I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

blueberries

Lemon Ricotta Waffles with a Fresh Blueberry Compote

Lemon Ricotta Waffles with a Fresh Blueberry Compote are the perfect way to celebrate the pairing of lemon & blueberries in fluffy waffles.

Lemon Ricotta Waffles with blueberry compote next in serving vessel next to waffles.

Fluffy, yet crisp, waffles that have a bit of zip from lemon are garnished with a fresh blueberry compote. Every bite will be delightful and sweet!

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Blueberry Buttermilk Zucchini Bread

This Blueberry Buttermilk Zucchini Bread screams “Best of Summer” with the fresh blueberries that dot through this moist zucchini bread.

Blueberry Buttermilk Zucchini Bread

Lately, I have been feeling like I am running in a million directions all at once.

But the thing is, I am not getting anywhere. I am especially not getting out and doing any running. Well, I have never liked running, but I miss the energy I felt spinning.

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Adventures in Blueberry Picking

Blueberry Picking 2016_Blue Gold Growers

We have really embracing the gorgeous weather here in Florida since moving.

It’s great to be active and outside, which is something that really drew us to moving.

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We went blueberry picking last weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day.  It was great to spend time with my family plus picking fresh, delicious fruits and veggies is just awesome.

Plant City, located a short 20 drive outside of Tampa, is filled with farm after farm of farms of various sizes producing all different kinds of fruits and veggies. A lot of the farms are commercial but there are several that are U-pick, or even both.

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Quick and Easy Cinnamon Roll Waffles

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So funny story…I wrote the whole post to the recipe that I was going to post today. And then I tossed it.

Yep. Yep, I just wiped it clean. Ugh!

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I had written about how I was dedicating the recipe to my blogging buddy Amanda and how she is so amazing and inspiring. We often make each other’s recipes, like how I recently made her Paleo Coconut Flour Waffles and she has made my Waffled Hashbrowns. In addition to Amanda trying them as directed, she also tried them with Sweet Potatoes and it was a bust! Twice!

I felt bad about that and wanted to figure it out so I go to work!

But I couldn’t consistently make them work well enough to share. I had amazing waffles and then ones that completely fell apart and stuck to the waffle iron. I just didn’t feel confident enough to share the recipe for the “Sweet Potato Waffles with a Triple Berry Sauce” that I had been working so hard on.

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So, I said, “EFF IT!!!! LET’S MAKE CINNAMON ROLL WAFFLES!!!”

Yep, I went from homemade Sweet Potato Waffles with warm sauce made of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries to these 1 ingredient Cinnamon Roll Waffles. Ha! It might be lazy but it’s damn delicious!

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It’s exactly what you think it is…
Open up the package> put cinnamon roll on waffle iron> close> cook> drizzle frosting

Thankfully, Amanda NAILED a waffle using sweet potatoes this week. I cracked up as soon as I saw the post because it felt like ‘great minds think alike’ moments. You seriously have to check out her Paleo Sweet Potato Waffles.

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Quick and Easy Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Makes 5-8 waffles, depending on the can of cinnamon rolls you purchase

Ingredients

  • 1 Can of cinnamon rolls ( I used the Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls)

Process

  1. Preheat your waffle iron.
  2. Spray with non stick cooking spray then put down 2-4 cinnamon rolls, depending on the size of your waffle iron.
  3. Cook for 2 to 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
  4. Remove from waffle iron and drizzle the icing immediately over the waffled cinnamon rolls.

Mixed Berry Rustic Pie

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While we were in Maine last weekend, Price made blueberry pancakes for breakfast one day. Of course they were Maine blueberries. On a whim we gave Autumn some. I say ‘on a whim’ because she is not a breakfast person baby. Her morning bottle is eaten in 2 parts and it’s the smallest bottle of the day. So I didn’t think she would be interested in it.

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Well, I was wrong. Really wrong. She gobbled it up. And then we made more and saved them for lunch for her and she ate them up too. (Just to clarify there was no syrup involved!)

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We had occasionally given her berries prior to this but this has definitely awakened something in her because since then she eaten a lot of blueberries and had some

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So I can see that she is going to L-O-V-E this Mixed Berry Rustic Pie when she is older.

There are 4 different kinds of berries in this pie- blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. It’s loaded up with berry goodness. When Price had his slice (for breakfast- better lighting!) he said it was ‘berry good’. ba-dum-tss!

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Because there is not much too it I would really urge you to make homemade crust for it as it adds to much good texture and flavor. Plus, I think it would just look better with its handmade edges vs its factory cut circle-y edge. I am a big fan of store-bought crust, but I think this one needs a handmade one.

As well, I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to putting in cornstarch to thicken the filling.  I think it’s sooo much worse to have a soupy pie than one that is a bit too thick. It affects the bottom of the crust and how you get the slice out of the plate. So if you think you’ve used enough, add some more!

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Other than that… this recipe is a piece of cake! 🙂

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Mixed Berry Rustic Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

  • 1-1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup cold butter
  • 1/8-1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling

  • 1 pint blueberries
  • 6 oz raspberries
  • 6 oz blackberries
  • 12 oz strawberries
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2-3 Tablespoons cornstarch (depending how juicy the fruit is)
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Process

For the Crust

  1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt and sugar. Cut the cold butter into very small pieces, put back into the refrigerator to keep extra cold.
  2. Using a food processor/pastry cutter, or your hands, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture crumbly and looks like sand.
  3. Slowly add in the water until the mixture holds together.
  4. Pat and form into a loose ball. If the mixture is too warm at this point then put it back into the refrigerator for a few.
  5. Flour work surface and roll out crust two inches larger than pie pan. Place crust in the pie pan.

To make the Pie:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Combine berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in large bowl.
  3. Add berries to pie crust. Then fold edges of crust over filling, creasing as needed.
  4. Bake at 30-40 minutes or until filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
  5. Serve warm with ice cream!

Inspired from Tidy Mom

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

So I’m still addicted to peaches. I don’t know what I am going to do when they are out of season. I’ll be super sad and probably still buy them and pay too much for out peaches shipped half way around the world. All because I’m pregnant and must have peaches on the daily.

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When I recently checked the NASCAR schedule to see what recipes I would be making soon for the upcoming race for my Sprint Cup Snacks posts, I got really excited for the Atlanta race this weekend. Peaches just jumped out to me so I could not resist!

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Oh man, I had so many peach recipes dancing through my head! I toyed around with everything from muffins to a dessert pizza topped with a cream cheese drizzle. (Still thinking about that last one!) But in the end I found this Peach and Blueberry Cobbler that had my name all over it. Nice mash up of the North and South with the Blueberries and Peaches. Plus cobbler is just super simple to make so you really have no excuse not to make one. No excuse.

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I suggest you take a bit of time before dinner (or this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway) to make it so it is hot and ready for when you are looking for dessert! Doesn’t hurt to serve with some vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream.

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Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 pounds peaches, halved lengthwise, pitted, and then cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges (about 8 cups)
  • 1 pint blueberries
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated, peeled fresh ginger or 1 generious pinch of ground ginger
  •  pinch of salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, (1 stick), cut into small pieces
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing
  • Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place the racks in the in upper and lower thirds of the oven.
  2. Stir together the peaches, blueberries, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, cornstarch, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a 12-by-8 1/2-inch (2-quart) baking dish; set aside.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your hands to form clumps that are no larger than small peas. (If using your hands be sure to work quickly!)
  4. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into the cream; stir with a fork to combine. Discard pod. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture; stir until a soft, sticky dough forms.
  5. Drop small pieces evenly over the entire cobbler. Brush the top of the dough with cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
  6. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any overflow juices. Bake the cobbler on the rack directly over the baking sheet until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 55 to 70 minutes. If the topping is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Let cool on a wire rack 1 hour before serving.

Sourced from Martha Stewart

Thirsty Thursday: Red, White, and Blue Sangria

red white and blue sangria

I can’t wait for Memorial Day.

Summer is my favorite time of year and Memorial Day weekend is the unoffical kickoff to summer. It’s going to be gloomy in Boston this weekend but I don’t care!  We are grilling no matter what!!! I just love this weekend and what it represents so I was excited when Amanda picked Memorial Day for our Thirsty Thursday theme this week.

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I know everyone thinks of flags for the Fourth of July but I think of the Red, White, and Blue just as much now. So that is why I made a Red, White, and Blue Sangria. Sure, sure the pineapple is actually yellow but let’s play along and say it represents the white. It’s a great summery drink to enjoy now or for the Fourth of July 🙂

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Amanda made Sarasota Lemonade. It’s perfectly refreshing and a great drink to cool off with while taking in some sun this summer! Sounds so good that I might have to sneak some to the beach… shh don’t tell!! 🙂

Red, White, and Blue Sangria

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle dry white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc
  • 1/2 cup triple sec
  • 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1 pineapple chunks
  • 2 cups Sprite

Process

  1. Combine all of the ingredients, except the Sprite, in a large punch bowl or pitcher and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
  2. Serve well-chilled with a good scoop of fruit floating in each drink.

Inspired by Recipe Girl

Fresh Berry White Chocolate Streusel Bars- SRC

Fresh Berry White Chocolate Streusel Bars

I made these Fresh Berry White Chocolate Streusel Bars for Memorial Day weekend. We munched on these while we watched the Coke 600 NASCAR race. It made the race even better. How can you not love a sweet treat and hot guys!?! ha 🙂

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Well, these were a fantastic pick for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. Huge hit. It made the house smell great while baking so that we agonized waiting the hour for them to cool before cutting. I’m just so glad that this month I had Avril’s blog Baking and Creating with Avril and we picked these bars.

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The bars are super simple to make and are bursting with fresh berry flavor. I used strawberries and blueberries but feel free to add some raspberries in there as well. We loved that so much at we felt that the white chocolate is not even needed. It’s great but if you don’t have it on hand (I don’t normally), don’t stress out. These will kick butt with the buttery crust, fresh fruit and crumbly topping.

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I found it a bit easier to gently cut the bars when they were still warm so that it made cutting through them when they cooled easier. Like scoring something before you cut it- that’s my 7 yrs of maki. As well, made for thing a bit easier when cutting through the chocolate so it wouldn’t make a mess breaking the drizzle up.

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I swear you won’t be able to eat just one of these. So fantastic!

Fresh Berry White Chocolate Streusel Bars

Makes 24 bars

Ingredients

  • 2 cups oats
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup COLD butter, cut into small pieces
  • 8 ounces strawberry jam
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 cups fresh berries (chop or slice strawberries if you use them)
  • 3 ounces white chocolate chips

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Set aside at 15×10 jellyroll pan (rimmed baking sheet.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together oats, flour, both sugars, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in COLD butter that has been cut into small pieces.  Combine the butter into the dry ingredients either with your hands or a pastry cutter until butter is well incorporated as little crumbles.  Remove 1 cup of the mixture, set aside. Evenly press the remaining mixture into a jellyroll pan. 
  3. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until it is firm to the touch, but not browned.
  4. Warm the jam in microwave for 30 seconds.  Add in lemon zest to combine. Spread the warm jam over the crust.
  5. Evenly sprinkle the berries over the jam layer and then sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until topping is a light brown. Remove from oven and let cool 1 hour before cutting. Once cut pour the melted chocolate over the bars in the pan.

Slightly Adapted from: Baking and Creative with Avril

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Secret Recipe Club



Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts

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