Strawberry Lime Popsicles

I recently waxed poetic about my nutribullet blender and I'm happy to announce it can make things better than smoothies.  It can make popsicles!  Putting these together was a fun experiment.  The only thing stopping me from adding a splash of tequila to the mixture and calling them strawberry margarita pops is that we didn't have any left!  Enjoy the last full month of summer and make these for your friends.  Popsicle molds are worth the $5 Target investment (provided you don't buy other things) and will last more than a season.

Ingredients

2 cups chopped strawberries
3 limes (or 10 baby key limes)
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Combine chopped strawberries and sugar in the base of the blender.
2. Juice the the limes and add the lime juice to the fruit.
3. Hit the puree button and let the blender work its magic for about 1 minute.
4. Put into popsicle molds and wait about 6 hours until the liquid is frozen
5. Dunk in tequila for an extra treat

Apricot and Walnut Granola

This was supposed to be a granola bar but I don't think I put enough butter in this to help it stick together.  Instead I've made granola which is equally as delicious and potentially more versatile (we've already had it with yogurt for breakfast and with berries for dessert).  However you want to swap the nuts and dried fruit to suit your fancy, you really can't make any mistakes (except the butter issue).  Add a tablespoon of honey and I bet this would actually turn into beautiful granola bars, if anyone tries, please let me know!

Ingredients

2 cups instant cooking oats
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup walnuts
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg, separated
1/2 cup wheat germ (substitute 1/4 cup flour in a pinch)
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chocolate chips (could be omitted but why spoil a good thing?)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine oats, coconut and walnuts in a bowl and mix.  Lay the mixture out on an un-greased cookie sheet and cook in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove and let cool.
4. Meanwhile melt the butter, olive oil and brown sugar over medium heat.  When combined, turn off the heat.
5. Separate the egg, keep the yolk for another day.  Take the egg white and beat it vigorously for a minute.  Set aside.
6. Put cooled oatmeal mix in a large bowl.  Stir in wheat germ, apricots and chocolate chips.
7. Make a well in the center and add the liquids and the egg whites, stirring well to combine.
8. Place a large piece of parchment paper on your cookie sheet.
9. Use a spatula to spread the batter out over the parchment, you want it to be about 1/2 inch thick
10. Cook in the 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  Let it cool completely before trying to crumble it.

Pear Rosemary Coffee Cafe

What do you do when someone gives you 10 pounds of fresh pears?  Make a lot of pear recipes!  This cake came together really quickly and hit the spot on a Sunday morning.  This is really adaptable and could be modified for any of your favorite flavors, even lavender instead of rosemary would be amazing!

Ingredients

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
1 cup all purpose flour
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 small pears (your favorite type), cored and thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a spring form pan and set aside.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl.  Set aside.
3. Use a mixer or eggbeater to cream together softened butter and sugar.
4. When light and fluffy (or after 4 minutes) add eggs one at a time and incorporate into the sugar and butter mixture.
5. Add vanilla and let mix for 30 more seconds.
6. Slowly add flour mixture to the "wet" butter mixture.  Add about 1/3 cup of ingredients at a time. It should all be incorporated within 2 minutes.
7. Transfer to a pre-greased cake pan and use a spatula to evenly distribute the batter.
8. Top with pear slices
9. Cook about 45 minutes, until tooth pick comes out clean and the cake is golden brown on top.
10. Let cool 15 minutes before removing from spring form.

Strawberry Pineapple Vodka Cake

I've officially crowed this cake the top sweet of the summer!  I needed a simple and delicious cake to bring to a weekend gettaway with friends and the only thing I had on hand were strawberries, pineapple and vodka (like that is really a problem?).  I wanted to make a cake that would accentuate all of the flavors and this cake really fits the bill.  A nice caramel sauce with the fruit and vodka is pretty much heaven!  I modified the cake recipe from Smitten Kitchen and here is the final product!  You will want to make this in a spring form pan so you can easily flip the cake (since it is baked upside down after all).  Word to the wise, put the cake pan on a cookie sheet or another pan because some of the liquid will drip out and you don't want caramel sauce getting on your oven coils.

Ingredients

3/4 stick butter

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 can 16 oz pineapple chunks, 1/2 cup juices reserved and set aside
1 pint strawberries, tops removed and cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 stick butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup vodka

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter or spray the cake pan and arrange cut fruit on the bottom.  Set aside for now.
2. Place 3/4 stick of butter in a small pan on the stove.  Watch it carefully and when melted, add the brown sugar.  Stir well and let cook about 5 minutes, until starting to bubble.  When bubbling, remove from heat and carefully pour over fruit in the cake pan.  Immediately put the pan you used to make caramel sauce in the sink and add hot water to prevent caramel from sticking to the pan and ruining it.
3. Combine dry ingredients and mix well in a bowl.
4. Beat remaining 3/4 stick of butter 2-3 minutes in a separate bowl.
5. Add sugar and beat with butter another 2-3 minutes.
6. Add eggs and beat to incorporate.
7. Add vanilla and vodka and beat until incorporated.
8. Slowly add flour to liquid mixture, beating until incorporated (generally about 1/4 to 1/3 of the mixture at a time).
9. Pour cake batter slowly over the fruit and caramel mixture, using a spatula if necessary to spread the cake.
10. Place the springform on a cookie sheet and put in the preheated oven.  Cook about 35-40 minutes until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11. Be careful when you remove the cake from the oven that you let it cool down before handling.  The caramel is extremely hot!
12. Remove the springform from around the cake, place a plat on top and carefully flip the cake so the fruit is on the top.  Carefully remove the springform bottom plate and rearrange any fruit that has moved.
13. Serve warm with ice cream!

Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries

My farm share with Tahoma Farms is starting to send me some serious produce, this past week it was a pint of fresh local strawberries!  I've wanted to try making Panna Cotta for a while now (thanks April) so I finally made a batch mixing two recipes (one from Giada and the other from Honest Cooking).  It's a fairly easy dessert so I would definitely recommend this recipe next time you have a dinner party!  This would be fun a bridal shower or brunch too.  Add some blueberries and you could use this for July 4th celebrations!

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 cup milk (whatever you prefer, but stay away from non-fat)
1 packet Knox plain gelatin
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pint strawberries rinsed and thinly sliced

1.  Pour milk into a bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top.  Let stand five minutes.
2.  Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat.  Add milk and gelatin mixture and stir to incorporate.  About 5 minutes.
3.  Add cream, sugar, vanilla extract and stir until incorporated (about 2-3 minutes)
4.  Remove from heat and pour into fancy glasses or even ramekins
5.  Let set in the fridge about 4-5 hours until "jello" like
6.  Remove and top with fresh sliced strawberries

Lavender Ice Cream

Our ice cream maker was one of the best presents we received when we got married.  I spent a lot of time making frozen yogurt last summer and this summer I'm determined to make a lot of real traditional ice cream.  This is my first pass and it is excellent!  The ice cream is really simple and has a perfect subtle lavender taste.  A big thank you to Christine for bringing me lavender sugar and inspiring this recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons chopped lavender
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

1.  Take a large heavy sauce pan (or enamel pan like Le creuset) and heat heavy cream and 1 cup of whole mean over medium heat.  You will bring this to a simmer (about 10 minutes).  Make sure to stir and watch that this does not boil!
2. Meanwhile, put 1 cup of sugar into a bowl and the lavender.  Use your fingers to rub the lavender and the sugar together to combine the essence of the herb and the sugar.
3. In another bowl, whisk together egg yokes and 1/4 cup sugar.
4. Here is the tricky part.  Once milk and simmered.  Remove from the heat.  Take a 1/2 measuring cup and scoop out warm milk/cream mixture.  Slowly and carefully whisk into egg mixture to temper the eggs and bring to the same temp as the milk.  Feel free to repeat this process with another 1/2 cup of milk mixture.
5. When eggs are tempered, slowly stir them back into the pan of milk/cream mixture carefully whisking to combine into the milk.
6. Cook this mixture over medium low heat until it coats the spoon.  About 10 minutes.
7. Move liquid to another bowl and add remaining 2 cups milk, vanilla and pinch of salt.  Stir to combine.
8. Cool mixture completely in the fridge, do not skip this step or you will regret it.
9. Put in ice cream maker of choice and go per manufacturer's instructions.

Peanut Butter Pot du Creme

A pot du creme is a quintessential French dessert that is surprisingly easy to make!  Don't be intimidated by the name of this dish, Taste Book has an easy recipe I modified to make with peanut butter.  It is so easy and delightful and your friends will think you spent hours making this but you don't have to give away your secret at how easy and simple this was to make.  Top with any of your favorite toppings, i.e. whipped cream or chocolate sauce for an extra sweet treat!

Ingredients


1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter
3 egg yolks
4 ramekins (1/2 cup size)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place ramekins in an oven safe dish (like a lasagna pyrex dish) so that you can fill the pan with hot water later to cook the creme pots.
3. In a small sauce pan pour whipping cream and peanut butter, gently whisk until combined and let cook over medium heat about 10 minutes until peanut butter is mostly incorporated and smooth.
4. When cream is ready gently whisk in one egg yolk at a time until combined.  After all three, you will notice it is a bit thicker
5. Carefully pour equally into the ramekins and carefully pour water around the ramekins until they are covered half way up the side.
6. Place in the preheated oven and cook until top is set and golden brown, about 25 minutes
7. Remove and let cool until you are able to handle the dish, then cover and put in the fridge until you are ready to serve

Appledoodles aka Apple Snickerdoodles

My college football team plays a rivalry game called the "Apple Cup".  To celebrate this year I whipped up these Apple Snickerdoodles in honor of the theme.  I love the way the apple brings a fun twist to this old classic cookie.  The base of the cookie is adapted from Betty Crocker because who doesn't make a delicious cookie better than that lady?

Ingredients


1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 cup butter softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup peeled and chopped apple (a sweeter apple works best)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray the baking sheet
2. Combine flour, tartar, baking soda and salt and set aside.
3. In another bowl beat butter, sugar and egg together until combined.
4. Add apple to the egg mixture and beat until combined.
5. Add flour mixture and stir well to incorporate into egg mixture (I used a combination of egg beater and then wooden spoon)
6. Prepare a plate with remaining sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon so you can roll your cookies in it
7. Take dough and roll cookies into a 1 1/2 inch ball and then roll through the sugar mixture.  Add to the cookie sheet.  You don't need to flatten it, that happens during cooking
8. When sheet is filled put in the oven and bake 9 minutes
9. Remove from the oven and cook 10 minutes before serving

Any Berry Pear Crumble

This crumble is so satisfying and full of good fruit that you could technically eat it for breakfast and be guilt free.  Its super simple to put together and allows for the fresh taste of the fruits to shine through.  Use whatever fruit you have on hand, apples would also work very well here!  Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you are set!

Crumble Topping
1/2 cup flour
1 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 butter cut into cubes

Fruit Filling
2 large pears peeled and chopped
1 pint of any berry you like (I did blueberry)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine all crumble toppings together in a food processor and blend until butter and almonds are finely chopped in the butter
3. In pie pan, layer fruit of your choice and then evenly distribute the crumble mixture on top of the fruit
4. Place on a cookie sheet to prevent spill over
5. Put in the oven for about 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbling

Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes

I made these for my friend Hillary's birthday last month and they were a total hit!  They turned out just like chocolate lava cakes with a delicious whiskey cream topping!  You could easily swap your favorite liquor for the whiskey in this recipe!

Ingredients

Makes 12 cupcakes

Batter

1 stick butter

4 oz dark chocolate

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon whiskey

1/4 cup flour

Frosting

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 whiskey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line your cupcake tin
3. Place butter and chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Set the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and stir occasionally until melted.  Then remove the bowl from the pan.
4. Using a mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar, and whiskey on medium speed for about 5 minutes (easiest if you do this in a stand mixer).  Reduce speed and add in melted chocolate/butter mixture.
5. Finally fold in the flour to this mixture
4. Spoon batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
6. When cupcakes are done, transfer to wire rack and cool.
7. For the frosting, separate the eggs so you only have egg whites.  Place the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and place over boiling water similar to the way you did the chocolate.
8. When the sugar dissolves remove the bowl from the pan
7. Using the stand mixer again and whisk together the egg white and sugar mixture until egg whites have cooled.  Then add the whiskey and mix until combined.
8. Frost the cupcakes and serve IMMEDIATELY!

Simply Strawberries and Creme Fraiche

In honor of our 2 year wedding anniversary, let me post a sweet treat that should be part of anyone's summer repertoire of  desserts.

Ingredients


1 pint of fresh strawberries (rinsed and stems removed)
1/4 cup fine sugar
1/2 cup creme fraiche
Bottle of champagne (optional)

1. Sprinkle fine sugar on a nice plate
2. Add creme fraiche dollop to the middle of the plate
2. Surround the creme with the clean strawberries in a cute design

Serve with small forks or use your fingers.  Enjoy the deliciousness of the creme fresh with the gorgeous berries!

Rhubarb Applesauce

Somehow this recipe evolved from rhubarb frozen yogurt to applesauce.  I will blame the sunshine for my inability to finish this recipe as originally intended but the rhubarbsauce turned out great so no complaints here!  Homemade sauce is a much healthier (and better tasting alternative) and easier way to consume fruit.  You could mix any type of fresh fruit in with this recipe (except bananas!).

Ingredients


2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 apple cored and chopped (skin on)
1/2 cup honey
boiling water

1. In a heavy deep bottom pot, combine chopped rhubarb, apple, honey and cover the fruit with boiling water.
2.  Let sit about 30 minutes
3.  Drain off 3/4 cup or so of excess water, the rest can remain.
4.  Use blender or immersion blender to puree the fruit.
5.  Let cool before transferring to tupperware.
6.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container up to a week, store in the freezer up to a year!

Out of this Disneyworld Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

I was in Disneyworld for a work event last month and we had one of the most amazing desserts EVER.  This is really special and a great combination of tasty and sweet flavors.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients


1 1/2 cup milk plus 1/4 cup dairy creamer (if you are really going all the way on this one this is definitely recommended)
1 egg (could use egg substitute as well)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 cups of two or three day old baguette, cut into bite size cubes
2 bananas sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1 Theo Chocolate milk chocolate bar (www.theochocolate.com) chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup brown/white sugar mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1) Mix milks, egg and vanilla and set in the fridge
2) Place baguette cubes, banana and chocolate in mixing bowl and mix well
3) Pour cold liquid over the cubes and toss thoroughly
4) Pour into a 9'' by 13'' greased baking dish
5) Evenly top with almonds and sugars
6) Pop in the oven and cook about 40 minutes (or until sugar and chocolate are nicely melted and bread is a golden brown)

Serve with caramel sauce or whipped cream and enjoy every minute of this amazing bread pudding!!