Blueberries with a touch of maple, buttery topping with sliced almonds and a dollop of creamy Greek yogurt. Great way to start the day with a breakfast bowl. Or end a delicious meal with dessert. Use ice cream for the topping if you are feeling indulgent. Blueberries are a nutritional powerhouse no matter what time you eat them! This crisp comes together quickly but you will have to allow around 40 minutes for baking. Enough time to prepare the rest of the meal -- and check your text messages. You can use fresh or frozen berries. If you have a favorite cast iron skillet (10" size) bake the crisp in it for a rustic flair. A 9x9 inch pan or 8x11 inch will also work. The maple honey combination keeps this dessert from being too sweet or overpowered by one flavor. Out of one? ... [Read More]
dessert
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars are perfect anytime of year, for any occasion. Like Wheel's recent birthday. He now loves dessert -- a fact that amazes me since he never did before. Take it or leave it and most times he would leave it. But a moderate sweet tooth has definitely made its appearance! I think it is because we've eliminated all the overly sweet cookies, cakes (and thick, sugary icings!), etc from our diet. Everything tastes better now. Especially a great fruit and cheesecake dessert for a birthday treat! Just a hint of lemon, a delicious layer of big blueberries surrounded by creamy cheese cake on a crunchy bed of graham crackerness (yeah, totally a word!) topped with a crumbly struesel top and slivered almonds. Oooommm...... that's wonderful. Use fresh ... [Read More]
Lemon Raspberry Loaf
This delicious lemon raspberry loaf is a welcome addition to brunch, or it can be enjoyed as a not-too-sweet treat any time of day. If you want a little added sweetness, add a light drizzle of the optional lemon glaze right before serving. Raspberries are members of the rose family. We generally think of red raspberries but there are also golden (yellow) and black raspberries. Which ever color you choose, don't wash before storing as this causes the berries to spoil quickly. Handle the delicate berries as little as possible. To wash, use a colander to hold the berries and dip in water then let drain just before using. Raspberries are nutritional powerhouses. They are high in Vitamin C, low in sugar, high in anti-oxidants, good source of fiber, help prevent diabetes and are good ... [Read More]
Peanut Butter Banana Bars
What do you do with a bag of bananas? Make Peanut Butter Banana Bars! Last time I was at the neighborhood grocery by my sister's house, they had just set out bags of perfect golden yellow bananas. I brought one of the bags home with me. I made Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream and Banana Strawberry Blueberry Smoothies earlier. Peanut Butter Banana Bars were quick and easy to make, no added sugar. Except in the chocolate chips and you could make those sugar free to if you wanted. Or you could substitute chopped walnuts or peanuts instead. The peanut butter adds flavor, but it also gives a nice boost of healthy fat and protein, making the Peanut Butter Banana Bars even more filling and satisfying as a snack or dessert. The mixture will be rather wet, but that is what prevents these ... [Read More]
Buttery Apple Crisp
Nate the Great's Mommy set the dessert on the table. MMMMMM Apple Crisp. One bite and it was wow! Light and buttery, cinnamony, and just right sweetness. This apple crisp just whispers in your ear and wraps you in warm apple flavor kissed with butter and cinnamon. Where did you find this recipe, I asked. (just for you, of course!) In grandma's community cookbook, she said. Of course. Every cook who knows someone from that little town has a fat orange covered spiral bound cookbook on the shelf or in the kitchen drawer. Apparently even those who weren't even in kindergarten yet when it was published! How could I have missed it? Granted there are 7 apple crisp recipes in the book, including one with marshmallows, one with eggs and one with raisins. Interestingly they all call ... [Read More]
Buttery Brownie Bark
For a brownie lover, brownie bark seemed a no brainer. Who wouldn’t go for that rich chocolate brownie taste in a different form? Especially with toffee on one pan full and slivered almonds on the other. Turns out Bytes was not a fan. He had his mouth set for the rich chocolate flavor, but also for the fudgy texture. What he got was crisp and crunchy. He felt cheated. I didn’t care because I got chocolate and crunch, both of which are high on my list. Wheels will eat anything that looks good so both the toffee topped bites and the ones with almond slivers disappeared in short order and without discrimination. That was the first time I made brownie bark. The second time I made them, I found a better buttery recipe. I made one batch just a bit thicker when spreading the batter in ... [Read More]
