I find that America’s Test Kitchen and The Editors of Cook’s Illustrated rarely if ever let me down. This is another fabulous example of a meal they tested again and again so I can’t go wrong. Although I must admit, my Mom did most of the work on this one 🙂

I used the Trader Joe’s jarred Morello cherries and the turbinado sugar per the recommendation in the book. This was amazing and well-worth the effort.

From The Editors of Cook’s Illustrated – The Best Skillet Recipes – Page 312

Cherry Cobbler:

Biscuit Topping

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Cherry Filling

3/4 – 1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Pinch Salt

2 (24-ounce) jars Morello cherries, drained (about 4 cups cherries), with 2 cups juice reserved

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1. For the biscuit topping: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the buttermilk and melted butter until a dough forms. Cover and set aside until needed.

2. For the Cherry Filling: Whisk the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet. Whisk in the reserved cherry juice and vanilla. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture simmers and is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the cherries.

3. Using a spoon, scoop and drop 1-inch pieces of the dough, spaced about 1/2 inch apart, over the cherry filling in the skillet, then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is thick and glossy, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Using a potholder (the skillet handle will be hot), remove the skillet from the oven. Let the cobbler cool in the skillet for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Since I really don’t like runny or undercooked eggs at all, I cut them in half to make sure they are completely solid. 

My husband loved this meal and it was super-easy to make.

From: America’s Test Kitchen – Simple Weeknight Favorites

This was delicious. However, make your own cornbread. I bought a cornbread mix to make this against my better judgement. The mix was not filled with the fresh ingredients I like to use and I did not like the mix. This would be a company worthy meal if you make your own cornbread!

From: America’s Test Kitchen: Simple Weeknight Favorites

I like to cut my eggplant, salt the eggplant, and set it in a colander with a weight on it overnight before using it the next day to get rid of any bitter flavor.

I fried 1 onion and 1 eggplant about 6-7 minutes until very tender. Then I added a yellow pepper for a few minutes until tender. I added garlic for about 30 seconds before I added a can of Muir Glen diced tomato. Add red pepper flakes, pepper, salt, and oregano to taste. Mix in your cooked pasta (I used Barilla Plus) and top with cold ricotta, parmesan, and fresh basil. My favorite is Stoneyfield Farm’s organic ricotta. A quick meal in under 30 minutes.

Pasta with Vegetables:
 
1 red bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1 orange bell pepper diced
1 onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tbps olive oil
2 tbsp cup fresh finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup fresh finely chopped basil
1 pkg chopped fresh mozzarella
1 lb penne
parmesan
 
Put olive oil in a pan and heat. Add the onions saute for 2 minutes then add the bell peppers. When almost cooked add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
 
Cook the pasta according to package instructions while the vegetables are cooking.
 
Add the pine nuts, parsley, basil, mozzarella and penne to the cooked vegetables and add parmesan to taste.
 
Eat right away!

We liked this meal; however, we made scrambled eggs because I don’t like fried. Probably due to user error my lentils exploded in the microwave – BIG MESS! Therefore, I would recommend following the cooking instructions on your lentil package.

From: America’s Test Kitchen – Simple Weeknight Favorites