Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I love when strawberries come into season! We love to eat strawberries in any form. 

I have posted about a favorite dessert using strawberries in the past in my strawberry pretzel dessert recipe you can find here. I still enjoy this recipe but sometimes I just don't want to take the time for all the steps.

So I ran across this recipe on Pintrest and thought I would try it out since it seemed to use all my favorite parts of strawberry pretzel dessert but with a twist. While I liked this recipe, I decided to tweak it a little and make it slightly healthier.

Start by melting 1/2 c butter. Mix in 1/4 cup brown sugar until it dissolves. Stir in at least 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1 cup pretzels. 

When I want to make a big batch of this dessert, I typically add more pecans and pretzels. Watch how much butter you add, it can become a mess when baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 7-9 minutes. I usually stir at least once halfway through. Watch it carefully so the mixture doesn't burn!

I make my own whipped topping. This helps greatly reduce the added sugar and preservatives. 

I usually put my mixing in the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes so it will be nice and cold. Then add an 8 oz container of heaving whipping cream and a tsp of vanilla. I mix it on high until stiff peaks form (5 minutes maybe?). Don't over mix or it will cause separation. NO SUGAR NEEDED!!

Just right consistency. I put the cream back into the freezer until I need it.

Meanwhile, slice/dice 2-3 cups fresh strawberries.

Just before serving, combine all ingredients together. The longer the pretzels are in the cream cheese mixture, the soggier the pretzels will become.  

I usually save a few strawberries and pretzel mix to garnish with.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 - 1 cup pecans, chopped

1-2 cups pretzels, chopped

8 oz heavy whipping cream

2 tsp vanilla, divided

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2-3 cups strawberries, chopped

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine butter and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is combined. Add pecans and pretzels, stirring until fully coated. Spread mixture on jelly roll style pan. Cook for 7-9 minutes, stir at least once half way through cooking. Carefully watch mixture so it doesn't burn.

2. In a frozen mixing bowl, whip heavy whipping cream and 1 tsp vanilla until stiff peaks form. Place in freezer until ready to use.

3. Cream granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and cream cheese together. Gently fold in whipped cream.

4. Reserve a 1/4 cup pretzel mixture, 1/4 cup strawberries (or a whole strawberry), and 1 Tbs chocolate chips. Combine remaining ingredients together JUST BEFORE serving. Keep refrigerated.

Upside Down Apple Pie

Yet another amazing excuse to bake...our church's now annual chili and pie bake off. I participated with an apple pie 2 years ago that didn't place. So I knew I had to find something to stand out among the other entries. I'm not a huge pie fan myself but when I came across the recipe for upside down apple pie at nobblepig.com, I had to try it. Click here for the original website.

So, how did I do with my pie you might ask? I received second place (technically it was a tie). Not too bad if I say so myself. A couple of the judges came up to me afterwards raving about it. It really is that good and it's really very easy.

Upside Down Apple Pie

6 Tablespoons butter, melted & divided
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 refrigerated pie crusts
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice 
5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & cut into 1/2" slices

Coat a pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Coat the paper with cooking spray also. Now,I ran out of parchment paper and used aluminum foil instead. It worked okay but parchment paper would be best to keep the sugar from sticking to the foil.

In a small bowl combine 4 Tablespoons of melted butter, brown sugar and pecans. Mix well and spread evenly over the bottom of the pie plate, on top of the parchment. Place one of the crusts in the pie plate, pressing it firmly against the nut mixture and up the sides of the plate. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon and the remaining 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Mix well. Add the apples in and toss gently to coat. Spoon into the pie crust.

Place the second crust over the apple mixture. Trim and fold the edges together to seal and cut some slits in the top of the crust for venting.  (I sealed the edges the best I could. I really couldn't fold and seal but it didn't matter at all.)

Bake 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until crust is golden brown in a 375 degree oven. Make sure to place a cookie sheet on the bottom oven rack to catch any drips from the pie.

Let the pie cool for 5 minutes and then place a plate that is larger than the pie on top of it and flip it over. Use oven gloves as it will still be hot. Remove the pie plate and gently lift the paper. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Blueberry Muffins

I've been craving blueberry muffins for awhile and finally decided to make them for a play date (I love finding a good excuse to bake). The original recipe came from allrecipes.com, click here for the website.

A couple of things I changed. I did double the recipe and it made 21 muffins. I added 3 cups of frozen blueberries (I rolled them in some of the flour first to prevent them from bleeding into the batter). I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour. I added some vanilla into my batter.

Blueberry Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  3/4 cup white sugar
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  1/3 cup vegetable oil
  1 egg
  1/3 cup milk
  1 cup fresh blueberries
  
  
  Crumb Topping
  1/2 cup white sugar
  1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  1/4 cup butter, cubed
  1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix together the vegetable oil, egg and milk (I added a 1/2 tsp vanilla). Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Banana Bread

I've made this banana bread recipe about 3-4 times so far and have yet to try it since I usually give it away as gifts. Well, I had some leftover ripe bananas and decided it was finally time to try it. This is a very quick and easy recipe that I would recommend. I found the original recipe at the Simply Recipes website.

Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• I often sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on the top to give it a little more sweetness and taste

METHOD

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

Individual Lemon Blueberry Cakes

This recipe originally came from Parents Magazine. To see the original recipe, click here. I decided to tweak the recipe a little. If you like blueberries and corn muffins, I think that you'll like this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2  cups  blueberries (I used frozen and rolled them in 1/4 cup flour to prevent bleeding in the batter)
• 1  box (8.5 ounces)  corn bread mix (such as Jiffy) and ingredients to make the mix or follow the directions on the canister of corn meal like I did
• 1/3  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup  milk
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup Confectioners sugar
• 1 lemon - zested and juiced

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Generously coat 12 cups in a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium-size bowl, stir corn bread mix, egg (I used 1 per mix directions), granulated sugar, lemon zest, and milk until combined. Gently stir in blueberries.

3. Fill muffin cups should be about 3/4 full.

4. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Cool in muffin pan on rack for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around each cup and remove cakes to racks to cool completely.

5. To serve, combine lemon juice and powdered sugar to make a glaze. Drizzle glaze over each muffin.

Fruit-Topped Triple Chocolate Pizza

In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to share a perfect dessert recipe to make for your Valentine. This recipe comes from Pampered Chef's "All the Best" cookbook. It's a relatively easy dessert that you could prepare in stages to make it more convenient. Also, feel free to try different fruits with this recipe. The original recipe calls for strawberries and oranges but I've never been a fan of oranges and chocolate. I think you could easily substitute raspberries for the strawberries.

Fruit-Topped Triple Chocolate Pizza

1 package (18 ounce) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

2 squares (1 ounce each) white chocolate for baking

2 tablespoons milk

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup thawed, frozen whipped topping

12-16 strawberries, cut in half

1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange segments, well drained

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape cookie dough into a ball and place in center of a large round stone. Using lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough to a 12-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are set. (Cookie will be soft. Do not overbake.) Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes. Carefully loosen cookie from baking stone using a serrated bread knife; cool completely on baking stone.

2. Place white chocolate and milk in small microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute; still until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Microwave an additional 10-20 seconds if necessary. Cool slightly. In another bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture; mix until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie. 

3 Arrange fruit over cream cheese mixture. Place chocolate morsels and vegetable oil in small microwavable bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 30 seconds or until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over fruit. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Cut into wedges.

Yield: 16 servings

Caramel Apple Pie Crunch

I found this recipe online when trying to find a good pie recipe for my church's pie contest last month. I didn't place but it gave me a good excuse to try making something I wouldn't normally do. I'm not a big fan of eating or making pies but this recipe was fairly easy and delicious.

Caramel Apple Crunch Pie

8 to 10 servings Bake: 50 minutes
Prep: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Piecrust (recipe follows)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 large, tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (6 cups)
2/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup butterscotch-caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

1. On the lightly floured surface, roll out about two thirds of the piecrust to a 13- to 14-inch circle and turn it into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup flour and cinnamon. Add the apples and toss together. Turn mixture into piecrust.

3. In a medium bowl, mix rolled oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the oat mixture over the apple mixture.

4. Roll out remaining pastry and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Weave over the top of the pie to form a lattice crust. Press ends of strips into crust rim. Fold bottom pastry over strips. Seal and crimp edge.

5. Brush the lattice top and crust with a mixture of the egg yolk and the water. To prevent overbrowning, cover the edge of the pie with aluminum foil.

6. Bake the pie in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil . Bake for 25 to 30 minutes more or until filling is bubbly. Remove pie from oven and drizzle with caramel topping. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Piecrust: Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2/3 cup shortening until pieces are pea size. Using a total of 6 to 7 tablespoons cold water, sprinkle 1 tablespoon water over part of the mixture and gently toss the mixture with a fork. Push the moistened dough to one side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon water at a time, until all of the dough is moistened. Divide into thirds.



All of the babies born within 6 weeks of each other at church.



Apple Upside-down Cake

This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen. It's a delicious twist from the traditional pineapple version. 

Apple Upside-down Cake

Serves 8

You will need a 9-inch nonstick cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches high for this cake. Alternatively, use a 10-inch ovenproof stainless steel skillet (don’t use cast iron) to both cook the apples and bake the cake, with the following modifications: Cook the apples in the skillet and set them aside while mixing the batter (it’s OK if the skillet is still warm when the batter is added) and increase the baking time by 7 to 9 minutes. If you don’t have either a 2-inch high cake pan or an ovenproof skillet, use an 8-inch square pan.

Ingredients

Topping:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces, plus extra for pan
4 Granny Smith apples or Golden Delicious (about 2 pounds), peeled and cored
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (4 2/3 ounces)
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

Cake:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1 tablespoon cornmeal (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Butter bottom and sides of 9-inch round, 2-inch-deep nonstick cake pan; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Halve apples from pole to pole. Cut 2 apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices; set aside. Cut remaining 2 apples into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add 1/2-inch-thick apple slices and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times, until apples begin to caramelize, 4 to 6 minutes. (Do not fully cook apples.) Add 1/4-inch-thick apple slices, brown sugar, and lemon juice; continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and apples are coated, about 1 minute longer. Transfer apple mixture to prepared pan and lightly press into even layer. Set aside while preparing cake.

3. FOR THE CAKE: Whisk flour, cornmeal (if using), baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs together in large bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla; whisk until combined. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly over fruit. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

4. Cool pan on wire rack 20 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of cake to loosen. Place wire rack over cake pan. Holding rack tightly, invert cake pan and wire rack together; lift off cake pan. Place wire rack over baking sheet or large plate to catch any drips. If any fruit sticks to pan bottom, remove and position it on top of cake. Let cake cool 20 minutes (or longer to cool it completely), then transfer to serving platter, cut into pieces, and serve.

Cranberry Apple Crisp

This recipe comes from my co-worker & good friend Shari. I was rebellious & made this for dessert rather than the traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Everyone really liked it, including my husband that doesn't usually care for cranberries.

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Topping:

2 1/2 cups quick oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup melted butter

Mix ingredients together, set aside.

8 apples (Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Roma) peeled and sliced (I keep the peels on for added fiber)

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoon orange zest (I used fresh zest from an orange & then squeezed it's juice over the apples)

1 can of whole cranberries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Mix all apple ingredients together and place in lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Add topping mixture to apples, moving apples aside so topping gets into apples as well as on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Peach Upside-Down Cake

This recipe was a special request from my husband. His mother makes a twist on the old favorite, pineapple upside-down cake. If you're in a hurry, you could just use a yellow cake mix.
The recipe I used is from my cookbook, "Creative Cook's Kitchen". This book states that you could use any fruits that are in season, such as, apples, pears, or berries.

Peach Upside-Down Cake

For the topping:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 small ripe peaches

2 small ripe plums (I omitted & just used more peaches)

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

6 tablespoons butter, softened & cut into pieces

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Making the Topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in a 9-inch round cake pan (I used a 9x9 square pan); heat in oven until butter melts. Using a pot holder, swirl pan so butter coats bottom. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

2. Cut peaches into 1/2-inch slices. (I left the skins on but the recipe says to blanch them off.) Arrange peach slices in a decorative pattern in a cake pan on top of the brown sugar.

Making the Cake

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder; mix well. Add butter, milk , egg, and vanilla to flour mixture. Using an electric mixer set on low speed, beat mixture until blended. Increase speed to medium and beat until batter is smooth, about 1 minute. Spoon batter over fruit, spreading to cover.

2. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes, then run a knife around edge. Place serving platter over cake; using pot holders, invert onto platter. Remove pan; place stray fruit on cake. Serve warm.

Mom's Apple Banana Bread

This is a new recipe I found that I really enjoy. This is a great recipe for this time of year since apples are in season. This is really a different spin on banana bread with a similar taste to my husband's favorite apple cake.

Mom’s Banana Apple Bread- makes one 1 1/2-quart loaf pan
from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

For the apples:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the banana bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups very ripe mashed bananas (2 to 3)

Before you start:
Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour a 1 1/2-quart loaf pan.

To make the apples:
Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and brown sugar and heat until bubbling. Add the apples and cinnamon and sauté until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

To make the banana bread:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and vanilla.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the orange juice mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each flour addition. Stir in the mashed bananas until combined. Then stir in the reserved apples.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool further.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. The banana bread keeps well wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Defrost (still wrapped) at room temperature.

Pro Tip: If your bananas are black before you are ready to bake, peel them, puree them, and store them in an airtight plastic container in your freezer. You can add more to the container whenever you like; the bananas keep a very long time. When you are ready to bake, just defrost them and get on with it.

Pretty Slick: If after a few days, the banana bread starts to get dry, toast a slice and spread some soft butter on top. It’s great this way with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

Joy’s Tips:
*For the apples: Instead of chopping both, I chop one (in very small chunks) and shred the other on a box grater. The chopped apple still gives you the interesting texture and bites of tender caramelized appley goodness, while the shredded apple sort of melts into the bread and adds to its incredible moisture. I still saute both in the butter and brown sugar, and add any accumulated juices from the shredded apple. Beware of stirring in apple chunks that are too large- their weight causes them to sink to the bottom of the batter, and you end up with an apple layer of sorts at the base of the loaf. Still delicious, but not ideal- to have it well distributed, make sure your apple chunks stay pretty dainty!

*For the bananas: I recommend using the measured amount rather than just 2 or 3. I always seem to need more bananas to make the required measurement than are recommended (and I don’t think my bananas are particularly small). You definitely don’t want to skimp on this central ingredient for the overall flavor of your finished loaf!

*My loaf usually requires an additional 3-5 minutes for a toothpick to come out clean. I test at the 1 hour mark, and if it’s not done, I cover with foil to prevent over-browning and return it to the oven. Just be aware that your time may vary depending on your oven.

Oatmeal, Raspberry, and Peach Snack Bars

This recipe comes from the South Bend Tribune. Every Monday there's a recipe section. Since school's starting, the paper said "for about 50 cents eacy you can make these oatmeal, raspberry and peach snack bars, which kids (and adults, for that matter) would love to find tucked into their lunch bags. The soft, chewy bars are made with plenty of fruit so they aren't too sweet, so they even make a great on-the-go breakfast treat."
I decided this would be a good time to make them since peaches and raspberries are in season around here. The only change I made was adding at least 1 tsp of cinnamon (although if you really like cinnamon like I do, I'd add 2 tsp). Also, make sure your peaches are ripe or overripe. Mine were just barely ripe & cooking them extra still didn't soften them much. If you like some crunch then they'd be fine, I'd prefer mine a little softer.

Oatmeal, Raspberry and Peach Snack Bars

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespons, plus 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, divided

1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries

1 1/2 cups diced frozen or fresh peaches

1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1-2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the orange juice, cornstarch, and 2 tbsp of the brown sugar. Add the raspberries and peaches, then stir over medium-high until the mixture is simmering and thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a 7x11 or 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, butter, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix together with a fork until the dough is crumbly but beginning to hold together. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture.

Mix the egg into the remaining dough in the bowl. Transfer the dough with the egg to the prepared baking dish and press it evenly over the bottom. Spread the reserved fruit filling on top, then sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over it.

Bake for 30 to 35 mintues, or until lightly browned and bubbling. Transfer the dish to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 16 bars.

Start to finish: 2 hours

Servings: 16 bars

Nutritional information per serving: 155 calories, 7 g fat, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber, 87 mg sodium.

Lemon Gelato

One of my favorite things at the farmer's market is the Italian deli. Dave & I will get one of their sandwiches for lunch then top it off with some gelato for dessert. I thought I'd try to make it for myself. It was a fairly easy recipe I found from the internet & went well with my Italian themed book club night.

Lemon Gelato

6 medium lemons
1 1/3 cups sugar
6 egg yolks
1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Grate the zest of 6 lemons and set aside in a bowl with the sugar.
Or, use a vegetable peeler to remove 3/4 cup zest from the lemons and process the lemon strips with the sugar in a food processor until zest is minced, about 30 seconds.
Set lemons aside.
Whisk the egg yolks with the cream and salt in a heatproof mixing bowl.
Put the half-and-half and lemon-sugar in a medium non-aluminum saucepan.
Bring liquid to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Remove pan from heat.
Slowly whisk the hot half-and-half into the egg yolk mixture.
Then return the partially cooked custard to the saucepan.
Stir constantly over medium-low heat until mixture begins to thicken slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes (the approximate consistency of unwhipped heavy cream).
Pour hot custard into a bowl without straining.
Stir in the vanilla.
Put a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent skin from forming.
Set custard aside at room temperature to cool.
(Can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 48 hours).
FREEZING: Squeeze 3/4 cup juice from the lemons and stir juice into cooled custard.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

This is another recipe that comes from my Clovia cookbook. It's so delicious & refreshing, and it always brings back memories from my college days. I highly recommend this for your next summer outting.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups crushed pretzels, not too fine

3/4 cup melted margarine

Mix above ingredients in 9x13 inch pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees and then cool. (It will look like the picture above.)

Cream 8oz cream cheese with 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Fold in 1 small carton of Cool Whip. Spread over baked layer. (See picture above)

Dissolve 6 ounces strawberry jello in 2 1/2 cup boiling water. Stir in 10 ounces strawberries (I unthawed a bag of 16 ounce strawberries & it worked well. The frozen berries will make jello cool faster).

Chill jello mixture until slightly thickened. Spread over cream cheese layer. Chill. This is best to make the day before.

Rhubarb Bread

I love the newness of spring. All the flowers are blooming, animals being born, & the weather is getting nicer. Currently, my husband & I have been enjoying our walks in the park, smelling the fresh air & watching the baby geese grow.

We also have been planting our garden & visiting the local farmers market. Last weekend I was excited to see that the local farmers had some rhubarb for sell. This fruit takes me back to my childhood when my grandparents grew it & made a variety of delicious desserts. So I decided to make one of my old favorites, rhubarb bread.

Rhubarb Bread

2 cups rhubarb, diced

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sour milk or buttermilk*

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix ingredients together. Divide batter between 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. You can also make 4 mini loaves or 2-3 dozen muffins.

*To make sour milk, add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup milk.

Apple Butter Bread

This is a new recipe that I got from my mother-in-law that I tried out for Bible study this week. The bread was very moist & was a great way to use some of the apple butter we have.

I made 4 mini loaves because I couldn't find my regular sized bread pan. It worked well but there was just barely enough dough to make the 4 loaves.

APPLE BUTTER BREAD

2 cups flour

½ cup apple juice
1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup melted butter or margarine
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 egg, beaten
½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup raisins
½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped walnuts (I omitted)
¾ cup apple butter

¾ cup apple butter (it's used twice)

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add ¾ cup apple butter, apple juice, butter and egg, stirring until moistened. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Pour half the batter into greased and floured 5x9-inch loaf pan. Spread remaining apple butter over batter. Pour remaining batter over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 ¼ hours or until loaf tests done. Cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool completely. Store in refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap. Yield 1 loaf.