Blueberry Mini Pound Cakes

These little cakes are great for individual snacks when a large cake would go to waste. They are also great as gifts and can be made in big batches and frozen. I like to keep some on hand in the freezer for quick treats or desserts for parties. Just be careful if you have sneaky snackers like my hubby. He chooses forgiveness over permission every time!!!

For cakes:

2 cups fresh blueberries, frozen
1 package vanilla or yellow cake mix with pudding
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

For icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon of water, or enough to create a glaze

Rinse the blueberries and drain them on paper towels. 

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour about 4-5 mini loaf pans. The number of pans will depend on how full you fill the pans. I fill them a tiny bit over half way. (I get sets of 5 for $1 at the local "dollar" store.)

Measure out 1 tablespoon of the cake mix and set it aside in a small mixing bowl. Place the remaining cake mix and the sour cream, water, oil, eggs, in a large mixing bowl. Beat until the ingredients are mixed, 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat for 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed.

Place the blueberries in a small bowl and toss them with the reserved 1 tablespoon of cake mix. (This will keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the batter.) Fold the blueberries into the cake batter until just evenly combined. Divide the batter evenly between the mini loaf pans. Place the cake pans on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. 

Bake the mini loaves until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cakes cool for 5 minutes. Poke plenty of holes in the cakes with a skewer or toothpick.

Mix the sugar and water and pour glaze over cakes a little at a time. The glaze will soak into the cake and leave holes. Keep adding glaze until the cakes a covered. Cool completely. Wrap with plastic for storage or freeze to enjoy later.

Southern Cornbread Salad

This is a great way to use that leftover cornbread, if you have any. I know it sounds and looks strange, but trust me, it is delicious! Everyone that has tried it has asked for the recipe!

Prepared 8x8 pan of Cornbread (I use 1 Jiffy mix, 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk)
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix
2 cups Sour Cream (or 1 1/2 cups Sour Cream and 1/2 cup Mayonnaise)
1 - 16 oz diced Tomatoes, drained
1 - 16 oz Black Beans, drained
1 - 16 oz Corn, drained
1/4 cup Bacon crumbles
1 cup Cheddar Cheese

(optional) ½ cup each Green Onions, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper

Make Cornbread, and cool completely. Stir together HVR dressing mix, sour cream and mayo. Crumble cornbread into a 9X13 casserole dish. Top with beans, tomatoes, (optional onion and peppers), corn, bacon and cheese. Finally top with dressing. Cover and chill at least 3 hrs. When it is time to serve, take a spoon and stir a little section at a time to mix the ingredients to get a nice moist salad.

* I use twice as much dressing for mine, so it's not too dry.