blueberry picking at lakeland orchard

we enjoyed picking strawberries and raspberries at lakeland this summer, so we were happy to be able to pick blueberries too.  noah helped us fill up our container and we really enjoyed eating them at home!

love, laurie

blueberry recipe roundup

we picked a bunch of blueberries when we went blueberry picking on sunday!  we've enjoyed some on top of vanilla yogurt and on top of vanilla ice cream.  now we have to find some other ways to use them.  here are a few of our favorite blueberry recipes that we've made over the years . . .

- blueberry pie milkshake
- strawberry blueberry yogurt smoothie
- blueberry buttermilk scones
- vegan blueberry cornmeal waffles
- cornmeal waffles with blueberry compote
- lemon poppy seed crepes with lemon blueberry cream cheese filling

enjoy!

love, laurie

blueberry picking

we always enjoy going to local farms in the summer to go berry picking.  we didn't get to go at all last year, and this year we weren't able to make it during the weeks that strawberries were available for picking.  so, we were happy to be able to get to a blueberry farm this weekend to go blueberry picking.

the first time we went blueberry picking at paupack blueberry farm, we got a bunch of berries, but the last time we visited, we hardly got enough to cover the bottom of our bucket.  so, we were really pleased to find an abundance of blueberries this year and we were able to fill our buckets full!

it was a warm morning, but the breeze was refreshing.  it was nice to get outside and escape for a little bit in the blueberry fields.  a few pictures from our picking adventures . . .

when we got home, leko had to inspect our blueberry bucket.  of course we didn't let him get too close to them, because we didn't want his fur to get stained from the berries!

love, laurie

vegan blueberry cornmeal waffles

sometimes vegan recipes get a bad wrap.  i have run into lots of people who assume that anything labeled vegan must be dull, tasteless, and boring, but that's not the case at all.  the truth is, vegan recipes can be just as great and often even more flavorful compared to their non-vegan counterparts.  take this waffle recipe for example . . .

these insanely gorgeous and decadently delicious blueberry cornmeal waffles are vegan you would absolutely never know it by looking at them or by tasting them.  they're vegan because they do not have any eggs, milk, or butter in them.  instead of eggs, ground flaxseeds do the trick to act as a binder.  almond milk substitutes for dairy milk, coconut oil takes the place of butter, and the batter is sweetened with pure maple syrup.

we have incorporated cornmeal into our pancake and waffle batters before, and let me tell you, cornmeal makes these waffles insane!  they are like the waffle version of cornbread.  the cornmeal gives them an awesome texture.  they have a great crisp outside and the beautiful blueberries give them a nice pop of extra flavor too!

vegan blueberry cornmeal waffles
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
yields: 3 servings
adapted from one ingredient chef

ingredients:
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons water
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups almond milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted to a liquid state
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup blueberries

directions:
preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.  in a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed with the water.  stir and then set aside until the flax has just about absorbed the water and turned into a gel (about 5 minutes).  meanwhile, in a larger bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder.  in a separate bowl, combine the almond milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla.  whisk together to combine.  add the flaxseed gel to the wet ingredients and stir.  add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.  gently fold in the blueberries.  pour enough batter into the waffle iron to just barely cover the waffle grid.  cook 4-5 minutes, or until the waffles are golden brown.  once cooked, transfer the waffles to a cooling rack while you prepare the remaining waffles.  serve warm, topped with warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

a rather unsuccessful trip blueberry picking

last summer we went blueberry picking with my parents and we had such a great time.  we had fun walking through the endless fields of blueberry bushes, and we came home with a ton of berries.  so, we were really looking forward to going again this year.

on saturday, we took a drive back to paupack blueberry farm with my mom and dad.  when we got there, we were disappointed to learn that the crop was pretty pathetic and that there were hardly any blueberries to be picked.  we gave it a go anyway, and ventured out into the fields to see what we could find.  between the four of us we just barely found enough blueberries to cover the bottom of our bucket.  despite our unsuccessful attempt to pick a bunch of blueberries, we still had a good time walking around the fields together.  it was kind of like a scavenger hunt to locate those few berries that were hiding out there!

we used our little bit of blueberries to make blueberry pancakes and blueberry muffins.  they sure were good!  hopefully there will be a better crop next year!

love, laurie

blueberry pie milkshake

i have had this idea to make a blueberry pie milkshake for a few weeks now.  things like this pop into my head at random times, like when i'm on the elliptical at the gym.  if there's nothing good on tv at the gym, my mind starts wondering and i usually end up thinking about food, because let's face it, when am i not thinking about food.

i dreamed up this milkshake on the elliptical.  that right there is probably an oxymoron, or counterproductive, or something, i'm sure.

anyway, while mindlessly peddling away on the elliptical, i thought to myself: "what if i could make blueberry pie into liquid form?"  it was all down hill from there.

we had fresh blueberries in the refrigerator, an unopened pack of graham crackers in the kitchen cabinet, and vanilla bean ice cream in the freezer.  you see how my brain works?

blueberry pie ala mode in milkshake form . . . genius.

the blueberries are fresh and bright, the graham crackers give the taste of pie crust, and of course blueberry pie would not be complete without a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  all of the flavors combine perfectly to make a heavenly milkshake that is equal parts delicious and sinful.

i couldn't stop there.  oh no.  i just happened to have heavy whipping cream in the refrigerator, so the only right thing to do was to add a dollop of fresh homemade whipped cream to the top of this masterpiece.  oh yes.

gosh, look at that gorgeous purple-blue color!  no food coloring here, my friends!

you could, of course, substitute any other fruit in place of the blueberries.  let's make all different flavors of delicious fruit pie ala mode milkshakes!

now, if you have some type of an aversion to milkshakes, or if you find that you just can't finish this whole milkshake (yeah right) let me let you in on a little secret: if you take this glorious mixture out of the blender and pour it into popsicle molds then freeze it, you will have one heck of a delicious popsicle on your hands.  just saying, i may have done that too.

hey, it's the summer . . . live a little!

blueberry pie milkshake
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 2 milkshakes

ingredients:
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 graham cracker sheets
1/2 cup vanilla bean ice cream
1/2 cup milk
4 ice cubes

directions:
combine the blueberries, graham crackers (broken into small pieces), ice cream, and milk in a blender.  blend until smooth.  add ice cubes and blend to reach desired thickness.  top with homemade whipped cream.

enjoy!

love, laurie

blueberry buttermilk scones

we brought home a bucket full of blueberries from when we went blueberry picking last week, and since then we have been putting blueberries in and on everything.

one of my favorite ways to eat them has been with a vanilla yogurt and the ginger, almond, cashew granola from trader joe's.  such a good combination.  yum!

in an effort to use up some of our blueberries, we made blueberry buttermilk scones.

these scones are simple and effortless to make.  they are soft and moist inside and they are loaded with blueberries.

whenever i think of scones, i always think of tea.  they seem to just go hand in hand.  these scones are great as a little snack with a cup of tea.

blueberry buttermilk scones
prep time: 15 minutes
baking time: 20 minutes
yields: 8 small scones

ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons cold salted butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries

directions:
preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  in a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.  using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients.  cut the butter into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until the butter is well distributed.  stir in the grated lemon zest.  make a well in the center of the mixture, and pour in the buttermilk.  use a spatula to incorporate the buttermilk into the flour mixture.  turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it comes together.  gently fold the blueberries into the dough.  form the dough into a circular disk approximately 8-9 inches in diameter.  cut the dough evenly into 8 triangles.  place the triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  freeze the triangles on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.  remove the baking sheet from the freezer, and brush the triangles lightly with buttermilk.  sprinkle the tops with a little bit of granulated sugar.  bake for 20 minutes, until lightly golden.  serve warm.

enjoy!

love, laurie

blueberry picking

we just love berry picking in the summer.  nothing beats freshly picked berries.  last weekend we went blueberry picking at paupack blueberry farm with my parents.  the weather was so nice and the blueberry fields were so peaceful.  we couldn't believe that the farm had 25 different varieties of blueberries!  the blueberries were so plump and ripe.  we wandered through the blueberry fields tasting our way from one blueberry bush to another.  i think we ate just as many blueberries as we put in our buckets.  it was a fun way to spend a sunday afternoon.

love, laurie