Blueberry Zucchini Mini Muffins

I feel like the second the calendar changes over to September, everyone is all about the flavors of fall. Pumpkin, apples, maple, etc. etc. Especially pumpkin, am I right? I include myself in this "everyone," because the flavors of fall are probably my favorite; they're so warm and comforting and aromatic. However, it's still technically summer, as my boys (who spent all day yesterday engaged in an elaborate water balloon fight) would be quick to remind you.

And on that note, raise your hand if you still have a ton of zucchini, that pervasive summer favorite, to use up. If so, what better way to use it than in some muffins? Muffins are a huge breakfast favorite around here, even more so if they're bite-sized. This version is loaded with zucchini and blueberries, so they're pretty healthy too. My boys enjoyed them for breakfast for an entire week straight.

And the great thing about (shredded) zucchini and blueberries? They both freeze really well. So you can enjoy a batch of these muffins any day of the year. Next time I make them, I may whip up a quick brown sugar-pecan streusel for the top.

(By the way, I founds this recipe on The Baking Robot blog, which I highly recommend checking out if you haven't already. Hilarious!)

Blueberry Zucchini Mini Muffins
adapted from The Baking Robot

3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup sugar
2 cups zucchini, shredded
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 24-cup mini muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, applesauce, vanilla and sugar. Fold in the shredded zucchini.

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Fill the baking cups three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes (at least) 4 dozen mini muffins.

Fruit Pizza Cookies

We went to my husband's aunt's house for a cook-out for Mother's Day last month, and among the spread of delicious food she served were these adorable little fruit pizzas -- made with slice-and-bake sugar cookies and topped with a lemony cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit. I ate way more of them than I should have, and for the past month I haven't been able to get them out of my mind. I was just looking for an excuse to make them myself, and the Fourth of July seemed like the perfect opportunity. I didn't have a recipe for the frosting, so I just winged it, and it turned out perfectly.

These individual fruit pizzas couldn't be easier to make. They use slice-and-bake sugar cookies, and the cream cheese frosting comes together in minutes. And oh, they're so good. The crispy cookie, the creamy frosting, and the sweet fresh fruit come together to make a treat with the perfect balance of flavors and textures. You can use whatever combination of fruits you'd like -- Joe's aunt used strawberries and kiwi, and I used strawberries and blueberries to make these patriotic for the Fourth of July. Mandarin oranges would also be delicious in combination with blueberries or raspberries. The possibilities are endless.

If you're looking for a quick, refreshing treat for the Fourth of July, I think you'll love these fruit pizza cookies!

Fruit Pizza Cookies

1 package refrigerated slice-and-bake sugar cookies

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Fresh fruit of choice

1. Bake and cool cookies according to package directions (I let mine go a little longer than suggested because I like them crispy).

2. While cookies are baking, mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice and set aside until ready to use.

3. To assemble the pizzas, spread about a tablespoon of frosting on each cookie and top with fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Summer Fruit Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I was felled by a horrible cold that I picked up from my beloved little petri dishes children, and I spent the entire day curled up on the couch in a Benadryl-induced haze. I’m feeling much better now, though, and today I have a really delicious fruit salad to share with you.

This is a great way to celebrate summer’s best fruits: cantaloupe, strawberries, and blueberries. Add a tangy, tart, sweet dressing to the mix, and it’s an explosion of flavors and textures. This was a huge hit with my family.

Because of the water content in the fruit, this isn’t something you can make way ahead of time, but you could probably make it a couple of hours before you eat and be okay. You could also layer the fruits (directions for that are in the original recipe, which I’ve linked to below) and get a little bit more time out of it that way. This also isn’t something that keeps well in the fridge, but with a fruit salad this delicious, there probably won’t be any leftovers anyway. I’m taking this to a Labor Day picnic this weekend, and you should too.

Summer Fruit Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing
source: adapted from Betty Crocker

For the dressing:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

For the fruit:

3 cups cut-up cantaloupe
1 quart strawberries, sliced
2 cups blueberries

1. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, limeade concentrate and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed about 3 minutes or until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Set aside.

2. Mix fruit together in a large bowl. Gently fold in dressing. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.

Fruit Smoothies

I’ve made many a fruit smoothie in my day, but they’ve always been a bit of a guessing game for me. I’ll throw in a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and then taste, and adjust as necessary to improve the flavor or texture. The end result was always delicious, but it took a little work to get the quantities right.

Enter this tutorial from Our Best Bites. As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t wait to give it a shot with Andrew’s favorite combination (peaches, blueberries, and, in the summertime, black raspberries). Following this method resulted in a perfect smoothie, the first time, with no adjustments needed. I’ve always used frozen fruit for mine, and I think that’s a great tip: It eliminates the need for ice. Just be sure the fruit is slightly thawed so chunks of it don’t get stuck in your blender blades (don’t ask me how I know this). Another of my favorite things to do is add a handful of baby spinach leaves to the smoothies. You can’t taste it at all, and it’s a great way to get some extra vitamins into your kids.

Today I’m sharing our family’s favorite, but the flavor combinations really are endless. Be sure to check out the Our Best Bites Fruit Smoothie Tutorial for some delicious variations!

Blueberry Peach Fruit Smoothies

1 cup orange peach mango juice
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 cups frozen peaches, slightly thawed
3/4 cup frozen blueberries, slightly thawed
Handful of baby spinach leaves

Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse to combine to desired consistency.

Andrew obviously loves these...

...and even Will was desperate for a taste.

I had to tell him he wasn’t quite old enough yet, and he wasn’t happy with me.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

One of the things I've been craving the most lately is blueberries. I can't seem to get enough of them in any way, shape, or form -- in muffins, in bread, in salads, in handfuls. My grocery store had a really good sale on blueberries recently, so needless to say I stocked up. And then I found myself with an abundance of blueberries, more than we could possibly eat. And it was then that Deborah very fortuitously posted a recipe for blueberry cream cheese pie on her blog. And I knew that I had to have it immediately.

This pie is soooo good, there are really no words to describe it. Basically it's a no-bake cheesecake, but the filling is fluffier and lighter than a traditional cheesecake. You could make this pie with absolutely any fruit topping; I'm going to try strawberries next. Cherries or blackberries would also be delicious. This is the perfect summer dessert!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie
Source: adapted from Deborah's Culinary Confections, original recipe from Allrecipes

1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 16-ounce tub whipped topping, thawed
1 9-inch prepared graham cracker crust
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups fresh blueberries

1. In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly into graham cracker shell and set in refrigerator to chill.

2. In a large saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice until smooth; stir in blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Allow blueberries to cool, then spread over cream cheese pie layer. Refrigerate until serving.

Fruity Poppy Seed Salad

Yesterday saw the return of some really, really hot weather to central Ohio, so it was the perfect night to have salad for dinner. I've had my eye on Jessie's fruity poppy seed salad recipe for a while now, and I'm so glad I finally got around to making it. It was so simple, and it truly is one of the most delicious salads I've ever had. I love fruity salads during the spring and summer, so this one was right up my alley.

Like Jessie's husband, my husband maintains that a salad without meat is not really a meal, so I grilled up a chicken breast and sliced it over the top. This made for a light, refreshing, and very satisfying dinner on a miserably hot day.

Fruity Poppy Seed Salad
Source: adapted from Jessie

1 chicken breast, sliced across the center to form 2 thin cutlets
Montreal steak seasoning
Half a bag of chopped romaine lettuce, washed and patted dry

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 can mandarin oranges in juice, drained
1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup sliced green onion

Poppy seed salad dressing

1. Season chicken with steak seasoning and grill until cooked through. Let rest, then thinly slice.

2. Mix all salad ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. Top with sliced chicken. Toss dressing with salad or serve on the side.

Blueberry Crunch Cake

A young couple recently moved into the house next door, and I wanted to make them something to say "welcome to the neighborhood." (I say "young couple" as though my husband and I are elderly, don't I? What I mean is they're just younger than us -- as is evidenced by the two rather rowdy parties they've had so far. Joe and I are waaaaay past the rowdy party stage.) I wanted to make something for Joe, Andrew and I to take over so that we can introduce ourselves and so that they can see we have a baby, which I'm hoping will make them think twice about playing their music at full volume every night.

ANYWAY! I will give them a chance to get settled in before I judge too much. I found a recipe in Paula Deen's magazine for a "dump cake" of sorts that sounded absolutely delicious. I decided to try it out on my husband and our best friends before I sent it off to the neighbors, which turned out to be good for us but absolutely unnecessary: This cake was delicious. I should have known Paula would never fail me! This is probably one of the tastiest and definitely the easiest cake I've ever made. No dirty dishes! No mixing or measuring of any kind required!

I loved it with the blueberry pie filling, but Paula says you can try it with any fruit filling: strawberry, blackberry, cherry or peach. I love the crumbly quality of the cake and pecan layer, which works so well with the sweet juiciness of the pineapple and blueberry. I can't say enough about this cake; I've made my whole family try a piece, and they all love it too. It's such a refreshing summer dessert (although it's very rich, not light by any means!). (The cake is delicious topped with whipped cream, too, but then: what isn't delicious topped with whipped cream?)

So welcome to the neighborhood, new neighbors...Keep your damn music down!

(LOVE YOU, Paula!)



Blueberry Crunch Cake
Source: Cooking with Paula Deen, July/August 2008, page 63

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
1 21-ounce can blueberry pie filling
1 box butter recipe yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Pour pineapple with juice into a 9 x 13 baking dish; spread evenly over bottom of dish. Sppn pie filling evenly over pineapple.

3. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pie filling; level with a fork. Sprinkle pecans evenly over cake mix; drizzle with melted butter.

4. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.