Blueberry Basil Parfait (Recipe Redux)

I still have lots more to share about Germany, but I'll come back to that later since - incredibly - it's time for the March Recipe ReDux! Spring is in the air and things are turning green, so this month's ReDux theme is all about using herbs in new and creative ways.

I use tons of herbs while cooking, but was a little stumped when thinking about a new or unusual way to use them. Basil & blueberries kept sticking in my mind, though - maybe because I've seen a few Basil Blueberry Mojitos on menus, and maybe because after coming back from Germany I had a giant carton of fresh blueberries in the fridge that had my eye for breakfast, and a sad looking basil plant wilting on my kitchen counter that begged to be used.

If you grow basil at home, either outdoors or inside, I'm sure you know the feeling. The stuff grows like a weed and it dies if you don't use it quickly enough (and basil dying is painful to my eyes), but how much pesto can a girl make?

So, Blueberry Basil Parfaits it was. And they were delicious. The basil gives a certain freshness to the parfait that is quite unexpected, but it all works. It's a great way to use up fresh basil, and better yet, like any yogurt parfait you make in a cute jar, it's portable.

I actually ate mine in the car on my way to drop off Riker at daycare this morning. Smooth, creamy, fruity, fresh and crunchy - the perfect combination of flavors and textures for a spring morning.

Blueberry Basil Parfait 

Serves 1 (can be easily multiplied)

Ingredients
1 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
1 tsp. real blueberry maple syrup (may substitute honey or plain maple syrup)
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 oz. chopped nuts (I used 1/2 oz. almonds and 1/2 oz. pecans)

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, half the maple syrup and half the chopped basil. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, gently mash the blueberries with a fork until they're still chunky, but release some of their juice. Add the remaining maple syrup and basil, and stir to combine.

In a jar or glass, layer the parfait as follows: Yogurt, blueberry mixture, nuts. Repeat 2-3 times until the jar is filled. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or eat immediately.

get the InLinkz code

Munich Monday

After a short trip overseas, I'm back home on the east coast! It was a busy but great trip. I arrived at the airport early evening on Sunday, and had about an hour to kill before my flight. In an effort to stay away from airport vendor food, I had packed a big veggie salad with sunflower seeds and some cottage cheese to eat while I waited. It was great fuel for the 12 hour trip.

I took a red eye with a quick stop in London, and landed in a rainy Munich mid-day on Monday. I met a colleague (also a Melissa) at the airport and after checking into our hotel and catching up on some work, we headed out to explore and get a bite to eat. We walked around for a bit looking for a traditional-looking place to stop, and ended up at a Bavarian gastropub.

The menu was entirely in German, but the waiter did his best to explain the options and offer some recommendations.

Sadly he told me my options for traditional German fare as a vegetarian were extremely limited, but he did recommend a fish dish - zanderfilet, which is a local lake fish with a firm white flesh. It came sauteed with lemon and served over a huge bed of garlic spinach. It was really flavorful and quite delicious.

Melissa went with a traditional schnitzel and potatoes, which she said was fantastic.

We worked through our lunch/dinner and powered through our prep session so we could go out and see some of the city. A few hours later and we were ready to tackle the Munich subway system. We were told we had to see Marienplatz and Odeonsplatz, which are in the downtown area and home to many beautiful buildings as well as the local university.

Not gonna lie, we definitely got a little lost taking the subway (the Munich subway map is crazy!) but we figured it out and ended up being pros by the end of the trip. Our little tour downtown was well worth getting a little lost.

The architecture was gorgeous and the downtown city area was so quaint.

The main square was packed with people and full of energy, even though it was cold and rainy.

Love this gothic building! I think it was once an old church, but is now a theater with restaurants and art galleries.

The streets were filled with bakeries, boutiques, meat shops and chocolatiers, and we made sure to hit up a few of the shops for goodies to take home.

I'd been told by a friend to be sure to stop by Dallmayr, which is a famous Bavarian shop featuring all the local treats you could imagine.

I picked up lots of goodies for the family, and a gift for myself too - citrus fleur de sel!

Can't wait to use this fancy salt on all kinds of things.

The chocolates were really calling to both me and Melissa, and it seemed appropriate to end the evening with truffles and cappuccino in one of the cafes along the square. We picked out a few different pieces of chocolate and split them all. The hazelnut ones were definitely my favorite.

Talk about a perfect ending to the day. I headed to bed as soon as we got back to the hotel since we had a big day ahead of us on Tuesday, and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out. I guess being up for nearly 24 hours will do that for ya!

P.S. If all this talk of chocolate has you salivating and you haven't entered the Spodee giveaway yet, there's still a few days left. Click here and leave a comment so you can be entered to win!

Spodee Chocolate Cake in a Mug (Giveaway!)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the good people of Spodee to see if I'd be interested in trying out their beverage, dubbed "wine with a kick." I'd never heard of Spodee before, but when I read that it was a red wine with chocolate and other flavors, I was in.

Spodee was apparently a Depression era hooch that mixed up homemade country wines with herbs, spices and moonshine, and then poured into whatever bottles were laying around - like old milk bottles. I'm a sucker for Mason jars and other nostalgic vessels, so I love that Spodee comes in old fashioned milk bottles. And they aren't kidding when they say it's wine with a kick. The wine is 18% and has a really unique flavor, but is super smooth and easy to drink.

The Spodee website offers lots of cocktail suggestions, pairing it with everything from Coke to rum, and Matt and I tried a few different versions before deciding we liked it best just straight up in a wine glass. It's great on its own, no mixers needed. It had such a great fruity and chocolatey flavor though, almost like a dessert wine but not nearly as syrupy, and it was calling to be made into a dessert.

Spodee is delicious but unassuming, and the website even says it isn't "fancy pants." What better delicious, yet un-fancy way to use it in a dessert than by making chocolate cake in a mug? Hence was born, Spodee Chocolate Cake in a Mug with Spodee Strawberries.

These take all of 5 minutes to make and are fudgy, chocolatey and fruity. They're also perfectly portion controlled. Mini cake for you, mini cake for a loved one. But no judgment if you want both mini cakes to yourself. I sure was scraping the sides wishing for more.

Matt and I both loved eating these curled up on the couch watching a Friday night movie. Okay I lie, it was another three episode of Sons of Anarchy.

And now comes the fun part. One SSA reader will win a Spodee prize pack! To enter this giveaway, simply comment below and tell me how you'd like to try Spodee. In one of their cocktails? In a fun recipe? In chocolate cake? You can get extra entries by liking Some Sugar Added on Facebook and following me on Twitter - simply leave a new comment each time telling me you did so.

I will randomly select a winner next Sunday, March 24. Good luck!

Spodee Chocolate Cake in a Mug w/ Spodee Strawberries

Serves 2

Ingredients
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1/4 cup whole milk
3 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. Spodee
2 eggs
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Ingredients - Sauce
1 cup strawberries (frozen is ok)
5 Tbsp. Spodee

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together until well combined. Pour batter equally between two mugs, then microwave together on high for 2 minutes. Cakes should be cooked, but gooey in the middle. Top with strawberry sauce and dust with powdered sugar.

To make the sauce, simply pour the strawberries and Spodee into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until strawberries cook down and the Spodee becomes syrupy and thick.