You-Pick Farms and Me- A Love Story With a Bonus- Chocolate Raspberry Sauce (Canning Cookbook)

My favorite pick-your-own farm opens this coming Friday! I'm so excited! It's still too early for the tomatoes we always pick there but it's time for all kinds of other vegetables- cucumbers, peppers, and early sweet corn, plus a few surprises when you get there. 

Even though it's too early for tomatoes, I still had that burning desire to get in the kitchen and can something so off I went in search of a different pick-your-own farm, one that offers fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and cherries. It was a bit of a drive from the lake but that's exactly what I found just outside of Altoona, Iowa, at Upstream Gardens and Orchard. 

Upstream is a very new pick-your-own farm that is expanding like crazy, and even though this is just their second year offering to the public they have quite a nice variety of items available. Of course, it varies by the season but they have just about every kind of berry that grows in Iowa, an awesome selection of vegetables and a growing orchard with apples, peaches, pears and plums. I visited today and got golden raspberries and mulberries, got to meet Chris, the owner, and play with the farm kitties- momma and babies. I paid a little extra for pre-picked so I wouldn't have to worry about being too short to reach the tree branches when picking mulberries.

So I now have this wonderful fruit, and my next dilemma is what in the heck to make with it. Jam as single fruits or make a combo? Use the raspberries for the chocolate raspberry sauce all my canning friends have been making and raving about? Cobbler? Pie? Ugh, too many decisions sometimes. After much agonizing and debating inside my head I finally settled on making the chocolate raspberry sauce. I have plenty of jam already and more raspberries will be coming in the fall. This recipe is originally from the Ball canning book. The mulberries got stashed away in the freezer for now. I'll make something delicious with them later.

Chocolate Raspberry Sauce

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 package regular powdered pectin
4 1/2 cups crushed raspberries
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 3/4 cups sugar

Combine the pectin and cocoa in a small bowl, using a whisk to ensure it's evenly mixed. Set aside.

In a large stockpot combine the raspberries and lemon juice. Gradually mix in the cocoa mixture until completely combined. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently.

Add the sugar all at once and mix in. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, then remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Ladle the hot mixture into prepared 8 ounce or 4 ounce jars. I like the 4 ounce jars since we are a family of two. 

Fix lids and rings and place in boiling water bath canner, Process for 20 minutes. Remove jars to a towel on the counter and allow to cool overnight before checking seals and removing rings.

This sauce is awesome warmed up and poured over ice cream, and makes a great sauce for unfrosted cake. It's so decadent and delicious you'll be glad you tried it. Also- if you like to make homemade gifts for holiday gifts, this is a great one- if raspberries are not in season and you don't have any tucked away in the freezer, frozen purchased raspberries work just as well. Just pour the frozen berries into a  bowl and crush them while still partially frozen, measure, and carry on!

NOTE: This recipe is tested and approved by Ball.

The Naughtiest French Toast in the World

I missed out on the Nutella craze. Completely. And on purpose. I thought it sounded disgusting and rich and too sweet and just could not imagine putting it into everyday food, let alone spreading it on my toast for breakfast. Then this happened-

I just had to go in IKEA. Well....like a trip to Minneapolis would EVER happen without a stop at IKEA. I love looking at the cool Euro-modern furniture and all the awesome kitchen and cooking stuff, but I REALLY love the grocery section. I'm a sucker foreign foods and Scandinavian especially. For one thing, I always grab my dad a few cans of "fiskerballer"- or fish balls, and no, not THOSE balls, but fish meatballs, which sound utterly repulsive to me, but he loves them. And for myself I like just browsing everything, stocking up on the old standards like lingonberries and European chocolates (Hershey's chocolate flavored crayon bars never pass my lips- I am spoiled by my European upbringing) and unique sauces and spice mixtures.

So anyway, I found no fish balls but my eyes did land on a display of this chocolatey naughtiness. I don't know WHY I had to have it, but I just DID, and so into my shopping basket it went, and ended up in my rural Iowa kitchen just daring me to make something outrageous. Since I haven't tasted Nutella, I can't really compare this, but I can best describe it as an indulgent mix of creamy and crunchy- the smooth chocolate reminds me of ganache, and the crunchy butterscotch pieces taste like crushed English toffee. Utterly delicious! I could have gone with the usual ideas- a cake filling, crepes, anything Nutella-filled, but the first time I tried it was on a piece of toast and I couldn't help but think this would make KILLER stuffed French toast. So that is just what I did!

You can SEE the crunchy toffee bits. It's sooo delicious- and NAUGHTY!

Here is what you need to make this indulgent treat:

• sliced bread 
• Chokladkrokant Bredbar (or Nutella, etc- see below)
• 2-3 eggs
• splash of milk or half and half
• butter
• whipped cream and maraschino cherries

Slice bread as thin as normal sandwich bread, if not already sliced. Make sandwiches with the bread and chocolate spread. In a shallow bowl or pie pan, beat the eggs with a splash of half and half. 

Heat a tablespoon or so of butter in skillet. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture, allowing excess to drain back into bowl. Fry in the melted butter until golden brown on both sides. Place on serving plates garnished with whipped cream and cherries. I didn't have any cherries, so a strawberry took it's place. I also gave just a little drizzle of caramel to dress it up a little- go easy though! This is rich!

Is it breakfast? Dessert? Snack? That's up to you, but one thing is for sure- it's delicious!

Now, if you can't find this IKEA product you can substitute Nutella or another brand of chocolate spread. And I wouldn't bother with any maple syrup- just a nice plop of whipped cream and maybe a cherry or four. Is it a healthy option? Probably not, but for a once-in-a-while treat it's not going to ruin your diet or send you to an early grave. Enjoy the naughty foods in moderation and you will be just fine.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."