Tag Archives: blueberries

FRUIT COOLER and APPLE AND PEAR SANGRIA and SWEET TEA SPRITZER

29 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by in Cocktails, Recipes

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The friends we vacation with every summer on the houseboat are always willing to try a new cocktail – which I am thrilled about and appreciative of, as I love to find interesting recipes and mix, blend and stir them up to share.

FRUIT COOLER

fruit cooler

1 (10-ounce) box frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed

3 cups ice

1 cup blueberries

1 banana

1/2 cup vodka

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup cream of coconut

Puree strawberries in a blender until smooth. Add ice, blueberries, banana, vodka, pineapple juice and cream of coconut. Process until smooth. Pour into glasses.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, July 2007

www.southernliving.com/

APPLE AND PEAR SANGRIA

apple and pear sangria

2 (750ml) bottle Pinot Grigio

1 cup pear flavored vodka

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced

sparkling wine

In a large pitcher, stir together Pinot Grigio, vodka, mint and apple slices. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Pour into glasses and top with sparkling wine.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Entertain Celebrate Decorate magazine

www.celebratemag.com/

SWEET TEA SPRITZER

sweet tea spritzer

Stir together 2 cups cranberry juice, 1 cups sweet-tea flavored vodka, and 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice in a large pitcher. Stir in ice cubes. Pour into glasses and top with seltzer.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, June 2012

www.southernliving.com/

DOUBLE BERRY ALMOND BREAKFAST COOKIES

07 Saturday May 2016

Posted by in Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

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The day of the Washington School Tour of Homes dawned bright and beautiful, and while I finished up last minute tidying, arranging and preparations for our dog to spend the day with friends and their 3 dogs, my husband took the kids out of the house for breakfast. After a quick shower, and an even quicker bite of these Double Berry Almond Breakfast Cookies that I had baked a couple of days before, the kids and I left to tour the other homes while my husband stayed at the house to greet people and serve wine.

DOUBLE BERRY ALMOND BREAKFAST COOKIES

double berry breakfast cookies

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup roasted almonds, chopped

1 cup oats

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1 cup cranberries (I used frozen)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Heat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat together canola oil, maple syrup, egg and vanilla extract; add flour mixture and stir to combine. Add roasted almonds, oats, blueberries, cranberries, dried cranberries and lemon zest and fold until the fruit and nuts are evenly distributed.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, scoop batter into large balls and drop them onto prepared baking sheet. Bake until cookies are set and lightly browned on the bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Shape, May 2016

www.shape.com/

 

SPIKED STRAWBERRY LEMON SPRITZER and BLUEBERRY PUNCH and AQUAVIT SPRITZER and RASPBERRY SMASH

07 Friday Aug 2015

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These fruit forward, berry laced cocktails are the essence of summer!

SPIKED STRAWBERRY LEMON SPRITZER

strawberry spritzer

1/2 cup honey

8 strawberries, plus more for garnish

12 ounces vodka

4 ounces Cointreau

juice of 4 lemons

16 ounces sparkling water

In a small saucepan, simmer honey and 1/2 cup water over medium-low heat, 2 minutes. Let cool. Place 1 hulled berry in each of 8 glasses, mash. Fill glasses with ice. In a pitcher, combine honey mixture, vodka, cointreau, lemon juice and sparkling water, stir. Divide among glasses. Garnish with strawberries.

Enjoy!

BLUEBERRY PUNCH

blueberry punch

In a small saucepan, bring to a boil 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 cup water. Cook 1 minute, breaking up berries with a spoon. Strain syrup, reserving liquid. Let cool 15 minutes.

Spoon syrup evenly among glasses, top with 1 ounce of elderflower liqueur and sparkling wine.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Self, August 2013

www.self.com/

AQUAVIT SPRITZER

aquavit spritzer

1 tablespoon raw sugar

3/4 cup lingonberry preserves

4 cups soda water

2 cups aquavit

Combine sugar and 1 tablespoon hot water in a pitcher. Stir to dissolve. Add preserves. Using a wooden spoon, stir to loosen preserves and mix with simple syrup. Gently stir in soda water and aquavit.

Fill tumblers with ice. Divide Aquavit Spritzer equally among glasses.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2012

www.bonappetit.com/

RASPBERRY SMASH

raspberry smash

2 lime wedges

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

6 tablespoons vodka

4 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 cups ice cubes

1/4 cup chilled sparkling wine

Place lime wedges, raspberries, vodka and 4 teaspoons sugar in a cocktail shaker. Using a muddler, smash fruit mixture. Add ice. Shake 10 seconds. Divide between glasses, top with champagne.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2010

www.bonappetit.com/

SPARKLING BERRY SANGRIA

22 Friday May 2015

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A light, refreshing Sangria is a fun and delicious way to start the summer.

SPARKLING BERRY SANGRIA

sparkling berry sangria

1 bottle rose wine, chilled

1 1/2 cups club soda, chilled

1/2 cup orange liqueur

8 ounces strawberries, halved

6 ounces raspberries

6 ounces blueberries

2 oranges, 1 sliced into rounds, 1 juiced

ice cubes

In a large pitcher, gently stir all ingredients except for the ice. Pour sangria and fruit into ice-filled glasses.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray, May 2015

www.rachaelray.com/

BLUEBERRY LEMON BUNDT CAKE

10 Sunday May 2015

Posted by in cakes and cupcakes, Recipes

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A friends Mother was visiting for a few weeks, and I always look forward to seeing her when she’s here. I invited a few lovely ladies over for afternoon tea, and sitting out on the back deck, with the sunshine and surround of trees was a wonderful and relaxing opportunity to catch up.

I ran out of time to make everything I had planned, but one of the recipes I did get to prepare was a Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake. Unfortunately, I didn’t grease the pan well enough, and the cake came out in a crumbled mess – however, just as my own Mum would have, there were no complaints but many kind and forgiving compliments.

BLUEBERRY LEMON BUNDT CAKE 

blueberry lemon bundt cake

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 teaspoon for blueberries and zest

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

2 cups blueberries

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Heat oven to 350F. Thoroughly grease a bundt pan with butter, dust with flour, tapping out excess (I omitted this step, which could be the reason my cake did not want to come out of the pan!)

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with two batches of sour cream and beating until just combined.

Toss blueberries and zest with remaining 1 teaspoon flour, gently fold into batter.

Transfer batter to prepared pan, smooth top. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes.

Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, April 2015

www.arkansasonline.com/news/features/food/

BLUEBERRY WALDORF SALAD

24 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in Recipes, Salad

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This is a beautiful, delicious salad for lunch or dinner, and so quick to put together.

BLUEBERRY WALDORF SALAD

blueberry waldorf salad

In a bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper. Toss with 1/2 a chicken breast, chopped. 1/4 cup chopped celery, 1/4 cup blueberries, and 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts. Serve over arugula.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Self Magazine, May 2014

http://www.self.com/body/recipes/

BLUEBERRY BANANA PANCAKES and LEMON BLUEBERRY SNACK CAKE

01 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by in Breakfast & Brunch, Dessert, Recipes

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My family has been enjoying blueberries for breakfast, plain and folded into cakes. These recipes combine the small blue berry alongside other fruits, with delicious results.

BLUEBERRY BANANA PANCAKES

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup blueberries
2 bananas sliced

In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the buttermilk. Stir in the flour mixture, then stir in the melted butter and blueberries.
Heat a large skillet over moderately low heat and spray with cooking spray. Scoop tablespoons of the batter into the skillet and lay one banana slice in the center of each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the second side, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Dust with confectioners sugar, and serve with butter and maple syrup as desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, October 2010
www.foodandwine.com/‎

LEMON BLUEBERRY SNACK CAKE

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1tablespoon of lemon juice
1 pint blueberries

Heat oven to 375F.
Mist an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar and zest until light, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix buttermilk and vanilla. Beat a third of the flour mixture into butter the mixture until nearly combined, then beat in half of buttermilk mixture. Repeat, ending with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until just combined. Stir in lemon juice, and blueberries.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from All You Celebrations
www.allyou.com/food/recipes‎

LITTLE GEM MINI MUFFINS

12 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

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Despite the time change, my youngest son and I were up and about bright and early, and we decided to make muffins for the rest of the family. He loves to help me in the kitchen, so it was a lovely time cooking and chatting, and slowly waking up to the day.
These are delicious little gems – as precious as their name and the boy who helped me bake them.

LITTLE GEM MINI MUFFINS

2 cups flour
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the blueberries and cherries.
In a separate bowl, stir together the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
Spray or use mini muffin liners, in a mini muffin pan. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until just moistened.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into a muffins center comes out clean, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Family Fun, April 2010
familyfun.go.com/recipes/