Temptation Tuesday - A Big Sale on Berries

Have you even gone a bit overboard and placed yourself in a WTH dilemma? Well, Ms. TSE just committed that crime yesterday. I went absolutely BONKERS while at the market. I was sooooo tempted by the 99 cents sign that I forgot I was shopping for one. Strawberries, blackberries and blueberries were on sale, so silly me went crazy. Sometimes, I question my sanity, but then I quickly snap out of that foolishness. Ha!!

What's a girl to do with a TON of berries?? Here are a few things I did today:

Oatmeal (with almost more fruit than oatmeal):

I haven't had this dip in a few years, but it's always nice to go back to something tried and true. I was reminded of this dip while blog stalking.

Strawberries with Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream) Brown Sugar Dip:

I invited a few friends over last minute and we enjoyed a quick dessert served with Talenti Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato. OMG!! They were so good and the perfect size for sharing to keep the four of us from going completely overboard.

Blueberry-Blackberry Galettes:

I made this "shortcut" version last week with Simply Lemonade, but I'll do the real thing this week.

Blackberry Lemonade:

Up next on the agenda:

~Mixed Berries Shortcakes

~Mixed Berries Green Smoothie

~Greek Yogurt with Berries

~Jelly/Jam/Preserves

As much as I've gone on and on about overbuying berries, I've really enjoyed playing with them and planning my week around them. I happily welcome any suggestions you may have to help me with my berry dilemma.

What's your most recent temptation?

Sheila Denise

Fruit Tart - Blackberry Version

A local supermarket has been stocked with the most delicious blackberries for the past few weeks and I've been eating them like crazy. This morning, I decided to try something other than eating them straight, in smoothies or with my daily Greek yogurt. During my search, I stumbled upon a blackberry tart recipe on a blog called Eclectic Recipes. Just the sight of those luscious, juicy berries piled atop a cream cheesy bed with a shortcakey crust had me eager to recreate this lovely vision. I also loved the fact that Greek yogurt was incorporated into the recipe.

So I got to work and as I progressed, I KNEW I'd have a slice before I could assemble the berries on it. I was even more convinced to do so when I tasted the cream cheese mixture. Oh Em Gee!!! This tart is delicious!!!

Angelia, of Eclectic Recipes, entered this recipe into the Publix Berry Recipe Contest, which ended yesterday. If the judges taste buds are working...this one should be a winner!! Best wishes Angelia...you have my vote!

Just one note, the recipe includes salt and sugar; however, they aren't mentioned during the process, but I pulsed them with the flour and nuts. I'm sending this entry to Angelia, so she'll correct me if I'm mistaken. Also, I added a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and used pecans instead of walnuts, simply because I didn't have walnuts.

Oh yeah...please excuse my pitiful looking mint--it was here and I needed to add a bit of color. I'll have fresher mint next time, I hope.

If you're looking for a simple and delicious dessert, add this one to your arsenal. Thanks Angelia!!

Sheila Denise

Mary Ann Cake - Spring is Here!!!

I will simply ignore the fact that I've broken a couple of promises to you...yeah, I know I said I'd resume blogging, but never did. Well, I think I'm back and I've missed you terribly.

Yesterday, I discovered a cake pan that I hadn't used. As a cake pan collector, I have no idea when I purchased it, but I immediately knew I needed to use it. The recipe included was a chocolate concoction, so I had to do a quick search to find something non-chocolate. Thanks to Williams-Sonoma, I stumbled upon this recipe with the most beautimous photo of a Mary Ann cake.

If you're wondering what the heck a Mary Ann cake is, well I have no idea who she is, but the pan is designed to create a cake with a convex top. After the cake is baked and turned out, you have a cake with a hollowed out top which may then be filled with fruit, cream, ice cream, or whatever your little heart desires. So off to work I went at about 11 o'clock last night. Baking it at night gave me time to think about my choice of filling and fruit. So it simply sat naked until this evening. Here are a couple of photos of the cake as it's cooling and waiting to be dressed.

I really couldn't decide what to do with this cake, so I simply went about my day. I joined my my girl-bestie, Carol, for brunch and a Braves game and it was during our outing that she mentioned blackberries. Okay, that determined the fruit selection, but what will I do for the filling? I knew what I didn't want, that's always the easy part, but had no idea what i did want. As I walked into Costco for the blackberries, I had an idea--I'd make a creamy, lemony concoction for the filling. So I pulled everything out of the fridge. I used, mascarpone, lemon curd, sour cream, heavy cream and a wee bit of vanilla sugar. I didn't measure anything, but next time I'll use more of everything to fill it closer to the edge. The mixture kinda sorta tastes like a very lemony cheesecake and it compliments the blackberries extremely well. Isn't it lovely??

Honestly, I have no desire to eat this cake--the act of making it/using my pan was the focus. Tomorrow, I'll take it for a drive to, JD, my most favoritest brother-in-law in the whole ENTIRE world.

Sheila Denise