Layered Overnight Oats with Fruits

Make it the night before and wake up with a very tasty breakfast! Overnight flavored oatmeal, sweetened with a little honey and layered with fruits - healthy and delicious!

My family loves breakfast and we consider it as the major meal of the day - the meal that propels us throughout the day. As you can imagine it's not just a piece of bread and coffee. Having grown up in an Asian household, I am used to breakfast with rice, eggs and some meat - yes, quite heavy. While I continue to serve hot and cooked breakfast to my family, I am glad that for busy, crazy days I have a delicious and healthy alternative that requires barely 5 minutes of prep and best of all may be done the night before!!!

Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake

Bursting with juicy blueberries, this moist and delicious Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake is summer's perfect cake!

I love summer season and because I was born in South East Asia where it's pretty much summer the whole year through, that is perfectly understandable. What makes summer special for me and my family is the abundance of delicious fruits that can be enjoyed in their freshest state. Certainly, one of our favorite summer fruits is the Blueberry. I resolve to myself that I will try at least one blueberry recipe once a year and enjoy these fruits while at their peak. For this season, I made some blueberry pound cake enhanced with flavors of ricotta cheese and tangy lemons. The result is indeed delicious and my kids and their friends truly loved it!

No Bake White Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake

The answer to all your chocolate and blueberry cravings! Just 30 minutes 

to make and best of all no baking involved. Gluten-free option is provided, too.

I have been wondering what to add as my new post for this week. I have been a bit behind this month as there were so many things going on and this week is winter break for us so I thought I may not even be able to do any new post at all. Thankfully, I have quite a few recipes on draft form that I can pull out in emergency cases although some of them are just that - recipes and no accompanying photos.

Yummy Blueberry Cheesecake

Delectable blueberry cheesecake.....for me there isn't a more satisfying dessert than a sumptuous slice of cheesecake. My whole family loves cheesecake so I have made different varieties through the years - from no bake, to plain, white chocolate, dark chocolate, with green tea, one with nutella, etc - you name it. While I haven't totally exhausted all kinds of cheesecake - we are always willing to try something new.

EGG-FREE BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM

Organic Blueberries were on sale last week so I loaded up on them as that doesn't often happen. I decided to make some Blueberry Ice Cream as I made an egg-free version last year which the  whole family enjoyed. I think summer was already over when I made it then, hence, I didn't immediately post the recipe but thought I would wait for the appropriate season.

Finally, summer is here and Blueberry season is at its peak! Since we are relocating to Connecticut pretty soon, I doubt if we'll get the chance to do some blueberry picking. I feel sad as Michigan blueberries at their prime are simply the best. The blueberries are plump, juicy and simply scrumptious! Oh well, I may not be able to pick them straight from the tree but at least I can simply find them easily and so cheaply at the grocery stores. So, this summer don't miss the chance to load up on this super-food! I know ice cream is a dessert but at least you have an excuse as you are also eating perhaps the healthiest fruit on earth! So, it's somewhat guilt-free, right? :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Blueberry Puree (from fresh or frozen blueberries)
3/4 cup Half and half (or whole Milk)

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream

2/3 cup granulated Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Procedure

Puree the blueberries. Strain. Measure about 1 1/2 cups.

Combine the half and half, heavy cream, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix using a wire whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the pureed blueberries and vanilla.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instruction. I usually churn it for about 20 minutes on mine.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freezer-safe bowl and cover. I use a metallic mixing bowl and cover it with foil. Place in the freezer. Take the bowl out every 30 minutes thereafter (for at least 3 hours) and stir the ice cream using either a whisk or a handheld blender or beater. It is necessary to do this to prevent ice crystals from forming. Freeze the ice cream overnight or until hard. 

Enjoy this egg-free and truly creamy-licious ice cream!

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Blueberry Pecan Coffee Cake

I got so excited the other day when I saw some Michigan Blueberries being sold at a nearby deli shop. It was a little more expensive than when you buy it in Holland (my former Michigan hometown) but I was desperately missing these yummy berries, I thought I'd indulge. Oh, they were so juicy and sweet! It's a shame that we were not able to go blueberry picking before we left for Connecticut. I heard that there are also some farms here where you can pick some berries but somebody told me it's so much cheaper to buy them from Aldi's instead of going through all the trouble of picking them yourself. Thankfully, Michigan blueberries were also on sale at Aldi's (and same price as the ones in MI) so I got myelf what is the equivalent of at least 2 buckets - perhaps even 3 so now I have some blueberries to enjoy for fall and winter!

Slow Cooker Three Berry Cobbler

With the abundant supply of fruits, particularly berries,  during summer I have been inspired to do fruit-based desserts. For me nothing describes summer more than fruit cobblers and crumbles. The lovely colors of reds and blues combined and the tartness they impart to an otherwise one-dimensional dessert make them my summer fave.

This cobbler is particularly lovely because you don't need to use the oven for it. It's cooked in the slow cooker which makes it so much easier; no need to preheat anything and most of all you don't need to sweat while doing it (no warm oven, right?). Also, it doesn't take that long to cook it, only about 2 hours or so which for slow cooking is rather fast!

This cobbler is great to eat on its own but if that's not enough, you may add your vanilla ice cream on top. We always do! Enjoy the rest of the summer with this yummy Three Berry Cobbler.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt   
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
a pinch of ground cloves, optional
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons, half and half or milk
2 tablespoons, vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup each fresh or frozen berries  (blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)
3/4 cup water
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for topping, optional

Procedure

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and ground cloves (if using).

 

Combine the eggs, milk and oil then stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Spread the batter evenly onto the bottom of a greased slow cooker.

 

In a large saucepan, combine the berries, water, and remaining sugar. Bring to a boil.

Once it has boiled, remove from the heat and immediately, pour over batter. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into the batter comes out clean.  

Turn the slow cooker off. Uncover and let stand for 30 minutes before serving. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

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Adapted from Taste of Home's - Black and Blue Cobbler. 

Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Juicy berries, crunchy walnuts plus yummy cream cheese and warmed up maple syrup make this a fantastic breakfast or brunch dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day! 

It is an established fact that my family loves French Toast (or eggy bread as my British hubby would say) for breakfast and especially for brunch. I have a few versions of it including 3 in this blog! We surely cannot get enough of it. I have tried many variations of this delicious American-style stuffed French toast but the blueberry version is one of our favorites. It is just so wonderful to bite into this warm overnight-soaked baked bread and then into your mouth suddenly burst delicious juices from the berries! But that's not all - the almost melted cream cheese provides a delightful contrast of texture and flavor which makes your palate truly dance with joy! As if that's not enough, make it even better by drizzling your freshly baked french toast with warmed up pure Maple syrup and then help yourself with a generous dusting of powdered sugar on top to add extra sweetness and love! Aren't you hungry yet?

Brie Berry Bites

I had this frozen mini-phyllo cups which I did not get to use during the holiday season. I thought, I ought to use it before it goes off, and I never want to throw food away. If it can still be used and these phyllo cups were all still in good shape, then I will find a way to use them. Now, at the back of this box of phyllo cups was a recipe for Brie and Berry Cups. I can't remember exactly the name of the recipe 'cause I have thrown the box away but thankfully I had read the recipe at least twice so I remembered how to do it. Besides, I had some brie and some berries so why not? The recipe called for raspberries but I didn't have any but I just recently bought fresh blueberries which were quite luscious and sweet! I thought that it was pretty easy to make and decided to give it a try.

My whole family loved these cute nibbles. So more-ish we had to control ourselves from eating all of them in one go. Thankfully, there were only 15 of them! This is truly a wonderful appetizer and will now often be made in our house. Great as nibbles for when you have guests, too! So pretty in presentation and the taste is divine - sweet blueberries contrast well with the savory Brie - a combination of flavor made in heaven! Of course, the crunchy-buttery phyllo cups add some great flavor and crunch too! Enjoy these super easy but very yummy bites - Brie Berry Bites.

Ingredients


6 oz Brie Log
15 mini-phyllo cups (1 box)
45 pieces of blueberries or 3 berries per phyllo cup (just get a pint of blueberries if you don't want to count and then eat the rest!)

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Thaw the frozen mini-phyllo cups. Set aside.

Unwrap the Brie and cut it up into several pieces. No need to peel of its outer skin (unless you absolutely want to!). Place the pieces in a food processor and pulse just until its smooth and has lumped together as one.

Distribute the brie evenly among the phyllo cups using a rounded teaspoon. Place about 3 blueberries on top of the cheese. Per hubby's suggestion, I only baked the cheese and placed the fresh fruits on top - they were awesome, too. So - you can bake the fruits with the brie or just use it fresh.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 5-6 minutes or just until the cheese is melted. Serve warm!

These yummy blueberries may be replaced by your favorite berry such as raspberries or blackberries or even some cranberry sauce.

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Mixed Berry Frozen Yogurt

When I write a post I love to (if possible) relate it to something that I have experienced in the past, particularly my childhood. My memories, just like most Filipinos, revolve around food. Experiences are built at or around food. When families and friends get together, there's always food. In fact, our customary greeting, "Kumusta ka na? (How are you?) is often followed by, "O, kumain ka na ba?" (Have you eaten)? To say that we love food is an understatement.

Blueberry Banana and Applesauce Smoothie

Our friend Linda from Project Healthy Ever After hosts a  weekly Smoothie Tuesday Party at her lovely page. There you not only get so many delicious and nutritious smoothie recipes, you also learn about tips and tricks on how to make the best smoothies. One of the tips I learned from her page as shared by one of her readers was - never to use any ice on your smoothie so as not to dilute its taste.
I always used ice in my smoothie and I have never had a problem with it - though I must admit if you put just a little too much ice or perhaps a little more liquid (like milk) then you end with a watery smoothie or a slushie instead. So I thought I'd put this tip to the test with my latest smoothie creation -  Blueberry Banana and Applesauce Smoothie. Instead of using ice, I used frozen bananas and blueberries.

Sometimes when my bananas get too ripe and I don't have the time to make banana bread or muffins - off it goes to the freezer for later use. Now there's a perfect reason to use these frozen bananas. I also for the first time used yogurt instead of the usual milk and then to add another layer of flavor to the mix I decided on the last minute to add some Applesauce. Wow - this smoothie is divine! The flavor was truly more robust when there's no ice. Wonderful! My husband and little William laid claim to the smoothie once it was done! Good thing I took the photos first or else I would not have any proof of how yummy it is! Try and enjoy this for breakfast or as an afternoon pick me up!



Ingredients

2 Frozen bananas
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened Applesauce (if sweetened you may not need to add any sweetener at all)
1/2 cup yogurt (plain)
1 Tablespoon - Honey or Agave Nectar (or to taste)
1/4 cup milk, or as needed


Procedure

Peel the frozen bananas. I find the potato peeler or a small knife useful to remove the frozen skin.
Chop the bananas into smaller pieces.

Place the chopped bananas, blueberries, applesauce, yogurt, sweetener and a little milk on the blender. Process until smooth. It will be quite thick but I love it that way. Add more milk if necessary. Adjust the sweetness to your taste.

Pour into a glass or jar. Enjoy immediately!

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Blueberry Muffins

Oh summer...why are you saying goodbye? I miss you already! I feel the fall chill each morning when I wake up but I am still holding out for an Indian summer.

I read in Facebook or was it Pinterest, I don't know...one of those. It said that we should arrest summer for speeding! I say yeah, lock it up, throw the keys away so summer stays forever. Sorry, am speaking as a Manilena here - from the Philippines - where it seems to be summer all through the year.

For my homage to summer, here's my tot's favorite - blueberry muffins. I essentially used my from scratch blueberry cake batter here. What came out is a really moist, cakey and delicious muffin with a little crunch on top. This is why I wish summer won't leave us. Oh well, I can still eat my muffins.... Let me go grab one!




Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar (you can use either white or brown or a mix of the two)*
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup olive oil (light or the fruity version or plain vegetable oil)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups fresh blueberries (sometimes I add a little more if I have a lot of berries)


Procedure

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Line your muffin pan with paper cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Set aside. In another bowl, mix all the wet ingredients (eggs, sour cream, oil and vanilla).

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix. I use a spatula to fold in the flour and mix everything together but you can also use a whisk. The batter should be thick.

Fold in the berries.

Divide evenly among the 12 muffin cups. I use a large ice cream scooper for this. So handy! A full scoop per cup is about right. There is enough batter (nearly full) for each cup, sufficient to give your muffin a nice dome.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and after about 8-10 minutes (when it's cool enough to handle) transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Some tips:

*I suggest using either all brown sugar or 1 cup brown and half cup white sugar. It will make the batter look brownish but you have a nicer looking muffin. If you use all white sugar, the muffins will look rather pale. The brown sugar gives the muffins a better color. See below the color of the muffin when you use more brown sugar than white. Lovely, isn't it?

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Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

Blueberry Sour Cream Cake

My favorite summer/American fruit has got to be blueberries. Not only is it delicious, it is also very nutritious! Full-packed with anti-oxidants and considered a super-food, it's got to be on the top of any must-eat-this list.

I love the fact that it is so easy to pick and eat as well. While other fruits can be cumbersome to peel and cut up, not with my fave berry - just wash them and they're good to go! I know it sounds lazy, but isn't that a good motivation to get some of your required daily 5 servings of fruits?

I may be biased but I think Michigan Blueberries are simply the best. I have tasted some blueberries from other state, especially during the off-season, and they're not as juicy and sweet as the Michigan ones. I don't know, I could be wrong but this is what my taste buds tell me. Blueberries from Michigan are reason enough for me to spend the summer in this lovely state. That's why when we get the chance and the tots are up to it, we go blueberry picking.

Blueberry Sour Cream Cake baked in a Demarle Sunflower Mold. 

While my first option when blueberries abound is to just eat them on their own - oftentimes, I  like to use them for baking (if we have left-overs, that is!). This blueberry sour cream cake is now one of our summer favorites. I made it for the first time this summer and, though it was a first attempt, I thought it was pretty good. It was moist and yet light. And when you bite into those berries, the experience is complete. Besides, any cake with sour cream in it has got to be good, right? 

Try this light but tasty blueberry cake this summer. Have it for dessert or with your coffee and if you're Brit, like my hubby, have it with cream too. For him, everything tastes even better with cream! I must agree!

Ingredients

2 cups flour plus 2 Tbsp extra (separated)
1 1/2 cups sugar*
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup / 8 oz sour cream (you may sub plain or Greek (plain) yogurt)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup olive oil (light or the fruity version)*
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups fresh blueberries (rolled into the 2 tbsp flour)

*You can lessen the sugar and make it to 1/4 cup less especially if you are adding a Lemon glaze otherwise the regular measurement is fine.

*You can sub with regular vegetable oil if you don't have Olive Oil.

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Lightly grease a bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl,combine all the dry ingredients. Set aside.

Roll the blueberries in the 2 tbsp flour until coated.

In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sour cream just until combined. Pour in the oil and the vanilla and mix.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry. It will be a thick batter.

Fold in the berries.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean or with only a few crumbs clinging to it.

Let it cool in the pan for at least half an hour before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar if you like. Enjoy your delicious blueberry cake! If you fancy doing a bit more to it - why not drizzle some Lemon-Glaze on top to provide extra tang and yumminess! Just lessen the sugar in the batter by 1/4 cup if you decide to add the glaze and it's the perfect combination of sweet and tang or if you prefer just make it as usual. Either way it's fantastic! 

For the Lemon-Glaze

1 cup, confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
2-3 Tablespoons Lemon juice (depending on the tartness and thickness of the glaze that
 you prefer so feel free to adjust).

Place the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Beat until it reaches a smooth and pourable consistency. Easy! Let the cake cool completely before you add the glaze. 


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"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by." Psalm 57:1

Blueberry-Zucchini Bread

With both blueberries and zucchinis added, this summer bread comes out so moist and so deliciously good!  Perfect treat for the whole family!

One of the summer rituals in Michigan is blueberry picking. I love blueberry picking! I love that I can bring the tots to a blueberry farm so they can enjoy getting the blueberries straight from the trees. They love it too! They especially love to eat them straight from the trees as well so I end up doing most of the picking. I ask them, "So where are the berries that you picked?" And with that silly smile on their faces they say, "But we ate them already." Oh well, at least they had some free snacks! Here's Sophie with her friend, Gabby, posing by a blueberry tree.

Aren't these girls gorgeous?

We picked over 3 kilos of blueberries ( 6 lbs +) and now I have to think about what I'm going to do with them. Half of them would be eaten by my family, but the other half would be used for cooking. Am planning to go back to the blueberry farm before the season is over so I can get some more for freezing. That way, I can still enjoy my berries in the middle of winter! Yay!

Here's one of my favorite summer recipes, Blueberry-Zucchini Bread.

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups plain Flour 
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon  ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable Oil
1 cup Zucchini, grated/shredded
1 cup Blueberries (roll in flour before you fold them in to prevent the berries from sinking into the bottom of the pan)

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 F/ 180 C. Lightly grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients - flour, salt, sugar, leavening agents, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

In a mixing bowl beat together the eggs, vanilla, oil and zucchini.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined.

Fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for about 55-60 minutes, or until a tester/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool for about 30 minutes in the pan and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

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