After riding at the barn the other morning, Emma came home with two quarts of blueberries.

Birdy prefers them straight out of the box. But this also means that I am stepping on blueberries rolling around my kitchen floor for the rest of the day. A small sacrifice for her blueberry joy, but still....

I have a strange like/disklike of blueberries. I like them in things, I dislike them straight out of the box.

Smoothies and Buckles. That's my thing.

We were discussing the origns of the "buckle" over dessert the other night....Mary wanted to know why the dessert was called a buckle. I suggested that it might be because the topping of the cake "buckles" and cracks as it cooks. Dan suggested that it gets its name from the fact that one must "loosen their buckle after having several pieces."

Everyone probably has their version (or the exact same version) of the blueberry buckle. I have to apologize that I have absolutely no source for mine. It is scribbled on a notecard in my recipe box and I've been baking this version for the past three summers. And it's a total winner. I recommend it for dessert, then breakfast and lunch the next day.

Blueberry (Loosen Your) Buckle

3/4c.sugar

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 c. milk

2 c. flour

2t. baking powder

1/2t. salt

1 1/2c. blueberries

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and stir into the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. Fold in berries, and pour into a greased or parchment-lined 8 x 8 inch pan.

Crumble :

1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/2t. cinnamon

4T butter, softened

Mix together and sprinkle over top of buckle. Bake at 375˚ for approximately 25-30 minutes.