Gooseberry Patch Review and a Giveaway: Apple and Berry Breakfast Crisp

Today is the last day of the review of the Gooseberry Patch Big Book of Home Cooking.  The giveaway ends tonight!  So be sure to enter for that HERE.  I thought I would end this review with another scrumptious recipe!

Apple and Berry Breakfast Crisp

4 apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced
2 c. blueberries
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. cinnamon
Optional: vanilla yogurt (try my homemade recipe HERE)


Combine all ingredients except yogurt in a large bowl; stir until fruit is evenly coated.  Spoon into a lightly greased 8"x8" baking pan.  Sprinkle Oat Topping evenly over fruit.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with yogurt, if desired (or you can really spoil them and serve it with ice cream!).  Serves 9.


Oat Topping:
1 c. quick-cooking or long-cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/3 c. butter, melted
2 T. all-purpose flour

Notes:  I prepped the dry ingredients for the fruit and the topping (minus the butter) the night before, sealing them in air tight containers. Whipping it up in the morning was a breeze!  I substituted canned peaches for the apples since we were out of apples. It was deeeelish! I also doubled the recipe for my crew and baked it in a 9x13 dish!  Recipe said that it served 9 but I knew my hungry crew of 7 would be wanting more.  Glad I did.  The dish was empty in minutes!

Watermelon Slushies

I know I said I wouldn't have any new recipes to share any time this month, but this is so quick and easy and delicious that I just *had* to!  Ya'll will forgive me, right?  Isaac, our 9 year old, has a few activities in his 4-H food's workbook to complete before judging in a few weeks.  One of them is this little gem (along with learning a bit about Thailand -- they eat watermelon with their spicy dishes)!  Enjoy this easy, delicious, refreshing beverage!

Photo credit

Watermelon Slushies

6 cups crushed ice
8 cups chunked up seedless watermelon
2 T. sugar or honey

Blend in a blender or food processor until smooth!  Enjoy!  Deeelish!

Red, White, and Blueberry Pizza

This yummy summer treat from Queen of the Castle: 52 weeks of encouragement for the uninspired, domestically challenged or just plain tired homemaker is perfect for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour an eighteen-inch pizza pan.  With floured hands, smush  18-oz. package refrigerated sugar cookie dough evenly onto bottom of pan.  Bake fourteen to sixteen minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool.  With electric mixer, beat: 1/2 cup whipping cream, to form soft peaks.

Fold in: 8 oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt, to blend.  If making ahead, cover and refrigerate at this point.  Before serving, spread whipped cream mixture evenly over cooled cookie crust.  Arrange over top:
1 pint basket (12 oz.) strawberries, stemmed and halved
1 cup blueberries

Cut into twelve wedges and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Homemade Blueberry Pancake Syrup

We ran out of our homemade syrup so since we have a ton of blueberries in our freezer I thought I would whip up some blueberry pancake syrup.  I found this recipe at cooks.com.  It is DELISH!!

4 cups blueberries (stemmed and washed)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Combine ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Crush berries with back of spoon. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.  Enjoy!

*This recipe makes enough to feed our family of 10 for a meal and left overs.

Fruit Crisp

This recipe is a long time family favorite.  It is from my very first cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens, a wedding present from Grandma Frays.  I've tweaked it a bit to suit our tastes. Hope you enjoy!

Fruit Crisp

5 cups sliced, peeled apples, pears, or peaches
4 T sugar
1 cup regular rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup all -purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter


Place fruit in a round casserole dish.  Stir in sugar.  For topping, in a mixing bowl combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.   Sprinkle topping over filling.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!  Yum!

Blueberry Crisp:  Prepare as above, except, for the filling, combine 5 cups blueberries with 4 tablespoons sugar and add 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour.  

Cherry Crisp:  Prepare as above, except, for the filling, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour.  Toss with 5 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened pitted tart red cherries.

Note: If using frozen fruit, thaw, but do not drain.

Frosty Fruit Salad

If you haven't already checked out Gooseberry Patch's blog you really need to!  Click here to go visit Vicki and JoAnn! You can go there for some fun tips, recipes, and crafts.  This week they posted the following recipe!  Scrumptious!!  That's all I have to say!  


Frosty Fruit Salad


7-oz. can apricots, drained, juice     reserved and chopped
17-oz. can crushed pineapple,
    drained and juice reserved
1/2 c. sugar
3  10-oz. pkgs. frozen
    strawberries, thawed
6-oz. can frozen orange juice
    concentrate
2 T. lemon juice
2 lbs. seedless grapes, halved
4 bananas, diced

Heat reserved juices and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat; stir until sugar dissolves. Add strawberries, orange juice concentrate and lemon juice. Heat until warmed; remove from heat. Combine apricots, pineapple, grapes and bananas together in a small mixing bowl; stir into heated mixture. Pour into a freezer-proof serving dish; freeze overnight. Remove from freezer about 15 to 25 minutes before serving. Makes 25 to 30 servings.

Enjoy!

Bananaberry Muffins

When I found out that my 9 year old daughter would be making muffins for her 4-H project I got the following recipe from my friend Karla over at The Culinary Enthusiast.  These muffins are similar to the Sour Cream Blueberry Bread that my family loves.  Heavenly! 

Bananaberry Muffins

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (I used two medium-sized bananas.)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries - rinse and pat dry  (You can use frozen, but rinse them to thaw and then dry with a paper towel.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray or grease muffin tin.
Place butter, eggs, bananas and vanilla in stand mixer.  Mix on low until just combined.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together with a wire whisk in a separate bowl.
Add dry mixture to the wet mixture in the mixer.  Mix on low until just combined.
Fold in blueberries with a wooden spoon or spatula. Reserve some to place on the tops.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Serve while still warm with butter.
Makes 12 wonderfully delicious muffins.

 Hannah with her muffins and Rebekah with her pretzels. My proud little cooks.  Judging is in a few weeks.  We'll be eating a lot of muffins and pretzels with all of the practice they intend to do!

Pretzel Salad with a Twist

I posted the basic Strawberry Pretzel Salad before, but this is with a very small twist for the 4th of July holiday weekend! 

Red, White, and Blue Pretzel Salad

Crust:
2 cup crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted margarine
3 T. sugar

Mix and spread in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

Cream layer:
8 oz. cream cheese -- softened
8-10 oz. Cool Whip
1 cup sugar

Mix together in a stand mixer until smooth. Spread over (cooled) crust and place dish in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until chilled.

Strawberry layer:
2 cup boiling water
2 small boxes strawberry jello
2 10 oz. boxes of frozen strawberries (thawed). (I usually used sliced strawberries that we picked in the summer and froze in syrup -- about 2 1/2 cups.)

Boil the water, add jello and stir until dissolved. Add the strawberries and stir. DO NOT add cold water like the jello directions instruct. Carefully pour over the cream cheese and place in the fridge to chill. (About 3-4 hours.)

Now...are you ready for the blue part?  Sprinkle with fresh washed and dried blueberries!  Tadaaa!  ; )

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Christmas Planning

Yes, I said Christmas! We're almost half-way there to that holly-jolly season, you know! Only 101 days until Christmas music starts ringing through our home! I know, October 1st may seem a bit early to you but I absolutely adore Christmas and like to stretch it out! Just so you know I decorate for Fall Labor Day weekend and then decorate for Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving. Also in the month of October when Christmas music is wafting about it's all instrumental (piano, guitar, hammered dulcimer, violin...). We don't start listening to music with voices until November. Just sayin'.

Anywho... Since Christmastime's a comin' I want ya'll to be ready for it! Start thinking now about who you'll need gifts for: friends, neighbors, Sunday School teachers, postal workers, hair stylists, co-workers, family, etc. I have a great idea for you. Try making home made goodies to give! I don't recommend baking anything just yet (can you say freezer burn?!) but jams and jellies are a hit! You can give a single jar all prettied up with fabric and ribbon or in a gift bag with biscuit mix and a mixing spoon. By making the jelly or jam now when produce is fresh and even inexpensive if you own them yourself (we have a cherry tree and grapevines) or pick them yourself.


Making jam or jelly can be really easy. I'm not a huge fan of freezer jam...it's too sweet. Yes, I know canned jams and jellies are quite sweet themselves, but they have a different flavor. I buy Kroger brand pectin and follow the recipe on the box. Did you know you don't have to process the canned jams and jellies in the canner pot if you follow all the steps and make sure your jam/jelly is hot enough and your jars and lids/bands are sterile and hot enough until canning. Just follow the directions on the box! I've done it that way for the past two years and I must say I enjoy canning more this way!
So...my tip is to get a step ahead in the gift process...give someone a lovely homemade gift of jam or jelly!


*pic. from www.dianephalen.com

Lemon Shake Ups

Once again, since fair season is upon us I thought I would share the recipe I use for Lemon Shake Ups...you know, that yummy, but overpriced lemony drink?

Lemon Shake Ups

2 lemons (cut in half)
1/2 cup sugar
crushed ice
water

Squeeze lemons in a large glass or cup, add sugar and crushed ice (how much is up to you). Place the squeezed lemon halves in and add water (your desired amount). Cover and shake, shake, shake! Remove the lemon halves and enjoy!

*Feel free to add more sugar, less lemon, etc. to get your desired taste.
*Try boiling the sugar and lemon to make a syrup which can be frozen (into ice cubes) and used when desired.

*pic from jolicoeurodesign.blosgspot.com

Creamy Fruit Dip

Since Meijer has a great sale on strawberries this week we are eating lots of strawberries. We LOVE strawberries (or any fruit for that matter) with this fruit dip! It's soooo yummy! Enjoy!

Creamy Fruit Dip
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
8 oz. Cool Whip
2 c. confectioners' sugar (or 1 cup granulated sugar) -- or 1/2 cup or so of pure cane sugar

Blend together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Fold in Cool Whip. You can also add a little almond extract or vanilla extract if you wish. Enjoy!

*image from http://janabouc.wordpress.com

Spring and Key Lime Pie

Today is the first day of spring!! It's felt like it the last week or so, but the next few days won't feel so much like it. My kiddos know that when spring rolls around it's getting closer to the days for Key Lime Pie. Happy Spring ya'll!

Key Lime Pie

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup lime juice (I buy the bottled kind)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 drops green food coloring (if you want it to look green)
9 inch graham crust

Directions are quite difficult, but I think you can handle them. Ready? Mix the ingredients (minus the pie crust, of course) and pour it in the crust. (I mix it in my stand mixer. It is a bit difficult to get it smooth and creamy when mixing by hand.) Stick it in the fridge. Wait a couple hours and voila! Key Lime Pie!!

Enjoy!

Sour Cream Blueberry Bread

This is a regular morning treat at our house. Usually on Sunday mornings when we are busily getting ready for church. It's originally a Williams-Sonoma recipe but I've tweaked it a bit. The sour cream makes it so moist.

Sour Cream Blueberry Bread

2 med-ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 lg. eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 heaping cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. Mash bananas well w/ a fork and set aside. Stir together flour, sugar, soda, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, vanilla, butter and bananas. Stir wet and dry ingredients until moist. Carefully fold in blueberries. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes (until done...test it first with a cake tester or knife). Let cool in pan on a rack for 5-10 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto the rack and cool completely. Wrap it up to keep it fresh. This bread freezes well, too!

--I quadruple the recipe to make four loaves at one time, but you'll need a really big bowl!

Cherry Cheese Braid

We regularly have breakfast food for dinner. It's a favorite theme around here! I like to think my culinary expertise amazes everyone, but I think in reality they enjoy having sweet yummy main dishes! This recipe is the perfect compliment to eggs and bacon or biscuits and gravy. You can use your own bread recipe or refrigerated crescent rolls (Meijer has a great catalina promotion going on right now!) as the bread for it.

Cherry Cheese Braid

4 packages crescent rolls (8 ct.)
8 oz. package cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
Glaze
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Lay out the crescent roll dough on two baking sheets, side by side and seal the seams together. (Lay them out so they fit on the baking sheet.) Cut 9 (3-inch) deep slits into each long side of the
dough.
Mix together cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture lengthwise down the center of each dough rectangle. Spread half of the pie filling over each cream cheese section. Fold strips of dough over cream cheese filling, alternating sides and making a braid. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under.
Bake 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
Combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract; drizzle over warm loaves. Enjoy!

Notes: You can make this with any kind of pie filling. You can also make your own pie filling.

Homemade Pie Filling

Baking a pie is pretty easy, really. You have to have the right crust recipe (soon to come) and a great filling. We have a cherry tree in our yard so cherry pie is easy to come by at our house. We package several quart bags for the freezer for cherry crisp, cherry pie, etc. We go blueberry picking each summer to stock our freezer with yummy local grown blueberries. A visit to the strawberry patch is a common trek in summer, too. We purchase peaches from a local Amish stand or if the prices at the grocer are really good, then we go there. Point being that making your own fruit pie filling is pretty easy and good for you, too!

Combine together the following ingredients for each kind of pie:

Apple Pie Filling = 6 cups apples (peeled, cored, and thinly sliced), 3/4 cup sugar, 1 T flour

Blueberry Pie Filling = 4 cups blueberries, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 T flour

Cherry Pie Filling = 4 cups cherries (tart and pitted), 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/4 cup flour

Peach Pie Filling = 6 cups peaches (peeled, pitted and thinly sliced), 3/4 cup sugar, 3 T flour


Equivalents:
Apples 1 medium = 1 cup sliced
Peaches 1 medium = 1/2 cup sliced