Hallmark’s Blackberry Slump Recipe

Recipe by Jennifer Fujita

A slump is a New England creation—halfway between a cobbler and a British steamed pudding. Biscuit dough is dropped atop simmering fruit and covered until cooked through.

Yield: about 6 to 8 servings

Photo by Hallmark©

 

Ingredients:

For the Berry Mixture:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 4 cups blackberries Juice of 1⁄2 lemon Zest of 1 lemon

 

For the Dumplings

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1⁄2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3⁄4 cup buttermilk or whipping cream 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• Ice cream, whipped cream or cold heavy cream for serving

 

Directions:

1. For the berry mixture, combine the sugar and flour and mix well. In a Dutch oven or skillet, combine berries, the sugar and flour mixture, lemon juice and zest.
2. Let rest for 15 minutes to allow juices to run. Then, bring berries to a simmer to dissolve the sugar. While berries are simmering, start on the dumplings.
3. For the dumplings, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Heat buttermilk or whipping cream and butter just until butter melts, and then add it to the flour mixture. Stir to combine.
4. Drop heaping teaspoons of dumpling batter onto the berry mixture. Place the lid back on the skillet and simmer without disturbing for 15 to 20 minutes. Dumplings should puff up and be dry inside.
5. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream or cold heavy cream.

 

For more recipes, click here on the Hallmark website.

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Star-Spangled Red, White & Blue Slab Pie

Recipe provided by Pillsbury™

Photo by Pillsbury™

Ingredients: 

• 3 Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box (from 2 boxes)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Original lemon burst yogurt
• Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon peel)
• 6 cups assorted berries (sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)
• 1 cup strawberry glaze (from 13.5-oz container)

 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Remove 2 of the pie crusts from pouches. Unroll and stack on lightly floured surface. Roll to 17×12-inch rectangle. Fit crust into ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, pressing into corners. Fold crust even with edges of pan. Prick crust several times with fork.
2. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, remove another pie crust from pouch. On lightly floured surface, unroll crust. Roll to 12-inch circle. Cut stars using 1-, 1 1/2- and 2-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on large ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with water; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sugar.
4. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice and lemon peel with electric mixer on high speed until smooth and creamy. Spread evenly into crust-lined pan. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until chilled.
6. In large bowl, mix berries and glaze until well blended. Spoon berry mixture evenly on top of cream cheese-topped pie crust. Place pie crust stars on top of berry mixture.

Expert Tips

• Strawberry glaze can be found in the produce section of your grocery store.
• Take care in folding the berries and glaze. If using raspberries or blackberries, gently fold them in at the very end to avoid berries breaking apart.

Mexican Sweet Corn

© Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson, The Cooking Channel

Photo by The Cooking Channel

Special equipment: Grill pan

Ingredients:

• 4 ears sweet corn, husks removed
• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lime, quartered

Directions: 

1. Preheat a grill pan. Rub corn with oil and place on the grill pan, turning corn so all sides are charred, about 6 to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix together mayonnaise, chili powder, garlic salt, and black pepper.
3. Remove corn from grill and brush with the mayonnaise mixture.
4. Serve with lime quarters to squeeze over corn.

 

4th Fun! Solve the Firecracker Maze

For more puzzles, click on to www.freekidscrafts.com

Watermelon Feta Blackberry Skewers

Watermelon Feta Blackberry Skewers are the perfect easy patriotic fresh and healthy appetizer.

Photo by A Healthy Life For Me

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Blackberries, Fresh Ripe Firm
• 1 Watermelon, cut into 1″cubes, small seedless ripe
• 6 oz Feta cheese
• Small wooden skewers

Preserve Memories with Mixbook

Putting together a photo book of our Barn Wedding was so fun and easy with Mixbook. I spent 20 years teaching people how to preserve their photos. In the predigital era, it was a lot easier to get people to print their photos because that was the only way they could see their photos. But with the onset…

via Wedding Photo Book with Mixbook — your homebased mom

Quick Watermelon Cooler

Yield: 4 Servings

Photo by Taste of Home©

Ingredients:

• 2 cups lemonade
• 3 cups seedless watermelon, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup crushed ice

 

Directions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately.

 

Nutritional Facts
1 cup: 86 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated fat), 0mg cholesterol, 12mg sodium, 24g carbohydrate (22g sugars, 1g fiber), trace protein Diabetic Exchanges:1 starch, 1/2 fruit

 

Originally published as Watermelon Cooler in Simple & Delicious June/July 2010, p41

Grilled Hawaiian Burger

Yield: 8 Servings

Photo by BHG.com

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1-8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup diced ham
• 1-2.8 ounce package cooked bacon pieces
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 hamburger buns or plain bagel thins
• Leaf lettuce (optional)
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced (optional)
• 1 medium sweet onion, sliced (optional)

 

Directions:

1. In a very large bowl combine beef, blue cheese, onion, pineapple, ham, bacon pieces, pepper, and garlic powder; mix well. Shape meat mixture into eight 1-inch-thick patties.
2. For a charcoal grill, place patties on the grill rack directly over medium coals. Grill, covered, for 12 to 14 minutes or until done (160 degrees F to 165 degrees F), turning once halfway through grilling.
3. Top burgers with cheddar cheese. Continue to grill, covered, for 2 minutes more or until cheese is melted. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place patties on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as directed.)
4. Serve burgers on buns. If desired, top with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Nutrition Facts (Hawaiian Burger)
Per serving: 596 kcal cal., 32 g fat (15 g sat. fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 8 g monounsatured fat), 137 mg chol., 951 mg sodium, 27 g carb., 2 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 46 g pro. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

 

White Chocolate Raspberry Torte Recipe

Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter-flavored shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup white baking chips, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  

  Photo by Taste of Home©

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk

 

Filling:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

 

Frosting:

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white baking chips, melted and cooled
• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• Fresh raspberries, optional

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two greased 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper; grease paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chips and vanilla.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Transfer to prepared pans.
4. Bake 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely; gently peel off waxed paper.
5. In a small saucepan, bring raspberries and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Press raspberries through a sieve; discard seeds. Cool.
6. In same pan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in raspberry puree until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. Spread between cake layers.
7. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in melted chips; fold in whipped topping. Spread over top and sides of cake. Pipe frosting over top edge of cake and garnish with berries if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

 
Originally published as White Chocolate Raspberry Torte in Taste of Home December/January 2010, p47

 

4th of July Party Decorating Ideas

Fruit Salad Sailboat

A simple sail is all you need to transform a watermelon fruit salad into a seaworthy centerpiece.

Photo by BHG.com

Cut a triangle from ticking fabric and fold it in half over a dowel. Hot-glue the fabric along the dowel to secure and along the loose edges for a stiff sail.

 

Decorative Utensil Jars

Don’t bother setting the table — guests can grab what they need from these adorable, no-fuss utensil jars.

Photo by BHG.com

Simply decorate containers, like empty oatmeal canisters, by wrapping them with festive paper and securing with tape. Add an adhesive chalkboard label to send a fun message.

 

Roll and Wrap Place Setting
Make picnic prep a breeze with an all-in-one utensil holder and place mat. Fold the long end of a dish towel up until it becomes the size of a place mat.

Photo by BHG.com

Stitch or hot-glue the outer edges together. Insert utensils into the pocket, roll up, and tie with a separate ribbon.

 

Fair-Style Berry Cones
Use food to decorate the picnic table.

Photo by BHG.com

Form sturdy waxed paper into cones, securing with transparent tape. Fill each cone with blue or red berries to create a sweet treat and dazzling display all in one.

 

For more ideas on how to create an American Patriotic Picnic, log on to the Better Homes and Gardens website.