raspberries

Fresh Red Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Bread

/ Jodi / 65 Comments

Fresh Red Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Bread

I obviously cannot get enough of the red raspberry and semi-sweet chocolate combination as evidenced by today’s AMAZING recipe – Fresh Red Raspberry & Chocolate Chunk Bread.

You may recall my “almost-famous” Fresh Red Raspberry and Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  If you haven’t tried these – you seriously do not know what you are missing.

I’ve also shared my recipe for Chocolate Chunk and Fresh Red Raspberry Muffins – TO DIE FOR!  And the outrageously extraordinary Chocolate and Raspberry Custard in a Jar that I copy-catted from Firebird’s Wood Fired Grill Restaurant for my son, Nick’s birthday recently.

But I must say – this bread is rocking my world right now.  I could not believe how awesome it turned out.  It is pretty much just like the cookies, but in the form of bread (which means you can more easily justify eating it for breakfast – if not any other time of the day!)

Fresh Red Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Bread 2

I sliced the end off for the photo thinking I would take a little taste to make sure it is edible and then just toss that tough old crusty end to avoid the calories – but…  I just couldn’t do it.  Even the crusty end was delicious beyond words!

Fresh Red Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Bread 3

I’m telling you friends – you really want to try this one!

For yourself – for the people you love – and for those that you want to love you!

I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Get baking!

Fresh Red Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Bread

Ingredients:Fresh Red Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Bread

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt (6 shakes!)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk (to make easy buttermilk – mix 1 Tbsp vinegar with 1 cup milk and let set 5 min)
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh red raspberries
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips (I used Nestle Chunks)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, add flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt butter about 45 seconds on high power. To the butter, add the egg, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and whisk to combine.

Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined.  Do not over mix or dough will be “tough.” It is ok if batter is lumpy.

In a medium bowl, add the raspberries and 2 tablespoons flour.  Toss lightly to combine Coating the berries in flour helps to reduce their sinking while baking.

Add the raspberries to the batter and fold very lightly to combine.  Gently fold in chocolate chunks.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 1 hour.  You may want to cover halfway through with tented foil to prevent top from becoming too brown.  I did.

Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

*Original Recipe Found and Slightly Adapted from Averie Cooks

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Berry Love

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

berry mint heart

I love berries!  Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries.  They are one of those foods that taste best to me in their purest form.    Sure – it’s hard to pass up a Blackberry or Red Raspberry Pie…  Homemade Strawberry Jam on fresh baked buttered bread……. Blueberries are devine on my breakfast cereal too…. But just popping berries in my mouth pretty much rocks my world.

If I want to make a nice fruit salad, I love berries the best.  Mix them together, then make a simple “dressing” from just a smidge of brown sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar.  I know it sounds strange, but it really makes the flavors burst!  Then top that with some fresh mint leaves and a sprinkling of lime zest – and ooooo laaa laaa!

berry salad

Sometimes adding a simple, beautiful homemade shortcake biscuit and some whipped cream make berries even that much more special!

Four Berry Cobbler

To make 8 shortcakes, I simply mix 2 cups flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 stick (8 Tbsp cold butter, cubed) with a pastry blender until crumbly.  I then add 2/3 cup half and half and form the dough (being careful not to overmix and make it tough).  I then cut the dough into 8 biscuits, brush with a little more half and half on top and sprinkle with some raw sugar before baking at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes.

So that’s what hubby got for dessert last night.

Which is your favorite berry?  What is your favorite way to eat them?

berries in bowl

And I thought you might get a kick out of seeing a “behind the scenes” shot of my berry professional photo shoot set up early morning on the side porch.

berry heart photo shoot

Yep – that’s how I roll…

at life in between.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ Jodi / 36 Comments

Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

O – M – G !  Fresh raspberries meet freshly baked homemade chocolate chip cookies – Can you even imagine the yumminess?!?!

Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookie

I was a little skeptical about trying this, but I wanted to do something a little different…

something a little extra special…

You see I have a very special house guest arriving tonight.  My sweet McSister, Kelly.

And what kind of hostess would I be if I had no fresh cookies on hand??!!  (And besides – last week’s batch of chewy oatmeal raisin cookies has vanished, so we needed a fresh stash for my hungry guys.)  🙂

Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookie 2

All I did was take my standard chocolate chip cookies recipe and fold in some fresh raspberries.

In order to avoid making a big pink, smooshy mess of the dough, I simply added a fresh raspberry to each ball of cookie dough as I formed it assuring that some of the berry remained in tact and the rest spread around to flavor more of the cookie.

If you love red raspberries, you are going to go crazy for these!

I hope my McSis likes them.

In case you are wondering why Kelly is so special…

Well – besides being an incredibly amazing woman, hospice advocate, and the best dirty martini maker east of the Mississippi, Kelly saved my life…

At least that’s the way I see it.

Several years ago, I was on a business trip to our Northeast PA office in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  It was a newly acquired entity to our business, and I didn’t know many of our new employees.  I don’t remember a lot of the details of the trip, with the exception of one biggie – the town decided to flood during my trip.

It was scary!  People were being evacuated, businesses were closed, and I was very anxious to get home.

Problem was – every road that led back home was flooded – even the major interstate.  Try as I might to drive home, I kept getting turned around and blocked by rushing water.

Giving up, I found the first hotel in the town I was in when I got stuck, but alas no room at the inn…  At every place I tried….

Kelly was one person in this area that I had talked to at least a couple of times.  I had her number in my cell phone, and I called her, practically in tears, seeking direction.

Kelly calmly informed me that she lived on “high ground” near the Pocono Mountains, and didn’t even hesitate to guide me, road by road, turn by turn, to her home, welcome me in with a hug as if we’d been friends for life, provide me with a soft, warm bed, some simple delicious food, and the best dang dirty martinis I have ever ever ever had (and I’ve had my share!)

Another co-worker had been evacuated from her home, so Kelly invited her to join our “party.”

That night, three ladies – all with last names that start with Mc – became “sisters.”

We laughed, we cried, we drank, we ate, we hugged, and we formed a bond that I will never ever ever forget.

My sweet Kelly has moved away from that area to a warm southern climate where her hubby got a new job, but she is still a valuable member of our company’s hospice team and a lifelong friend.  So when she informed me she was heading to Mars to visit our HQ office, there was no questions where she would be staying.  Her room is waiting.  Cookies are baked.  Olives are ready to be stuffed with blue cheese to float in martinis.

And my hubby will finally get to meet my McSister, Kelly.

Love you buddy!

Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookie 2

4 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
5 cups all purpose flour
3 cups Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks (1 1/2 bags)
2 cups fresh red raspberries

Directions:

With electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until completely incorporated. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat until light and fluffy. Add baking soda and salt, and mix another minute. Gradually add flour and beat until well incorporated, but do not overbeat.

Fold in chocolate chunks. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. With your hands, form a cookie dough ball about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Make an indentation with your thumb and place a fresh raspberry in the indentation. Squeeze together, shape and flatten slightly. Place on baking stone. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. Allow to cool on baking stone for 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

To make eating these even more special, enjoy with a nice glass of Port wine. Oooooo Laaaa Laaa!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Drink More Water

/ Jodi / 5 Comments

water

We hear it everywhere – right? We know it is good for us – right? But do you drink enough water?
I know I don’t myself.
Coffee all morning – many cups… Wine in the evening – (ahem) no comment…

All dehydrating.
So I TRY to drink a couple of glasses of water in between.
I was watching a show on Food Network recently that took muddled honeydew and coconut water and lime juice that they made look like a cocktail!
Fruit Infused Water seems to be all the rage.
So I thought I’d try my own version.
I must say – DELISH!
water 2
For my water “cocktail,” I simply mixed some muddled fresh red raspberries and lime juice to some sparkling water over a tall glass of ice.
water 3


Another really refreshing way to drink water that seems all the rage is with freshly sliced cucumbers; and with all the cucumbers I’m harvesting (YAY!), I tried this too – with simple tap water.  Nice when you don’t want something “sweet.”  And it is amazing how quickly it infuses.

cuke water

It’s not quite cucumber vodka (which – – have you tried yet?  with tonic – YUM!) …… but – I so easily digress – we’re hydrating now – remember?!

And it always tastes better with a cute straw – right?

Drinking Water…
At Life in Between.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi