP fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 TSP vanilla extract
• For the topping
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 TSP kosher salt
• 1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into cubes
• 2 TBSP heavy cream
• Vanilla yogurt or frozen yogurt for serving

• What You'll Do
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large bowl combine the sliced peaches, blueberries, bourbon, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix well and set aside.
• In a second large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and cut into the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or your hands (I used my hands because it worked best).
• Once the mixture is coarse and clumps when squeezed, add the heavy cream and mix until the dough comes together a bit more. 
• Pour the filling into a pie dish. Spoon the topping mix evenly over the filling.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. When the cobbler is done the fruit will be bubbling around the edges and the topping will be light and fluffy. 
• Serve with a side of vanilla yogurt or frozen yogurt. 

From The Kitchen To The Blog

I'm Astleigh, wife, designer, coffee drink (of all kinds) enthusiast, lover of fall, reality TV watcher, Bible believer, baker, and blogger. Typically you can find me at Hill Collection writing about the mine and husband's adventures, projects, home design, and lifestyle. Several months ago I began playing with the idea of starting up a new blog, focused solely around the food cooked and baked in the Hills' kitchen. After all, the kitchen seems to be the heart of the home, and it's where we spend a majority of our time.

With plenty of thought and a brainstorming session, I decided Flour Darling would be the home for all my recipes. My online recipe box, with dishes ranging from appetizers to desserts. And I'm most excited to feature dishes inspired by the seasons and holidays. It's going to keep my kitchen festive, and I'm super smitten with that! 

I'm so delighted to have you here, in my virtual kitchen where I'll be sharing one of my greatest joys! Flour Darling will keep me searching for novel ways to prepare food, new recipes, and twists on family classics. Grab a pen and paper, jot down your favorites and must-tries, and leave me words of advice from one cook/baker to another as we go along!

Now for a recipe! With the official close to summer imminent in a short few weeks, I've decided to share some of my favorite summer meals first. Because those beautiful fruits aren't going to be around much longer, evening BBQ's will become fewer, and the fall foods are ready to be made!

• What You'll Need
• 5 lb. ribs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 TBSP garlic salt
• 1 TBSP paprika
• 1 TBSP onion powder
• Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce

• What You'll Do
• In a small bowl combine sugar and spices. Mix well. 
• Cut off the thin membrane of fat from the back of the ribs. Set the ribs meaty side down on two layers of tin foil. Rub the spice mixture to coat both sides. 
• Put an additional two layers of tin foil on top of the ribs and crimp the edges tightly to seal the ribs inside. 
• Place on a baking sheet and stick in the oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes at 300°.
• After the ribs have cooked, pull them out of the oven and cut them every three bones to separate into portions.
• Baste both sides of the ribs with BBQ sauce and finish cooking on the grill, two minutes on each side. Remove from the grill once the ribs have been caramelized.