raspberry picking at lakeland orchard

we had such a great time picking strawberries at lakeland, so we were excited to pick raspberries too.  we all absolutely love raspberries.  we got to lakeland early in the morning and were some of the first people to pick from the raspberry bushes.  we filled up our container and then had a fun rest of our morning at lakeland.

love, laurie

mini chocolate raspberry dutch babies

it's been a long time since we've made a dutch baby for breakfast (here and here).  we're pancake lovers, and that includes puffed pancakes baked in the oven.  one of our favorite local restaurants makes crazy flavors of cast-iron skillet dutch babies.  i saw on facebook that they were advertising a raspberry dutch baby with chocolate chips for valentine's day, and it inspired me to make my own version.

we used our mini cast-iron skillets which made cute little individual portions.  dutch babies are so easy because you mix all of the ingredients together, pour the batter into the hot skillets, and then let the oven do all of the work. 

we enjoyed ours with a dollop of vanilla yogurt on top along with some warm maple syrup!

mini chocolate raspberry dutch babies
prep time: 5 minutes
baking time: 20-25 minutes
yields: 4 servings

ingredients:
1 tablespoon salted butter, divided
4 eggs
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup raspberries

directions:
preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.  divide the butter between 4 mini cast-iron skillets and place the skillets in the oven while it preheats to melt the butter.  meanwhile, beat the eggs with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.  mix in the milk and vanilla.  beat in the sugar, flour, and cocoa powder until completely combined.

remove the skillets from the oven and swirl the butter around to evenly coat the inside of the skillet.  divide the batter between the skillets.  place the raspberries in the batter and bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and cooked throughout.

serve warm with yogurt and/or maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

homemade berry-flavored limeade (three ways)

we really enjoyed our homemade limeade.  in addition to drinking it plain, we also jazzed it up with some berries.

limeade and lemonade can be flavored with just about anything.  we made three flavors of berry limeade: strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry.  the fresh fruit added such a great flavor to the limeade and it was a wonderfully refreshing treat!

homemade berry-flavored limeade (three ways)
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 serving

ingredients:
a handful of fresh berries
1 serving of homemade limeade

directions:
in a blender or a food processor, puree the berries.  press the pureed berries through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds.  spoon the strained berry puree into a glass of limeade.  stir well to combine.  adjust to taste.

enjoy!

love, laurie

red and black raspberry ice cream

july is national ice cream month.  let's celebrate with homemade ice cream!  we have a ton of berries in our refrigerator from when we went berry picking this past weekend, and one of the things we made with our berries was ice cream!

a few months ago we bought this tovolo glide-a-scoop ice cream tub and i have been excited to use it ever since.  i finally got a chance to use it for the first time with this batch of ice cream and let me tell you, i love it!

summer desserts that incorporate fresh fruit can't be beat.  they're extra good when you know you picked your own fruit!

we combined the red raspberries and the black raspberries for a double raspberry dessert that is absolutely amazing!

this double raspberry ice cream is so easy to make.  it doesn't have any crazy ingredients or chemicals like store-bought ice cream.  take a look at that gorgeous vibrant pink color!  that is all natural, my friends.  no food coloring here.

the texture of this ice cream is velvety smooth.  it is rich and creamy, and it is a decadent treat for sure!

red and black raspberry ice cream
prep time: 30 minutes
freezing time: 2 hours
yields: 2 quarts
adapted from the ice cream bible

ingredients:
2 cups fresh red raspberries
2 cups fresh black raspberries
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

directions:
puree the raspberries in a blender until smooth.  press the pureed berries through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds.  set aside.

in a bowl, combine the eggs and sugar.  beat with an electric hand mixer until thickened and pale yellow.  set aside.

in a medium saucepan bring the milk to a simmer over low heat.  gradually whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture.  return the entire milk-egg mixture to the saucepan.  cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is think enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  strain the mixture into a large bowl.  let the mixture cool to room temperature.

once cool, stir in the whipping cream, vanilla, and strained berry puree.  refrigerate until completely cold.  once cold, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the ice cream maker's instructions.  let the mixture mix in the ice cream maker until thickened (about 25 minutes).  remove the ice cream from the ice cream maker and transfer to a freezer-safe container.  freeze until completely set (about 2 hours) before serving.

enjoy!

love, laurie

berry picking!

we absolutely love going berry picking and it's a tradition that we look forward to each summer.  this past weekend we went berry picking at a local farm.  we picked strawberries, red raspberries, and black raspberries.

the weather was so nice and it was such a great day to be outside.  the farm was so peaceful.  we left the farm with several pounds of berries and berry-stained hands.  we've already eaten many of the berries and we have made a bunch of yummy things with them!

love, laurie

raspberry oat pancakes with toasted hazelnuts

we have a ton of beautiful fresh red raspberries in our refrigerator from when we went raspberry picking on saturday.  we put some of our raspberries to good use in pancakes this weekend.

this recipe is absolutely delicious.  there are ground up oats in the pancakes along with whole raspberries.  then, the pancakes are topped off with additional raspberries and toasted hazelnuts!

talk about an impressive recipe.  these pancakes would make such a great impression on guests if you had people over for breakfast or brunch, yet they are so incredibly easy to make.  just a few simple ingredients, and they come together in no time.

these pancakes have such a great texture.  they have crisp outsides with fluffy insides.  pancake perfection.

they are also so delicious.  the ground up oats give a great depth of flavor that works so well with the toasted hazelnuts.  of course, you just can't beat fresh raspberries too.  what an incredible combination of flavors.  it's so decadent!

we poured warm maple syrup over our pancakes, but they would be wonderful with honey as well.  if you wanted to get really crazy, i bet a few chocolate chips would be amazing too.

raspberry oat pancakes with toasted hazelnuts
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 5-6 minutes
yields: 2 servings
adapted from healthy delicious

ingredients:
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
1 cup fresh raspberries

directions:
in a large frying pan over medium heat, toast the hazelnuts.  stir frequently, until lightly golden and fragrant.  remove from the heat and chop.  set aside.  in a food processor, combine the flour, oats, sugar, and baking powder.  pulse several times, until the oats are ground.  in a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla.  whisk until just combined.  stir in the melted butter.  whisk until no lumps remain.  heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle for medium pancakes.  drop a few raspberries in each pancake.  cook for 3 minutes, until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 2-3 minutes, until they are golden brown and cooked throughout.  once cooked, transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 degree F oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining pancake batter. before serving, top with additional raspberries and chopped toasted hazelnuts.  serve warm with warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

raspberry picking

we really love going berry picking in the summer.  it has somewhat become a little tradition of ours over the last few years.  nothing beats picking your own fresh berries.  in june, we picked strawberries at a local farm, and ever since we have been looking forward to picking other berries this summer too.

early on saturday morning, we took at trip out to noxen, pa to pick red raspberries.  it was a bit far, but it was a nice day for a drive, and it's hard to find farms in our area that offer pick-your-own raspberries.  the last time we picked raspberries was two years ago, so we were excited to go again.

the weather was a bit overcast and dreary, but luckily the rain held out for us while we picked raspberries.  there was hardly anyone else there and we felt like we had the farm to ourselves.  it was so peaceful and quiet out there in the middle of nowhere.  we walked through the rows and rows of raspberry bushes picking (and tasting) the different varieties of raspberries.  it was a lot of fun.  we picked a bunch of raspberries and can't wait to eat them this week!

love, laurie