Jolene's Recipe Journal

Yesterday was National Blueberry Picking Day, and we are big fans of blueberries here.  My grandmother used to have 150 blueberry bushes and would sell to the local bakeries and restaurants.   If you came to visit, you were given a bucket and a row and strict instructions on picking.  Roll the berries between your thumb and first finger, but don't take off the blue "frost." Pick one bush clean before moving on.   And heaven help you if you picked a red or white one :)   My dad ended up with a dozen of the bushes in the 80s, and we'll be moving those bushes to our new home this fall.    This year our berries are running a little late, so I stopped by a local farm and picked some up to make this recipe.

I used whole milk instead of 2%, it's what we keep in the house. As I was putting the ingredients together, I kept thinking, "the guys are going to devour this, I really should double it".   Mine did take about 8 minutes past the time range, but I ne…

Strawberry picking kicks off summer for our family.   This year it was delayed a bit by rainy weather, but the wait was absolutely worth it.   I saw this recipe on the cover of April/May 2017 Taste of Home, and I knew it was the first thing I would make when berries were ready.

Two changes - I used raw sugar to sprinkle the biscuits, and Redi Whip instead of making the whipped cream from scratch due to time constraints.   I'll definitely do it for real next time!

Hands down the best from-scratch shortcake biscuit I've ever made.   The vanilla in the strawberries is fantastic.   I'm off to the farm to get more berries, because I know my family will want this again very soon. Thanks so much to Angela L for sharing the recipe!




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Grandma's Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake reviewed by Jolene's Recipe Journal July-8-2017
Perfect taste of summer! Ingredients 6 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Shortcake
3 cups flour
5 T…

YupIt's time to fill the cookie jar again!   This month we are sharing recipe that are perfect for back to school- whether it's putting them in lunchboxes or as a treat when the kids get home.    I was a bit resistant to this theme, considering we've only just begun our summer vacation here in New Hampshire.   Back to school time has always been difficult for my son when it came to lunches and snacks.   

My son was tested for allergies at 2, and it showed an epipen-worthy peanut and tree nut allergy.  He beat the odds, and at 13 years old, outgrew his peanut allergy.   The problem?  All those years of wanting to eat peanut butter was ruined by the actual allergy testing itself.   His food challenge consisted of eating increasing amounts of peanut butter, but it wasn't salted and was no sugar, etc.  He has tried over the last year to find things with peanut butter he likes, and there's been a few.   He was advised to keep eating small amounts to decrease the odds o…

July is National Ice Cream Month and we are kicking things off with our favorite frozen treats to beat the summer heat!

One of the first things my husband and I bought as a couple was a blender.  He'd just moved to New Hampshire from Boston, and was getting acclimated to "country" life.   He was amazed that people chatted with each other in the store checkout line, that neighbors waved to each other.  He wondered how long it would be before he lost his accent and would be out tipping cows.

He assumed the role as bartender, and after combining the Baileys and ice cream, decided it needed a little "something".   He found a partial box of Junior Mints leftover from a trip to the movies, and in they went.   We both loved it, and when I asked him what he'd call it, he didn't hesitate- the Cowtipper.    For us, the  amount of Baileys is perfect, but if you want it less strong, you can replace 4oz of it with whole milk.

Thank you so much to Sue at Palatable P…

Ah, vacation.  For us, that means sleeping in, no where to be unless we want to go there.  It also means being able to prepare breakfast instead of just a quick bowl of cereal or muffin on the way out the door.    I've been collecting breakfast recipes for weeks.  I've never made anything but traditional pancakes, so I was excited to give these a try. 

The batter comes together quickly, but make sure you note the 1 hour refrigeration time.   I only have a 10" skillet, so I used the full 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.   Don't over grease the pan, it just needs the lightest touch if your skillet is good.   Be confident when you flip, I hesitated on the first one and made a bit of a mess.    My pancakes got a touch more color than they should probably have, but my flat stove top has hot spots that I'm still trying to figure out.

What better place to enjoy a lovely breakfast than the patio?  Thank you so much to Lise T for sharing her recipe!

This week, two of …

School's out and that means my teenage son is home all day, rummaging through the cabinets and fridge, grumbling about being hungry.   I like to keep some sweet and savory things on hand to cover both bases.    Muffins are a go-to.   They come together so quickly, and I can make them when I have time and freeze them.

I pinned these muffins a while back from Taste of Home, and since strawberries are in season in NH right now, that's what I used for the fruit.  I'll make another batch in a few weeks with blueberries.   I love that the recipe calls for tossing the fruit in the flour, that's a great way to keep all the berries from sinking to the bottom.   I also like to sprinkle the tops of muffins with raw sugar, it gives them a nice crunch.

No grumbling from the son about these.   Next time I'll do half the batch as minis, they'll be great for on the go snacks and way better than the store bought ones.   Thank you Linda G for sharing your recipe!

There have bee…