Fruit Cup aka Sploosh

It's fun this time of year to look back and remember holidays past. I think that is part of the excitement of the season, remembering not only the new things planned but also the family and friends you have enjoyed previous holidays with.

In my case one particularly fond memory is of my grandmother. She always welcomed us in to her kitchen. She taught me how to microwave eggs with velveeta in her little pyrex dishes. I now see those same dishes in antique stores and they make me smile.  She also had us kids devein and peel the shrimp for the shrimp cocktail she served on holidays.  A few of the things I remember most though besides the shrimp cocktail were glazed carrots, key lime pie, and fruit cup.

Fruit cup sounds like it should be a simple thing and it some ways it is. And yet it's wonderful alongside all the rich treats we typically indulge in on Christmas. One thing that makes it special is the way it is prepared. The oranges and grapefruit are peels are sliced off around the fruit to separate the segments and then the fruit peeled out from between them.

Using a serrated knife, slice around the peel. Don't make the swatches too large. It's faster but you lose more of the fruit that way.

Slide the knife down the side of the segment all the way to the center trying not to cut through the center.

Once you have the knife in the center use it to pry the fruit out of the segment.

Like most of my recipes, specifics aren't important. Which is good, because I don't have them. The strawberries in this are the frozen kind that come in sugar syrup. You can buy two size, small or large. Whichever one you get depends on if you are making a lot or a little.

5 lb bag of oranges, more or less
1 - 2 grapefruit
1 small tub of frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed

Segment the oranges and grapefruit according to the description above. Add the strawberries. Let sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to meld a little bit and enjoy. Or let sit overnight, because advanced prep is something I love this time of year.

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

5 c. fresh blueberries

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp water

1 1/2 tsp instant clear gel

Place half the blueberries in a large bowl and mash lightly. I started to use a potato mashed but it mushed the blueberries too much, I like them to only be broken up a bit but not a paste. Add the sugar and remaining blueberries and continue mashing until most of the blueberries are at least somewhat squished. Add the water and lemon juice, stir for a minute and let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the clear gel over the top and stir again for another minute. Let stand for ten minutes and serve.

I love the use of the clear gel because it thickens the sauce around the berries without having to cook them at all leaving it so they are still fresh. This can be made with fresh strawberries as well. Slice the strawberries instead of mashing them and skip the water. Let the sliced berries sit with the sugar for about 20 minutes and then add the clear gel until thickened.

This is great over ice cream, in crepes, or just in a bowl with whipped cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

Thank you pinterest and Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It only took me 2 months to find rhubarb, but find it I did and now we have a tasty new recipe. 

1 crust

1 lb rhubarb

3/4 c. sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1/2 pkg. strawberry gelatin powder

2 Tbsp milk

1 - 2 Tbsp pearl sugar

I used a store bought pie crust and just rolled it until it was slightly larger. Any homemade pastry crust will work. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Slice the rhubarb and toss with the sugar, flour and gelatin. 

Place in the center of the pie crust, leaving an inch and a half around the edges. 

Fold the crust up over the fruit and brush the crust with the milk. Sprinkle with the sugar. Cover the crust with tin foil and bake at 375 until the fruit is baked. Remove the foil and and continue baking until browned. I baked mine for 35 minutes, removed the tin foil and baked an additional 7 minutes.

Let cool mostly and serve. 

Lemon Berry Pie

This is a combination of three separate pies all brought together in one pie crust. The base is the lemon sour cream pie from the other day, with key lime added and then topped with a fresh strawberry pie. Feel free to make this with all lemon or with equal parts lemon and lime for a more distinct key lime pie flavor. Blue berries are also good in place of the strawberries for a lemon blueberry pie. Just switch the gelatin to blackberry or lemon flavored. If you go the lime route add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar, I like it on the tart side but the rest of my family agreed they would have appreciated it slightly sweeter.

1 pie crust

Lemon layer:

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. lemon juice (minus 1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp key lime juice (Or orange juice concentrate)

1/4 tsp Penzys lemon peel (or zest from 1/2 lemon)

Strawberry Layer:

1/2 c. sugar 

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c. water

1/2 packet Strawberry gelatin powder

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 lb. fresh strawberries, sliced

Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the lemon layer. Once the crust has baked for 20 minutes pour the lemon and sour cream mixture into the crust and bake an additional 20 minutes until the lemon looks mostly set but not totally solid. 

Chill for 2 hours

In a small saucepan whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water. Cook until thick. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin powder and the lemon juice. Let cool slightly and toss with strawberries. Gently spoon over chilled lemon layer. Chill another hour or until ready to serve.

Strawberry Cream Lemonade

1 c. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
5 limes
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp strawberry Italian soda syrup
1 c. frozen strawberries
1 can lemon lime soda

In a blender add the lemon juice, sugar and water and mix until the sugar is dissolved.

Cut the limes in half and then fourths, leaving the peel on.

Add to the blender and pulse for a few seconds 5 times and then strain.

Add the milk and syrup and mix in then add the strawberries and blend until smooth.

Add the can of soda and mix until blended.

Strawberry Rhubarb Slush

Johns favorite thing in the world is strawberry rhubarb pie.
He thinks its the greatest food ever. Until I met him I had never even tried it.
Now I agree with him.

1 (16 oz) package frozen rhubarb
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 box of strawberry jello powder

Club Soda

Boil the rhubarb, strawberries, water and sugar together until the rhubarb is mush. Stir in the gelatin and stir until dissolved.

Blend until smooth and chill.

When chilled fill a glass with ice, pour equal amounts of rhubarb mix and club soda into a glass and enjoy!!

Fun activity with kids, involves food.

This is really fun to do with kids. I make and fill the tarts and let the kids arrange the fruit on the top. They always have tons of fun "helping" mom.



24 pre-baked mini tart shells
1 recipe White chocolate silk (make the entire batch white chocolate)
Assorted fruit

When the tart shells are cooled, fill with white chocolate silk. You can either just spoon in, or to make them a little fancier, pipe in with a large star tip. Top with fresh cut up fruit and enjoy.

I used sliced strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, and blueberries. Other great fruits to include would be sliced peaches and raspberries.

For added flavor you can toss fruit with a little lemon curd or glaze before topping, just make sure and shake off the excess so it isn't dripping.

This is my tart

Rosie's Tart

Miriams Tart

The girls friend Phil's tart

Lily doesn't get a picture since she decided not to decorate her tart and instead ate it straight away. Then started in on the bowls of fruit.