You’ll have to fire up the oven and the stove for this one today, but it’s worth it.
Blueberry season is in full swing around here. I brought home 10 lbs from a local farm last week. Most are to freeze for winter. But I thought I’d enjoy a few now with this dessert.
Blueberry Torte Recipe
Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 C crushed Graham crackers
1/2 C margarine, melted
4 Tbs sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together graham crackers, margarine and sugar. Press into bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. Par-bake 5 minutes. Leave oven on for the next step.
Filling
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
While crust is par-baking, beat together cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour into par-baked crust. Return to oven for 15 minutes.
Blueberry Topping
1 quart blueberries
4 tbs corn starch
3/4 C sugar
While filling is baking, put corn starch and sugar in a large sauce pan. Add enough water to cover bottom of the pan. Put pan on a burner over medium heat. Stir until corn starch is dissolved. Add blueberries. Cook until thickened. Stir occasionally.
Let the blueberry mixture cool a bit then pour over cheese filling. Chill in fridge. Cut into squares and serve with whipped cream.
This is another fast, easy recipe. If you have all your ingredients close at hand, and remember to take the cream cheese out to soften ahead of time, this should take you about a half an hour to put together.
Kids love to help crush the graham crackers. I put the whole crackers in a large Ziploc bag then let my son pound away with the rolling pin. And any crumbs left over just store in the bag for another day.
Don’t have time to wait for the topping to cool? Take the pan off the stove and place on top of a large bowl of ice cubes. Stir the mixture. You won’t believe how fast this cools things down.
Recipe came from my Grandma Awald
I’ve got a bunch of blueberries in my freezer still from last summer, so I’ve been looking for some ways to use them besides making muffins. I googled Blueberry Cookies to see if there was such a thing and several recipes popped up. I settled on this one.
Blueberry Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
1/2 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. quick cooking oats
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Cream butter until soft and fluffy. Gradually stir in sugars. Beat in eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients. Fold in blueberries. Drop dough by heaping spoonful onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.
NOTE: Frozen berries are easier to work with.
These should be called Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies. (Does anyone remember the Muffin Top episode of Seinfeld?) That’s what the final product reminds me of. The best part of the muffin, the browned, flavorful top. They are yummy and you could eat these for breakfast or a snack.
At the bottom the recipe recommends using frozen rather than fresh berries. I thawed mine because I wasn’t paying attention the first time I read the recipe and missed that little note. It was difficult to stir them in with out smashing them. Mixing in the blueberries frozen would make much it much easier.
Some added information would have made the recipe better. First it says to place by heaping spoonfuls on the cookie sheet. A teaspoon size drop is plenty, and they need to placed a good 2 inches apart because they spread a lot in the oven. My first batch came out more like one giant cookie. Also they have a tendency to stick to the pan a bit, so for the second batch I coated the pan with a little non-stick spray.
Now that we’re finished with the introductions it’s time to bring out the food for the Ultimate Blog Party. Here’s the recipes for some of my favorite things to make for a party or bring to a friend’s house.
Mocha Punch
This yummy jolt of caffeine and sugar will keep the guests partying all night!
2 cups hot water
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 (2 oz. ) jar instant coffee
1 gallon milk
1 24 oz. bottle Hershey chocolate
1 gallon vanilla, chocolate or coffee ice cream
In large pan bring water and sugar almost to a boil, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Add instant coffee, stir and cover. Let steep until cool. Add milk and chocolate syrup. Pour into punch bowl. Add the ice cream in small scoops and serve.
Southwest Cream Cheese Chicken Roll-ups
I always took these to office potlucks when I was working. They got rave reviews.
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 cup shredded chicken
1 package flour tortillas
Mix together softened cream cheese, picante sauce, shredded cheese and chicken. Spread a thin layer on a tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a covered container. Repeat until cream cheese mixture is gone. Refrigerate over night. Slice tortilla rolls into 1 inch rounds. Return to fridge until ready to serve.
Veggie Pizza
Salad you can eat with your fingers.
2 packages crescent rolls
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayo
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped radishes
1/2 cup chipped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped tomato
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Press crescent rolls into jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool. Mix together cream cheese, mayo and Hidden Valley ranch Dressing. Spread over rolls and top with the veggies. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and cut into squares. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Blueberry Torte
This simple cheese cake-like recipe is from my Grandma Awald. Many of the memories I have with her took place in the kitchen preparing big family meals.
Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 cups crushed Graham Crackers
1 stick of margarine, melted
4 tbs sugar
Preheat oven to 375. Mix together crumbs, margarine and sugar. Press into a 9×13 baking dish. Bake 5 to 7 minutes.
Filling
8 oz. cream cheese softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat ingredients together very well. Pour mixture on top of crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 375.
Blueberry Topping
1 quart blueberries
4 tbs corn starch
3/4 cup sugar
Mix cornstarch and sugar with enough water to cover bottom of a medium sauce pan. Cook until thick. Cool and pour over baked cream cheese filling. Refrigerate. Just before serving cover with whip cream.
