Note: I was sent a Glass 9″ Pie Plate, a Steel Pie Server, a Double Pastry Wheel, and a 1″ Pastry Brush from OXO. All opinions are alone.
This time of year get’s crazy busy doesn’t it? I feel like December always flies by! Before you know it, the holidays are here. And prepping for them can be tough; it’s difficult to figure out what can be made ahead of time without sacrificing quality.
This Very Berry pie recipe is here to save the day! It can be prepared ahead of time and frozen.
I call this a Very Berry Pie, because it has 5 (!) different types of berries in it: Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries and Cranberries. It uses frozen berries to make prepping even easier.
When ready to bake, thaw in your fridge overnight and then bake. Simple right?
Making it even more simple is the use of an OXO Glass 9″ Pie Plate. All OXO Glass Bakeware is made of thermal shock resistant borosilicate glass, so you don’t need to bring it to room temperature before adding it to your oven! (The other glass baking dishes are perfect for pre-made sides for your holiday dinners as well!)
Source: OXO.com
OXO has many other tools that help make preparing for the holidays even easier. You’ll see quite a few of them pop up throughout this post.
Ingredients:
For the pie crust:
1 1/3 cups cold butter
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice-cold water
Note: You can also buy pre-made pie crusts. I won’t tell.
For the pie filling:
2 (16 oz) bags frozen mixed berries (mine had blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries)
1 (16 oz) bag frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top of the pie
Note: I was sent a review copy of Dutch Treats: Heirloom Recipes from Farmhouse Kitchens
I live in Philadelphia, and a one of the largest influences on our local food is definitely Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Despite growing up here, I haven’t cooked many traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipes, although I certainly have been known to eat them!
Recipes include Shoofly Cake, New Year’s Pretzels and the original recipe for Snickerdoodles. Dutch Treats explores the vast diversity of authentic baked goods, festive breads and pastries that we call Pennsylvania Dutch (named for the German-speaking immigrants who settled there starting in the late 1600s).
I enjoyed reading the back stories to all of these delicious baked goods as I paged through the book. From learning about traditional holiday treats, to why pretzels are considered good luck, the cookbook was an interesting read as well as a great source of yummy recipes.
I decided to make Raspberry Pockets, using a recipe for Almond Pastry Dough that dates back to a late 18th century recipe. I edited the recipe just a bit to use Orange Blossom Water instead of Rose Water, because that was what I had on hand. I also made the cookies a bit larger than suggested.
Ingredients:
For Almond Pastry Dough
5 cups pastry flour
1 cup superfine (caster) sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter
2 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the raspberry pockets)
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
#NaturallyClean #CollectiveBias
Having a blog means that I tend to do a lot of cooking for larger groups. I usually show up to any gathering with at least one appetizer or snack for a crowd. Cooking for groups can be a bit of a challenge in my small apartment, so it’s crucial that I can reuse kitchen tools while making different parts of a recipe!
Clorox Green Works has a great new product, Pump ‘N Clean, now available in Target. Green Works Pump ‘N Clean can be found in the green section of the cleaning aisle, with the rest of the Clorox Green Works line.
The whole Clorox Green Works line cleans thoroughly and powerfully without using harsh chemicals or leaving any residue. The line includes wipes, dish soaps, detergents, and cleaners that are made with plant- and mineral-based cleaning ingredients. The products are not tested on animals and use environmentally sustainable packaging whenever possible.
From June 14-July 11, you can use the Target Cartwheel app to save 10% on all Green Works products.
The Pump ‘N Clean product is both a time saver and a way to keep your kitchen clean and safe. It’s food-safe, so you can use it to clean your knives and cutting boards in between cutting veggies and fruits! (Green Works Pump ‘N Clean is not to be used to clean up after raw meat or raw fish.) To use, just place a dish towel or sponge on top of the Pump ‘N Clean and press down to dispense the liquid. Use the dish towel/sponge to clean your knifes, counters, stove top, whatever needs cleaning! It’s easy to clean are you are cooking, which is a huge time saver!
I wanted to make two different salsas for a friend’s party, a traditional fresh salsa, and a fruit salsa. The traditional salsa is made of fresh tomatoes, red onion, and jalapeno, while the fruit salsa is filled with berries, pineapple, oranges and kiwifruit. Obviously, mixing the flavors of these two would ruin them both, so it was important that I was able to quickly clean both my knife and my cutting board!
Ingredients:
Fresh Salsa:
3 plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Fruit Salsa:
1/2 cup strawberries, finely chopped
1/4 cup blueberries, halved
1/4 cup raspberries, quartered
1 medium orange, peeled and chopped
3 medium kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1 (8 oz) can unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
I’m so ready for spring. I am trying to will the warmer weather to be here ASAP by making a bunch of spring-themed posts. Sara Lee must have read my mind because they contacted me about using their yummy pound cake in a recipe — what better way to show off Sara Lee Pound Cake than with a trifle?
These mini berry trifles use fresh berries, pound cake, and fresh whipped cream with lemon curd, making a yummy and bright spring dessert. I made them in mini trifle bowls but you can adapt this recipe to go in a traditional trifle bowl.
Ingredients (makes 4 mini trifles):
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 jar ( roughly 11 oz) lemon curd
1 Sara Lee pound cake, defrosted
strawberry jam
1 pint blueberries
1 pint raspberries
2 strawberries, halved
#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Sara Lee. This could include the Sara Lee providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.
February is Heart Health Month, which brings awareness to heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women, and how to prevent it. A simple way to keep your heart healthy is to maintain a healthy diet, filled with fruits and vegetables (It is recommended that you eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily), as well as choosing foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol and high in fiber.
Salmon’s omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce blood pressure and blood clots. Having two servings of salmon a week can reduce your risk of having a fatal heart attach by up to one-third! (You can read more about it here).
Raspberries have 4 grams of fiber per half cup, with 25% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C and manganese. (More info here.)
Driscoll’s sent me a few coupons so that I could add some yummy raspberries to recipes throughout February. Their raspberries are certified by the American Heart Association and have received the trusted Heart-Check Mark as a heart-healthy food.
Not only is this recipe a great way to keep your heart healthy, it can also be made in under 20 minutes!
Each year, my mom makes a beautiful trifle for Christmas. I’m pretty sure at one point, she was only making one, but as the popularity of her trifle grew, she is now up to making 6+ for different holiday events, friends, and family. My sister and I grew up begrudgingly helping my mom make these trifles but we both have grown to love them and look forward to a bite of trifle every December.
A trifle is just a layered dessert that is usually made with cake pieces, cream, pudding, and fruit. My mom tops her with a beautiful design of fruit: kiwi, peaches and raspberries. I wanted to make some trifle to share with this blog but a normal trifle can serve a whole family, so I made a mini version! To prepare a regular trifle, the process is just the same.
I highlighted Driscoll’s Berries in my trifle. I absolutely love their raspberries and blackberries so I wanted to have a higher ratio of berries in my trifle than may normally be used. Driscoll’s also sells really beautiful Strawberries and Blueberries that I have used in many many of my previous posts. Berries always add such beautiful color and flavor to a dish!
Note: Driscoll’s sent me coupons for free berries to make this recipe; my opinions are my own.
I was at a restaurant on Long Island that had a drink they called a “lushee” which was basically a frozen sangria. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Pure brilliance. I told a friend about this and we knew we had to make our own, what could possibly be more refreshing on a hot summer day? I was recently sent a cookbook that actually one-upped the concept of the lushee: a White Wine Sangria Popsicle.
The book, Poptails, by Erin Nichols of Erin Cooks, is filled with sixty pops inspired by your favorite alcoholic beverages. Recipes range from classics like a gin and tonic to fancy favorites like a cosmopolitan.There are even some awesome dessert pops like cherry cheesecake and banana split.
I was in love with this book before I even received it. What an amazing idea! Who wouldn’t want their favorite drink in iced pop form? The recipes had me imagining all of the lovely get-togethers I could have: a brunch with iced coffee and bloody Mary pops, a pool party with strawberry basil martini pops, or Christmas in July with spiked eggnog, mulled wine, and Christmas cheer pops. Sigh.
Anyways, I kept thinking back to those lushes and knew I had to try the white wine sangria pops.
I tweaked the recipe within the book a bit. For the original recipe, pick up a copy of this fun book!
Ingredients:
1 bottle white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1 liter flattened seltzer water
1/4-1/3 cup cranberry juice (I used cranberry hibiscus)
1 tablespoon simple syrup, or to taste
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blueberries
Note: You’ll need ice pop molds and Popsicle sticks to make these.
I wanted to start this post with the definition of seltzer, club soda, tonic water, and sparkling water. Because I always manage to mess these drinks up. And no wonder: club soda, seltzer and sparkling water are all water infused with carbonation. These can all be interchanged. Tonic water is something a bit different, it is still a carbonated water, but quinine is dissolved into the water as well. It’s quite a bit more bitter so be sure to use club soda/seltzer/sparkling water in this recipe. Or for a bit more sweetness, a lemon-lime soda would work.
Make sure to allow your seltzer water to flatten. Don’t forget this step! Unflattened carbonated beverages will explode when frozen. And that sounds like an awful waste of white wine sangria if you ask me. The book suggests opening your seltzer 8 hours prior and popping it into your fridge in a place it won’t spill.
Combine the wine, flattened seltzer water, cranberry juice, and simple syrup. I used lemon simple syrup to give a touch more flavor. Feel free to add some lemon zest to add a little extra.Add whatever mixture of berries you’d like to the pop molds. I went for one raspberry, one blackberry, and a few blueberries per pop.Fill each mold ¾ of the way full with the mixture; you need to leave a small amount at the top to allow the liquid to expand.
Note: you’ll have some extra sangria that won’t fit in the pop molds. This is so you can enjoy your creation before waiting 24 hours 🙂
Add popsicle sticks, cover, and freeze for approximately 24 hours.
To remove from the molds, fill a bowl larger than your pop molds with warm (not hot) water. Add the mold to the bowl for 15 seconds then gently pull on the top of the ice pop stock. If the pop does not release, add the mold back to the water for another 15 seconds, repeat this process until the pops come out of the molds.
These pops were refreshing and a little bit tangy. I wanted a bit more sweetness though, I might add more simple syrup next time I make them. I also would add a bit more cranberry juice so that the pops turn a very light pink color, which would probably look really nice.
What’s nice about this recipe is how adaptable it is. You can add or subtract whatever fruit makes you happy. You could use a sweeter wine, or even a (flattened) champagne. My friend made this recipe using white grape juice instead of cranberry.
There are plenty of other creative pop recipes within the pages of this book. I love the element of fun that the popsicles add and can’t wait to try more of these yummy recipes!
1/4-1/3 cup cranberry juice (I used cranberry hibiscus)
1 tablespoon simple syrup, or to taste
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blueberries
Instructions
Make sure to allow your seltzer water to flatten. Don’t forget this step! Unflattened carbonated beverages will explode when frozen. And that sounds like an awful waste of white wine sangria if you ask me. The book suggests opening your seltzer 8 hours prior and popping it into your fridge in a place it won’t spill.
Combine the wine, flattened seltzer water, cranberry juice, and simple syrup. I used lemon simple syrup to give a touch more flavor. Feel free to add some lemon zest to add a little extra. Add whatever mixture of berries you’d like to the pop molds. I went for one raspberry, one blackberry, and a few blueberries per pop. Fill each mold ¾ of the way full with the mixture; you need to leave a small amount at the top to allow the liquid to expand.
Note: you’ll have some extra sangria that won’t fit in the pop molds.
Add popsicle sticks, cover, and freeze for approximately 24 hours.
To remove from the molds, fill a bowl larger than your pop molds with warm (not hot) water. Add the mold to the bowl for 15 seconds then gently pull on the top of the ice pop stock. If the pop does not release, add the mold back to the water for another 15 seconds, repeat this process until the pops come out of the molds.
Tim Tam Tarts. Isn’t that oh so fun to say? A Tim Tam is a chocolate cookie from Arnott’s in Australia. You might see them every now and then in America, but don’t be fooled, those are made by Pepperidge Farm and I’m sorry, they just don’t live up to the originals. These happy little biscuits covered in chocolate are absolutely delicious. Their motto is “The Most Irresistible Chocolate Biscuit” but I think it’s more appropriately “Visitors to Australia’s Biggest Australian Obsession”. Seriously. They are the best.
So when one of my friends traveled to Australia recently and asked what I’d like, I basically yelled in her face “TIM TAMS!” which can be quite alarming to someone who has zero idea what a Tim Tam is. I clearly made an impression, because she returned with two boxes! Now, Tim Tams are perfectly delicious on their own, maybe with some milk. But I’m a food blogger, so I had to try to turn the cookies into something even better. A Dark Chocolate Tart with Tim Tam Crust, Raspberries, and Rose Water Whipped Cream? YES! (I adapted this recipe for Tim Tam Tarts with Raspberries and Rose Water Whipped Cream from taste.com.au)
Note: I am currently taking the Melt Buttery Spread Challenge and am substituting any and all butter/oils with Melt. I wrote a review of Melt a while back, which you can read here. If you can’t find Melt in your supermarket, use other coconut oil spreads, or just butter in this recipe)
Ingredients:
For the tart:
1 box of original Tim Tams
2 ounces Melt , melted (about 1 tablespoon in its original form)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
~7 oz dark chocolate (200g if you’re using a scale), roughly chopped (I used almost 5 dark chocolate candy bars!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
Raspberries and Rose Water Whipped Cream, to serve
Berries and Cream in Vanilla Dessert Cups is the perfect quick dessert for guests, or just to fulfill a sweet tooth in a pinch. I found the vanilla dessert cups in Whole Foods and immediately knew I was going to fill them with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream. This recipe for Berries and Cream in Vanilla Dessert Cups is easily adaptable to account for what is on sale or what looks freshest, any berry or fruit will do.
Last week, I was contacted by Walkers Shortbread about a recipe photo challenge they are hosting. Walkers asked a bunch of bloggers to make one of the recipes off their site and photograph the end result. They even offered to send me the Walkers ingredient needed to make the recipe. I came across their Raspberry Creme Brulee recipe and I knew I had to make it. It’s a traditional creme brulee, with a Walkers Shortbread crust and raspberries. How fantastic does that sound?
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 pint Raspberries (fresh)
1 pkg. (5.3 oz) Walkers Shortbread Fingers
light brown sugar, to taste
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Add the milk to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. While waiting for the milk to boil, add the egg yolks, sugar and heavy cream to a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine.
Add 3/4 cup of the boiled milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs so that they don’t cook when you add the rest of the milk. Once incorporated, add the rest of the milk in a steady stream.
Take a box of Walkers Shortbread Fingers. Using a metal spoon, break the shortbread (while still in the plastic package) into fine crumbs.
Add the shortbread crumbs to the bottom of four ramekins. Add the raspberries to the ramekins.
Pour the custard (the egg and milk mixture) into the ramekins. Be sure to leave some room at the top.
Bake for 40 minutes at 300 degrees, or until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean.
Transfer to a rack and cool to room temperature. Chill the custard for at least two hours (I chilled mine overnight).
When ready to caramelize preheat your broiler to high. Sprinkle a thin coating of light brown sugar on each chilled custard. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes or until the sugar is melted and golden brown. (Check on the custard after 1 minute, the broiler works quickly!)
Remove and serve.
So. I hated it.
Hehe. Of course I’m kidding. This dessert was absolutely awesome. I can’t stop thinking about it. Plus look how pretty it is!
This has everything that attracts you to a traditional creme brulee: creamy, sweet, and a nice crunch from the crust and the broiled top.
But it also has little delicious bursts of raspberry. Yum!
I loved the incorporation of the Walkers shortbread crust. I think every creme brulee needs to have one of these delicious cookie crusts.
This could easily be changed to incorporate other berries as well. What a great recipe!
Note: I was provided no compensation other than samples of Walkers Shortbread fingers. All opinions are my own.
I fell in love with this recipe for Chilled Raspberry Shooters initially just on the photo; they are so pretty! The original recipe from Taste of Home is actually more of a savory dish but one of the comments mentioned using vanilla yogurt instead of sour cream so I decided to take their suggestion. This take some preparation, so if you plan on using this to impress guests with a slightly different but amazing dessert, be sure to give yourself a few hours before the event.
I have a serious sweet tooth. To such an extreme, that I cannot have ice cream in my house or I will eat it in one sitting. It doesn’t matter if I buy a pint or a gallon. Sigh. It’s quite an issue I have. So I tend to try to avoid making dessert all together if I’m cooking, but this recipe seemed too good to pass up. Once again, this came from Cooking Light’sQuick & Healthy Menu Maker App to go with the Mango Shrimp Kebabs and the Grilled Corn with Chipotle Lime Butter. I adapted the recipe to work with a bag of mixed frozen berries I had in my freezer.
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen blueberry, blackberry and raspberry mix
Combine the frozen berry mixture, water, sugar, zest and lemon in a small pan.
Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in butter.
Meanwhile, divide the Greek yogurt among 4 bowls.
Spoon the berry sauce over the yogurt and serve. Top with fresh berries if you have any on hand.
What a perfect way to indulge in a dessert without completely ruining your healthy dinner. The berry sauce is just sweet enough to cut through the Greek yogurt, but not overly so.
As good as it was for dessert, I still had some left over, so I had it the next morning for breakfast. It was just as tasty cold, which is great news because you can make the berry sauce ahead of time. I do suggest adding some fresh berries on top, just so there is some texture to the dessert.
There was a restaurant near my college that served Sauteed Salmon with a Blackberry Butter Sauce and Red Bliss Potatoes. I loved this dish so much, I’m pretty sure I went once a week to eat it while they offered this dinner.
I had a bunch of raspberries and blackberries left over from the Berry Sangria and Berries with Lemon Mint Syrup, so I thought I’d attempt to recreate the recipe, adapting it into this Sauteed Salmon with Berry Butter Sauce and Roasted Potatoes.
Ingredients for Salmon
2 eight ounce salmon fillets, with the skin still on
I have a bunch of fruit left over from my Berries with Lemon Mint Syrup. It’s a lovely warm weekend in Philadelphia which immediately made me think of sangria. What a perfect way to use more of these berries!
Ingredients:
A bowl full of mixed berries (strawberries, hulled, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries)
1 1/2 cups of triple sec
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice (I used cran-raspberry juice)
I came across this recipe while researching different ways to incorporate mint into my meals. This dish sounds like the perfect summer dessert, so I thought I’d give this one a try.
Ingredients (this made 3 servings):
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mint leaves, or 1/3 cup dried mint
Zest from 1 lemon
A bowl full of mixed berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and quartered strawberries
Prepare your mint (if using fresh mint) by removing the leaves from the stem. I used a cup of loosely packed mint leaves and had plenty of mint flavor in my syrup.
Add the water, sugar, lemon zest, and mint to a pan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 20 minutes. While waiting, prepare your fruit. Wash all fruit in a colander and cut the strawberries into quarters.
After 20 minutes, remove all leaves and lemon zest from the syrup using a slotted spoon or a strainer.
Add the syrup back to the pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the berries.
Stir. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool before serving.
So it goes without saying that berries on their own are delicious. But when you add a syrup that is infused with lemon zest and mint, berries become the absolute perfect warm weather dessert. I can’t even describe how tasty this was!
