Save Those Berries!

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Our family looooves blueberries, especially the little Piggy Wiggy.

I probably don't have to mention all the pluses of eating blueberries... all the antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C? One of the best super foods you can eat.

Right now, blueberries are at their peak... and cheapest!

The problem most people have is that they can't eat 5 cartons of blueberries in a week.

And wouldn't it be nice to make those $1.65/carton berries last all summer?

Well, that's my plan.

Here's a quick and super simple way to freeze your own blueberries.

Here's what you'll need:

- Cookie sheet or flat tray

- Freezer bags

- A freezer :)

#1. Pick through and toss the bad ones (usually if you picked them yourself).

#2. Lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

#3. Freeze them (I leave them in there for a good 24 hours).

#4. Stick them in a freezer bag (better if you have those vacuum sealer bags). Make sure you get as much air out as possible to prevent freezer burn. Try sticking a straw in the corner, sealing it as tightly as possible up to the straw, then suck the leftover air out. Quickly remove the straw and seal.

#5. It's recommended to store for up to 3 months, so make sure to label your bag with the date.

As for washing, you have two choices: wash before or after freezing.

Before: Wash and drain in a colander. Let stand at least 10 minutes to dry. If necessary, pat any leftover water with a paper towel.

Any remaining water will make the blueberries stick together after frozen (which isn't that big of a problem. they should break apart pretty easily) and might cause some freezer burn. Also? Washing before gives the blueberries a tendency to get a little mushy when thawing.

After: Most people prefer to wash their berries after freezing, just to minimize the possibility of freezer burn.

Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can find them pre-washed (particularly if they're organic).

It's totally up to you. I washed mine before freezing, and I haven't had a problem. But my little guy is used to mushier blueberries from the frozen kind you buy at the store, so he doesn't care.

And that's it!

This process works for any kind of berry, actually.

Once you're done?

Give some of these blueberry treats a try!

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

(Weight Watcher's friendly!)

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake

Need a gluten-free option?

Try these!

Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

Tutti-Fruity Smoothie

German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake

It's as delicious as it sounds.

I purposely made this for the adults at the bake sale. Most kids don't like coconut. Actually, I'm funny about coconut sometimes too. But when it's covered in chocolate and some sort of sweet gooey middle? Yum.

And just as I'd predicted, it was a hit with the grown-ups.

German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake

(Original recipe by Paula Deen, adapted by Clark Robertson)

Photo from Paula's Best Desserts, August 2009

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) box German Chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines is the best)
• 1 cup butter, melted and divided
• 3 large eggs, divided (it's better if these are at room temperature, but don't let them sit more than 2 hours)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar (fyi, if you buy the bulk bag kind, this equals about 3-4 cups)
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in remaining 2 eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup melted butter, beating at low speed until combined. Stire in coconut and pecans. Pour evenly over cake mix layer. Bake for 45 minutes, or until center is slightly set. Let cool completely before cutting into squares (otherwise you'll have a big mess on your hands... if you don't mind a mess, then oh my gosh is it ever heavenly).

Makes about 10-12 servings.

*This recipe has been around for forever. My grandmothers all have it in their cookbooks. There are a lot of different variations out there, so if you're not crazy about chocolate? Google it. You'll get all kinds of Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake recipes, and I'm pretty sure all of them are ridiculously delicious.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

These went FAST at the bake sale.

Perfect for little kids and not super messy.

Also? It's easy to make with your kids. No knives or hot ovens neccesary.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows
(Original recipe by Paula Deen)

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) package marshmallows

40 thin pretzel sticks

1 (16-ounce) package chocolate-flavored candy coating

Miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces, crushed chocolate-covered toffee bars, miniature semisweet chocolate morsels (I also used Andes mints broken into pieces and Graham cracker crumbs, for that smores taste)

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Insert 1 pretzel stick into bottom of each marshmallow.In a medium bowl, place candy coating. Microwave on High in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 11/2 minutes total time). Dip marshmallows in melted chocolate. Immediately roll in desired topping. Place on prepared baking sheet, and let stand 10 minutes.

Makes 40 servings.



Crispy Rice Cupcakes

The bake sale was a HUGE hit!

This past Friday night, our little group of girls held a bake sale at my little sister's school (to read more about that, go here).

The drama team was putting on a production of the Wizard of Oz. For intermission, our team offered sweet treats in return for donations for the victims of Japan. Our Bible study formed a couple of weeks before the disaster hit Japan, and these girls felt led to help.

Now that this went so well, we're looking forward to doing more!

This week, I'm going to be featuring a bunch of different "bake sale" recipes, many of which I made for our little event Friday night.

This first one turned out to be my absolute favorite.

So much so, that these have made their way onto my little boy's birthday menu (so it's not until August, but it's not too early to start, right??).

Crispy Rice Cupcakes

(Original recipe by Paula Deen)

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons butter
2 (10.5-ounce) packages miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) box crispy rice cereal
3 (2-ounce) bottles colored sprinkles, divided
1 (16-ounce) package chocolate-flavored candy coating
4 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

Directions

Lightly grease 2 (12-cup) muffin pans.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows, and stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Add cereal and 2 bottles sprinkles, stirring until combined. Using greased hands, press into prepared pans, mounding mixture into a cupcake shape. Cool 1 hour. Remove cupcakes from pans.
In a medium bowl, combine candy coating and vegetable shortening. Microwave on High, in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 2 minutes total time). Dip tops of cupcakes in melted chocolate.
Immediately sprinkle with remaining sprinkles.

Makes 24
(Tip: I made some mini ones too, just in case there were a few parents who didn't want their toddler eating a massive cupcake full of sugar, thus resulting in spending the remaining half of the play chasing around a sugar crazed kid)

Deceptively Delicious Brownies

My little guy (he's 20 months) is actually a pretty good eater.

But I'm perfectly aware of what he likes and what he doesn't. For some reason, he no longer wants to have anything to do with carrots. He used to love them as a baby, but now? Not so much. Go figure.

He also used to love spinach. I haven't tried lately, but my guess is that he'd purse his lips, shake his head, and throw it on the floor. Since I don't enjoy cleaning food off the floor more than I have to, I decided there had to be a better way. A few years ago (before I was even married), I saw Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah. She had just come out with her cookbook Deceptively Delicious. I obviously didn't have much use for it yet, but I knew it'd come in handy one day. So I went out and grabbed a copy. And I was right.

I found this recipe in there and gave it a whirl.

Here's the thing.

They're not overly sweet like most box brownies, but they still satisfy that brownie craving. Plus, it's healthy. Like for real. A healthy brownie. That tastes good.

Each brownie has only 133 calories and 3 grams of fiber.

Like it says in her book, "That's just crazy for a brownie!"

And if my opinion isn't enough to sway you into trying them, how about this for proof?

Mmmm.... good carrots and spinach.

Deceptively Delicious Brownies

(Original recipe by Jessica Seinfeld)

(photo source)

Spinach puree:

Saute spinach leaves (make sure to cut off stems, or use baby spinach) in pan with 1 Tbsp of water for about 90 seconds until wilted. Puree in food processor or blender.

Carrot puree:

Steam carrots until tender. Puree in food processor or blender.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 1⁄2 cup carrot puree
• 1⁄2 cup spinach puree
• 1⁄2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread (I used butter)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 3⁄4 cup oat flour, or all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame. (or microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted).
3. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.

Sweet Baby Jack Carrot Cake

For her birthday, my friend Heather's husband made her this carrot cake.

I'd been meaning to give this one a try ever since I saw the recipe a couple of years ago (I know! I don't know what I was waiting for!). Seeing that cake on her blog gave me the push I needed.

I made this for Easter, and it was a total hit.

By the time we left our family get-together, half the cake was gone.

Sweet Baby Jack Carrot Cake

(Original recipe by Jackie Mullins, adapted by Paula Deen)



Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing pans
• Flour, for dusting pans

For the cake:

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 (4-ounce) jars strained carrot baby food
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

For the frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(Fyi, I doubled this recipe. One recipe of this frosting wasn't enough for me to frost a whole cake. What can I say? I like frosting...)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (8 or 9-inch) cake pans

For the cake:

Mix together the flour, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well with a handheld electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert onto lint-free dishcloth, or waxed paper, and allow to cool completely.

For the frosting:

Mix all ingredients with handheld electric mixer and blend until smooth and creamy.
Frost layers, top, and sides of cooled cake.

Try topping with chopped pecans to add some decoration and flavor.

Fried Egg and Avocado Sandwich

I'm kind of a sucker for avocados.

I'd like to ask God why he made them to be so perishable?

If I could, I'd eat one everyday. On everything.

So when I find a recipe that includes them, I get all excited.

I've made this several times. I'm pretty sure it's not one of my healthier choices, so I try to make it a treat. Take one bite, and you'll see just why it's a treat.

Bacon, eggs, and avocado?

What's not to love??

Fried Egg and Avocado Sandwich

(Original recipe by Paula Deen)

(Photo source)



Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 4 slices wheat bread, toasted
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced green onion
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 4 slices tomato
• 1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions

In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from pan, and drain on paper towels. Drain grease from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon.*

Spread butter over each side of bread. Place 4 slices of bread, butter side down, on skillet over medium heat. Flip bread and toast the other side. Remove to serving plates.

In a small bowl, add cream cheese, parsley and green onions together. Add salt and pepper. Spread onto 1 side of each toast slice.

In same small skillet, fry the eggs in reserved bacon grease over medium-low heat. Crack the yolks and flip. Place each egg on top of 2 pieces of toast. Cover each egg with 2 slices of bacon, 2 slices of tomato, and 2 slices of avocado. Top with another piece of toast and serve immediately.

Yields 2 servings.

*I personally thought this much made it a little greasy, so I didn't reserve nearly as much. Maybe a teaspoon instead. It still turned out great with lots of flavor.