Tag Archives: Dessert

Blackberry Slump

Who has heard of a slump?

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Not a senior slump, like the one I am now experiencing. No, I mean a fruity dessert slump.

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I had not heard of a slump until yesterday, when I decided I wanted to make a fruity, cobblery dessert with my cast iron skillet and found this recipe.

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The word slump goes back to colonial times, I read. We now generally call this a cobbler, but it is referring to the same delicious, beloved summertime dessert.

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This is the best dessert I’ve had in awhile And that is saying something, because I have had a lot of dessert lately.

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So sweet, so good, especially served with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream. This is delicious when it has cooled for a bit, but still has a touch of warmth to it. The berries become thick and creamy when mixed with the melted ice cream.

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This slump has made my senior slump seem more manageable.

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For this fabulous recipe, click here. I used blackberries instead of blueberries. Enjoy your Monday everyone!

S’mores Pie

My mom loves s’mores. And anything chocolate + marshmallow in general. Chocolate marshmallow ice cream, an ice cream sundae with marshmallow topping. Anytime we are in a situation to have a s’more with the marshmallow cooked over a fire, I know my mom will want one, marshmallow slightly charred. I am pretty sure I remember a time when we would eat a s’more almost nightly, without a bonfire, just using our microwave.

So, today, something special. I love you momma!

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I used this recipe. Thank you, B. On a Whim blog, for helping to make Mother’s Day special for my mom.

Sweet Berry Hand Pies

I am so excited to share these with you!

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Hand pies. My mom thinks they are the new cupcakes. I think they are just awesome.

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I’ve been seeing them everywhere. Sweet, savory, you name it, there is a hand pie. I just knew that it would not be long until I tried making my own!

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These hand pies are not hard to make! And the ingredient combination ideas are endless.

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Today I’m showing you two different ideas!

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One is a blueberry hand pie with fig + cocoa spread. The other, raspberries and cream.

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First, let’s talk about the blueberry! I am a huge fan of blueberry anything. I thought that since blueberries are looking good this time of the year, I would choose them. And, the fig + cocoa spread. Don’t be afraid. I know that the word fig turns a lot of people off from eating something. I found this fig spread at the store that also has cocoa in it. It sort of reminds me of Nutella but with the added fig seed crunch. The spread + the sweet blueberries is a great flavor combo that I think even those afraid of fig will enjoy!

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Now, the raspberries and cream hand pie. Oh my goodness. These are a real treat. I was making the blueberry + fig ones and the raspberries and cream idea just came to me. When the weather is nice, we have get-togethers at my parents house and make a fire and spend the evening outside. Once or twice, we have made mountain pies. And we try to get a little creative with them. Once, we made a raspberries and cream one. And it was delicious. That mountain pie completely inspired this hand pie!

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I cannot stop eating these. I need a hand pie intervention! Or someone to share with.. who wants hand pies?

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Blueberries and Fig Hand Pies

Ingredients:
This is enough for two 9-inch pie crusts, or 14 hand pies:
2 9-inch pie crusts, store-bought or homemade
1 pint + 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar + extra for sprinkling on top of hand pies
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup store-bought fig spread
Egg wash — you can either use egg white mixed with water or egg yolk mixed with milk, I tried and liked both

Mix together 1 pint of blueberries, 3 tablespoons of sugar and flour in a pot over medium-high heat on the stove. The mixture will start to smoke a bit and the blueberries will begin to break down. Once that happens, turn the heat down to medium and stir constantly until the blueberries have almost completely broken down and the mixture is thick and sauce-like. Remove from the heat and stir in the extra 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries. Let the mixture cool completely before assembling the hand pies.

Preheat oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare your work surface. Lightly flour a flat counter top and get your rolling pin ready. Once the blueberry mixture is cooled, roll out the two 9-inch pie crusts. I used a 4-1/2 inch round container to cut my circles from the crust and it made five rounds and I then rolled the excess dough back out to get two more rounds. I got seven rounds each time from one 9-inch pie crust. You can use a cookie cutter, cup or container to cut the rounds and the size is up to you. I was very happy with 4-1/2 inches. I wouldn’t want to go to much smaller but bigger would be fine.

Once you have the rounds cut out, spoon the fig spread onto each round. I used about a teaspoon on each. Then spoon the cooled blueberry mixture on top of the fig spread. I used a heaping teaspoon of the blueberry mixture. You don’t want the pies to be too full or the filling with spill out when you try to fold them closed.

Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash along one side of each round. Fold the round in half, making a half circle, or moon shape. Using your fingers, pinch and fold the edges of the half circle. Then use a fork to push down the edges to really seal the hand pie closed. Make two small slits in the top of each hand pie with a knife and then brush the top with egg wash. Sprinkle the tops with additional sugar. I used a combination of white decoration sugar, turbinado sugar and white granulated sugar for sprinkling.

Place the hand pies on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the hand pies are just slightly browned on top. Let cool on the baking sheet before serving .

Now, on to the raspberries and cream. The method will be similar, with different ingredients.

Raspberries and Cream Hand Pies

Ingredients:
This is enough for two 9-inch pie crusts, or 14 hand pies:
2 9-inch pie crusts
6 oz. fresh raspberries
8 oz. cream cheese, softened.
1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling on top
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg wash — you can either use egg white mixed with water or egg yolk mixed with milk, I tried and liked both

Preheat oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract.

Prepare your work surface. Lightly flour a flat counter top and get your rolling pin ready. Roll out the two 9-inch pie crusts. I used a 4-1/2 inch round container to cut my circles from the crust and it made five rounds and I then rolled the excess dough back out to get two more rounds. I got seven rounds each time from one 9-inch pie crust. You can use a cookie cutter, cup or container to cut the rounds and the size is up to you. I was very happy with 4-1/2 inches. I wouldn’t want to go to much smaller but bigger would be fine.

Once you have the rounds cut out, spoon the cream cheese mixture onto each round. I used about a half tablespoon on each. Then place three raspberries onto the cream cheese mixture. You don’t want the pies to be too full or the filling with spill out when you try to fold them closed.

Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash along one side of each round. Fold the round in half, making a half circle, or moon shape. Using your fingers, pinch and fold the edges of the half circle. Then use a fork to push down the edges to really seal the hand pie closed. Make two small slits in the top of each hand pie with a knife and then brush the top with egg wash. Sprinkle the tops with additional sugar. I used a combination of white decoration sugar, turbinado sugar and white granulated sugar for sprinkling.

Place the hand pies on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the hand pies are just slightly browned on top. Let cool on the baking sheet before serving .

*Notes:
-Okay, for the recipe, I used store-bought refrigerated pie crusts. This would absolutely be good if you make your own! I provided you amounts to make a full recipe of each — 14 blueberry and fig and 14 raspberries and cream. A full recipe uses two 9-inch round pie crusts. If you want to make both but use only two pie crusts, cut each ingredient list above in half and make a half recipe of each. You would used one 9-inch pie crust for each and get 7 blueberry and fig and 7 raspberries and cream hand pies.

Enjoy!

French Macarons

Macarons for your Monday!cookies

I mentioned before that I tried a french macaron for the first time while I was in DC about a month ago.

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The one I tried was pistachio flavored. It was amazing. I wondered why it took me so long to try a macaron.

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I waited 23 years to try one, but I have a feeling that I will now eat macarons as often as possible.

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Making them is definitely a delicate process. But, it’s not hard. Just something you have to pay close attention to. There are only a few simple ingredients. And most of the time is spent whipping egg whites, or letting the cookies sit before baking.

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I flavored mine with lemon and raspberry. That is another thing I love about these. The flavor possibilities are endless. I can’t wait to try more soon.

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Hard on the outside, but soft inside. Light as a feather and slightly crunchy. Sweet and delicious. This is the perfect spring cookie.

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I used this method, from Martha Stewart. I used the Swiss meringue buttercream for filling. Also, this video helped me out a lot.

Enjoy!

*What flavor of french macaron do you like? What flavor would you like to try?

A Very Special Carrot Cake

I made this just for you. 🙂

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Happy birthday Greg!

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Now blow out the candles and make a wish.

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And enjoy a piece of cake.

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I hope that every moment of your day is just as sweet as you. 🙂

This amazing carrot cake recipe is from one of the very best, Sally’s Baking Addiction. Thank you so much, Sally!