Cooking with Blue Diamond: Blueberry and Salted Caramel Almonds (sponsored)

 

Earlier this month I got the opportunity to participate in another project with Blue Diamonds Tastemakers. I was sent two kinds of almonds for testing and review purposes-Blueberry and Salted Caramel. We decided to use them in our favorite granola recipe. They worked well in the granola and add a nice flavor and crunch to it. Here's the original recipe from Alton Brown with the changes we made on this batch noted.

Granola
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almond (we used 1 cup of chopped blueberry almonds)
1 cup cashews (we used 1 cup of chopped salted caramel almonds)
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (we didn't use any)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color. Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

We made parfaits with the granola, blueberries, nectarines, and vanilla yogurt. They were pretty tasty.

Summer Fun with Blue Diamond

Recently I had the opportunity to join the Blue Diamond Taste Makers. While I received a can of almonds and a bag of almonds for free for testing and review purposes the following opinions are my own honest ones. Almonds are a great on the go snack and Blue Diamond offers a wide variety of flavor options.

I had a chance to try the toasted coconut almonds and the blueberry ones. We decided to try the toasted coconut almonds in an ambrosia salad. We have made ambrosia many times but never with an nuts in it. And I decided to add the blueberry almonds to some homemade granola and ate it on top of some strawberry yogurt. I really like the crunchy texture that the coconut almonds added to the ambrosia. I liked the coconut almonds more than the blueberry ones. The blueberry almonds did taste nice in my yogurt. I would definitely purchase the toasted coconut almonds but probably not the blueberry ones. Here our version of ambrosia salad with blue diamond toasted coconut almonds-You should definitely give it a try.

Ambrosia Fruit Salad with Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
2 T sugar
1 C sour cream
1 20oz can of pineapple tidbits - drained
1 10oz can of mandarin oranges - drained
1 10oz jar of maraschino cherries - drained and chopped
3/4 C shredded coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 C chopped Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

Whip the heavy cream and sugar until it forms stiff peaks - whisk in the sour cream.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together.  Put in the refrigerator and chill for a couple hours before serving.

Ambrosia with Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

Strawberry Yogurt with Granola and Blue Diamond Blueberry Almonds

Etsy Pear Finds

Hello Readers! I felt it was time for another blog post. I decided that an Etsy post was well over due. Check out these great juicy pear themed items I found. :)




Pear Trio - Recycled Metal Wall Sculpture - Signed Original by frivoloustendencies



Sandwich Buddy- Yellow Pear on Gray by CircusPeanuts



Pears . Fine Art Photograph 8x8 by prettypetalstudio



Retro Apple and Pear List Taker by offthehookbybrooke



Crochet Coasters - Yellow Pear set of 4 by MonikaDesign



XL Pink Country Fair Plush Pear by retromama



Pear Earrings with Free Shipping by decoratethediva

CSA time!

Yesterday we picked up our first assortment of fresh organic fruits and veggies from Prescotts Patch. We switched from Spiral Path to Prescotts Patch since it is closer. I love trying new veggies straight from the farm. :) This weeks items were as follows: a box of strawberries, chinese cabbage, bokchoy, green onions, kale, spinach, and mesclun greens mix.

So for yesterday's dinner mom made a stir fry with 2 types of chinese cabbage, white button mushrooms, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, and chicken with a little assistance from me. Ok well I just stirred it as she added stuff. lol. It was very tasty.

Here's a picture of the stir fry. I can't wait to eat more fresh organic fruit and veggies. Oh and we picked up some free range organic eggs that the farm was selling that they got from another local farm.

Card Making!

I decided to make some cards yesterday since I haven't made any in a while. I enjoy making them and using them. :) I made some birthday cards and thank you cards. I am not sure that I like how the thank you ones came out. It is the thought that counts though right?

On another note my birthday is tomorrow so I will probably be blogging about it soon. We are going to a tea place so I will probably write about that, etc.

~Chelsea

Here's some pictures of my amateur card making..