Showing posts with label Fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fruit. Show all posts

Friday, January 8, 2016

Greek Yogurt with Oranges, Mint and Pistachios


I have officially completed my first week of college.  I have felt many emotions this week: fear, excitement, and joy.  My favorite class is choir.  Yes, I am taking choir because I never took it in high school.  I love to sing and want a chance to work with a teacher to better my skills when it comes to belting out my favorite songs at random times in my life.  I like to say that my life is a musical.  

This little bowl of deliciousness is my favorite flavor combination when enjoying yogurt in the morning.  I can't explain why this combination of flavors works so well together--but it does.  I am not usually a person who eats loudly.  I am a quiet consumer when it comes to my table manners until I eat this.  Then, it's noisy and embarrassing.

I can't help myself.  You have the creamy texture of the yogurt combined with two crunchy elements-the pistachios and chocolate chips.  The tang of the oranges is never the same experience because they all taste different and finally the mint.  The mint is fresh and unexpected.  It is the glue that holds the dish together.  One without the other does not give the same experience.  Believe me I have tried and it doesn't punch the same POW that the original 5 ingredients do.  

I use dark chocolate chips and I unshell my own pistachios. You can use the kind that are already shelled.  I use all types of oranges and have even cheated with a can of canned mandarins.  I have tried this with greek yogurt, honey flavored yogurt and soy yogurt.  

We eat a lot of greek yogurt in our house.  So much that I just bought the system to make our own yogurt.  I plan on using coconut milk for ours. I bought a vegan starter from Amazon that was highly suggested by several blogs I follow.  

Yay me!  I hope it works.



This is our second favorite way to enjoy yogurt.  I have never lived anywhere that we could buy huge bags of cherries.  Well, we can in Oregon and it is amazing!  The come frozen and combine two types.  We heat them in the microwave until warm.  The juice just pours out of them when heated.  The fun part is that your yogurt turns pink.  We add my homemade granola to the mix and ta-da--it's a bowl of desire and comfort. 

To make homemade granola you can try these recipes below.  I make all of these throughout the year.  My newest one is Pecan Pie Granola.  I am still testing it and it should be added soon.





Greek Yogurt with Oranges, Mint and Pistachios
Makes one serving

1/2 cup of your favorite yogurt--plain, honey or vanilla work best
1 orange, peeled and diced into segments
1 teaspoon fresh mint, minced
handful of pistachios-shelled
as many chocolate chips as you want

1.  Grab a bowl and start adding ingredients.  Mine looks pretty just for the picture.





Friday, December 18, 2015

Free Form Rustic Tart with Berries



Yay, I finally found a pie I can make successfully.  What?  This isn't a pie--but, the crust is flaky and it has a fruit filling.   For me, this is pie at our house.

Confession time--I am the worst pie maker ever!  Have you ever noticed that I don't post pies during "pie season"?  It's not my thing.  It's my sister-n-law Amy's thing. She makes the best pies.

I make this instead.  Remember my blog is Simply Gourmet and I like to keep things simple.  This is simple because you roll it out flat, toss in your fruit, crimp the edges, and bake.

TA-DA--you have a Free Form Rustic Tart, a Galette or, in my case, a pseudo pie.

More than likely you will be covering it in whipped cream or ice cream anyways.

We like our version and my kids never complain except when the last piece is going out of the kitchen on someone else's plate.  Usually Dads!  HA HA HA






 

If you are hoping for a "fancy" recipe you won't find it here.  This is too simple for a formal recipe.  Here is what you do:

1.  Use your favorite pie crust recipe.  You know the one that has been handed down for generations and generations--yeah, that one.  If you don't have that recipe handy, then try this one here. It is my go to pie crust because the one I was given by my grandma... I can't make.  #terriblepiemakerremember

2.  Round up your fruit and some sugar.  I recommend trying your fruit first.  If it is sweet then only add a little bit of sugar...BUT...and this is huge, if your fruit is sour and tart and that is NOT what you are going for, THEN, just add the damn sugar.  It's a tart-pie-thingy.  A little sugar won't hurt.  I "PUCKERED" my family once with a super tart Tart and they were not happy.  Taste your fruit!

3.  Buy or make a whipped topping or ice cream.  It really does add to the experience as it melts over the fruit and down the sides of the tart to pool under each slice of deliciousness.  Trust me. 


Then make your daughter pose for a bunch of pictures on the day that she is waiting to here back about a job, her RX at the pharmacy is delayed and she has a cold from hell---promise her this pie-tart-thingy--and all is good.

The holidays are busy and can be stressful.  This dessert is simple. It looks gorgeous and whips together in no time. In fact, you can make it the day before and reheat it up in the oven.  How about that?

Let's make this thing.

Preheat your oven to 400, roll out your pie crust on parchment paper, transfer to a cookie sheet or round stone, add your fruit combined with sugar to taste (+plus 1 tablespoon corn starch), fold up the edges (see pictures) and bake.  My oven took 35-40 minutes.  I would check after 30 and then add more time as needed.

NOTE:  I used fresh fruit: raspberries, blueberries and slices of orange.  I have not made this with frozen fruit before.





Sunday, July 6, 2014

Quinoa Fruit Salad #2 with a Creamy Yogurt Dressing #SundaySupper


Summer is here and we are just chillin' on this gorgeous holiday weekend.  I can't believe how cool and utterly perfect the chill in the air in Maryland is right now.  We are normally in the high 90's and maybe even in the triple digits this time of year and the humidity is off the charts--like you could cut it with a butter knife but not this year--YAHOO!

For Sunday Supper we are sharing a group of recipes that are refreshing and cool--just like our weather at the moment.  I made some quinoa salad this past week and this was our families favorite of the two fruit salads that I made.  I like this one too because the dressing is light but the kids like this one because the dressing is creamy.  

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious salad.  Feel free to experiment with a variety of fruit combinations.  I made this again for the 4th and used cherries, blueberries , jicama and kiwi.  I also changed the quinoa to a triple combination of red, white and black.  I like a salad where the ingredients can be juggled based on what you have at home.  This is one of those that allows you to use a variety of your favorite flavor combinations.

To find a slew of other COOL desserts, go to the end of this post. 

  


Quinoa Fruit Salad #2 with a Creamy Yogurt Dressing 
Makes about 4 cups of salad

1 cup of prepared (cooked) quinoa
3 cups of fruit: peeled, chopped or sliced
1/2 cup Greek Gods Honey Yogurt (this is the brand I use)
2-3 tablespoons Lemon Balsamic Vinegar (buy the good stuff)
pinch of salt (optional)

1.  Prepare quinoa according to directions on the package.  RINSE and rinse and then RINSE again.  I rinse my quinoa about 4 times.  I even let it sit on the table for a few minutes just to be sure that I get the bitter flavor washed away.

2.  Dice, slice, peel, and cube the fruit of your choice.  I used for this salad: kiwi, jicama matchsticks, peaches and raspberries.

3.  In a small bowl whisk together yogurt and balsamic vinegar.  The flavor of the balsamic can also be varied.  I think that lemon and lime pair well with the quinoa.

4.  In a medium bowl combine the dressing, quinoa and fruit.  TOSS!  Taste and adjust the dressing.  I like ours to be light enough to see the fruit but my kids thought the opaque version of the dressing was better--LOL  You decide.

5.  Serve.  Keep in refrigerator if not served right away.



Summer Chillin’ with My Sunday Supper Friends

Brisk Beverages
Chilled Starters
Snappy Salads and Sides
Refreshing Main Dishes
Cool Confections
CSunday Supper Movement Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our#SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here—>Sunday Supper Movement.
Written by Sherron Watson




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Strawberry Cups


We love strawberries!

I try to buy them when they are in season but there are times I just want some in the winter too.

I pay the extra money to get the large strawberries.  They make wonderful cups.

I filled these with a combination of fresh strawberries and mascarpone cheese...oh, were they good!

To make them sit better, I cut the bottoms and dipped them in chocolate AND then dipped them in little white candy balls.

The combination of strawberry, filling, chocolate along with the crunch of the white candy was a delight to our mouths. For an added touch I dusted some dark cocoa over the top.

This is a super easy dessert.  I would suggest that these be made the morning of your event or family function.  The strawberries are juicy and with each passing day they get a bit wilted and the chocolate on the bottom can get sticky--still delicious mind you--just not picture perfect.



Recipe:  Strawberry Cups filled with Mascarpone Cheese

12 large strawberries
1/2 cup of melted chocolate
2 tablespoons of white candy balls (Michaels or any place that sells cake supplies will carry them.)
1/3 cup of soft mascarpone cheese
6-8 fresh raspberries (use jam if you have that instead)
cocoa (optional) for dusting


Wash and dry the strawberries.  With a sharp knife, cut the bottoms and the tops off.

The strawberries should be hollow inside.  If you need to trim a bit out of the strawberry just use a sharp knife and carefully remove the pulp to create a cup.

Dip the bottom of each strawberry in the melted chocolate and then the white candy.  Let set on a lined cookie tray.

In a small bowl add the raspberries and mash them.  Add the mascarpone cheese and blend well.

I used a baggie and piped the filling into each strawberry.

Dust with chocolate if you desire to do so.

Refrigerate the strawberry cups until ready to serve.

Written by Sherron Watson

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Ambrosia Salad #SundaySupper #RetroRecipe


Ambrosia Salad was a childhood favorite.  I just never realized it.

The salad I grew up with was referred to as fruit salad with whipped cream.  Maybe amongst the adults the real title was shared but for those younger than 10 pretty much used the title already stated.

It varied from year to year.  I honestly don't recall having coconut or marshmallows too often in our fruit salad.  I am sure this was because of a personal choice made by my grandmother.  In general, we did not each much coconut.  I can only assume it was not a family favorite.

I was delighted to learn that for our Sunday Supper group we were going to explore the recipes that focused on Then and Now.

I very much remember the Then of my life and relish in the Now every day.

My own little family does not love this salad as I did whilst a youngster.  It may be the nuts or the whipped cream, who knows.  On rare occasions I do make this in a much smaller size and devour it over the course of a few days.

Can you blame me?  Nuts, mandarin oranges, pineapples, bananas, coconut, marshmallows and bananas...ooh la la.  How could I have forgotten the maraschino cherries (the best part in my opinion).

I took the liberty of using the ever coveted color scheme of the 70's--orange and avocado-- to shoot my pictures this week.  I simulated a Lazy Susan by using my pizza stone.  I have not, in my lifetime, ever owned a Lazy Susan ( I always felt bad for Susan).

We all have different idea's of what--Retro or Then and Now-- are in our own lives.  From my point of view if was the 70's and to others it could be as far back as the 40's, 50's or 60's.  Only you can decide which decade you want to revisit in terms of Then and Now and Sunday Suppers.

Below you will find the list of our group along with their selections.  I cannot wait to see which point in time they selected their dishes from, and to learn if they updated the recipe or kept it as is.



Recipe:  Ambrosia Salad

1 can of mandarin oranges, drained and diced
1 can of pineapple chunks, drained and diced
1 jar of maraschino cherries, drained and halved
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup of mini-marshmallows
1/2-1 cup of heavy whipped cream
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

In a large bowl combine first 7 ingredients.

In a small bowl combine the last 3 and beat until cream is thick.

Combine the two bowls.  Store salad covered and in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

NOTE:  The size of can's I used for the mandarin oranges and pineapple were between 10-10.75 ounces.  The cherries, I purchase the smallest bottle I could find.

All of the listed amounts can be adjusted or omitted on what your family likes or does not like.  I actually enjoyed the marshmallow and coconut after years of not having it made this way.

NOTE:  If you would like to use whipped coconut milk in place of the whipped cream here is a link to how to do that:   GO HERE.



Join us Around the Family Table this Sunday at 7pm Eastern Time and share your favorite Retro Food Memory with us!


Sunday Supper Retro Appetizers:
Sunday Supper Retro Salads:
Sunday Supper Retro Breads and Sandwiches:
SundaySupper Main Dishes:
Sunday Supper Retro Sides and Veggies:
Sunday Supper Retro Desserts and Cocktails:


Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.



Donut Breakfast Casserole

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.  Share  this pos...

Popular Posts