Here's to Don Ho & Blueberry Dumplings

May he rest in peace. We shared a birthday (albeit quite a few years apart)

Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
In the wine (in the wine)
Make me happy (make me happy)
Make me feel fine (make me feel fine)

Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
Make me warm all over
With a feeling that I'm gonna
Love you till the end of time

So here's to the golden moon
And here's to the silver sea
And mostly here's a toast
To you and me

So here's to the ginger lei
I give to you today
And here's a kiss
That will not fade away


on another note, I was flipping through channels & stopped on the food network for a minute. They were going to a commercial break & showed coming up next would be Paula Dean's Blueberry Dumplings. I wondered how close her recipe was to my great aunt Velma's recipe. Well, here they both are:

Paula Dean:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 quart fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups water
Vanilla ice cream or fresh cream, for serving. Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.

In a large saucepan, combine berries, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into hot boiling berries by the tablespoonful. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid before 20 minutes has passed, and do not stir dumplings. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.

Velma's Recipe:
4 Cups Blueberries
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T Flour
1 T Butter
Sprinkle of Nutmeg
dumplings:
1 Cup Flour
2 T Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 C Butter
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 Cup Milk

Mix 3/4 c brown sugar and 2 T of flour. Put blueberries in a pot, add enough water to barely cover the berries. Add the brown sugar/flour mixture, 1 T butter and sprinkle with nutmeg. Cook for 8 minutes.
Temp: High until it boils, then turn down to Medium
Mix dumpling ingredients together.
Drop tablespoons of dough into the simmering blueberries.
Cover tightly & cook over LOW heat for 10 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through & not sticky.
DON'T PEAK
serves 4-6
Serve with ice cream/whipped cream

I'd like to try Paula's recipe, but I know for sure Velma's recipe is DELICIOUS!