Armed Forces Comfort: Just 5 ingredients. I set this before my morning coffee and come home to pure nostalgia

For a more spiced, vintage profile, stir 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground nutmeg into the sugar before tossing it with the marionberries. If you enjoy citrus brightness, add 1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest to the batter or squeeze a tablespoon of lemon juice over the berries with the sugar. To make it slightly richer and more pudding-like, replace half of the milk with heavy cream. For a slightly less sweet dessert, reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup; the marionberries’ natural tartness will come forward.

If marionberries are unavailable, you can substitute frozen blackberries or a mix of blackberries and raspberries, keeping the rest of the recipe the same. For a crispier top, remove the lid for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking if your slow cooker runs hot enough to allow some evaporation.

Food safety tips: Always start with frozen berries that have been kept at a safe freezer temperature, and do not leave the finished pandowdy at room temperature for more than 2 hours; refrigerate leftovers promptly. Reheat individual portions in the microwave until steaming hot in the center. Avoid using a damaged slow cooker crock, and follow your manufacturer’s guidelines for safe cooking times and fill levels (this recipe should not fill more than about two-thirds of the crock).