Virginia Bloggers

Tag: CookingShorts

  • Guest Post: My Favorite Summer Pie

    Guest Post: My Favorite Summer Pie

    Today’s guest post comes from Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert. Her blog is about saving room for the best parts of life.

    Hi! My name is Tricia and I’m a Fredericksburg Virginia blogger. That almost sounds like an introduction made at an AA meeting or something but if you want to get right down to it, blogging is a type-of addiction, or at the very least, addictive. We all blog for some reason but I can’t tell you in JUST a few words why I love it so much. Maybe we thrive on collecting virtual friends from all over the world, maybe we need a creative outlet and a way to express ourselves, and maybe some of us are compulsive bakers. I probably fall somewhere in all of the above categories and so many more.

    I was contacted by the lovely and talented Tinsley, foodie contributor of Virginia Bloggers and half of the husband wife blogging team behind CookingShorts. Tinsley wanted to know if I would do a guest post on my favorite summer pie. In 2011 I posted a pie a week for the entire year and ended up with 52 different, wonderfully delicious desserts, and a lot of new friends. Each Sunday my grown children and their friends would stop by to see what I had made, and what they could take home. To each of them I am grateful because instead of 10 extra pounds it would have been 30 or 40 if we had not shared. Please stop by and check out the list of all 52 pies!

    So … I’ve thought a lot about summer pies and spent a lot of time trying to pick just one favorite. But in the end I went with Key Lime Pie. Key Lime Pie reminds me of vacations at the beach and icy cold Margaritas. This pie is incredibly simple to make with a bold flavor that is tangy and tart, sweet and fresh. The filling is so smooth you’ll want to savor each and every bite. This pie tastes like summer!

    KLP

    Key Lime Pie

    Graham Cracker Pie Crust:

    • 1 1/4 cups crushed graham crackers (one whole wax paper package – not a whole box)
    • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
    • 1/4 cup sugar

    Filling:

    • 1 can (14 ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
    • 4 egg yolks, room temperature
    • 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice
    • Zest of one key lime

    Sweetened Whipped Cream Topping:

    • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 3 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

     Click here for step-by-step instructions.

    I hope you get a chance to make this pie and hope you enjoy as much as we do.

    Here are a few of our other summer favorites:

    Blueberry Pie

    Lemon Ice Box Pie

    Summer Berry Pie

    Blackberry Pie –

    Margarita Pie w/ pretzel crust

    Fresh Peach Pie

    Thanks so much for allowing me this opportunity to visit with you! Come see us!

    Tricia

  • Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites

    Today’s post is from the bloggers over at CookingShorts, as husband and wife team “designed to bring short recipes and good food to your table.” We love that mission!

    Every woman (and man) loves a good cheesecake. However, many of us steer clear of cheesecake with worries of the calorie count behind a huge slice. My solution is portion control … turn the big slice of cake into small bites. This allows you to enjoy the creamy, sweet deliciousness of cheesecake, but without the guilt of eating a full slice. Tinsley made these cuties for a recent girls’ night out and they were a hit. Our waiter even begged us for one.

    Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites
    Ingredients:Red Velvet Cheesecake
    1 box red velvet cake mix
    1 stick butter, softened
    3 eggs
    16 oz. cream cheese, softened
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 tsp. vanilla extract
    whipped cream

    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking spray. In a large prep bowl add cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Beat with an electric mixer on low until combined. Please note, this batter will be very dense. Scoop the cake mixture into prepared pan and spread it your fingers; set aside.

    In a medium prep bowl add cream cheese and sugar. Beat until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat to combine. Spread cream cheese mixture over the red velvet bar.

    Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until bars barely start to pull away from sides. Cool completely before cutting. Use a small biscuit cutter to cut out bites. Garnish each bite with a dollop of whipped cream.

  • DIY Olive Oil Vases

    Today’s post is from the bloggers over at CookingShorts, as husband and wife team “designed to bring short recipes and good food to your table.” We love that mission!

    DIY Olive Oil Vases

    Have you ever noticed how manufactures are making bottles of olive oil super sleek and eye popping? They’re really coming up with cleaver ways of making their product stand out besides the actual label. Looking at these bottles and then looking at the price that I pay for quality olive oil got me thinking – these bottles (labels removed) would make really simple but neat vases. After I finished my last bottle of olive oil, I saved it and made cute vase out of it. It was super easy to get more bang out of my buck and get a second use out of the bottle. Here’s how you can make a really pretty vase to add a pop of something different to your kitchen.Olive Oil Vase

    Materials:

    • 1 olive oil bottle
    • 1/2 cup glass beads (vase filler)
    • food coloring
    • long steamed flowers

    Directions:

    Soak olive oil bottle for a couple of hours in soapy water to remove label. Use a wire cutter to remove metal ring around the mouth of the bottle. Add glass beads and fill with water. Choose whatever color that goes well with your kitchen and add in a drop or two of food coloring. Stir with a straw to incorporate the coloring in with the water. Finish by adding your flowers and viola! You’ll have a gorgeous vase that will stand out and make you feel proud to display.

    I made my vase seasonal by snipping some long steams of my forsythia at the beginning of spring. I changed it up about a month later and replaced the steams with slightly bloomed red buds. There are a million and one uses for this simply project. Hosting a bridal shower? Use flowers that match the brides color theme to make a centerpiece that will really pop. Add drama to your Christmas buffet with holly or pine. These vases would also stand out as centerpieces for a wedding.

  • From CookingShorts: No-Bake Cookie Dough Truffles

    Today’s guest post is from the bloggers over at CookingShorts, as husband and wife team “designed to bring short recipes and good food to your table.” We love that mission! Here’s a delicious recipe they wanted to share with you all. Enjoy! 

    Chocolate chip cookie dough. Is there anything better? How many times have you eaten raw cookie dough before placing them in the oven to bake? My husband seems to think I only make chocolate chip cookies so that I can eat half the batch raw. And each time I do so, he restates the risks of eating those raw eggs in every delicious bite.
    Now my husband no longer needs to worry. I’ve come up with an egg-less and non-bake Cookie Dough Truffle recipe that curbs my craving for that raw dough. If you’re a fan like me, try this simple recipe. It literally takes 5 minutes to make and you can keep them in your freezer for easy access whenever you need to beat that craving.

    Cookie Dough Truffles

    • 2/3 cup raw almonds
    • 2/3 cup raw walnuts
    • 2/3 cup plain instant oatmeal
    • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/8 tsp kosher salt
    • 1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

    Directions:
    In a food processor, blend the almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to the consistency of dry sand.

    Add the agave nectar and vanilla and pulse to combine until a dough forms. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Scoop sections of the dough with a small cookie scoop or melon baller. Place the cookie dough into the center of your palms, rolling them into the shape of a ball. You might want to wet your hands and the scooper because the dough will be very sticky. Place them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour to firm up. Store balls in a tightly covered container in the freezer.

    Looking for more no bake ideas? Try this No Bake Pumpkin Pie from Only 5 Ingredients!