Baking with Mirabelle Plums.

Last night I baked a Mirabelle Plum and Cognac Clafoutis with the plums Ariana and Daddy picked from the tree in our backyard! It turned out delicious! We served it slightly warm, dusted with powdered sugar and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. It was kind of like a cobbler.

These sweet little plums come from the Lorraine region of France (which isn't far from us) here in Germany. They are good to eat by themselves (my husband really likes them) but they are also good to bake with.

Mirabelle Plum and Cognac Clafoutis Recipe

3 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespons softened butter

about 1.5 cups of stoned mirabelle plums, cut in half

1/4 cup cognac or brandy

30g (1 oz) flaked almonds

powdered sugar and vanilla ice cream to serve.

1. Beat the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl.  

2. Add flour, mix well and then beat briskly with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute.  

3. If time allows, set aside to rest for 1 hour at room temperature. In the meantime, macerate the mirabelle halves in the brandy.

4. Preheat oven to 425F (220C) and melt butter in a pie dish.  Spread the mirabelle halves evenly over the base of the buttered dish and carefully pour the batter over the fruit.  Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 10 minutes. 

5. Sprinkle with almonds and move your rack down 1 notch and reduce the oven temperature to 350F (175C) and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. 

Serve slightly warm with powdered sugar. Scoop of ice cream is optional but very yummy!

Orignal recipe found here.

Southern Banana Pudding {Recipe}

When it comes to summer in the South, everyone has their favorite Banana Pudding recipe. You're pretty much guaranteed to find a banana pudding at every potluck or family function. This is my family favorite from my "Aunt" Pam! She gave it to us when we first got married. It's in our family and friends cookbook where everyone who loved us gave us recipes to start off our marriage. I make it every year when the weather warms up.

Southern Banana Pudding

1 large box instant vanilla pudding

8 oz sour cream

12 oz Cool Whip 

3 or 4 large bananas

1 box Vanilla Wafers

3 cups of milk

1. Mix the pudding and milk as directed on box.

2. Add sour cream and mix well.

3. Fold in Cool Whip.

4. Layer Vanilla Wafers, chopped bananas, and pudding mixture.

5. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Greek Chicken Pita's {Recipe}

Earlier this week I talked about how we loved Greece and their food and I shared our tzatziki recipe. Today I'm sharing our pita recipe. This is yummy for a light lunch or picnic recipe for summertime. If you like Greek food, you're sure to love this! The best grilled chicken and freshest, tastiest salads I've ever had was in Corfu and those flavors inspired this dish.

For this recipe you'll need some tzatziki sauce. I posted our quick and easy tzatziki recipe that is perfect for this. It makes an amazing marinade for your chicken and creamy sauce for your pitas.

Greek Chicken Pita's

Chicken (I used breast pieces that were already trimmed)

whole wheat pitas

fresh spinach (or lettuce if you prefer)

tomatoes, diced

Mediterranean herb feta, crumbled

cucumbers, sliced

tzatziki sauce

1. Marinade your chicken in a few tablespoons of tzatziki sauce. I usually just stick mine in a plastic bag with about 4-5 tablespoons of tzatziki and pop it in the fridge for a few hours. You will want to let them marinade for at least 2 hours.

2. Cook your chicken after it's had time to get full of flavor. We like to grill ours but we've also cooked it in a little olive oil in the pan on the stove.

3. Prepare your tomatoes and cucumbers and spinach. Wash and cut and have them ready for the assembly line.

4. Once your chicken has cooled so you can handle it a little, slice (or chop) it into bite size pieces. Or if you're having it later, you can refrigerate your chicken and there is no need to reheat it.

5. Now, you're ready to assemble your pita. Cut your pitas in half and open them up. Layer spinach, cucumber, chicken, feta, tomatoes and tzatziki into each half of your pita.

Munch away!

Quick and Easy Tzatziki {Recipe}

As a family last year we took a trip to Cyprus (part of ancient Greece) and before we had little ones we spent a week on the Greek island of Corfu. We absolutely love the fresh flavors of real Greek food. But sometimes you can't always spend a week on a Greek island so you learn to improvise. One of my favorite snacks from those vacations became tzatziki and pitas, I'm pretty sure I ate it everyday that we were on Corfu. There is just something so light and refreshing about it. Right now I would love being on the beach, sipping some wine (or a mojito) with some friends and family while sharing a big bowl of tzatziki and pitas and laughing in the sunshine. That daydream is bringing you this recipe. My quick and easy tzatziki recipe that's perfect for summer!

Quick and Easy Tzatziki

1 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup sour cream

1 large cucumber, peeled, deseeded, finely grated, and squeezed of excess juice

2 teaspoons dried dill weed

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

1. Peel, deseed and grate your cucumber. This is the hardest part of the whole process. Squeeze excess juice from your cucumber (and there will be a lot of juice). Add to a medium sized bowl.

2. Mix in your greek yogurt, sour cream, dill weed, sugar, garlic powder and season with some salt and pepper to taste.

3. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours for the flavors to blend together. Enjoy!

Later this week I'll be sharing our favorite Greek Chicken Pita recipe we created using this easy tzatziki!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble {Recipe}

If you're looking for the perfect way to use that rhubarb in the backyard (like me) then this is the recipe to try! Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. Besides all the chopping it's pretty easy to make.

Below are the pictures of the rhubarb that we have growing in our backyard. We have 2 huge plants of it. You can see with me standing beside it how big the leaves are. But, you don't use the leaves, they are poisonous to eat, only use the stalks.

If your plant is blooming flowering stalks, you should break off the flowering parts so that the plant can send it's energy to creating the leaves instead of flowers. Mine is growing huge and even with the flowering stalks still on there it seemed to be growing fine.

Pick your leaves (you can see how big they are with Ariana holding them up). I used 3 good sized stalks and got about 3 cups worth of usable rhubarb out of it.

Chop up your rhubarb and strawberries and we'll get started with the actually recipe part!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Filling:

3 cups strawberries, roughly chopped

3 cups rhubarb, chopped

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Topping:

1/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon salt

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cold, diced 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)

2. In a large bowl mix together strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl mix together oats, flour, sugar, brown sugar, cardamom, salt and lemon zest. Using a pastry cutter or fork work butter into mixture until crumbly.

4. Pour filling into sprayed pie pan. Top with crumble topping. 

5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Farmers Sandwich {Recipe}

I don't really know what to call this sandwich so I'm calling it the Farmer's Sandwich since that's the kind of bread we used to create it. Use whatever bread suits your taste. It's really easy and yummy and the flavors flow well together. I'm really loving the fact that we put roasted red pepper on it and the lemon ailoi gives it a light spring/summer feel.

Oh and I'm not totally sure I can call this a recipe since it's just a sandwich but I'm doing it anyways.

Farmer's Sandwich 

bread  - we used Farmer's Bread, it's German called Bauernbrot.

deli turkey - we got tomato basil, yum.

munster cheese 

roasted red peppers - winning flavor here!

avocado, sliced

arugula

lemon aioli - mix a little bit of lemon zest and juice into your mayo

Layer your sandwich and enjoy!

And just a note, this is not an open faced sandwich. I just posted this pictures so I could showcase all the colorful goodies inside.

When it starts getting warmer outside, sandwiches are my go-to lunch. What's yours?

Fruit Nachos {Kid Friendly Recipe}

These are seriously my new favorite snack. I'm pretty sure I like them even more than Ariana and she loves them!

They are easy-peasy and great for a quick snack that kiddos can help make.

This isn't my recipe, we got it from a Highlights magazine, but it's so easy and yum I wanted to share.

Fruit Nachos:

Cinnamon sugar pita chips

1 box instant vanilla pudding

assorted fruit (we used blueberries, raspberries, and kiwi)

Mix up your vanilla pudding as directed on package. We used the quick 5 minute method cause we're impatient like that. Plate your chips and drizzle on the pudding (like cheese) then top with the berries and kiwi or fruit of your choice. Dig in! Seriously, this is yummy and light for enjoying on a warm day.

*We've also tried them with bananas, strawberries and a little chocolate syrup and that's yum too!

Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta with Chicken {Recipe}

This is a yummy recipe me and my man created, and perfected after a few different tries. Looks kind of fancy but doesn't take much time or effort. Perfect for summer time and I'm thinking using small pasta like rotini and mixing in the tomato and chopped chicken would make a nice cold pasta to take to a potluck or BBQ for the summer.

Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta with Chicken

Juice from 1 1/2 lemons

1/2 cup pine nuts

4 garlic cloves

10 tbsp olive oil (separated)

1 cup basil leaves

3 avocados

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

16 oz fettuccine  (or pasta of your choice)

1 large tomato chopped

cooked chicken

Cook your pasta as directed.

Meanwhile in a food processor, mix together the garlic cloves, 1/2 cup pine nuts, 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once blended add in the basil and blend again. Next add in the avocados, 1 at a time, blending in between and adding the other 5 tablespoons of olive oil while mixing. Lastly season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Once pasta is drip dried, toss with sauce and refrigerate for about 20 mins to help flavors mingle and to chill the pasta a little.

Slice the cooked chicken (or buy it pre sliced and pre cooked like I did for a quick dinner) and chop your tomato. Plate your pasta and top with the chicken and tomatoes. Garnish with fresh pepper and lemon zest if desired.

This makes enough for 4-6 people depending on how hungry you are.

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos {Recipe}

If you've ever had the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizers at Bonefish Grill you know how amazing these are! I had them last year on my birthday for the first time. I decided to make them at home one night and they turned out good. Then I came up with the idea of putting them into tacos (you know like fish tacos, but better). Best idea for dinner I'd had in a while. They were outstanding! I knew I had to recreate it to share here. So without further ado, everyone welcome Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos to my blog.

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined*

SPICY SAUCE:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (sirachi sauce)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

FOR THE EGG MIXTURE:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

FOR THE BREADING MIXTURE:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

FOR FRYING:
a couple of cups vegetable shortening or oil

GARNISH:

flour tortillas

guacamole or avocado

coleslaw mixture**
green onions, chopped (green part only)

tomatos, chopped

1. Mix together your dry ingredients for your breading in a shallow bowl.

2. Mix together your egg and milk in another small bowl.

3. Dip your shrimp in the panko mixture, then the egg mixture, then the panko mixture again. Set them aside on a plate. Once all your shrimp are breaded, put them in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. This helps the breading stay on while you fry them.

4. Mix together the ingredients for your sauce while you wait. This is when I made my guacamole as well. (check your social networks ha!)

5. Put enough oil to go half way up your shrimp in a large shallow pan. Heat on medium high heat until sizzling occurs when you start to put your shrimp in.

6. Fry your shrimp on each side about 2 mins until golden brown. Drain off oil.

7. Coat your shrimp in your bang bang sauce in a bowl. 

8. Create your tacos with the coleslaw mixture, guacamole or avocado, 4-5 shrimp. Top with tomatoes and green onions. Feel free to add extra sirachi sauce if you like more bang!

Enjoy!!

*I used frozen raw tail on shrimp. Just defrost them and pull the tail off before you do your breading.

**My green mixture was mixed greens, cabbage, radishes, and carrots

For another yummy taco recipe, check out these Chicken Tinga Quesadilla Tacos I shared on Craft and Crave!

Inspired by Bonefish Grill. Shrimp sauce and breading adapted from Secret Restaurant Recipes

If heaven tasted like a cobbler, I think it'd be blueberry {recipe}

I've been in a baking mood lately, but since I no longer live in Georgia, I'm not privy to a giant bag of"Aunt" Pam's blueberries grown in her backyard. Y'all lemme tell you, those are the best. 

Instead, I had to pay ridiculously high prices at the commissary for some blueberries - you don't even want to know. But, I was determined I was going to make some blueberry cobbler for the hubs before he, and the summer, leave.

And, I guess since I like y'all so much, I'll share this easy as pie, err cobbler, recipe. Given to me by none other than, my Momma.

Side note: If I plant a blueberry bush now, would the plant mature enough for us to even enjoy any blueberries before I move off and leave their berry goodness for the next tenant? Just curious. I don't think my landlord would mind.

Blueberry Cobbler

1 stick butter (we make Paula Deen proud in this household)

1 cup self rising flour*

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 quart (4 cups) blueberries

Preheat your oven to 350 and in a 8x8 dish cut up the butter into pieces and place the dish in the oven to melt the butter while it's preheating. Meanwhile rinse your berries and make sure they are free of sticks. Mix together the flour, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until mixed well. Pour the mixture into your buttered baking dish. Then sprinkle with the blueberries. 

It should look something like this...

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Seriously this is a heavenly recipe and so easy.

Ohh, yes.

*If you only have all purpose flour (like me) no worries - just add in a pinch of salt and 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder to your flour.

Whipped Sunshine {Recipe}

Whipped Sunshine 

1 oz Pinnacle Whipped Vodka

2 oz V8 V-Fusion Peach Mango

Mix together the whipped vodka and V8 Fusion in a shaker with ice. Strain into martini glass rimmed with sugar (I used pomegranate flavored). Garnish with a slice of mango.

My Mom and her friend invented this drink this summer. What better way to get the nutrition from 8 fruits and vegetables than by sipping it with alcohol haha! I enjoyed trying this when I was home and loved it so much I wanted to share it on my blog.

Summer Tea - 3 Ways

If you don't know, I'm from the South.

And being from the South what do we like? 
Yep, Sweet Tea. 
Usually the sweeter the better.

For the summer I thought it would be fun to create a few fruity spins on sweet tea. I actually misled you in the title of this post. I'm actually going to post 4 tea recipes. My recipes for 2 fruity concoctions I created myself, and my classic sweet tea, and one that isn't my own but I want to share with y'all. My classic recipe "Cat's Southern Sweet Tea" will be at the bottom. 

I totally made up all these recipes on my own except for the Blackberry one which Bobby Flay rocked and I 100% thank him for creating cause it is yum!!

I present:

::: Strawberry Mint Tea ::: Blackberry Bourbon Tea ::: & ::: Raspberry Lemonade Tea :::

STRAWBERRY MINT TEA

2 cups strawberries hulled and quartered

1 cup sugar

3 1/4 cup water

5 teabags

Mix together the strawberries, sugar, & 1/4 cup water in saucepan and cook over medium high heat about 5 mins until warmed through and strawberries are softened. About 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in 10 mint leaves. Let sit at room temperature to cool 20 mins.

Heat 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and steep 5 teabags for about 5 minutes.

Discard the tea bags and pour tea in with strawberry mixture. Let sit at room temperature about 45 mins to meld flavors together. 

Strain mixture into a pitcher and top off with cold water. serve over ice with strawberry and mint leaves for garnish.

BLACKBERRY BOURBON TEA

3 cups fresh blackberries

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

6 tea bags

bourbon

Combine the blackberries, sugar and chopped mint in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. Let sit while making the tea.

Bring 1 1/2 quarts cold water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add the tea bags and let steep for about 3 minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour the tea over the blackberry mixture. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.

Pour the mixture through a strainer. Serve chilled with a shot of bourbon floating on top. Garnish with mint if desired.

RASPBERRY LEMONADE TEA

3 tea bags

1/2 can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

3 cups water (plus 2 cans)

1/3 cup raspberry sorbet

raspberries and lemon slices to garnish

Put your raspberries in a bowl and pour the 1/2 cup sugar on top. Mix in 1/2 cup warm water. Mash well with potato masher. Set aside for about 30 minutes.

Heat 2 cups of water in a small saucepan until almost boiling. Remove from heat and steep the teabags in it for about 5 minutes.

In your pitcher, scoop in 1/2 can of the frozen lemonade. (Save other half of lemonade mixture for regular lemonade or another use) Mix 2 lemonade cans of water with your lemonade in pitcher. Add in the 1/3 cup raspberry sorbet. 

Once tea is ready pour into pitcher and discard the tea bags. Strain your sugary raspberry mixture into pitcher. Stir well to mix flavors. Serve with slices of lemon and fresh raspberries on top.




::: Bonus Recipe :::


Cat's Southern Sweet Tea
8 tea bags
1 1/3 cup sugar

 water

Heat some water in a medium saucepan with tea bags in it until almost boiling. When it starts to get frothy on top take it off the heat. Let steep for 20 minutes. Add sugar into pitcher with just enough water to cover it. Pour in tea and mix well to dissolve sugar. Top off pitcher with water. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving for best taste!


**Note: These recipes are for a 2.25 quart pitcher.

For more summer recipes you may like check out:

Snowball Cake

Pineapple Teriyaki Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Summer Pasta Salad
Cheeseburger Cupcakes