Flag Day Fruit Pizza

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blueberry, cookie, cream cheese frosting, dessert, food, foodie, fruit, fruit pizza, postaday2011, raspberry, recipe, red raspberry, strawberry, sugar cookie, vegetarian

Happy Flag Day Everyone!

Flag Day Fruit Pizza

Get fruit pizza recipe here.

Laurel Festival – Fruit Pizza, Take II

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blackberries, blueberry, cookie dough, cream cheese frosting, dessert, fruit pizza, raspberries, red raspberry, sugar cookies

It’s been a while since my last post. Sometimes life gets very busy and hectic. Hubster and I haven’t been home together in a week, and the week before that were extremely busy. Over the next few days I’ll share what’s been going on the past few weeks.

Last weekend was the Laurel Festival Parade and Hubster’s Aunt always had a cookout, since her house is along the parade route. I brought another fruit pizza, per Pumpkin’s (and my nephews’) request. Topped with blackberries, blueberries and red raspberries (unfortunately store-bought and not handpicked). As always, everyone loves this dessert. I doubled up the crust again. Hubster wants me to make this again for the Fourth of July, although I prefer to make new things and not make the same thing time after time.

Mixed Berry Fruit Pizza

How to Dry Herbs for Teas and Cooking

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dried herbs, facial toner, how to, how to dry herbs, red raspberry, red raspberry tea, tea, tea leaves

Red Raspberry Tea
If you’re thinking iced-tea with raspberry flavoring, stop reading this post now. This is about making your own tea and the method can be used for other herbal teas as well as drying your own herbs for cooking. Some people air dry their herbs, but I know my house is too humid during the summer to successfully dry herbs that way. Besides, I’m busy and need something faster.

It’s been suggested to me several times to drink red raspberry tea… so that’s what is guiding today’s post. Since I have a plethora of red raspberry bushes behind my house, I decided to make my own. I picked only the smallest newest leaves at the top of the new canes. I rinsed them and patted them dry before arranging them on my crisper sheet.

Fresh Picked Red Raspberry Leaves

Baked the leaves at 200°F for 40 minutes, or until they crumbled in my fingers. Crumble the leaves and store in a air-tight container. They will last up to one year.

Fresh Dried Red Raspberry Leaves

To Brew:
Place a Tbsp. of tea leaves into a tea strainer and steep in a pint of hot water for about 10 minutes (herbal teas can steep longer than a regular tea). Add sugar if the taste is too strong.

*Red Raspberry Leaves also make a great natural facial toner. Steep tea (unsweetened of course) and allow to cool before use. Store extra toner in fridge for up to one week.

This method was very easy, I planned to make and store my own red clover blossoms and spearmint for teas. My neighbor mowed over the clover patch the day I was planning on going back into the meadow to pick the blooms. My spearmint is plenty safe in my garden though.

What is your favorite herbal tea?