Adventures in Blueberry Coffe Cake

I will be the first to admit that this culinary reflection is more than a bit belated. But, let's travel back in time (an incredible leap of two weeks) to the blueberry coffee cake I brought to class, perhaps you remember it? Anyhow, this coffe cake is somewhat of a staple at the DeLong home, guaranteed to appear when Tom Thumb, Albertson's, Kroger, or any other supermarket has blueberries on special (my dear Polish, coupon-cutting mother cannot resist a deal). Have I mentioned that no one in my family actually likes blueberries? Though, when presented in the context of coffe cake, the blueberry is transformed from inedible to otherworldly. Surpringly, this recipe didn't come from an ancient book of alchemy, rather from the 1984 (or maybe 1982) edition of the Southern Living cookbook (a series of cookbooks that my mother collects). This seemed the perfect dish to attempt for FYS considering I've watched my mother make it hundreds of times and I also happened to be craving it pretty badly. I called my mom for the recipe, and several days later a photo copy of the recipe covered in little tips from my mom found its way into my mailbox (old-fashioned, I know, but asking her to email it would have been like asking a five-year-old to solve a page of quadratic equations). I then made my way to the HEB (ghetto-B, to be specific) for ingredients. The most important on the list was, of course, blueberries -- only fresh blueberries, frozen blueberries DON'T work, they produce one freaky mess of a coffe cake. As I strolled through the produce department I had the sinking feeling that it may be a little to late in blueberry season for my endeavor. When I finally found the blueberries, I knew I was right, and the eight dollars I had to spend on those pathetic blueberries went against everything that this coffee cake stands for. Well, maybe that's an overstatement, but nonetheless it was a bit shocking. After my sticker shock subsided, I took my supplies up to the Mabee kitchen. Things in the kitchen went smoothly; I've always enjoyed baking and am no stranger in the kitchen, so this really wasn't a huge challenge. I doubled the recipe to make two coffee cakes so there would be enough for everyone, and both cakes turned out fine. A tad too brown around the edges, but nothing to complain about. Despite my success, I have to say my mother makes it better, but I think I might enjoy hers more because I'm not the one who had to do all the work. That's what moms are for, right?