🫐 Chilled Blueberry Soup

I prepared this delectable soup one day in advance, and thoroughly enjoyed it the next day for lunch. I never thought a chilled blueberry soup could be quite refreshing!



Chilled Blueberry Soup

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2-3/4 cups water
3 cups fresh blueberries
1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
3 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
Garnish: Reddi Wip (or) Cool Whip
Garnish: fresh mint leaves (optional)

1.)  In a large 3-quart size saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch.  Gradually stir in the water until smooth.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir the mixture for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

2.)  Add the blueberries and cinnamon stick, return to a boil.  After mixture comes to a boil, remove pan from the heat, and stir in 3 tablespoons of the frozen orange juice concentrate; stir until the juice had melted completely.

3.)  Place pan back on the stove, cook mixture over low heat for 10-12 minutes; stirring continuously until mixture has thickened up a bit more.

4.)  Remove pan from heat, discard the cinnamon stick, cover the pan, and set the pan aside for 30 minutes, so the mixture has time to cool down.

5.)  Strain the blueberry mixture through a fine wire mesh strainer, into a heat proof glass bowl, and using the back of a spoon to press out the berry mixture.  Be sure to scrape the berry mixture off the back side of the mesh strainer as you go along, and adding it to the bowl.  After straining the berry mixture into the bowl, I then covered the bowl with plastic wrap, and placed the bowl in the refrigerator.

6.)  Be sure to thoroughly chill the soup (covered) in the refrigerator before serving it.  (I refrigerated the soup overnight, and served it the next day.)

7.)  Garnish soup with a dollop of Cool Whip (or with Reddi Wip) and fresh mint leaves.

8.)  Yields: 3 cups, or 3 servings (1-cup each per serving)

Chilled Blueberry Soup | Just A Pinch Recipes

Old-Fashioned Pink Lemonade

I came across this recipe at 2 separate recipe websites... Allrecipes and Recipezazz.  I did modify the recipe to suit my taste.  When making the lemonade, I used a bottled lemon juice, as price-wise, it's cheaper, and it still tastes good.  Also, for this recipe, you could use cranberry juice, but I used raspberry cranberry juice, and I added a bit more than what the recipe called for.  It was a taste preference on my part.  Adding less cranberry juice, will make a light pink lemonade.  I found this lemonade to be quite refreshing!

Old-Fashioned Pink Lemonade

1 cup of sugar
4-1/2 cups cold water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 to 3/4 cup raspberry-cranberry juice, chilled
crushed ice (or) ice cubes

1.)  In a large pitcher combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, and cranberry juice; stir to dissolve the sugar completely.

2.)  Pour the lemonade in glasses filled with ice and serve.

3.)  Yields: 56 ounces of lemonade

4.) Note: For this recipe, I substituted bottled lemon juice for the fresh lemon juice, plus I added a 3/4 cup of the raspberry-cranberry juice.

Old-Fashioned Pink Lemonade Recipe (allrecipes.com)

Venison Stroganoff

This stroganoff is made with canned tomato sauce rather than with a can of mushroom soup, which was a nice change, and still just as good!!



Venison Stroganoff 

1-1/2 lbs. venison, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

5 Tablespoons flour

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

7 Tablespoons diced onion

2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus 1/8 teaspoon of pepper

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 (4 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms, well drained

8 ounces sour cream, plus 1 Tablespoon of sour cream

extra wide egg noodles, uncooked (about 16 ounces)

dried parsley flakes, to garnish the stroganoff

1.)  Place venison in a bowl.  Add the flour, and toss to coat the cubed meat.  Once coated, add venison to the skillet, and brown according to the following directions below.

2.)  In a 10-inch skillet, over medium heat, add the vegetable oil. Cook and stir the venison until it's cooked about 3/4's of the way done; stirring often so the meat doesn't stick to the skillet.  Now add the diced onion, and continue cooking the meat until it's browned evenly.  Once the venison is browned, cover the skillet, and remove skillet from the heat.

3.)  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

4.)  In a 2-1/2 quart casserole baking dish, add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and the Worcestershire sauce; stir to mix.

5.)  Add the cooked venison to the casserole dish; stir to coat the meat in the tomato sauce.  Cover the casserole dish; place dish in the oven, and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, but be sure to stir the meat mixture after the first 30 minutes of cooking time.

6.)  After 60 minutes of cooking time, remove casserole from the oven, add the sliced mushrooms and the sour cream, and stir.  Cover, and place the casserole back in the oven to cook for another 30 minutes.

7.)  About 15 minutes before the meat mixture is done cooking, cook the egg noodles according to package directions.  (I cooked mine with a bit of vegetable oil, and with out any salt, for exactly 9 minutes.) Once I drained off the water, I stirred in a bit of butter, so the noodles wouldn't stick together.

8.)  Once the noodles are cooked, and the meat is cooked, add desired amount of noodles to each dinner plate, and top with the stroganoff. Sprinkle each plate with a bit of the dried parsley, and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

9.)  Yields: About 5-6 servings

Venison Stroganoff | Just A Pinch Recipes

Canned Blueberry Pie

Lately I've been craving pie, so I decided I'd make a blueberry pie.  The crust and pie filling were not made from scratch, but rather with a canned pie filling which I purchased from Wal-Mart (the Great Value Brand), and with one of those already-made pie crust, which I purchased from Aldi's.  I place a pie shield over the pies crust before baking the pie, but this time I forgot to do that, and yet my pie crust turned out perfect and not too dark.  The end results, a quick and delicious tasting pie!  Not made from scratch, but still quite delicious!



Canned Blueberry Pie 

2 (21-oz.) cans blueberry pie filling (See *Note)

1 (15-oz.) pkg. 2-already made pie crusts

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

wax paper (To unroll pie dough onto)

mini-cookie cutters

Additional granulated sugar (To sprinkle on top of the pie crust.)

1 (14-inch) circular shaped pizza tin

1 (10-1/2 inch) pie shield (optional use) But I used one.  As it helps to prevent the pie crust from getting too dark when baking in the oven.


1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.)  Remove both pie crusts from the pkg.  Let pie crusts set on kitchen counter for 20 minutes before using.

3.)  Remove one of the crusts from the plastic wrap.  Unroll the pie crust and place it on a sheet of wax paper.  Sprinkle the teaspoon of flour over the crust.  Using your hand, lightly spread the flour over the entire crust.  Place the pie crust, floured side down, inside a 9-inch pie pan.  Add both cans of pie filling into the pie pan.

4.)  Unroll the remaining pie crust onto the sheet of wax paper.  Using desired shaped mini cookie cutters, cut-out and remove some of the dough, near the center of the pie crust.  Set cut-out pie dough aside.

5.)  Top the pie with the remaining pie crust.  Place the cut-out pie dough on top the pie crust.  Sprinkle the pie dough with a bit of the granulated sugar.  Place pie pan on top the 14-inch pizza tin before placing in oven.  If desired, place the pie shield evenly on top of the pie, before baking.  Bake the pie for 1-hour in a 350 degree oven.

6.) *Note: This is the already made pie crust I use, whenever I make my pies. I purchase mine from Aldi's, and I much prefer it over the Pillsbury Pie Crust.  Also, for this recipe, you can use another canned pie filling, such as... cherry, peach, raspberry or strawberry.

Additional Note: January 13th 2023.  Now-a-days, I see store bought pie crust have been reduced to (14.1-oz.).  So, my husband purchased a Pillsbury Pie Crust.  I was surprised that it made a decent pie crust.  I haven't had a Blueberry Pie for quite some time, and this pie was quite delicious!  

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Cherry Mocha Coffee 🍒

This is a delicious chocolate cherry coffee.  Top with Reddi Wip or Cool Whip, and a marashino cherry; which makes for a special treat.  

Cherry Mocha Coffee 

8 oz. water 
1 tsp. instant coffee 
1-1/2 teaspoons Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon sugar 
1/4 teaspoon almond extract 
1/4 teaspoon McCormick's Imitation Cherry Extract
Reddi Wip (or) Cool Whip, to garnish coffee 
1 maraschino cherry 

1.)  In a coffee cup, heat water and coffee in the microwave until hot.  (Or heat the water and coffee on top the stove in a small saucepan.)  

2.)  Add the cocoa powder and sugar; stir well to dissolve.

3.)  Now add the extracts, and stir.

4.)  Top the coffee with desired amount of Reddi Wip or Cool Whip.

5.)  Place the cherry on top the whipped topping, and serve.

6.)  Yields: 1 serving

7.) Note: To make 12-ounces of the coffee... use 12 ounces of water, 1-1/2 teaspoons of instant coffee, 1/4 teaspoon plus an 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract, 1/4 teaspoon plus an 1/8 teaspoon cherry extract, 2-1/2 teaspoons of the special dark cocoa powder, plus 1-1/2 Tablespoons of sugar.  This is what I used to fill my glass coffee cup.

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I thought I'd also share a photo of Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa with (100% CACAO), which I usually use whenever I bake a chocolate cake, or brownies, or whenever I prepare this coffee.  It has an intense chocolate flavor which I enjoy! 

Cherry Mocha Coffee | Just A Pinch Recipes

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