Recipe Time - All Fruit.

A new post is long over due and ‘tis the season for recipes featuring fresh fruit!  These are my go-to choices when entertaining and they are guaranteed winners!  (“Guaranteed” as in: if you don’t like the recipe, just don’t make it again!)  The base of each recipe is not original…I clipped it from the newspaper, or copied it from a magazine or collected it from any number of places.  However, I have tweaked each recipe, making changes in both ingredients and measurements, and even merging a few like recipes into one “perfect” recipe, and I now consider these my own.  After each recipe, I have added some notes with extra prep or storage information.


BAKED BLUEBERRY CINNAMON OATMEAL
½ c. oil (canola or vegetable)
1/3 c. white sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 c. milk
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 c. quick cooking oats
1 c. fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
½ c. chopped walnuts (more to taste)
TOPPING: 1-2 tsp cinnamon mixed with ¼ c. brown sugar

With mixer, beat together oil and sugars.  Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and oatmeal.  Beat well, then stir in blueberries and walnuts.  Pour into lightly greased casserole dish, or an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan.  (ceramic or glass is best)  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  The next morning, remove pan from fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle oatmeal with cinnamon-brown sugar mix.  Bake until firm, about 35 minutes.  Serve hot.

• This recipe can easily be doubled and made in a 9 x 13 pan.
• It is not pertinent to assemble this the night before.  I actually prefer this dish mixed together the morning it is to be served, but do what works best for your schedule.
• The blueberries, walnuts and cinnamon can be increased or decreased to taste.  Pecans or almonds can be substituted for the walnuts.
• This is NOT a mushy, lumpy, gruel-like, icky porridgy Little Red Riding Hood dish.  It tastes more like a sweetened granola cake.
• Keeps in the fridge for a few days after it’s made.

APPLE COLESLAW

4 c. chopped cabbage
2 unpeeled red apples, washed, cored and chopped fine
2 unpeeled Granny Smith apples, washed, cored and chopped fine
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
½ c. finely chopped red pepper
3-4 green onions, finely chopped
½ c. mayo
¼ c. brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, apples, carrot, red pepper and green onions.  In a small bowl, mix mayo, brown sugar and lemon juice.  Pour dressing over salad.  Toss.  Refrigerate before serving.

• More dressing can be used, to taste.
• The beauty of this slaw is that the veggie and fruit measurements can be increased or decreased to taste.
• I use the packaged, ready-to-use shredded cabbage

FRESH STRAWBERRY MUFFINS*
(* the term “muffins” is used lightly…these are more like cake!)

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
2 c. strawberries, finely chopped
2 eggs
½ c. butter, melted
½ c. milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Melt butter in the microwave and set aside to cool a bit.  In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Add strawberries and gently toss till coated.  Set aside.  Beat together cooled butter, eggs, milk and vanilla.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.  Gently stir till combined.  Spoon batter into lightly greased muffin tin (or use paper liners) until 2/3 full.  Sprinkle each muffin with large granulated decorator sugar.  (regular sugar can also be used)  Bake until set, about 25 min.

• Do not use dark metal muffin tins.  The berries will burn.
• If you can find the decorator sugar, it’s worth it for this recipe.  You will need to go to a bulk food store, a restaurant supply store or check in the cake-decorating aisle of a big box store.

BANANA CAKE
2/3 c. Crisco
2 ½ c. flour
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream Crisco and sugar together.  Add remaining ingredients and mix till moist.  Then, beat 2 min. on med speed.  Scrap sides of bowl.

Add:
1/3 c. buttermilk  (yes, ANOTHER round of buttermilk!)
2 eggs

Beat 2 min. longer

Stir in 2/3 c. chopped walnuts (opt)

Lightly grease and flour 9 x 13 pan.  Pour cake batter into pan and bake 35 – 40 min. until set and golden brown on top.  Pour half bag to a whole bag of mini chocolate chips on top of cake.  Once chocolate chips soften, spread to cover the top of the cake.  Cut cake after cooled, but before chocolate topping hardens.

• To make a quick version of buttermilk, add half to one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk and let sit a few minutes until lumpy.

BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI BREAD
3 eggs
¾ c. oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 ¼ c. sugar
3 c. shredded zucchini, water squeezed out
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.  Stir in zucchini.  Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder and soda and cinnamon.  Fold in the blueberries.  Pour into loaf pans. Bake 50 min or until knife inserted in the center of loaf is clean.  Cool 20-30 min in pan then remove to cool on wire rack.

• Be sure to remove as much water from the zucchini as possible.  I grate the zucchini on a stand-up cheese grater, then lay it out on paper towels and cover it with more paper towels to absorb the water.
• I call this blueberry cake bread and my kids eat it.  They would TELL you they don’t like zucchini, but they love this bread!
• This bread freezes well and makes a great hostess gift.