Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread

When our recent blueberry picking excursion left us with a huge bounty of blueberries, we started looking for yummy ways to incorporate them in quick and easy recipes.  This lemon blueberry bread came together quickly and was a huge hit with the whole family.  I love this bread for breakfast with coffee, while the rest of my family enjoyed it as a dessert bread.  Either way, it's a winner.  Bonus points if you make two and freeze one for later.  You will thank yourself!  

Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup 2% milk

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup chopped nuts

2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest

Glaze: 

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, lemon juice, and eggs.  In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into egg mixture alternatively with milk, beating well after each addition.  Fold in blueberries, nuts, and lemon zest. 
3. Transfer to a greased loaf pan.
4. Bake 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
5. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. 
6. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm bread.  Cool completely. 

And if all this has you wishing for more blueberry recipes, we've got you covered.  Check these out: 

• Blueberry Monkey Bread
• Blueberry Syrup
• Blueberry Jam
• Blueberry Muffins

Hot Fudge Cake

If you're a fan of chocolate cake, but you'd like to try something new, then I've got the recipe for you! This hot fudge cake is surprisingly simple to make at home. Similar to chocolate lava cakes that are a staple of restaurant dessert menus, this cake has a crispy outside and on ooey-gooey inside. It's best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. I PROMISE this recipe won't disappoint!

Hot Fudge Cake

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons cocoa powder, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup packed brown sugar

1-3/4 cups hot water

Vanilla ice cream to serve, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk milk, oil, and vanilla until blended. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Transfer to an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan. 
3. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and remaining cocoa powder. Sprinkle mixture over batter. Pour hot water over top. (Do not stir.)
4. Bake 35-40 minutes. 
5. Serve warm. If desired, top with vanilla ice cream.

If chocolate cake is your absolute favorite, give these other Harris Sister recipes a look-see:

• Hershey's Perfectly Perfect Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting
• Earthquake Cake
• Mississippi Mud Cake

Rainbow Toddler Dress

Today I'm sharing with you a toddler-sized crochet Rainbow Dress that I made as a present for Niece Dolly to help her celebrate her fourth birthday.

I love making A-line dresses for girls because if you choose the right colors, this dress can be worn in spring and summer, and also with a long sleeved top underneath in fall and winter. And as the child gets taller, it can still be worn as a top over jeans, leggings, and pants as long as it still fits in the arm area.

I used the Rainbow Dress free crochet pattern and followed directions for a size 3-5. (Sizes for 2-3, 3-5, and 6-8 are included with the pattern.) 

Modifications to the Pattern

Other than the color and brand of yarn used, the only modifications I made was to add 5 extra spaces evenly around at the beginning of each new color beginning with the yellow row. I felt this helped to keep the A-line shape of the dress. 

Yarn Choice

I made the entire dress with yarn that I had in my stash. As long as you choose yarns that are all the same fiber and weight, you can also use yarns from your stash. You're just looking for a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I used about a 1/2 skein each of these yarns for the size 3-5: 

• Bernat Super Value True Red
• Red Heart Super Saver Pumpkin
• Big Twist Buttercup
• Red Heart Super Saver Spring Green
• Big Twist Medium Teal
• Big Twist Damson Purple

Of course, since this is a classic A-line pattern dress, if you'd like to make the rainbow pattern without weaving in ends, you could also choose a rainbow mandala or variegated yarn and let it do the color work for you.

Pattern Help

While the pattern is not difficult at all since the majority of the dress is made up of double crochet stitches. It does start with foundation single crochet, which may be a new technique for some crocheters. If this technique is new to you, this YouTube Tutorial for Foundation Single Crochet will show you how to do it:

Thumbs up for the pattern and also for the idea - most little girls LOVE rainbows, so this one is sure to be a hit! It works up fast and would make a perfect birthday present (or even Halloween costume)!

Add this pattern to your Ravelry queue here: Rainbow Dress

If you're looking for other free crochet patterns for a special little girl in your life, give these patterns a try:

• Color Block Toddler Dress
• Summer Diamonds Toddler Dress
• Flower Child's Toddler Sweater
• Strawberry Tote Bag

Rainbow Halloween Costume

As we get to the end of summer, you might also want to consider this free crochet pattern for an easy DIY Halloween costume. I know you're probably thinking, "Too soon!" But it would be adorable!

If you're looking for other crafty DIY Halloween costume ideas for your child, pop over to these blog posts:

• Crochet Captain America Hat
• DIY Minecraft Pig Costume Tutorial
• DIY Cupcake Costume Tutorial
• DIY Juice Box Costume Tutorial

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