Cherry Berry Bars

If you ever find yourself with a mess of berries and cherries that need be consumed quickly, this recipe is your new best friend.

After buying more berries than my family could eat, I decided to cook them in a saucepan to make a compote to serve with yogurt or ice cream. When my oldest son started asking for a cherry pie, I improvised.

These dessert bars were delicious, with a dough that reminds me of shortbread. My kids put them in their school lunches and ate them for after school snacks. They disappeared from my kitchen in just a few days.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cherry Berry Bars
Inspired by this recipe from the Kitchn

7 to 8 cups of berries (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries) and cherries, hulled or pitted, and halved
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon water
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon course sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place berries, cherries and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until berries break down and release their juices, stirring frequently to avoid burning and lowering the flame if needed.

In a small bowl, mix corn starch with water until dissolved. Stir into berries. Continue to cook until berries thicken. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Set aside to cool.

Insert the blade attachment on your food processor. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine. Add egg yolks, almond extract and butter. Pulse in short intervals until dough comes together (about 1 minute). The dough will be crumbly and soft.

Transfer about 2/3 of the dough to the baking pan. Use your fingers to press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Spread the cherry mixture evenly over the dough.

Scoop tablespoons of the remaining dough into your hand and flatten them into an oval shape, then place on top of berry mixture. Repeat until you use all of the dough, evenly spacing the dough ovals on top of the fruit. The berries will not be completely covered.

Brush the dough pieces with the melted butter, then sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

Bake until the dough is light brown and the fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.

Amy's Pimento Cheese

I have loved and craved pimento cheese, a Southern staple, since I was pregnant with Lucy, who is 9 1/2. Fortunately, in Charlotte it's not hard to find good pimento cheese in restaurants and grocery stores, not to mention at get-togethers with friends. I just can't believe it took me this long to make my own.

On crackers or pita chips, plain or in a sandwich, I really love pimento cheese. My girls like to take pimento cheese in their school lunches. Bless their little Southern hearts. If you have never had a grilled pimento cheese sandwich ... well, get on that.

You might also consider making pimento cheese a day or two ahead of when you want to serve it. I noticed mine tasted better after it sat for a few days in the fridge; it was less mayonnaise-y than the very first day. My N.C.-born and bred friend Ashley came over several days after I made my pimento and declared, "This is very good."

XOXO,
Amy

PS: Pimento cheese joins my other Southern dishes — collards, cornbread, deviled eggs and low country boil.

Amy's Pimento Cheese

16-ounce block of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces cream cheese softened
Scant 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder — or extremely finely grated onion
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
4-ounce jar of diced pimento, drained
Salt and pepper to taste

First, make sure to buy a block of extra-sharp cheddar cheese and shred it yourself, using the side of the grater that make larger shreds. Pre-shredded cheese that you buy at the store has been dusted with cellulose to keep the shreds from sticking together, which doesn't make for good pimento. And now that I know this I may never buy pre-shredded cheese again.

Place cream cheese in large bowl of electric mixer and mix at medium speed until lighter and no big chunks remain. Add in remaining ingredients and mix on medium, occasionally stopping to use a spatula to turn the mixture by hand so that all is blended together.

Refrigerate in an air-tight container a couple hours before eating. Can last a week or more in the fridge.

Don't forget to make some grilled pimento cheese sandwiches!

How to Pack a Week's Worth of School Lunches...In One Day

My kids take packed lunches from home to school nearly every day. I could count on one hand the times they bought lunch at school last year. Lucy and Penny would love to buy lunch at school more, but Mom and Dad want them to eat healthier food than what is offered in the cafeteria.

While my daughters take their lunches daily, I pack lunches weekly. In other words, every Sunday I make 10 lunches and stack them in the fridge (Monday and Tuesday in the upstairs main fridge; Wednesday-Friday in the downstairs bonus fridge). It is always such an accomplishment to see a week's worth of lunches labeled with name and day of the week (Lucy George, M; Lucy George, T, Lucy George, W...) and ready to go. 

People ask how I do it.

It's so easy.

You will see.

One question I get a lot: Don't the sandwiches get soggy or dry?

Nope. My kids don't require condiments. And one trick I found is to layer the cheese on both sides of the bread and place the "wetter" deli meat in between the cheese. I asked my kids if their sandwiches are ever dry and they said "no." I credit this to the containers I use. (Go to Amazon and type in EasyLunchBoxes.com.)

I am also strategic about when my kids get sandwiches -- typically just on Monday and Tuesday, so the sandwiches are relatively "fresh." The girls would get bored with a sandwich every day, anyway. Later in the week, my kids will get items that hold up better for longer in the fridge. Examples: chickpea salad, tomato-quinoa salad, and meat and cheese and crackers.

How do you store 10 lunches?

Again, it's all about the containers I use. My EasyLunchBoxes stack neatly on top of each other in the fridge. It also helps that we have an overflow fridge.

Some might wonder if my kids are getting a bunch of packaged junk.

I strive to include no more than two packaged goods per lunch. Ideally, it's one or none. And I read labels. High fructose corn syrup is not my friend. There is always at least one fresh fruit or vegetable, but often two. My favorites to pack: blueberries, strawberries, grapes, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots and red pepper slices.

Sometimes friends say "Well, it's easy enough to throw together lunch in the morning." Sure it is, if I want to skip the gym to pack lunches, which I do not. Plus, some mornings are crazier than normal if Jeff or I happen to be away on a business trip. I'll take my Sunday morning assembly line of Bento-style lunch boxes and get the job done. That's how I roll.

Below are 11 examples of recent lunches -- packed for Lucy and Penny for the short Labor Day week and this past week. Just to give you some inspiration going into the weekend. Why don't you give it a try? Get your shopping done today or Saturday and spend an hour packing a week's worth of lunches on Sunday.

Let me know how it goes and what you pack in your kids' lunches. I'm looking for inspiration, too!

XOXO,
Amy

How to Pack a Week's Worth of School Lunches...In One Day

Penny: Half of a PBJ sandwich on wheat, GoGo organic applesauce, tomato-quinoa salad and grapes. (Note: I will add avocado and make tomato-avocado quinoa salad only for the next-day's lunch; otherwise, the avocado goes bad.)

Lucy: Half of a PBJ sandwich on wheat, GoGo organic applesauce, grapes, sliced red peppers and Laughing Cow cheese.

Lucy/Penny: Turkey and Swiss cheese hot dog bun "sub", pretzel crisps, cherry tomatoes, Babybel cheese and grapes.

Penny: Turkey and cheddar tortilla wrap, chocolate cat cookies from Trader Joe's and cucumber (from our Tower Garden) with blue cheese dressing. (Note: The lids to these containers keep contents from spilling into other compartments, so while the dressing might get all over its own compartment it won't spill into others.)

Lucy/Penny: Turkey and cheddar hot dog bun "sub", chocolate cat cookies from Trader Joe's, grapes, sliced red peppers and cherry tomatoes.

Penny: Pita crackers from Trader Joe's, sliced red peppers, Laughing Cow cheese, grapes and tomato-quinoa salad.

Penny: Organic, unsweetened applesauce, pita crackers from Trader Joe's, cherry tomatoes, Laughing Cow cheese and Mom's chickpea salad.

Lucy: Salami and provolone pack from Trader Joe's, sliced red peppers, cherry tomatoes, grapes and pita crackers from Trader Joe's.

Lucy/Penny: Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, Babybel cheese, organic and unsweetened applesauce, pimiento cheese and multi-grain crackers.

Lucy/Penny: Baby carrots, LARA bar, Babybel cheese, cherry tomatoes and Craisins.

Lucy/Penny: Hummus, cherry tomatoes, cheese stick, baby carrots and multi-grain crackers.