DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Obon  or just  Bon  is a  Japanese   Buddhist  custom to honor the departed (deceased)  spirits  of one's  ancestors . This Buddhist custom has evolved into a  family reunion  holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.    The festival of Obon lasts for three days; however its starting date varies within different regions of Japan. When the lunar calendar was changed to the  Gregorian calendar  at the beginning of the  Meiji era , the localities in Japan reacted differently and this resulted in three different times of Obon. "Shichigatsu Bon" (Bon in July) is based on the solar calendar and is celebrated around 15 July in eastern Japan...

Blueberry Muffin Cookies I should clarify, that’s a blueberry muffin cookie with a few raspberries. I added the raspberries for a bright shot of berry tartness that the blueberries alone could not provide. Remember awhile back when I was flipping classic desserts into cookies, eg.  Cinnamon Roll Cookies ,  Banana Bread Cookies , Coffee Cake Cookies ,  Pecan Pie Cookies ,  Carrot Cake Cookies . I went back to that with this one. Keep reading to find out the two key ingredients to turning a classic blueberry muffin into blueberry muffin cookie. And no, these are not muffin tops . The crumb is softer and these Blueberry Muffin Cookies are missing the hardy dome exterior of a muffin top. But I did keep the streusel topping for a little bit of crunch and an extra added kick of sweetness. To give the body a more cake-like texture I added in some cottage cheese. Oh, yes I did. I could have used sour cream and you can too if you don’t have cottage cheese ...