Showing posts with label raspberries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raspberries. Show all posts

Fresh Berries! Get 'em while they're still cheap!

Homemade Raspberry Vinegar ~ making your own flavored vinegar is so easy & it allows you to really get creative with different fruit/herb flavors.  Check out how easy it is to make raspberry vinegar ~ here.  The post has lots of pictures, recipes for using the raspberry vinegar, as well as gift tags to download.  How cool it that?  :) 


Our local markets have been competing against each other & have been having a lot of good sales in the produce department lately ~ featuring tons of different fruits.  Woo-hoo!

I've been buying many different kinds.  Besides enjoying the fruit simply cut-up or just eating them out of hand, here are some other ways we have been enjoying them...


Strawberry Tofu Mousse ~  It's so cool how tofu can transform into a mousse.  It's an easy non-dairy, lower fat way to enjoy a mousse... & did I already mention it's easy?  :)   Check out this simple recipe.


Easy No-Bake Blueberry Pie ~ I always like the sound of that, especially when the weather is REALLY hot, like it's been here for most of the summer.  Check out the simple recipe ~ here.


Fresh Raspberries ~ We love eating raspberries; plain, with a little sugar or sometimes I just pour a little fat-free half & half or French Vanilla coffee creamer over the berries. Yummy!


Strawberries Marinated in Madeira ~ such an easy & elegant way to serve strawberries for dessert.  Check out the recipe over at Downton Abbey Cooks.  If you're a fan of the TV show, you will LOVE Pamela's site.  It's awesome!


Hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy all of the great end-of-summer prices, too!  Cheers!


Low Fat Tipsy Laird ~ an easy, updated version of the classic Scottish trifle dessert

Low Fat Tipsy Laird ~ An updated, low-fat version of the classic Scottish dessert, spiked with Drambuie & Cream Sherry.  The trifle is full of fresh raspberries & cool custard-like vanilla pudding.

The market had a great sale on fresh raspberries the other day ~ $1 a carton.  At that price I just couldn't pass it up, so I bought A LOT.  I knew I could always figure out what to do with them once I got home.  I searched around the Internet & decided the classic Scottish dessert ~ Tipsy Laird ~ was what I was going to make.  If you haven't yet heard of this treat, it's a famous Scottish trifle, that's a spin on the traditional English trifle.  It's a perfect dessert to showcase all the fresh raspberries I now had sitting in my fridge.  It's also the perfect dessert for summer ~ light & fruity, but with a little kick from the liqueur you drizzle over it.  My kinda dessert!  (for a kid-friendly, non-alcoholic version use fruit juice)

Most of the traditional recipes I found were heavy on the fat & calories, so I lightened my recipe up substantially.  The changes made for a decadent, easy to prepare, low fat dessert treat that didn't come across low fat or low cal ~ at all.  I also made mine as individual dessert trifles ~ that way I was able to make one for J that was a non-alcoholic version.  Happy to say, both ways turned out delicious.

I read that Tipsy Laird is a traditional dessert for celebrating Robert Burns Night, a supper event held every January 25th, in Scotland, to celebrate the birthday of their most famous poet. ((you can see my post on celebrating a Robbie Burns Night Supper with a Vegetarian Haggis here))   Now, I know it's a long way until that party night comes around again, but when the fruit is so fresh & so cheap ~ you just gotta create with what nature (& the markets) are offering you right now, almost free of charge.   Enjoy!





Easy Individual Tipsy Laird ~ a Low Fat & Low Cal  Scottish Trifle
serves 4
** for a non-alcoholic version, substitute orange or pineapple juice for the Drambuie & Cream Sherry

Ingredients
  • one small box French Vanilla Sugar-Free Instant Pudding Mix
  • 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp  Fat Free Milk (plus a little more if needed to thin a bit)
  • 2 Tbsp Drambuie** (double if you want a really tipsy dessert)
  • 2 Tbsp Cream Sherry** (double if you want a really tipsy dessert)
  • 4 sponge cake dessert cups, split in half horizontally (aka ~ strawberry shortcake dessert cups)
  • 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam, or more to taste (substitute with strawberry jam if necessary)
  • 1/4 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt (double if you like a lot of whip cream topping)
  • 1/4 cup Fat Free Cool Whip (double if you like a lot of whip cream topping)
  • 2 packets Equal, or to taste (or your favorite sweetener)
  • 1 pint fresh raspberries, rinsed & ready to go
  • 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
  • fresh raspberries for garnish
  • mint leaves for garnish, optional



Directions

Mix the Drambuie & Cream Sherry together ~ set aside until ready to assemble the dessert.

Prepare pudding ~ mix all the milk with the instant pudding, per the box instructions & set aside until ready to assemble the dessert. (add a little more milk if a bit too thick)

Prepare the Cool Whip mixture ~ mix together the Cool Whip, Greek yogurt & 2 packets Equal until smooth & creamy.  Set aside until ready to assemble the dessert.

Take the split sponge cakes & spread a layer of seedless raspberry jam on the cut sides. (it's fine to use strawberry jam if that's all you have)  Place the bottom half of each jam covered split cake, jam side up, on it's own plate & drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of the Drambuie/Cream Sherry liqueur mixture.

Next place some fresh raspberries on the jam covered cake slice, then spoon some of the thinned pudding over all.

Place the remaining tops of the split sponge cakes, jam side down/indented top up, on the assembled first layer.  Spoon a little of the jam in the indent & then repeat the layering again, starting with the remaining liqueur.

After you spoon the thinned pudding over all, place a dollop of the Cool Whip mixture on the top of each dessert & then garnish with slivered almonds & the additional fresh raspberries and/or fresh mint, if desired.


Easy Colorful Desserts ~ Low-Fat treats, perfect for the 4th of July


Glorious 4th of July Shortcake~ store bought shortcake filled with blue jello, fresh raspberries, fat-free Cool Whip & drizzled with fat-free French vanilla creamer. (& maybe a bit of coconut rum, for the adults :)




The Fourth of July is almost here & man, is it hot!!  I'm not turning on the stove much at all, so making any dessert that requires baking is pretty much out of the question.  Instead, I've been buying ingredients that I can just assemble into quick & easy desserts.  So, here are some desserts that I've been making that would be perfect for celebrating the Fourth of July.  They star the patriotic colors of the day ~ without having to heat up the kitchen.  Here's to eating food using the tried & true colors of ~ red, white & blue ~ and to staying cool while making them!  Enjoy! 

Trio of Desserts ~ (L) Fresh Blueberries, Raspberries & Strawberries ~ spiked with coconut rum & French Vanilla Creamer.     (C) Patriotic Jello Parfait ~ blue jello, raspberries & Cool Whip.     (R) Yogurt & Fresh Fruit Breakfast Parfait ~ honey sweetened Greek yogurt, layered with fruit & granola.
Chocolate Raspberry Tart ~ chocolate tart shell filled with chocolate pudding & topped with Fat-Free Cool Whip & fresh raspberries.












Guiltless Patriotic Fat Free Brownie Supreme with fresh Raspberries & Blueberries ~ A Simple Fourth of July Dessert Idea

Guiltless Patriotic Fat Free Brownie Supreme with fresh Raspberries & Blueberries ~ This is such an indulgent tasting dessert that is actually a snap to make & exceptionally low in fat, make that FAT FREE ~ thanks to Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Fat Free Brownie Mix & Fat Free Cool Whip.

The Fourth of July is just around the corner & I'm playing around with different dessert ideas to celebrate this most patriotic of holidays.  I know Memorial Day is the traditional 'unofficial/official' kick-off for summer, but to me, July 4th is when summer really kicks it into high gear.  The sun is brighter, the days are longer, the nights are hotter & the parties are non-stop,

Here is one of the dessert ideas that I've come up with so far ~ Guiltless Patriotic Fat Free Brownie Supreme with fresh Raspberries & Blueberries.   It's a sinfully good Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Fat Free Chocolate Brownie, hiding beneath a layer of Fat Free Cool Whip & topped with colorful, fresh berries...& did I already mention it's really, really low fat, like FAT FREE?  Almost too good to be true ~ but it is!  I just love it when you can find ingredients that let you create a dessert that's so easy to make, as well as so elegant & festive, too!

Since July 4th falls mid-week this year, our town's grand fireworks display, shot off over the lake, will be held on Sunday, July 1st ~ but everyone will be coming to the lake & hanging around town starting on Friday, June 29th.  That makes for a really long, extended weekend for celebrating the 4th.  I decided I better come up with a few desserts to keep my family & friends happy, that way every day leading up to the Fourth of July will be special, too.   Enjoy!



Guiltless Patriotic Fat Free Brownie Supreme with fresh Raspberries & Blueberries 



  • prepared brownies, either individual microwaved brownies using Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Fat Free Brownie Mix    OR    a full batch of your favorite brownies, store bought or home baked, cut into squares
  • fresh blueberries
  • fresh raspberries
  • tub of Fat Free Cool Whip
Place a brownie ((either still warm or cooled, but we like it best still warm)) in the dessert bowl or pretty glass of your choice.

Layer it with a generous mound of Fat Free Cool Whip, then top it all with fresh blueberries & raspberries.

The dessert can be made ahead of time & kept in the fridge until ready to serve, if you want it chilled ~ OR ~ assemble it at the last minute if space in the fridge is at a premium or you like to eat your brownie warm, like we do.  :)

Let's hear it for the Good Ol' Red, White & Blue!




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