I don’t know about you guys, but I find it easier to eat healthier in the summer than I do in the winter. So many people say they feel like the summer is harder for them. Y’all, I am a pure sucker for comfort food. As soon as that fall crisp air hits, I immediately crave a hot bowl of soup with fresh homemade bread and sticky buns. You know what that means, right? It all goes right to the rear. Carbs. Carbs. Carbs! Now, obviously, I don’t eat like that every night or anything, but I have way more splurge nights in the winter months where all I want is that warm bread dunked into a bowl of cheeseburger soup while smelling my sticky buns baking in the oven. I swear my butt instantly starts growing by just smelling that lush comfort food. But hey, what can I do? Hahaha!

OK, now all I want to do is go light a fall candle and throw a hoodie on.

Let’s stick with summer for now and all these fresh, healthy choices we have right at hand. Oh, my goodness, the blueberries, watermelons, nectarines, and cherries! I could eat fruit for days. My momma and I eat fruit with everything. My brother will make fun of us because if we have sandwiches with chips, we have to have fruit. A big dinner? Yup, fruit. Whether it’s in Jello or a banana slabbed with peanut butter, we have it.

Awww, that reminds me of when my momma used to decorate our plates with iceberg lettuce! Luke, remember that!? Mom would either lay her famous mandarin oranges on the leaf of lettuce or the bananas with peanut butter? I haven’t thought about that in years! She’s dear. None of us ever ate the lettuce, but she did it, so it looked pretty. Momma said Gram used to do the same thing when she was little. See how a little leaf of lettuce can give you a memory? Geeze, maybe I need to start throwing some lettuce leaves on my kids’ plates! Make it a fourth-generation kinda thing.

OK, now back to the fruit. Have you ever seen the plumcots out there this time of year too!? They are so good. What is a plumcot? Yup, you guessed it — a mixture of a plum and an apricot. Now, I in no way like apricots, but I love me a plumcot! I get them at Wegmans every year. They are just as exciting to me as when the cotton candy grapes come out. There aren’t many fruits I don’t like, though. I’m not big on honeydew or cantaloupe. Oh, and pears. Too gritty, but I can them for my hubby. He loves my cinnamon pears. My Gram Liddick’s recipe. I am such a summer fruit person, though. I love a good peach.

Watermelons I could cut in half and eat the whole half with a spoon, but it’s gotta be cold. That’s what I craved with when I was pregnant with my son. I’d cut one in half, sit it on my belly and just go to town.

Blueberries are another one. They go on everything! Love them in my yogurt in the morning or in a bowl with milk and a little sugar. You know what else I like them in? Muffins! I was literally just talking to my mom about the blueberry muffins she used to make all the time when I lived at home. I remember her dunking the tops in cinnamon and sugar. They were to die for!

I was recently at a family reunion, and there was blueberry crumb cake. Oh, baby, I hadn’t had that in forever. I went up to my Aunt Sylvia (Shumbat) and said, “Aunt Sylv, did you make the blueberry crumb cake!?” I remember she used to make that as well. (All my aunts are amazing cooks, kinda runs in the family.)

Anyways, she didn’t make it, and when I tried it, I had to find out who did because it was AMAZINGGG!! I was on the hunt and found out that Pam Waltz had made it. I asked her for the recipe, and she said she just googled Blueberry Buckle.

This reunion was on a Sunday, and on Wednesday, my stepmom Chrissie Perry was texting me asking if I would like some fresh-picked blueberries. I told her about this recipe I wanted to try, and God bless her, she picked me a bunch! By Friday, I was whipping a batch of this blueberry buckle cake. I searched for the one that I thought looked and sounded the best. We were all going up to the cabin that weekend for my son and dad’s birthdays. Everyone was going to be up there. When I baked this, and it came out of the oven, I was thinking, how in the world am I not going to be able to touch or try this for 24 hours!? It smelled and looked incredible.

If you follow me on Instagram at Andrea’s Country Home Cookin, you got a step-by-step story on this.

Everyone loved it. Needless to say, it was a hit at the cabin. Mom saw it and said she should try it before anyone else, just to make sure it’s OK. Hahaha! I said, “Mother, do you know how hard this was not to touch the past 24 hours!?” Chrissie asked, “Where’s this blueberry crumb cake at!?” Everyone was anxious to try this famous blueberry buckle I talked about.

When I say it was a hit, I mean it was a hit! My husband doesn’t even like blueberries, and he absolutely loved this cake. It’s a must-try! I hope you all enjoy it. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it’s perfect with whatever. Mid-day snack? Yup, that too! Now go get y’all some blueberries; you have a cake to make.

Blueberry Buckle

Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Topping
• 1/4 cup butter + 1 tablespoon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 pan.

In a large bowl, cream sugar, butter, egg & lemon zest until fluffy.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to sugar mixture, alternating with milk mixing just until combined.

Toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold into batter and spread in prepared pan.

Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter and bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.