My Grandma's Frozen Strawberry Pecan Sandie Dessert

My beloved Grandma Hutch recently passed away at the age of 97. She lived a long and beautiful life. She was the last of my living Grandparents and her passing in the same year that I will give birth to my first baby is surely not a coincidence. In honor of my Grandma, I wanted to share with you my absolute favorite recipes of hers. Grandma made this Frozen Strawberry Pecan Sandie Dessert especially for me all throughout my childhood. 

I have always loved strawberry desserts but this one, because it was made with love by my Grandma, is very special to me. When my Mom came to visit a couple of weeks ago we made it together and reminisced about the wonderful woman my Grandma was and how much we will miss her. This recipe will be one that I will make for my children and someday  for my grandchildren and when they eat it I will share with them memories of my loving Grandma Hutch.

Grandma's Frozen Strawberry Pecan Sandie Dessert
Printable Version
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh is best)
1 10 ounce container of frozen strawberries, thawed slightly in the refrigerator
3 egg whites
1 8 ounce container of Cool Whip
1 package of Keebler Pecan Sandies
4 tablespoons melted butter

Directions
Crush 2/3 of the cookies and mix them in a large bowl with the melted butter. Press them into an even layer in the bottom of an ungreased 9X13 pan. Beat sugar, lemon juice, strawberries, and egg whites for 8 minutes on high speed. The mixture will become thick and fluffy. 

Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over the cookie crust in the pan and spread with a spoon. Crush the remaining cookies and spread over the strawberry fluff. Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight and serve frozen to eat.

Banana Berry Mango Smoothie

Lately I have been really into smoothies. As in I make one just about every single day. I started out buying the Yoplait frozen smoothies that you just add milk into but I wanted to include different fruit and decided to have a go at my own original smoothie. Since mango is grown here on Okinawa I always have access to big, fresh mango. Unfortunately berries are hard to come by so I am just buying frozen organic berries instead.

It's a healthy, filling, quick and easy breakfast. I don't know why I neglected the smoothie for so long. What ingredients are you in your favorite smoothie??

Banana Berry Mango Smoothie
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 frozen banana (or fresh)
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup fresh mango
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup milk

Directions
Place all ingredients into a blender or cup of a hand blender. 

Blend until everything is smooth and to your desired consistency. Enjoy!

Strawberry Blueberry Clafoutis

It was blueberry season in Michigan while hubby and I were visiting our family this July.
So we decided to head to a blueberry farm one beautiful morning and to pick some fresh, plump blueberries ripened by the summer sun.
 
We were one of the only people picking at the farm, so we each grabbed a bucket and raced to find the biggest blueberries. It only took us 45 minutes to fill our buckets with these little lovelies. 

We used the berries in pancakes, muffins, straight from the bowl, and in this Strawberry Blueberry Clafoutis. What is a clafoutis?? I had no idea either until I saw this post from Honest Fare. Gabrielle taught me that Clafouti (pronounced CLA-FOO-TEE) is a French rustic style dessert that traditionally is made with whole cherries. It can also be made with fresh berries and is a beautiful, simple recipe that ends up tasting like a mix between cake, custard and bread pudding. This is one of those great desserts that you can use any fruit or berry that you have on hand.

I made my Clafoutis for a send off party with my good friends. I didn't get a good picture of it after it came out of the oven, but it was pretty flat because I used a 9X13 pan. Next time I would use a deeper, pretty bowl for thicker Clafoutis and better presentation!

Strawberry Blueberry Clafoutis
From Honest Fare
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup strawberries, sliced into small pieces
1 cup blueberries
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender blend the milk, 1/3 cup of the sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, lemon zest, cinnamon, and flour.

Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a lightly and evenly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until the batter firms up a bit (a film will set in the pan) about 8 minutes. 

Remove from oven and place the berries over the batter. Sprinkle on remaining sugar and pour on the rest of the batter evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Great served warm or room temperature with whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

Panna Cotta with Summer Berries

My husband and I just spent two glorious weeks in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Hubby's family built a beautiful cabin on Lake Michigan in the U.P. (Michiganders know that U.P. is an abbreviation for Upper Peninsula) and just to make you all jealous here is a picture from the porch of the cabin, looking at Lake Michigan:

While at the cabin, I had the chance to cook a little bit with my lovely mother-in-law and her very dear friend Gail. I love cooking with other women in my family and learning from them. Gail showed me how to make a Panna Cotta with summer berries. Although the batch looks small, we made enough to feed about 10 people. The Panna Cotta was extremely creamy with wonderful vanilla flavoring. The blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries were a perfect addition and a great way to incorporate fresh Michigan berries. 

Panna Cotta with Summer Berries
From Epicurious
Printable Version
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half and half (we ran out and used lowfat milk, which was a fine substitute)
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups of fresh summer berries (we used strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)
1/2 cup sweet dessert wine

Directions
In a very small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved and remove pan from heat.
In large saucepan bring cream, half and half, and sugar just to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring.

Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla. Divide cream mixture among eight 1/2 cup ramekins and cool to room temperature (we placed the mixture in a large bowl instead). Chill ramekins, covered, for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Meanwhile chop berries into bite size pieces. Place berries into a small bowl and pour the dessert wine over top.

Mix to cover berries in the wine and allow to marinate until serving time. If serving in ramekins, dip one at a time into a bowl of hot water for 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around the edge of each ramekin and invert onto a small plate. Garnish with fresh berries. If serving in cup like ours, scoop the mixture into serving cups and garnish with berries.

Strawberry Blueberry Mint Spritzer

This refreshing drink is a wonderful summer cocktail and although it's not red, white, and blue, it's got the red and blue component!  Fresh strawberries, blueberries, and mint leaves are muddled together then mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice, champagne, sake, and seltzer water. I fell in love with the recipe when I saw it called for Sake! A friend gave us a bottle of Sake as a going away present since we will be living in Japan in less than a month. This cocktail was the perfect use for it!

 I served these cocktails when we had a dinner party and everyone loved it! It can also be made without the alcohol, just substitute additional seltzer for the champagne and sake.

Strawberry Blueberry Mint Spritzer
Modified from LindaWagner.net
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 bottle of Sake
1 bottle of champagne
1/2 pint of strawberries
1/2 pint of blueberries
6 lemons
6 sprigs of mint
2 cans or 24 ounces of seltzer water

Directions
Slice strawberries into vertical slivers and halve the blueberries. Tear the mint leaves roughly and all all to a large pitcher. Squeeze the lemons into the pitcher and gently muddle using a fruit muddler or wooden spoon. 

Add the seltzer water in and stir. Add equal parts sake and champagne. Pour into individual glasses and garnish with additional fruit if desired. 

Berry Puff Pancake

Last weekend my mom and my in-laws were in town to celebrate hubby completing his residency. We hosted them all for brunch and I wanted to make something new and special to eat. This Berry Puff Pancake from Val SoCal was the perfect solution. Impressive and absolutely beautiful to look at, as the golden puff pancake is filled with blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries and sprinkled with powdered sugar. It's light, fluffy and sweet with the pop of flavors from the berries and a hint of citrus from the orange marmalade. You're not going to find a more lovely breakfast choice. 

Berry Puff Pancake
From Val SoCal
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced vertically
1/3 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons powdered sugar


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter in a 9-inch pie pan and place in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until melted. Meanwhile whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. 

Combine the flour and salt and whisk into the egg mixture until smooth. Pour into the prepared pie plate.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until sides are crisp and golden brown.

In a large bowl gently combine the berries and marmalade. 

Fill berries in the pancake and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into slices like you would a pie. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Turkey Bacon and Caramelized Onions

When I decided to make this salad with strawberries and spinach, I knew I had to make it more appealing to my husband who completely despises fruit in his salads. I had turkey bacon on hand, and knew that adding it to the salad would help entice him. Then I decided to caramelize the onions in the pan after I cooked the bacon and guess what? The bacon and caramelized onions definitely did the trick.  Hubby gobbled this salad up! I added toasted pecans and whipped up a very simple vinaigrette with blueberry balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It was a darn good salad if I do say so myself!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Turkey Bacon and Caramelized Onions
An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 cups spinach
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
4 slices turkey bacon
1/2 white or yellow onion, slices into rings
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup blueberry balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Directions
Heat one 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and cook the turkey bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and allow to cool, but leave the oil in the pan.

Add the onion slices to the pan and heat pan to medium high heat. Allow to cook on both sides until browned and caramelized. 

Remove onions and allow to cool a bit. Meanwhile toast pecans in a small separate pan for about 3 minutes, making sure to toss frequently. 

Place spinach and strawberries in a serving dish for the salad. Whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Place the bacon, onions, and pecans on the salad and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.