Tri-berry Pancakes

Oh, I love berries. I love them so much that my husband was willing to go with me to pick some raspberry and blueberries. The kids elected to head to camp since they were going to the beach. I'm not saying I blamed them but when they arrived home they thought I was going to share my berries. (I did tell my husband this was the first time I actually made it home with 3 containers still full of berries.) I did reluctantly shared my berries and I mean reluctantly. Then I was nice and made tri-berry pancakes for supper. I even shared with my Mom and sister. My Mom and I were unsure how the combination would go with cherries but I loved them.

Tri-berry Pancakes
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup chopped cherries
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk in a large bowl. 
2. Whisk in the baking soda until combined.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk until incorporated.
4. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla.
5. Heat a frying pan over medium heat.
6. Add a little oil to the pan and wait about 30 seconds.
7. Pour 1/2 cup of the batter into the frying pan. 
8. Top the pancakes in the pan with some of each berry. 
9. When bubbles form on top of the pancake, flip the pancake over.
10. Cook the pancake until the bottom is golden brown.
11. Use any remaining berries for topping. 

Recipe adapted from here.

One year ago.........................I made Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies.
Two years ago.......................I made Raspberry Cream Cheese Scones.

He is trying to make his teeth blue!

Did you already know............
-It is believed red raspberries originated from Turkey.
-Black raspberries are native to America.
-Black raspberries are different from blackberries.

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

I debated about these cookies. Should they stay as cookies or be made into whoopie pies. My sister and a friend said they should be a whoopie pie. They are a soft cookie and would work but the kids voted for cookies. I realized during this debate that the kids ate the majority of the cookies. Why make a whoopie pie with only three cookies left? The kids won this debate this time.

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg 
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raspberries

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the butter with the cream cheese.
2. Add the oil and mix well.
3. Add the sugar and incorporate.
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
5. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
6. Fold in the raspberries.
7. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
10. Scoop the chilled dough onto the baking sheet with a standard size ice cream scoop.
11. Space the cookies at least 2 inches apart.
12. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
13. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from this recipe.

One year ago.........................Dulce de Leche Macaroons. 

Did you already know..........
-Raspberries aren't just red. There are black, purple, and golden raspberries too.
-Loganberries are a hybrid of raspberries and blackberries.
-Boysenberry are a hybrid of raspberries, blackberries, and loganberries.

Raspberry Ginger Ale

I saw this great recipe for a Raspberry Ginger Bellini. It was something I would definitely try but the children were home. Instead, I figured I would try making raspberry ginger ale. The kids loved it. They thought it was the best thing ever especially when I poured the ginger ale and it fuzzed up. They also could have been excited about having soda since they don't have it often.

Raspberry Ginger Ale   Makes 2 serving sizes

1/2 cup raspberries
2 Tbsp simple syrup, if needed for sweetness
2 cups ginger ale

Directions:

1. In a small bowl (or measuring cup if you hate dishes), smash the raspberries.*
2. Place 1/2 the smashed raspberries in a bottom of one glass and the rest in another glass.
3. Add 1 Tbsp of simple syrup to each glass, if desired.
4. Top with 1 cup of ginger ale in each glass.
5. Serve immediately.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.
*Tip: I recommend you straining it if your were going to serve it to guest but the kids do not mind the seeds.

One year ago.........................I made Chock Full of Nuts Cookies.

Did you already know...........
-A typical Bellini is cocktail made with sparkling wine and peach puree.
-The Bellini was invented in Italy by Giuseppe Cipriani.
-Another popular version of the Bellini uses champagne.

Olympics begins

Since the Olympics opening ceremony is tonight, I thought scones would be a fitting way to use up the remaining raspberries I have. Next week, I am going to post some British dishes. This is going to be a culinary journey for my family. Yes, this even includes my oldest daughter since she ate mostly hamburgers when she was in England.

A couple years ago, my husband and I spent the night in England but it was only because we were in transit. We arrived when it was dark outside and we left at dawn. We did not enjoy warm scones but we were able to get our passport stamped. Next time, we will stay longer.

I love scones since they are easy to make and make a quick breakfast for the next day. My youngest daughter likes scones since they are similar to muffins and biscuits. My youngest son just like to say the name scones. Would you like some scones this morning?

Raspberry Cream Cheese Scones
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
7 Tbsp cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, gently stir cream cheese, milk, and egg together until combined.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
5. Cut in the butter to the flour mixture using your hands, pastry blender, or two forks until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
6. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the cream cheese mixture with the raspberries.
7. Carefully, mix together the dough.
8. Form the dough into a circle 1 inch thick.
9. Cut 2 inch circles into the dough and place the circles on the parchment paper spacing about 1 inch apart.
10. Carefully gather the remaining scrapes and cut out a few more circles while trying not to rework the dough to much.
11. Bake the scones for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.   

Recipe adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes.

Did you already know...
-Great Britain comprises of England, Scotland, and Wales.
-Scones originate from Scotland.
-The United Kingdom comprises of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Raspberry cheesecake

I am always surprised how advance technology has advanced but sometimes I am surprised we haven't advanced to The Jetsons technology yet. Do you remember The Jetsons? I always liked Rosey the robot. 

 The reason I thought about The Jetsons was because my family are big gamers. They play on the PS3 with other family members and friends. I choice to blog. The other day my sister was playing and she has a Bluetooth so she can talk during the game. Since she knew my husband was playing, my nieces said hi to him. My children heard their cousin,s voices and started to talk to the TV. Of course, my nieces couldn't hear them. Since my sister only lives within 20 minutes of me, I think we will pass when The Jetson's TV monitor comes out. Just picture this- I go downstairs in my pjs (which means my old t-shirts since they are comfy but I can't wear them out) and I am greeted full screen by someone I would rather not see me. It just isn't going to happen no matter how much my husband tries. No Jetson's TVs in this household. How about you? Would you get one? I am not talking about Skype either just the next level of Skype.

Raspberry Cheesecake 
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar for the crust

2 lbs. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs 
4 oz. fresh raspberries
2 Tbsp. sugar for the heart

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin.
3. In a small bowl, combine the graham crackers, the melted butter, and the 3 Tbsp. of sugar. Stir together until well combined.
4. Press 1 Tbsp of the graham cracker mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner. 
5. Bake the graham cracker crust for 5 minutes and remove from oven. Allow to cool while making the filling.
6. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
7. Add the 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the cream cheese and cream.
8. Add the salt and vanilla. Mix to combine.
9. Add one egg at a time and mix well before adding the next egg.
10. In a food processor, add the raspberries and 2 Tbsp of sugar. 
11. Process until smooth and then pour through a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl to remove the raspberry seeds.
12. To assemble: add 3 Tbsp of the cream cheese filling over the graham cracker crust. 
13. Top each cream cheese filling with 3 circles close together in the middle of each cupcake.
14. Take a toothpick and carefully work the raspberry juice to form a heart. (If you press to hard, a crack may form in your cheesecake heart.)
15. Bake for about 10 minutes and rotate.
16. Bake the cheesecake for another 12 minutes or until the filling sets.
17. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at room temperature.
18. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving. 

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats.

Did you already know...
-The Jetsons cartoon was set in the 21st century.
-The cartoon debuted in 1962 and reruns can still be seen on cartoon network.
-There are 75 episodes of The Jetsons.