It's an Ice Cream and Blackberry kind of Day

 Any of my readers having an Ice Cream & Blackberry Day?

Blackberries are in season late Spring to early Fall... and the edge of the woods by my house is just covered in wild ones. I always look forward to picking them every year so I can enjoy frozen blackberries on top of my vanilla ice cream.

Yes, Fresh Picked Firm, then Frozen Blackberries Please!

When fresh picked and quickly frozen blackberries are put on top of ice cream, they are oh so cold and the slight crunch in your mouth is delightful. Now if you buy frozen one's in the bag, they are a little mushy but still taste good.

Sometimes it's fun to wet the berries and roll them in sugar

As if ice cream is not sweet enough that you have to roll the berry in sugar, right? Ha! But it looks so pretty in the bowl when it's done this way. It's a nice thing to do when your serving ice cream and blackberries to guests. Then add a couple of plain and simple cookies on the side and you have a masterpiece. Wink~

Here's a list of Benefits and Uses of Blackberry that I bet you didn't know

• Dried blackberry leaves give a luscious fruity flavor when steeped in boiling water. Not only are they the basis of many delicious teas, but they are also loaded with a beneficial component called tannins. The most astringent part is the root.
• Just like its berry cousins, blackberry is very rich in antioxidants. Packed with polyphenols, black berry is beneficial in preventing heart diseases and cancer. Black berry is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, E and K. And the fruit is also rich in fiber and manganese.
• *Preventing Cancer: Good source of Cyanidin.
• Blackberry is used for treating diarrhea, fluid retention, diabetes, gout, and pain and swelling (inflammation).
• used to treat sore throats, mouth ulcers and gum inflammations. A decoction of the leaves is useful as a gargle in treating thrush and also makes a good general mouthwash. It is also used as a mouth rinse for mild mouth and throat irritation.
• treat diarrhea: The presence of large amounts of tannins that give blackberry roots and leaves an astringent effect useful for treating diarrhea
• provide an antibacterial effect against H. pylori, the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers
• provide immune-boosting antioxidants
• provide high levels of salicylic acid, which gives them similar properties to aspirin, such as pain relief and fever relief
• reduce inflammation of the gums, because it contains tannins.
• A medicinal syrup is also made from Blackberry, using the fruit and root bark in honey for a cough remedy.

My Closing Thoughts ~

I hope this post made you want to try blackberry ice cream. It's one of those desserts that's not eaten very often. I'm not sure why because it's delicious.

....................................................★☆★......................................................

🠟 Please Fill Free to Share 🠟 "Live Everyday like a Holiday" Pam

Recipe for 4 Layer Delight Dessert

💖 Blast from the past!  You have to make this one!

The very first time I ever ate this yummy dessert was at the yearly family Christmas party as a young girl. My Daddy's side of the family would alway's get together and shared many wonderful recipes.  One year my Aunt Evelyn made this beautiful cold dessert called "Four Layer Delight" This dessert was so beautiful displayed in its glass bowl, just to look at it made your mouth water. 

🥣 This Dessert has 4 layers / Recipe below:

The bottom layer was a nutty crust layer. It tasted so buttery. The 2nd layer was the sweet cream cheese layer. The 3rd layer was the chocolate pudding layer. The 4th layer was the whip cream and walnuts layer. It just screamed Holiday.

👀 Looks Great in serving dish

During the holiday's many of the dishes we choose to make are foods that not only taste great but look great in a dish.  This dessert was one of those desserts. It was so beautiful in her glass dish and caught my eye immediately. You could see all 4 layers of the creamy goodness and I just couldn't resist being the 1st person to spoon out the 1st serving of its chocolate sweetness.

👩  The Best part is...

 

Aunt Evelyn was happy to share the recipe and I've made it ever since. This recipe is not just perfect for a major holiday like Christmas but it's perfect as a cold dessert on a hot summer night too. Simple ingredients, you can't go wrong with it.

😋 This dessert is packed full of nuts! 

Walnuts being my favorite.... I really layer them on, but you can use less if nuts are not your thing. During the Holidays though, heavy nuts seem to be the in thing to do. Nuts are on everything!  Smileeeeee  ~You can change up the nuts too if you want to. I've used pecans and that was good. I've even tried macadamia nuts with white chocolate pudding and that was fantastic!!

.............................................................★☆★............................................................

4 Layer Delight Recipe

1st Layer

2 cups flour

2 sticks soft butter

1 cup of nuts (your choice)

Mix flour and soft butter together and press in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Bake at 375 until lightly brown.

Let Cool

2nd Layer

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup confectionary sugar

1 cup cool whip

Mix really good and spread on cool crust.

3rd Layer

2 small instant chocolate jello pudding

3 cups of milk

Mix together and spread on top of the cream cheese layer.

4th Layer

Spread the top with a layer of cool whip.

Top with Nuts.  My favorite nut to use with this recipe is walnuts.

Place in refrigerator and cool for 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

 And as always, I've listed related 📅 calendar dates below 🠟, and any related shopping links 🛒 that would be helpful to this article. "Live everyday like a holiday." Pam

.............................................................★☆★............................................................

📅 February / National Chocolate Lovers Month

📅 October 28 / National Chocolate Day

.............................................................★☆★............................................................

► 🛒 ❤ Chocolate Pudding / https://amzn.to/3mtWBtV

.............................................................★☆★............................................................

Easy Chocolate Pudding with Peanut Butter Cup Toppings

 Easy Chocolate Pudding with Peanut Butter Cup Toppings

When I look at this photo I see easy cold chocolate pudding, oats, sweet peanut butter sauce and a topping of crumbled Reese's peanut butter cups. Well friends you can't come up with an easier dessert or a prettier dessert than this.

This dessert would work for adults or children

When it's served in individual glass serving bowls it's perfect for an adult dinner. When it's served in plastic party bowls it's perfect for children. And what's great about this dessert is how fast it is to make. If you're a busy hard-working person, then you know how important it is to find something fast to make. And this is so pretty to make. I've made different variations of this, and it looks so beautiful.

Peanut Butter Sauce:

I'm sure there's many different PeanutButter sauces out there but when I made this, I mixed up peanut butter and honey for my topping. Exactly the same thing I do when I make a peanut butter sandwich. The honey thins down the peanut butter, so it sits better on the top of the cold chocolate pudding.

Pretty / Pudding Toppings:

You could literally go all day finding different topping for chocolate pudding. Lots and lots of things taste great with chocolate. Peanut butter cups are a favorite for many, and the Almond Joy candy version is also a favorite. That's where you pore a homemade coconut cream sauce on top with chopped almonds and broken pieces of Almond Joy candy. Also think about the "mounds" version with dark chocolate. Oh! The peppermint Patty version with chocolate sauce too! Oh! Oh! The Snickers version with peanuts and caramel sauce. Yum!

In Closing / Easy Chocolate Pudding with Peanut Butter Cup Toppings

Friends that's what I wanted to share with you today. This is such an easy party dessert for sure. You can also make it in a large casserole dish and go family style if need be. I've placed this post in the "Chocolate Dessert" category if you ever need to find it again. Remember this dessert for all the chocolate holidays in our calendar too.

And as always, I've listed related 📅 calendar dates below 🠟, and any related shopping links 🛒 that would be helpful to this article. 

 "Live everyday like a holiday." Pam

.............................................................★☆★............................................................

📅 February / National Chocolate Lovers Month

📅 October 28 / National Chocolate Day

📅 February 11 / Peppermint Patty Day

📅 February 19 / National Chocolate Mint Day

.............................................................★☆★............................................................

► 🛒 ❤ Chocolate Pudding / https://amzn.to/3mtWBtV

► 🛒 ❤ Glass Serving Cups / https://amzn.to/3zIbdOr

► 🛒 ❤ Resse's Peanut Butter Cups / https://amzn.to/3mwzIpQ

Recipe for 4 Layer Delight Dessert

This beautiful chocolate dessert is a cold dessert that is made with a layer of chocolate pudding, a layer of sweet cream cheese, a layer of whipped cream, and a crust that is packed full of crushed nuts.  Yum Yum!
.....................................................................................................

Recipe: Four Layer Delight

1st Layer

2 cups flour

2 sticks soft butter

1 cup of nuts (your choice) I always use walnuts

Mix flour and soft butter together and press in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Bake at 375 until lightly brown.

Let Cool

2nd Layer

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup confectionary sugar

1 cup cool whip

Mix really good and spread on cool crust.

3rd Layer

2 small instant chocolate jello pudding

3 cups of milk

Mix together and spread on top of the cream cheese layer.

4th Layer

Spread the top with a layer of cool whip.

Top with Nuts.  My favorite nut to use with this recipe is walnuts.

Place in refrigerator and cool for 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

....................................................................................................................................................

Creme Brulee also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream

Well here we are looking at dessert recipes again. lol! And I have to say; cream brulee is a favorite of mine. I've always been a fan of any kind of custard type creation and since cream brulee has a caramelized sugar crust on top; it makes it that much better.

Below you will find the recipe / some helpful facts / and a few holiday dates to remember.

Crème brûlée , also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of caramelized sugar. It is normally served at slightly chilled; the heat from the caramelizing process tends to warm the custard producing a cool center. The custard base is traditionally flavored with vanilla, but can have a variety of other flavorings.


Dates to Remember:

• National Cream Brulee Day / July 27
• National Dessert Month / October
• National Dessert Day / October 14
• Eat an extra dessert day / September 4th

Crème brûlée is usually served in individual ramekins. Discs of caramel may be prepared separately and put on top just before serving, or the caramel may be formed directly on top of the custard immediately before serving. To do this, sugar is sprinkled onto the custard, then caramelized under a salamander broiler or with a butane torch.Two styles exist to make crème brûlée. The common format is to create a "hot" custard, traditionally by whisking egg yolks in a double boiler with sugar and incorporate the cream, with vanilla following once the custard is off the heat. Likewise, this can be achieved by tempering the egg yolk/sugar mixture with hot cream, then adding vanilla at the end. There also exists a "cold" method, wherein the egg yolks and sugar are whisked together until the mixture reaches ribbon stage. Then, cold heavy cream is whisked into the yolk mixture followed by vanilla. After the custard is achieved, the mixture is dished into ramekins and the ramekins are placed into a large pan. Hot/boiling water is poured into the pan until it reaches halfway up the ramekin and is placed into the oven until the center is jiggly and the edges set. Pulling the crème brûlée out at this point ensures a perfect, creamy dessert that is unrivaled by most desserts.
.....................................................................................................................................

Recipe
These instructions should provide a crackly crust over a cold custard, balanced in sweetness, egg and cream content.

Ingredients

Serves 12.

US	GB	Elsewhere
• 6 cups	• 2 1/2 pints	• 1.4 liters	chilled Heavy cream
• 1 cup	• 9 oz.	• 240 ml	granulated Sugar
• 2	• 2	• 2	Vanilla pods
• 18	• 18	• 18	large Egg yolks
• 12 tsp	• 12 tsp	• 60 ml	Demerara or Turbinado sugar (or regular granulated sugar)

Procedure

__________________________________________________________________

With the oven rack adjusted to its lower middle position, preheat the oven to 300° F (150°C). Fold a kitchen towel to cover the bottom of a large roasting pan and arrange 12 five-ounce (150 ml) ramekins on the towel. The ramekins should not touch each other, or the side of the roasting pan. If the roasting pan is not large enough, scale down the recipe.

Combine 3 cups of the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan. With a paring knife, halve the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the saucepan. Submerge the pods in the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove the saucepan from the heat and steep the mixture for 20 minutes to infuse the flavor.

Meanwhile, separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a large bowl and storing the whites for another use. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. After the cream has steeped remove the pods and stir in the remaining 3 cups of cream to cool the mixture.

Whisk the egg yolks until they are evenly combined. Add a cup of the cream mixture to the yolks and whisk until combined. Continue adding cups of cream and whisking until evenly colored. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a second bowl. Ladle the mixture into the 12 ramekins.

Place the roasting pan onto the oven rack and pour in boiling water until it reaches 2/3 the height of the ramekins. Do not splash water into the ramekins. Bake until an instant-read thermometer registers 170 to 175°F (77 to 79° C) or until the edges of the custard are set, with a spot in the center about the size of a quarter remaining wiggly. The baking time depends upon the height of the ramekins. If shallow, start checking at 30 minutes. Higher ramekins can take up to an hour to bake.

Remove ramekins from roasting pan and cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Place on a shallow tray, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Before serving, uncover the ramekins and soak up any condensation with paper toweling. Spread 1 teaspoon turbinado (Demarara) sugar on each, tilting and tapping to spread the sugar evenly. Spread sugar only on the number of ramekins that will be served. The others can be stored for several days in the refrigerator for later use.

Ignite a propane blowtorch and caramelize the sugar on each ramekin. Take care to direct the flame away from any ignitable material. Avoid the miniature butane torch since its flame is not adequate for uniform caramelization in a reasonable amount of time, and the finished dish may taste of butane. Re-chill the ramekins for not more than 45 minutes. A longer time leads to softening of the caramelized crust.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes, tips and variations

Without a torch the sugar may also be caramelized in these ways:

• After spreading the sugar over the ramekins, place them as close as you can under a very hot broiler. Watch them closely because this method tends to be uneven and burn. Too long under the broiler can also result in the custard turning into a sort of chunky soup which is not a very appealing texture. Works best with fine granulated sugar.
• Heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat without stirring until it starts to melt, then stir with a wooden spoon until caramelization occurs (this is easier to tell with white sugar than Turbinado) and spoon over the ramekins, tilting and rotating them to cover with an even layer.
• Alternately, combine the sugar with half as much water by volume, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook without stirring 3 to 5 minutes, tilting the pan as required to ensure even caramelization. If the caramel hardens due to cooling, warm over low heat until it is again pourable.
• Regular granulated sugar may also be used for the caramelization process in place of the brown sugar.
• A towel may also be placed into the roasting pan prior to adding the water to help distribute the heat across the bottom of the ramekins evenly as well as insulate the bottoms from the heat coming through the bottom of the pan.
• Make sure that before adding the cream to the egg yolks, the cream has cooled down. If one adds hot cream, the yolks will start to clot, ruining the final product.
• For a healthier version, it is possible to substitute half-and-half or milk for the cream, provided that a few more egg yolks are added for texture.

..............................................................................................................

References:

Our website / http://www.gone-ta-pott.com/national_dessert_day.html
Perfecting Crème Brûlée (Cook's Illustrated, Nov & Dec 2001) p.22

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons license.

Wikipedia.org

...............................................................................................................................

Sour Cherry Soup

Source: Heather on her travels

Sour cherry soup is a slightly sweet soup made with sour cream, sugar and whole fresh sour cherries, and served chilled. Originating in Hungarian cuisine, this soup is a summer delicacy in several European cuisines. 

The dish has been adopted by the Austrians, Poles, Slovaks, and Germans. Hungarian-Americans and Hungarian-Canadians brought the soup to North America.

This Article: Sour Cherry Soup ... is posted in honor of: *National Cherry Month which is celebrated in February. *National Soup Month celebrated in January.

In Hungarian cuisine, sour cherry soup or meggyleves is a soup made from the fruits of the sour cherry tree (Prunus cerasus), and not from sweet cherries. The name is formed from meggy meaning 'sour-cherries', and leves meaning 'soup'. It is traditionally served as a dinner course, usually as either the appetizer, soup or dessert, on warm summer nights or for hot summer luncheons. The soup is cooked with whole sour cherries, including the pits. Sour cherry trees are numerous in Hungary, and the soup is a good example of the quintessentially Hungarian fusion of Eastern/Asian influences and traditional Continental European cuisine. It is customary that the soup contain fresh sour cherries, fresh cream and sometimes cloves and cinnamon. Canned regular cherries are sometimes added and sour cream is often substituted for fresh cream. A small amount of sweet white or dry red wine is also sometimes added before serving. Packets of dried meggyleves powder are also sold in Hungary.

wikipedia

Cherry-Topped Brownie Dessert Squares

Cherry-Topped Brownie Dessert Squares 
Originally uploaded by Pillsbury.com

Like most people; during the many holidays throughout the year, I like to find as many recipes that I can- that let's me serve the colors of the observance. Colors like green for St. Patrick's Day, orange for Halloween, red for Valentines Day and red & green for Christmas.  Well these cherry topped brownies have been added to my list for red foods for sure.  This recipe has also been added to my list of brownie recipes found on the bottom of this post under "labels.

Note: This is very easy dessert to make. Also remember this recipe for National Brownie Day which is celebrated December 8th and National Cream Cheese Brownie Day too.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box (1 lb 2.3 oz) fudge brownie mix
• 2/3 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 eggs
• Filling
• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 container (1 lb) vanilla ready-to-spread frosting
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Topping
• 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling, chilled

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening. In large bowl, stir brownie ingredients until well blended with spoon. Spread in pan.
2. Bake 24 to 26 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. In large bowl, beat filling ingredients until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.
4. To serve, spoon pie filling over top. Cut into squares.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake brownies following High Altitude directions on box for 13x9-inch pan.