'Take Your Daughter(s) to Work' Day

Since it is my job to look after our home and mother my children, every day is "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" at my house.  My daughter Sophia has always been particularly interested in the work that I do in the kitchen.  She is also very interested in this blog, which saves my sanity and makes me a better mother.  Today she decided she wanted to help me with both...

My oldest daughter Emma and her Dad were having a special Daddy and daughter day out*, so that left me and the other two girls to get on with the everyday business of grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning.  After the majority of the chores were done, we decided to finish off yesterday's blueberries by making our favorite fruit crisp recipe.  Sophia thought it would be fun to document the entire affair with my camera.  So here it is for your viewing and baking pleasure.  I have a feeling, I've shared this recipe before,  but here it is again fully illustrated.

Apple, Berry, Peach or Whatever Fruit Crisp...

Start with five cups of any fruit in season.  Today we used blueberries and few blackberries.  Have your helpful helper arrange the fruit in a buttered 8-inch square baking pan.  Preheat the oven to 375 F while you're at it too.  Be careful not to let all of that delicious fruit make your head spin.  Apparently seasonal berries can make a girl feel a little overwhelmed...

Next stir together the dry ingredients: 

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp allspice.

Using an electric mixer, blend the dry ingredients with 6 tablespoons of softened butter until it forms a coarse meal.  It helps if you do it in your pajamas with a mixer from the 1970's.

Now crumble the mixture evenly over the fruit.  This part is so much fun that everyone in the family will want to be involved.

Now sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons of apple or orange juice and bake for 35 minutes.  The finished product will smell divine and feed six sensible people...or five Carsons.

Happy Eating!  Remember: if you aren't the color of a Smurf after you have a serving, you're doing something wrong.

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple." ~Willy Wonka

*Daddy and Daughter Day Out included meatball subs, a trip to Home Depot, and a colorful roll of Mentos.  Emma was thrilled.