Thursday, July 22, 2010

Life Upside Down

If there's anything that turns your life upside down, it's having a baby. Add in the fact that the baby came four weeks early, and you have a life without structure or a plan and you just have to wing it moment to moment. It's a bit stressful, chaotic, and uncertain, but oh so sweet. If the floor doesn't get swept or the laundry piles up, it's OK, because on the top of the to-do list everyday is #1- Keep the baby alive. #2 is Love the baby. The dust will keep.

I am fortunate in that I live ten minutes away from my daughter. That means it's easy to go over to help out with chores and then, as a reward, I get to hold Eden. My other kids clamor for the chance to go along, as they, too, are totally captivated by this darling little person. We take pictures, snuggle with her, and chuckle at her funny ways (Must have hands by face!). The rest of our lives are put on hold, but that's OK. It's wonderful to have her here.

If your life gets taken over by life events, you still need to have dessert. This one is super easy, and since you can use fresh or frozen berries, it's a good recipe to have on hand, whatever the season. So in honor of my beautiful new granddaughter, here's

Blueberry Life Upside Down Cake
- adapted from Canadian Living Magazine

1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup maraschino cherries (optional)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk


1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. with a rack in the center of the oven.

2- In a 9-inch square pan, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Spread this mixture evenly on the bottom. Spread the blueberries evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the lemon juice. (optional: halve the maraschino cherries and scatter them over the bottom before you spread the blueberries. My son decided it needed them to really be an upside down cake.)

3- Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, if using.

4- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the 1/2 cup butter. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

5- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

6- Spread the batter evenly over the blueberry layer. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a large, flat plate or serving platter. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if you like.


22 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

PRECIOUS!!

The Cutting Edge of Ordinary said...

Sometimes you just have to put life on hold for a bit while you tend to more important things. My dog was in doggy ICU for a week and let me tell you, the house didn't get clean, the yard went to pieces, and I didn't cook much at all, and you know what, we all survived (and it's all waiting for me this weekend - yuck!). So enjoy every minute cause these are the minutes that count the most and the ones you'll remember.

Love her name!!!

Chels/Catz in the Kitchen said...

Oh my gosh, Eden is my daughter's name as well. She'll be 2 yrs old in August! Such a beautiful name :)

The dessert looks delicious too btw. I hope to make this one soon :)

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

My heart fills my throat at that Eden & Dad photo!
I understand what you're saying about life & dust on hold but really even just one short year from now when you blow the candles out I'll bet you won't remember any dust in the house. All the memories will be pure love and life filled with it ;-)
Blessings

Unknown said...

How adorable, those first few weeks are always rough@

Stef said...

love catching pictures of Eden on your website! I'm going to be picking up a raw milk order from Sarah later and I'm hoping to catch a quick glimpse!

Congrats to you all!!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

What a proud Grandma you must be Lynn!!!!They are all beautiful:D

Happy Homebaker said...

Congrats!! This must be one of the most precious moments in your life!

Kitchen Corner said...

That's very lovely moments! Thanks for the recipe, I love blueberry! Everything made with blueberry I will try. Thanks!

Elle said...

Love the photos...shows the love...and how tiring a newborn can be. So glad that you are all taking the time to just enjoy Eden and the wonder of it all! Great cake for an upside down time, too.

scrambledhenfruit said...

Congratulations to you and your family- grandchildren are precious, aren't they? Thanks for the beautiful blueberry cake recipe as well. It looks delicious.

Rachel said...

Congratulations! She is adorable (and looks like the most perfect baby I have ever seen)!

grace said...

i got a little choked up by that last picture, probably because there was so much drool in my mouth thanks to this recipe. :)

Patricia Scarpin said...

She's adorable, Lynn! Congratulations to you and your daughter!
When my sister was born, my brother (then 13) and I (then 15) would fight over holding her all the time. :)
That is a delicious cake, perfect for the occasion!

xx

Elizabeth said...

Beautiful! And the upsidedown cake looks lovely too.

-Elizabeth

Unknown said...

That last picture is all kinds of adorable!! Congratulations :)

eatme_delicious said...

Aw I love that last photo!! So precious.

Katrina said...

Aw, congratulations, Grandma Lynn! ;)

Abby said...

Thank you for sharing the photos! Eden is beautiful!

LyB said...

Such wonderful news! Congratulations to you and your family, Lynn, enjoy every moment!

Cookie Madness said...

Congratulations!!!! Your family is so lucky to have you there to help. Recipe looks good too ;).

Eva said...

How very wonderful for you all! Enjoy those precious first few weeks!