Iced Blueberry Coffeecake

NOTES

• Wow. This was good. The first time I made it this summer I made it the same morning we wanted to eat it but turns out it was just as good, if not better, the next day. So make the afternoon/night before you want to eat it if you like to plan ahead. The icing is optional but adds some additional yummy!
• Original recipe modified from Betty Crocker.

INGREDIENTS

Topping:

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 c. butter, cold and cut into small pieces

Cake:

• 2 c. flour
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c. shortening
• 3/4 c. milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 c. fresh or frozen (thaw and drain) blueberries

Icing:

• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1-1 1/2 tsp hot water or milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375 (I start baking everything higher because of the high altitude so I baked at 400 for the first half then at 375 for last half. Grease a 9x3-inch spring form pan or a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.

2. Prepare the topping: In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter pieces with a pastry blender or with two forks until crumbly. Set in fridge to cool while you make the batter.

3. In a large bowl, stir together all the wet ingredients for the cake (except blueberries) and in another large bowl, stir all the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until the batter is moistened. Gently fold in the blueberries.

4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with the topping. Bake 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in teh center of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and if using a spring form pan, remove from pan.

5. In a small bowl, mix the icing ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle then drizzle over warm coffee cake.

Fresh Strawberry Milkshakes

NOTES

·         What  delicious treat and a way to use up strawberries if you have too many or if they getting a a little overripe. This shake tastes like something you'd buy at an old fashioned ice cream store.

·         This recipe makes 4 small milkshakes so you may want to double the recipe. :)

·         To hull strawberries, use a sturdy straw (like one from those clear plastic containers with a hard plastic straw) and put the straw up through the bottom of the strawberry through the top, taking with it the core and the stem.

INGREDIENTS

·         1 pint vanilla (or strawberry ice cream), slightly softened

·         1/2 lb fresh strawberries, hulled (see NOTES above) and frozen for at least 30 minutes

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         3/4-1 c. (whole, if you dare) milk

·         1 tbsp milk powder (optional but original recipe said this adds a bit of richness and creaminess). You could also use malted milk powder.

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the frozen strawberries, vanilla and milk into a blender and blend until the strawberries are pulverized (no big chunks left). Add the milk powder, if using.

2. Add the pint of ice cream and stir it into the milk/strawberries by hand then blend on high. If it is too thick, add as much as 1/4 c. more milk to get the consistency you prefer (you're going for a thick, but still thin enough to be sucked up through a straw consistency).

3.Pour into glasses (chill ahead of time if desired) and enjoy!