Fruit & Berry Crisp {Secret Recipe Club 5/14}

fruit crisp fruits

Welcome to another Secret Recipe Club! What is Secret Recipe Club? It’s the awesome sway where you are assigned another blogger (in secret!) and you make one of their recipes. Then on the same day everyone reveals what they have made. Get more info here on how you can sign up for SRC.

For this swap I was assigned Debbi from Debbi Does Dinner… Healthy & Low Calorie. As usual I wasn’t sure where to start or what to make.

fruits Fruit & Berry Crisp {Secret Recipe Club 5/14}

I was a little pressed for time between finals, moving down south and starting my new job. My goal was to find something that could be eaten quickly and that would use of some leftovers around my apartment.

As I was looking through her recipes I saw a fruit & berry crisp that sounded pretty wonderful and I knew it would be the perfect recipe!

This crisp does seem a bit out of season with the fruits I’m using but it tasted wonderful. And this recipe allows you to adapt whatever fruit you have or like.

finished crisp Fruit & Berry Crisp {Secret Recipe Club 5/14}

I cut Debbi’s recipe in half, but honestly it was still a ton! I think it could even be cut down a little more if you plan on making this for 1-2 people.

You could even make mini personal crisps with ramekins — cutting down on baking time and proportion size — yay!

You should try a scoop of ice cream on top too… I used some left over chèvre frozen yogurt and its was out of this world!

crisp in a bowl Fruit & Berry Crisp {Secret Recipe Club 5/14}
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Secret Recipe Club 10/17: Pear Butter

jar of pear butter

This is my October post for Secret Recipe Club Group B. Interested in joining in on the fun? Find out more information here!

This month I was assigned Theresa from Island Vittles. I had such a hard time picking one recipe to make this month. I ended up bookmarking 4 or 5 different things to go back and try, especially the rosemary and parmesan popoversyum!

I finally settled on a recipe, pear butter. It sounded delicious and very seasonal.

Ironically enough, I am posting this exactly 1 year after Theresa originally posted the recipe!

Pear butter is very similar to other fruit butters I have made. It’s smooth and sweet characteristics make it ideal for spreading on toast, spooning over ice cream, or stirring into yogurt.

peeled pears 200x300 Secret Recipe Club 10/17: Pear Butter lemon zest 200x300 Secret Recipe Club 10/17: Pear Butter Ingredients 200x300 Secret Recipe Club 10/17: Pear Butter

While I was making the delicious vat of fruit butter I started to think of possible uses

My first thought was a turkey panini with granny smith apple slices, crispy bacon and smoked gouda. Then I thought how I could share this with a lot of people. An hor d’oeuvres tray with the fruit butter as a center piece, bread, fruit, cheese, a few salty meats and a bottle of wine would be tasty too.

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Secret Recipe Club 9/19: Peanut Butter Cookies

dark view

Thanks for stopping by to check out my latest Secret Recipe Club post! This month I was assigned The Pretend Chef. Want to learn more about the Secret Recipe Club and how to join? Or are you interested in who participates? You can find everything you need to know here!

When I was looking through The Pretend Chef’s recipes I found myself bookmarking all peanut butter recipes. The desserts that really stuck out where the peanut butter streusel brownies, the irresistible browniespeanut butter balls, and peanut butter truffles. But the one that I finally decided on was the peanut butter cookies.

After looking through all her peanut butter recipes I realized I was severely lacking in recipes that involve the delicious nut butter. Peanut butter cookies were due on BFB.

top view  1024x682 Secret Recipe Club 9/19: Peanut Butter Cookies

The Pretend Chef provided me with a simple, easy to follow recipe that produced superb results. I loved the [Read more...]

Secret Recipe Club 8/22: Quick Chocolate Cakes

cake with ice cream 2

Check out my latest post for Secret Recipe Club! This month I was assigned Wendy from La Phemme Phoodie. Want to know more about Secret Recipe Club? Find out here!

August was a whirl wind of a month. It came and all of the sudden it is the 22nd! It wasn’t until the 17th that I realized I still needed to bake for this month’s SRC. I was looking through Wendy’s lovely blog and I came across a Cardamom Lavender Honey Caramel Peach Pie. It sounded so delicious with the local lavender honey, but I did not have enough peaches and I was pressed for time. And then my mind wandered to her Strawberry Balsamic Jam, but knew I wouldn’t have the time to do the jar sterilization. And finally I landed on her Too Much Chocolate Cake.

IMG 0576 1024x682 Secret Recipe Club 8/22: Quick Chocolate Cakes

I was happy to find her recipe because I don’t have a chocolate cake that is quick and delicious. This one is perfect if you have a chocolate craving, or just in the mood to bake something decadent.

Wendy baked her cake in 1 bundt pan, but I did mine in these 2 that I found for a dollar a piece at Goodwill. Wendy also suggested topping with chocolate sauce or powdered sugar. I decided to serve mine with a scoop of homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream. This is perfect for a special occasion or holiday due to is quick prep time and delicious results! It also has endless topping or serving compliments. Ice cream, chocolate, caramel, fruit, whipped cream…you can be as creative as you want.

IMG 0614 682x1024 Secret Recipe Club 8/22: Quick Chocolate Cakes

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Secret Recipe Club 6/13 – Homemade Pop Tarts

poptarts on sheet

This is my second entry for the Secret Recipe Club. Secret recipe club is a great idea, and I am so happy to be apart of it. If you want to learn more (or join!) check out this page for more information. This month my assigned blogger was Angie from Big Bears Wife.

I chose this recipe because poptarts are one of the most iconic foods from my childhood. I have so many memories of poptarts. I used to love these things.

Once I was in high school I realized they were not nutritional, and I couldn’t afford to eat them often. But these overly sweet toaster pastries have been around since 1967 and I knew they weren’t going anywhere fast.

I accepted the not so nutritional pastries for what they are. And I knew there had to be some way I could still eat poptarts with out ingesting strange chemicals.

I have seen recipes here and there for homemade poptarts, but still had not taken the time to make some for myself. Once I saw Angie’s recipe I was so excited. I knew this was finally the push I needed to make the little toaster pastries at home.

inside of poptart Secret Recipe Club 6/13   Homemade Pop Tarts

Making homemade poptarts is much easier then it first appears. It is basically just a flakey pie crust like dough filled with jam. And as soon as I realized the possibilities for fillings were endless, I was even more excited. I dragged the BF to the store with me and told him to pick out which ever flavor jam he wanted.

As he walked back, jar in hand, I didn’t even think to check what he had picked out. But as soon as we got home and I was putting the food away, I noticed he picked out a bottle of currant jelly instead of jam. But I used it anyways. I figured I could mix the jam and jelly I had together and make an interesting fruit filling for the poptarts.

jam and jelly Secret Recipe Club 6/13   Homemade Pop Tarts

Lucky for me they turned out delicious. The dough was perfectly flakey, not too sweet, and the jam was a refreshing alternative to the pasty stuff you normally find stuffed inside.

While I found the pastries delicious, they seemed much more like hand held pies than poptarts. But trust me, that didn’t keep us from eating them all.

I chose to not use any sort of frosting or glaze on my poptarts, but if you want yours a little extra sweet you can give it a try!
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