The World According To Kate

Blueberry Picking At Evergreen Berry Farm!

Blueberry picking season is in full swing and I recently joined my mother for our annual trek up to Evergreen Berry Farm in Watertown, CT.

The berries were plentiful and we were able to do all our picking under the shade of a giant tree. The shade was much appreciated as it was a very hot and humid day. Luckily we went early before the heat got to be too much. As long as we stayed in the shade, we were pretty comfortable. Here’s a picture of my mom with her berry picking bucket heading towards the tree.

We’ve been going to Evergreen Berry Farm for all our blueberry picking needs the last few seasons and have always had a great experience. There’s nothing like picking your own. It’s really neat to know exactly where your food is coming from. Every year we pick a fairly ridiculous amount of berries (last year we actually went twice) and this year was no different. Between the two of us, we had roughly 10 pounds!

Here’s my 5 pounds:

I know it sounds like a lot, and I guess it is, but no worries – they freeze beautifully. The trick is to not wash them before you put them into the freezer (just remember to wash them when you take them out) and then you have blueberries ready and waiting for you throughout the year. I actually still have berries left over from last year in my freezer – and they’re still fine!

So now you can expect a ton of posts (okay, probably more like one or two) from me about my baking adventures trying to use up some of these blueberries! Just this morning I made some really awesome blueberry pancakes (no pictures – they weren’t exactly pretty ) with homemade blueberry syrup. The syrup really made them special. And it was so simple! Who knew?

Do you have any good recipes to share to help me use up some of these berries? I’d love to hear them!

First Tomato of the Season

We picked our first red tomato of the season from our little deck garden last night. It’s small (the deck ones always are), but it’s so beautiful. Very exciting!

It’s sitting on a counter right now while I try to decide what to do with it… I have a feeling we’ll just end up slicing it up and eating it with a little salt and pepper with our dinner tonight. I don’t want to just throw it into anything where I won’t really be able to enjoy the flavors.

It looks like we have a couple of very orange ones out there that should be ready for picking probably in the next day or two. Those just won’t be quite as special and can easily be thrown into a salad or stuffed into a sandwich without feeling like I’m wasting them.

No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars

So it’s that time of year again…

I know what you’re thinking ‘ The time of year that you just totally neglect your blog?’ No. And yes , because it’s that time of year that our weekends fill up with all sorts of parties and picnics where you’ll be expected to bring some form of baked good. Yes, you should bring something. Don’t just show up empty handed – you were raised better than that. OK, maybe you weren’t, but now you know. You’re welcome.

Over the last couple of weekends, I’ve had a couple of parties to go to and I have made this recipe for No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars. It has been a huge hit each time. The best part, I think, about this recipe is how easy it is. And even better, you don’t even have to turn on your oven in this heat!

I did make a couple of small changes to the recipe per suggestions from the reviews, so here it is the way I made it.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Directions:

First, grease a 9×9 inch baking dish. Next melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat and add the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Mix in oats. Let cook for a couple of minutes.

Press 1/2 of the oats mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Set other 1/2 aside.

Next, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the oats in the dish. (I saved a little bit to drizzle over the top)

Crumble the remaining oats over the layer of chocolate and press down gently.

Drizzle extra chocolate peanut butter mixture over top if desired.

Refrigerate for a few hours.

Wait until back at room temp to cut into bars.

Really, everyone should try making these for their next party. They went over really big the two times I’ve made them so far. Also, despite all the butter, I like to think oats = healthy. I would make a double recipe and keep some for yourself for breakfast.

Happy 5th Anniversary To Us!

Today, Kevin and I are celebrating our 5th Anniversary together! To celebrate, tonight we will be heading to Toshi , where we had our second date (and where we now go every anniversary), and if we have room, we may even hit up J Fosters for some ice cream afterwards. I also took a few days off from work so we could spend some time together and do some fun stuff. As always, I’m sure there will be lots of eating and drinking involved (it’s kind of what we do), so I’ll be sure to let you know all about it!

Happy Anniversary, Hon!

Homemade Potato Chips In Your Microwave

The other day, I came across a ridiculously simple recipe to make your own potato chips using your microwave. It’s something that I just would have never thought possible and I, of course, couldn’t wait to try it out! Also, it’s got to be healthier than the greasy fried stuff you get in a bag!

All you need is one or two Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes, olive oil, and the seasoning of your choice.

– First, you just cut your washed potatoes into super thin slices ( a mandolin would probably be great here, but I just used a good sharp knife and did my best).

– Next, toss them in about a tablespoon of olive oil ( I find that throwing them into a plastic bag and giving them a good shake works best for me).

– Arrange slices on a microwave safe plate. Try not to overlap too much or they’ll stick together!

– Season them to your liking (I like to use a little black pepper and garlic salt on mine).

– Heat on high for 5 minutes.

– Take out plate and flip your chips.

– Heat on high for another 3 to 5 minutes.

– Take chips out once they’ve browned up a bit and let cool for a few minutes.

Cooking times will vary a little depending on thickness of your slices and your microwave. You’ll probably have to do them in a couple of batches.

I’ve tried this a few times now and it’s definitely a work in progress. I don’t think I’ve quite perfected it yet, but I’ve definitely had some pretty good results. A little time consuming, but a fun project.

Give it a try and definitely let me know how it works out for you! Maybe, I’ll even try it using sweet potatoes next…

The World According to Kate

Blueberry Picking At Evergreen Berry Farm!

First Tomato of the Season

No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars

Happy 5th Anniversary To Us!

Homemade Potato Chips In Your Microwave