Dessert First on the Fourth – Why Not?

Chocolate Shortcakes Except for apple pie, no dessert is more American and more appropriate for the Fourth of July than shortcake, dressed up with red and blue berries and a billow of cream. No matter that (according to Wikipedia) an early recipe strawberry shortcake was found in an English cookbook dating back to 1588.  Shortcake […]

Baking with Summer Berries

Berry Buckle with Cinnamon Figs Summer in the Pacific Northwest brings a bounty of berries, including blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, marionberries, loganberries, boysenberries and strawberries. Summer also brings visitors to enjoy our (mostly) glorious summer weather, trails and lakes.  I like to serve guests visiting my home the best of local in-season foods. This Buckle recipe, […]

Blueberries Will Travel

Finally, blueberries are ready for the road.   A sample of Naturipe® blueberry packets arrived on my doorstep just in time. We’re entering the fall frenzy when over-tasked schedules challenge healthy eating efforts.   Ideal for back-to-school lunches and snacks, I tried an “extended usage” of these ready-to-eat blueberries. Into my blender went an entire […]

A Last Grab for Berries

  Photo by Lorelle Del Matto   Antioxidants for Health / A Berry Tart  Lately I can’t resist buying a flat or two of berries from my local Farmer’s Market. I enjoy them raw, blended into smoothies, tossed in salads, cooked into savory and sweet sauces and baked into tarts and cheesecakes (healthful, reduced-fat of course).    […]

Got Blueberries?

Blueberry Crumb Bars  Here in the Northwest, our local blueberries almost make up for the fact that we don’t have long, hot summers.  When my children were young and I could pack them into the car for adventures, we’d visit blueberry farms and pick buckets full.  The most civilized of all fruit to pick, blueberry bushes […]