Mascarpone Berry Parfaits

Well I couldn’t resist the blackberries and raspberries when I was shopping and the price was right. We haven’t had Mascarpone Berry Parfaits for two summers and when I saw the berries that’s what I thought of …. so Father’s Day had two desserts. These parfaits are an easy make ahead dessert and they taste like heaven. You can use any combination of berries that you like. They are also a great adult dessert for 4th of July because they end up with red white and blue layers. I make mine in wine glasses..you want something that is clear to show off the layers.



Mascarpone Berry Parfaits

Red and blue berries of your choice: strawberries;blackberries;raspberries;bluberries

16 oz container of Mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup powdered suger
Zest of one orange or 1 tsp. rehydrated orange zest
Grand Marnier

Cream de Cassis

6 wine or clear glasses

Rinse and dry berries. If you are using strawberries ,slice them up.

In a small bowl mix Mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and orange zest. Add Grand Marnier to taste.

In a wine glass place a layer of blue berries, a layer of red berries. Pour a small amount of Crean de Cassis over berries. Top with a layer of Mascarpone cheese mixture. Repeat.

Decorate tops with berries. Chill. Serve and enjoy.....I know I do!

 
 
 

Blueberry Surprise Pie

While I was out shopping for Father's Day lobsters I noticed that the blueberries were finally at a reasonable price so I figured why not make a blueberry pie for Father's Day dessert. Then still on a quest for Kris' lobster dinner I ended up buying blackberries and raspberries that were on sale..now thinking about another dessert berry parfaits. I got all the berries home and rinsed off to start making the blueberry pie and berry parfaits. I mixed up the filling for the pie than rolled out the crusts..after I added the filling to the bottom pie shell I decided that I didn't need all the blackberries ad raspberries so I threw some of both berries on top of the blueberry filling... now it was a blueberry surprise pie! We haven't eaten it yet, waiting for company...but it looks good! I can't wait to dig in!

Blueberry Surprise Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry for a 2 crust pie & a 9" pie plate

5 cups blueberries
1 Tlbs. lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. cimmanon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt

Blackberries & raspberris if you want to make it a surprise pie

2 Tlbs. butter or margarine

1 Tlbs. milk,1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream
Sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl mix blueberries,lemon juice,sugar,flour,cinnamon,nutmeg and salt. I always add a sprinkle of quick tapioca to ensure my pie isn't runny.

Roll out bottom crust, put into pie plate. Roll out top crust. Pour blueberry filling into bottom crust, dot with butter. I you want to make it a surprise pie sprinkle some raspberries and blackberries over the filling. Cover with top crust. Tuck in crust and flute. Brush with 1/2 & 1/2. Sprinkle with sugar then poke holes in the top of pie to vent. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower oven temp to 350 Degrees and cook 45 minutes longer.

Before Baking:

After Baking:

Remove pie from oven. Cool amd serve with vanilla ice cream.

Father's Day Feast

Well today is Fathers Day and my husband is having one of his favorite meals…Lobster! Thank goodness he just likes to eat them steamed…one time we did lobster and you had to put a knife through the lobsters head and all kinds of other things…yuck. So this morning I went to Stop and Shop where they had lobsters on sale for $5.99 a pound but of course they didn’t have any left..I was annoyed to say the least but while I was there I noticed that the blueberries were on sale so I figured I’d make a Blueberry Pie for dessert so the trip wasn’t a complete waste. Now I was off to Uncle Giuseppe’s,they also had lobster on sale for $6.99 a pound. Now Uncle Giuseppe’s is a dangerous place, they have some really great speciality things. I picked up the lobster,some dark chocolate covered pretzels,corn on the cob,a butternut squash spinach salad whit Gorgonzola cheese , spring mix , vanilla ice cream to go with the blueberry pie I’m going to make and a fantastic red potato salad with bacon and Gorgonzola cheese. Then as I was checking out I noticed they had blackberries and raspberries on sale. Now I’m thinking about Mascarpone Berry Parfaits so I buy the berries. So now we have two desserts for Fathers Day. I called up my sister and invited her and her hubby Fred over for dessert and I invited my neighbor George and his friend Kim. This way I will not be waking up in the middle of the night eating leftover dessert!
When I got home Kris set up the big pot outside and the lobsters were steamed up and put in the fridge. The lettuce was picked and washed from the garden, the corn will be roasted on the BBQ….. I can’t wait for dessert!

Shrimpy Macaroni Salad

On Friday June 4th we attended Loyal Lodges Barbecue. Everyone signs up to bring a side dish or appetizer and the lodge supplies the burgers an dogs. I signed up to bring macaroni salad. This is a basic mac salad kicked up a notch as Emeril would say. Both my husband and son love it…me I’m not a big macaroni salad fan…I just make it.


Shrimpy Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp stone ground or brown mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp white pepper
Tabasco sauce to taste
Old Bay Seasoning to taste
Milk


1 bunch scallions sliced very thin
1/2 diced green pepper
1/2 diced yellow pepper
2 plum tomatoes,insides taken out & diced
Small frozen shrimp-defrosted


8 ounces small shells,cooked rinsed under cold water and drained well




In a small bowl whisk together mayo,sour cream,vinegar,mustard,sugar and salt. Add a few shakes of Tabasco and sprinkle in Old Bay. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. When your are satisfied add milk about 1/8 of a cup to thin out sauce.

Pour sauce over cooked and rinsed shells. Add shrimp,I use about 1/4 of the bag,diced tomatoes,peppers and scallions. Mix well.Cover and refrigerate over night. Before you are ready to serve you can garnish with veggies.

Jam'in Time

Well it's that time of the year again..Jam'in time. This weekend we were out camping on Long Islands north shore and the farm stands are gearing up. Had some great asparagus and sugar snap peas but the best was the strawberries. We went picking at Lewin's Farm and the pickings were easy. My husband and I picked 13 quarts in just under a half hour. I didn't even get a chance to get my first sun burn! But my friend Nancy was very happy I saved her from one of my spring adventures and roped my hubby in instead. So what do you do with 13 quarts of strawberries...make jam! Making home made jams and jellies is a labor of love! I call it my summer therapy. My friends,family and co-workers call it delicious!

I'm not going to post recipes,most you can find in the pectin boxes, but there are some great sites you can check out if your interested in taking up jam making. This site is great for anyone starting out: http://www.pickyourown.org/jam.htm .
I use all different types of pectin but Pamonas is my favorite for making low sugar jams and jellies. Walmart is a great place for canning supplies as are hardware stores.
I give a lot of mine away for Christmas presents,sell some and of course eat it myself. In fact my daughter Elizabeth refused to eat my home made grape jelly. For years I had to buy Welch's for her ,then one day out of desperation she tried my jelly and now I have to make extra to last from season to season!