Basil & Blueberries

This past weekend we drove out to our favorite blueberry farm, Wintergreen Tree Farm,  and three generations of our family picked somewhere close to 12 pounds of blueberries in about an hour and half. That's how long it took for the sun to melt our little ones into whiny exhausted tyrants.  It was worth it. We brought 7.5 pounds of freshly picked blueberries into our kitchen and began rinsing, de-stemming and drying. Now we have two huge bags of blueberries lined up in the freezer that will make January not seem so dull. One bag we'll use for canning blueberry syrup and preserves the other will be nibbled on with oatmeal, cereal, and pancakes throughout the winter.

Basil is in and it is in abundance! While our little herb garden supplies us with enough to pick leaves here and there for meals, it certainly didn't provide enough to make anything wonderful like, pesto. However, my mother-in-law's herb garden is overflowing with giant basil... and she is a good sharer.

Here is my recipe for pesto:

• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 5 to 6 cloves of garlic
• 3 to 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• about 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup fresh chives

Blueberry Almond Struesel

There is an evil temptress in the grocery store... well there are many, actually. But lately, it has been anything made by Entemanns. Every time I walk by one of those blue and white boxes my mouth waters and I stare into the plastic window and pine after the fat sweetness that sleeps inside. Here is my own version of something sweet and beautiful.

 

I started with a simple Muffin Recipe.   Added 1 1/2 Cups frozen blueberries, thawed and 1 Cup of crushed almonds. I used almond milk in place of milk.   Then, I poured the (thick) batter in a greased 9" cake pan and topped with a small version of an adapted fruit crisp recipe:

1/2 Cup Oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Check insides with toothpick to make sure it's fully cooked all the way through.  After the giant muffin was cooled I topped with yummy icing.

1 Cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
2 - 3 Tablespoons vanilla almond milk

Mix together. Adding more milk to make thinner. Drizzle.  Enjoy!