Berry Slush
1/3 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
3 cups fresh blackberries and raspberries (1 cup black and 2 cups rasp works well)
1/3 cup sugar
Pour 1/3 cup cream into blender.
With blender running add berries, 1/3 cup at a time until smoothly blended. (You may need to add 2 to 4 TBS more cream if it is too thick.)
Lastly, beat in sugar and serve immediately.

Easy 3 Berry Sauce
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar (or to taste)
Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. After 5 minutes turn off the heat and mash with a fork or potato masher. Boil for another 2 minutes to combine. Remove from heat. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Serve over vanilla ice cream, pancakes, or waffles.

Raspberry Sauce for Meats
1 pkg. (12 oz) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed, divided (or 2 cups fresh berries)
¾ cup sugar
1 TBS cornstarch
¼ tsp each ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup white vinegar
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS butter
Set aside 1/3 cup of berries. Mash remaining berries with the back of a large spoon. (save juices)
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and spices. Stir in vinegar and mashed berries until well-blended. Add remaining 1/3 cup reserved berries.
Bring mixture to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and butter. Serve with beef, pork, or poultry.



Baby Salad Leaves with Berries and Blue Cheese
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups baby salad leaves mix
½ lb blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries
In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper together.
Place the salad mix and blue cheese into a serving bowl and toss to mix. Drizzle with the prepared dressing and toss to coat.
Divide among serving plates, top with berries, and serve.
HINT: To make this a full course meal, add marinated grilled steak cut into 1” by 2” pieces. Serve with grilled marinated red onions found in the allium section under onion recipes.



Chilled Berry Soup
3 cups fresh strawberries, cleaned
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/3 cup ginger ale
¼ cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
Place berries in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. (reserve a few for garnish.)
Add ginger ale, milk, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla; cover and process until blended well.
Pour into a medium sized bowl; whisk in sour cream until smooth.
Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Garnish with a few sliced strawberries or a few raspberries.

Summer Fruit Tart (Microwave)
6 TBS butter
1 ¼ cup vanilla wafer crumbs
2 TBS cornstarch
2 cup half-and-half
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 pint strawberries
3 TBS dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
3 egg yolks
¼ cup crabapple jelly (can substitute with many other jelly varieties)
½ pint raspberries
½ pint blackberries
In a 9” pie plate, microwave butter until melted. Stir in cookie crumbs, press mixture onto bottom and side of pie plate and microwave on high for 1 minute. Cool.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine cornstarch, salt, sugar, and whisk in half-and-half and egg yolks. Cook on low-medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Add vanilla and beat until smooth.
Pour mixture over cookie crumb pie crust and refrigerate until set (about 2 hours).
Remove from fridge and arrange fruits overtop.
Cook jelly and 1 TBS water in microwave until well-mixed (about 1 minute). Brush jelly mixture over fruits in pie and serve.
HINTS: You can use a graham cracker crust and also can substitute blueberries for some of the berries.

Fresh Raspberry Pie (can substitute blackberries)
1 quart fresh raspberries, divided
2 TBS cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS butter
Dash nutmeg
1 pie shell, baked
Whipped cream for topping (or vanilla ice cream if preferred)
Crush 1 cup raspberries, add water to make 1 ¼ cup.
Combine crushed berries with sugar and cornstarch. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add lemon juice, butter and nutmeg; cool.
Put the uncrushed fresh raspberries in pie shell. Pour crushed raspberry mixture over-top and chill. Serve with whipped cream topping or vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
1 graham cracker pie shell
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese
½ cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
½ container (4 oz) Cool Whip
1 tsp vanilla
1 pint strawberries, cleaned
Blend cream cheese with sugar gradually. Add sour cream, then Cool Whip, then vanilla.
Spread into pie shell and chill for at least 4 hours.
Halve strawberries (reserve a few whole strawberries for the center of pie.) Place on top of chilled cream cheese mixture. Serve chilled.

A Second Cream Cheese Pie
1 baked pie shell
1 quart medium strawberries
1 cup whole strawberries of any size
¾ cup water
3 TBS cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese (room temperature)
Simmer 1 cup strawberries and ¾ cup water. Separately combine cornstarch and sugar; add gradually to simmering berries, stirring gently until clear in color.
Spread softened cream cheese on bottom of cooled pie crust. Pour whole strawberries on top of cream cheese. Pour liquid mixture over all. Refrigerate 2 hours. Top with whipped cream.

Chocolate Filled Raspberry Meringues (8 servings)
3 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
3 TBS raspberry gelatin powder
¾ cup sugar
1 pkg. (4 oz) German sweet chocolate
3 TBS water
½ cup cold milk
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 envelope whipped topping mix (such as Dream-Whip 2.3 oz envelope)
¾ cup fresh raspberries
Place egg whites in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temp for 30 minutes; then beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form.
Gradually beat in gelatin on low speed. Add sugar, 1 TBS at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
Drop meringue into 8 mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3 ½ inch cups by pressing into center of meringues with the back of a spoon and bake in a 250 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes. (You will need a deep indentation in cups to hold the chocolate filling.)
Turn oven off and leave meringues in the oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours without moving.

FILLING
In a heavy sauce-pan on low heat, melt chocolate with water; stir until smooth; cool.
In a small mixing bowl beat milk, vanilla, and whipped topping mix until soft peaks form. Fold mixture into melted chocolate.
Spoon chocolate mixture into meringue cups and refrigerate until serving. Garnish with raspberries.

Mixed Berry Cobbler
6 cups berries-mixed blackberries and raspberries
½ cup + 2 TBS sugar
2 TBS flour
1 TBS lemon juice
¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)
COBBLER CRUST
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup chilled butter cut into small pieces
1/3 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat warm the berries, ½ cup sugar, flour, lemon juice, and cinnamon (if desired), until the juices begin to boil. Stir constantly; let cool.
Pour the berry mixture into a buttered 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle cobbler mixture evenly over the top and sprinkle with the 2 TBS sugar. (See cobbler crust directions below.)
Bake about 25 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown. Let cool and serve immediately.
To prepare the cobbler crust: In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Toss to blend. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly. Add milk and stir to a stiff dough. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Refrigerate 1 hour. Flour a work surface and roll or spread out the dough to a round, ½ inch thickness. Cut into 8 equal pieces and place these pieces over the fruit mixture when ready to bake.

Blackberry Trifle
1 ½ cup cold milk
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
½ cup sour cream
1 carton (8oz) whipped topping
1 loaf (13.6oz) pound cake, cubed
4 cups fresh blackberries
In a bowl whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add sour cream and mix well. Fold in whipped topping.
In a deep glass bowl, layer half of the cake cubes, half of the berries, and half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs before serving.

Strawberry Trifle
1 angel food cake, about 20 oz
2 small pkg vanilla pudding
½ tsp vanilla
3 ¾ cup milk, chilled
5 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 TBS strawberry liqueur
½ cup strawberry preserves
2 cups whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 TBS slivered almonds, toasted
Strawberries for garnish
Cut angel food cake into cubes; set aside.
Prepare pudding using the milk and vanilla extract. Set aside
Arrange some strawberries in a ring around bottom side of a large glass bowl. Arrange ½ of cake cubes in bowl.
Sprinkle with 2 TBS liqueur. Top with remaining cake cubes and sprinkle with 1 TBs liqueur.
Spoon remaining strawberries over cake. Combine preserves with 1 TBS liqueur. Spread over strawberries.





RHUBARB RECIPES

Rhubarb Dream Bars (Michelle Plueger)
2 cup flour
Large ½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
2 cup sugar
½ cup flour
1 tsp salt 4 cup chopped rhubarb
1 tsp vanilla
Combine first 3 ingredients and press into a greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Beat eggs, sugar, ½ cup flour, and salt until well blended. Add rhubarb.
Spoon this mixture onto the baked crust and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.