Jenn’s Cook Book

 Normally, I don’t care for canned fruit. To me, most of it just doesn’t taste the way I think fruit is suppose to taste. In this smoothie, however, canned pears work better than fresh pears. Pears are not in season and can take days to ripen, and who wants to wait for a smoothie? Canned pears are softer and gentler on my much abused blender. Also, the syrup helps intensify the pear flavor. If you want to use fresh pears, go for it, but you will want to add pear nectar or apple juice to get your smoothie going.

If you would like to turn this into a breakfast smoothie, substitute yogurt for half of the blueberries (or use blueberry yogurt instead) and add 2 tablespoons of wheat germ. You could also drain the pears and add 1 cup of soy milk.

1 can (15 oz) pear halves or slices in light syrup
1 cup frozen blueberries
2-3 ice cubes
sprig of mint (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender, including pear syrup. Puree until smooth, adjusting ice to achieve desired consistency. Garnish with mint (if desired).

Makes a tasty snack for one or a healthy dessert for two!

From Health magazine, this smoothie combines tropical mango with exotic mango and sweet strawberries. The original recipe calls for crystallized ginger, but I used fresh ginger for an earthier taste. Fresh ginger lends a slight heat and spicy note to the smoothie, very subtle but pairs well with fresh mango. Strawberries, the basic building block of most smoothies, round out the flavor with natural sweetness. If you like your smoothies sweeter, add a bit of honey.

Like most of my smoothies, this is garnished with mint. It isn’t required, but gives color and a touch of sophistication to a simple drink. Also, when you take a sip, you can inhale the mint’s sweet scent and it adds to the overall flavor of the smoothie.

Fresh Mango-Ginger Smoothie
adapted from Health magazine

1 cup fresh mango, peeled
1 cup fresh strawberries, stems removed and quartered
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1-2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
ice cubes

Combine mango, strawberries, water, and yogurt in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add ginger to taste and 2-3 ice cubes. Blend well. Add additional ice cubes to achieve desired consistency. Makes about 3 cups.

Shown below, generously garnished with mint:

Who spiked the strawberries?

I did! I came across a recipe for strawberries “spiked” with balsamic vinegar at Eating Well magazine’s website and it reminded me of a summer salad I used to order at TGI Friday’s. I don’t know if they still serve the salad, but I always loved the balsamic-soaked strawberries, so I altered the recipe slightly to get that same taste. These strawberries can be served alone as dessert or thrown into salads or wraps (try them with spinach!).

Balsamic-Spiked Strawberries
adapted from Eating Well 

1 pint fresh strawberries
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1-2 sprigs fresh mint

Rinse strawberries and cut off the tops, then halve or quarter if large. In a large bowl, toss strawberries with balsamic vinegar and sugar. Let stand for 20 minutes (chill in the refrigerator if desired).

Finely chop or mince fresh mint, reserving a small amount for garnish (optional). Toss chopped mint with strawberries and serve.

The standing time allows strawberries to macerate, or soak up the vinegar and release the natural juice in the berries. The leftover liquid in the bowl makes a tasty salad dressing.

You knew it was coming, admit it. Would I really devote an entire project to smoothies without throwing in a little sangria? Of course not!

Back before smoothies were particularly cool or hip, I would make my own (albeit unsophisticated) by throwing strawberries, ice, and a splash of milk in a blender. Since this was before ice-crushing blades, I destroyed many a good blender that way. I dare you to go out and find a blender now that does not have ice-crushing power and other fancy options that turns smoothies into a hassle-free process.

I decided to resurrect my old smoothie “recipe” and take it up a notch by adding sangria. I used a pre-made variety instead of making my own sangria because homemade sangria is really meant to be consumed immediately and doesn’t do well after the first day. Bottled sangria, when properly stored, can be good for 3 days or so (translation: multiple days of sangria smoothie goodness).

1 pint strawberries, stems removed and halved (quarter if large)
1 cup sangria
1 lemon
1 lime
1 cup ice (6-7 cubes)

Combine chopped strawberries and sangria in a blender. Cut lemon and lime in half. Juice one half of each fruit and save second half for garnish (or another batch of smoothies). Puree until smooth.

Add ice, a couple cubes at a time, until mixture has desired consistency. Pour into two glass and garnish with lemon and lime slices (optional). Serve immediately.

James and I did debate whether this constituted a smoothie or if it was a daiquiri. Apparently, an official daiquiri is a cocktail whose main ingredients are rum and lime juice, so technically this is not a daiquiri. Common usage of the term frozen daiquiri, however, has come to include beverages that are mixture of crushed or blended ice, fruit, and alcohol. So, Jenn’s official ruling is that frozen daiquiris fit under the umbrella of smoothies, therefore this drink can be considered both!

Just made a huge batch of Great Day Granola? Here is the perfect way to enjoy it! This version pairs my Chocolate-Chip Cherry Granola with frozen blueberries and fresh raspberries layered between vanilla yogurt. This parfait puts anything you would pick-up at the drive-thru to shame!

Experiment with different fruits and yogurt flavors until you find the perfect combination. Fresh or frozen fruits work well.

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, unsweetened
1/2 cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 to 1/2 cup Chocolate-Chip Cherry Granola

Pour frozen blueberries into a large glass or travel mug. Cover with 1/2 cup yogurt, then sprinkle raspberries. Cover with the other 1/2 cup yogurt. Top with granola. Eat immediately or take it to-go.

Once the blueberries begin to thaw, the juice will create the perfect infusion with the yogurt. Frozen peaches are also great in this parfait.

I am so not a morning person. Ever. I’m even less of a morning person when I have to get up before the sun does. Now I have a way to catch a little sunshine when it’s still dark outside. This homemade treat is easy, healthy, and tasty. What a great way to start the day, with a little Spring Fever.

If you are unable to find mango sorbet, try another flavor such as raspberry or lemon. You can also swap half of the strawberries with a sliced banana, or try with sliced peaches this summer.

2 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup mango sorbet
5-6 ice cubes, to thicken if desired

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Sip and enjoy. Yum!

Here’s another crisp recipe, this time a combination of the Spring strawberry and late Fall persimmon. Persimmons are just starting to come out of season, so I snagged what might be the last batch. Think of this as a meeting of the season, a way to celebrate moving from cold, dreary weather to the bright, cheerfulness of Spring. This recipe would be great with any berry coming into season, such as blueberries or blackberries. Add in some sliced peaches, fresh or frozen.

Crisps and crumbles are great for fruit that looks past its prime but still taste good. The combinations are endless, today it’s strawberries and persimmons, but tomorrow it could be blackberries and peaches or raspberries and nectarines. Update the recipe based on the fruit that’s in season, creating new combinations over the summer. See Jenn’s General Crisp Recipe for tips and ideas.

2 pints fresh strawberries
3 fresh persimmons
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour

Topping:
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt 

Preheat oven to 350F and coat a 13×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

Rinse strawberries and remove tops. Cut into halves or quarters if large and place in prepared baking dish. Cut persimmons in half and scoop flesh into a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth and add persimmon puree to baking dish. Toss puree and strawberries with sugar and flour. Spread strawberry mixture into an even layer.

In a clean food processing cup, combine flour and butter. Pulse several times until butter is in pea-sized clumps. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until combined. Sprinkle topping mixture over strawberries.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Is it Spring yet? I’ve decided that it is. So, to celebrate the beginning of Spring (albeit a week or so early), I made a yummy, fruity, crispy dessert to enjoy the first tastes of the season. Last week, my local paper ran a great article on Cobblers, Crisps and Crumbles, the easy alternative to pies and tarts. Last summer, I made a Rhubarb Crisp that turned out awesome, so this time I modified a recipe from Simply in Season to make this Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp.

While I used fresh fruit, you could certainly use frozen fruits and berries of nearly any variety. What is great about these desserts is the versatility and ability to swap flavors and spices so readily to make a completely personalized dessert. Rhubarb is just now available, and will be until early to mid-summer, and pairs wonderfully with fresh strawberries. Serve this dessert warm and bubbly with vanilla ice cream.

10 stalks rhubarb, roughly chopped
1 pint strawberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened  
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F and coat a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine chopped rhubarb and strawberries in a large saucepan. Stir in sugar, orange zest and juice, and vanilla extract. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil and stir frequently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, sugar, butter, salt and cinnamon. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until crumbly and moist. Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom pan to create a crust. Pour fruit mixture over crust and spread into an even layer.

Mix walnuts into remaining half of flour mixture. Sprinkle mixture over fruit filling. Bake for 25-35 minutes until topping is golden brown and fruit mixture is bubbly. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes, then serve.

 Want to make a batch of tasty Sangria? Start with a bottle of Wild Bunch California Red Wine and add the following:

3/4 cup simple syrup, or to taste
(see below) 
1 orange, cut into wedges  
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
10 to 15 strawberries, halved or quartered if large

Place fruit in a large pitcher, pour wine and simple syrup over the fruit. Stir well, slightly crushing fruit. Fill glasses with ice. Pour wine over ice and spoon fruit on top.

Simple Syrup:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups water

To make Simple Syrup:
In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring. Boil until sugar dissolves. Let syrup cool and chill, covered. Simple Syrup will keep for 2 weeks. Chill, covered, until ready to use. Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups syrup.

A variation on Fresh Pear Cookies, these tasty treats come from Cake Mix Cookies and combine fresh cranberries and ginger with vanilla cake mix. For an added sweetness, drizzle cookies with melted white chocolate. The combination of cranberry and white chocolate is festive and sure to put you in the holiday spirit, try serving these cookies with hot cocoa and peppermint sticks. These cookies would also be great for brunch.

Fresh cranberries are too tart to eat on their own, but with this recipe they become soft and sweetened with brown sugar and a punch of spice from the ground ginger. The original recipe calls for 1 cup finely chopped pecans, but here they are omitted. If desired, sprinkle chopped nuts over white chocolate drizzle while still warm for a crunchy twist.

Fresh Cranberry Cookies

1 box (18.25 oz) vanilla cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
White Chocolate Drizzle (see below)

Preheat oven to 350F and coat baking sheets with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, place half the cake mix, butter, light brown sugar, eggs, and ginger. Blend with an electric mixture for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in remaining cake mix and cranberries until all dry ingredients are moist and pears are well incorporated.

Drop by rounded teaspoons on to baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake 10-13 minutes on until cracked in appearance and just barely set in the center. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. Prepare White Chocolate Drizzle and top cookies.

White Chocolate Drizzle

1 cup white chocolate chips
1 tbsp vegetable shortening

Melt chips and shortening oven low heat in a small saucepan until smooth. Transfer to a small plastic baggie and gather at the top, using a corner as a tip. Snip the corner of the baggie and drizzle white chocolate over cookies. Let sit until chocolate cools and hardens.