Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I started dinner while I was STARVING.  Can you tell?  Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and fried eggs.  Cooking dinner while really hungry is never a good idea, just like grocery shopping when hungry.  Like how I tried to make the whole dinner healthier by adding the apples?

I don't have any recipes tonight.  I used Bisquick to make the pancakes; just keepin' it real, y'all.  But I do have a tip.  Toss the chocolate chips with a little extra Bisquick (or flour if you're making them from scratch) and the chips won't all sink to the bottom of the batter.

Farfalle with Arugula Pesto

Remember the Arugula Pesto from Monday's sandwich?  I made a quick pasta for dinner tonight using farfalle (bowtie pasta), leftover Arugula Pesto, and freshly grated parm cheese.  The kids gobbled it up!  I like to use the Barilla Plus pasta in the yellow box because it has more protein and fiber than regular pastas without it being grainy like whole wheat pasta.

We also had leftover bread from the sandwiches that I made into garlic bread by slathering it with butter and sprinkling on garlic salt.

Oh, I almost forgot! See that little salad just dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar?   See the red pepper on top?  That came from my Mother's Day Garden! The deer and bunnies are really enjoying all my tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce, and zucchini, but I guess they don't care for peppers.  It's all that's left! And this one was the most beautiful and delicious pepper I've ever had. Ok, not really, but it was so cool to pick it from the garden and eat it!

10 Minute Creme Brulee

Ten minute creme brulee, you say? How is that possible, you wonder?  Creme brulee is hard to make!

Well, you gotta have an awesome friend who lives all the way in SPRINGDALE (ok, only 15 minutes away, but still) who brings it to you! I cannot attest to how exactly she made it, other than she told me it's Pioneer Woman's recipe.  She brought it to me raw, having done the hard part herself, so all I had to do was bake and do the sugar on top. 

And let me tell you, it was better than any restaurant creme brulee. 

Note: I do not have a blowtorch, kitchen or otherwise.  So I had to caramelize the sugar on top under the broiler.

• 4 cups Heavy Cream
• 1 whole Vanilla Bean OR 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract OR 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Paste
• 10 whole Egg Yolks
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 6 Tablespoons Superfine (Baker's) Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Pour the cream into the saucepan. Add vanilla (whichever product you're using) and simmer over medium-low heat.
Whip egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and thick.
Strain cream using a fine mesh strainer.
Whip yolks while you very slowly drizzle in 1 cup of warm cream. Go slowly so as not to cook the eggs! Once the first cup is added, you can add the rest of the cream slowly.
Place ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour custard mixture into ramekins. Pour water in bottom of baking sheet until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. Do not allow to get brown.
Cool ramekins on countertop, then chill for at least 2-3 hours, covered in plastic wrap.
To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon over each ramekin of custard. Use a kitchen torch to quickly (but carefully) brown the sugar. There should be a thin, crisp surface of burned sugar on the top.
Serve immediately!

Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Rice

"Hawaiian Chicken" reminds of something one might have with a big pineapple ring on top at Luby's Cafeteria (I loved cafeterias when I was a kid because everything came on it's own plate), but this Hawaiian Chicken is awesome.  You can still put everything on it's on plate if you want.  I totally should have done that....

Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Rice (adapted from a recipe I found on Tasty Kitchen)

For the chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup coconut milk (from a can, save the rest for the rice)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
salt and pepper

For the rice:
1 cup jasmine rice
1 cup (remaining from the can) coconut milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup cilantro, plus more for garnish

For the garnish:
fresh pineapple to taste
brown sugar
salt

Combine everything except the chicken in a large Ziploc bag, mush it around, and then put the chicken in. Seal it up, swish it around some more. Stick it in the fridge until you're ready to cook (10 minutes to 2 hours).

When you’re ready to grill, preheat the grill to medium high. Add the chicken and grill until cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Take it off the grill and let it rest a couple of minutes.

Pour the coconut milk, a cup of water, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked and fluffy. Stir in the cilantro before serving.

While everything is finishing up, heat a skillet to high and melt one tablespoon of butter.  Add chopped fresh pineapple and sprinkle with brown sugar and salt.  Cook, turning occasionally, until pineapple is browned.

Slice chicken, fan it out over a bed of rice, top with pineapple and cilantro.

Pear, Caramelized Walnuts, and Arugula Pesto Panini

Are you on Pinterest yet?  I just love it for inspiration.  I saw a picture of this sandwich last week, pinned it, and then was able to find the recipe again when I was making my grocery list for the week.  It seems like a lot of steps, but it really didn't take long at all. 

I'd never had arugula pesto, and while it's different than basil pesto, it's delicious!  This sandwich is creamy, crunchy, salty, and a little sweet.  Loved it!

Arugula Pesto Mayo
3            cups           packed arugula
1/4         cup            walnuts
1/4         cup            freshly grated parmesan
1/4         cup            olive oil
1            tbs             mayo
                               salt and black pepper

Caramelized Walnuts
1            cup            walnuts
2            tbs             light corn syrup
1            tbs             sugar
1/2         tsp             salt
1/4         tsp             ground black pepper


Panini
4           slices         sourdough bread
1                            pear, sliced thinly
4                            thick slices brie

Procedure

Arugula Pesto Mayo

1. Combine arugula, nuts and parmesan in food processor until smooth.
2. With machine running, gradually add olive oil and mix until well blended.
3. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Add mayo and blend well.
5. You will have extra after making the sandwich.

Caramelized Walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Use silpat or spray sheet pan with non-stick spray.
3. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss well.
4. Spread out on sheet pan and bake, stirring occasionally to break up clumps, until deep golden brown and sugar is bubbling.
5. Remove from oven and cool.
6. You may have extra caramelized walnuts after making the sandwich.

Panini

1. Spread arugula pesto mayo on both sides on bread.  One one side, layer pears, then cheese and walnuts.  Add top slice of bread and toast on panini press or in a pan lightly coated with olive oil.  If using a pan, weigh down sandwich with another pan on top and a tea kettle or similar for weight.  Flip over to grill evenly.
2. Eat warm.

Crock Pot Pinto Beans

John wasn't home for dinner, so I made the kids their favorite meal: beans.  I know, my children are weird; they could eat these pinto beans for every meal. 

1 pound of dried pinto beans
1 ham hock/bone (I often leave this out if I don't have it)
1/4 onion, as a chunk
2 whole cloves of garlic
8 cups of water
8 beef bouillon cubes (you could also use beef broth if you have a thing against bouillon)

Rinse the dry beans (check for rocks) in the morning the day before you want to eat them, cover with water, and let them soak throughout the day.  That night, rinse them again and put them in the crock pot the with the remaining ingredients.  Make sure the water covers the beans by a couple of inches.  Cook on low all night and through the next day (about 20 hours).  Remove and discard the ham hock, onion and garlic.  Serve with shredded cheese, avocado, and a little fresh lime juice (sour cream, tomatoes, and green onions are all good on top, too).

Grilled Skirt Steak Salad

As you may have noticed by now, we don't eat a lot of red meat in our house.  But once in a while, it's just the perfect dinner.  And Beta (she's almost 6) always wants steak for if given a choice, it's one of the few foods she likes.  So she was thrilled with dinner tonight...

Have you ever tried skirt steak?  It's inexpensive, cooks quickly, and I think it has a really good flavor.  It's also really juicy if it's cooked properly.   You just have to remember not to overcook it (medium rare is how it should be eaten), to let it rest at least 10 minutes before cutting, and to slice it thinly against the grain. 

Grilled Skirt Steak Salad

1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper
chili powder
brown sugar
blue cheese
tomatoes
romaine lettuce
Steakhouse Vinaigrette

Drizzle the skirt steak with olive oil, and then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and brown sugar.  Rub the spices in and let the steak come to room temperature while the grill preheats to high. 

When the grill is as hot as it will get, grill each side for about 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness of the steak. Remember, it continues to cook while it rests, so don't overcook it!  Take the steak off the grill, cover with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the vinaigrette. 


Steakhouse Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Combine ingredients in jar with a lid and shake to combine. Season with salt and pepper and adjust ingredients to taste. 

Blackened Grilled Tilapia

John grilled his famous Blackened Tilapia for dinner tonight, and I wanted to share the recipe with you, but he's a little like the Colonel.  Colonel Sanders, that is.  He doesn't like to reveal his blend of herbs and spices, so I'm just guessing on the quantities.  I do actually know which spices he used, but only because he left them all out on the counter....

Blackening Spice Rub (you can use this on fish, chicken, or steak)

1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat outdoor grill to HIGH.  As high as it will go. 
Coat thawed fish with olive oil or melted butter.  Generously coat fish in the Blackening Spice Rub.  Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

Summer Strawberry Tart

It may seem weird for somebody who has a food blog, but I don't really enjoy hosting fancy dinner parties at my house.  It's so stressful to me!  My bathrooms have to be clean (with 3 kids they are always filthy), I have to clean the kitchen while still trying to cook dinner, I have to wear makeup and shoes at home, I have to make sure there are enough plates and utensils clean (again, 3 kids use a lot of spoons and forks and ours are always dirty),  AND you have to act like it was all so easy!!

But what I do enjoy is having small groups of friends over.  The kinds of friends who know where to find a hand towel if one is missing from the bathroom, and the kind who say, "oh, why don't we just use paper plates?"  and then when you insist on regular plates, help you with the dishes.  Last night we had some of our good friends over for dinner; such good friends that I served them sandwiches! :)

Actually, BLTs with vine ripe tomatoes, fresh bakery bread I picked up at the Sunday morning Farmers' Market at the Botanical Gardens, Arkansas Petit Jean bacon, arugula, and garlic aioli.  Here's the recipe, just leave off the egg. Or use it. It's really good both ways.

 

We also had the Watermelon Pineapple Salsa I talked about yesterday, and a Strawberry Tart that is one of my summer staples.  You can make the crust early in the day and assemble the tart at the last minute, so your kitchen will stay cool.  

Summer Strawberry Tart

Crust:

1 stick cold butter, cut into cubes

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons heavy cream (I had to use skim milk and it was fine)

In a food processor, blend the flour, sugar and salt.  Add the butter and pulse until it looks like coarse meal.  Add the egg yolk and the cream/milk and pulse until the dough comes together and begins to form a ball. 

Flatten the dough into a 6-inch disk, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. (I also had to skip this step and it turned out fine.  So do it if you have time, if not, it will be okay.)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Press the dough into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  

Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Bake 20 minutes.

Prick the crust lightly all over with a fork and return to the oven. Bake 10-15 minutes more until the crust is light golden brown but is still soft to the touch.  Cool crust before filling.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer or food processor until smooth.  Mix in
sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix well.
Spread on top of cooled crust and top with berries.

Watermelon Pineapple Salsa

What's the deal with watermelons these days?  Have you noticed how they are all perfectly round and seedless now?  My state is famous for it's watermelons, and in Arkansas it's just not right, and it goes against the natural order of things, I say, to have perfectly round watermelons!

Anyway, I was at Walmart today and I finally found a big, irregular shaped watermelon with seeds.  We cut into that thing, and it was so sweet and juicy!  We ate half of it at lunch, and the other half we turned into Watermelon Pineapple Salsa (we had friends over for dinner so I made a lot of salsa; you might want to half the recipe).

Watermelon Pineapple Salsa

3 cups watermelon, diced
1 cup fresh pineapple, diced (not canned, not ever)
1/2-1 cup red onion, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir.  Refrigerate for 1-3 hours.  Serve with chips or over grilled fish. 

Farmers' Market Tomato Bruschetta

We have a Farmers' Market in our town on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings on the downtown square.  I personally prefer to do my actual shopping on Tuesday or Thursday, and keep Saturday for walking around with the family, getting the girls' faces painted, buying flowers, and people watching. 

So the kids and I went this morning and picked up a ton of beautiful, multi colored, cherry tomatoes.  Then, we dropped by Little Bread Co., my very favorite local bakery, to get a baguette.  I knew just what I was going to do with them......

Farmers' Market Tomato Bruschetta (adapted from PW's Marinated Tomatoes)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 whole green onions, sliced
9 whole basil leaves cut into a chiffonade (roll 'em up longways and then cut into strips)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pound tomatoes, cut up
1 whole baguette sliced
goat cheese, to garnish

Mix the oil, vinegar, herbs, and spices, and add tomatoes.  Allow to marinate 2-3 hours or longer. 

Slice baguette, drizzle with olive oil.  Broil for 2-3 minutes, until they start to brown. Turn them and broil for 2-3 more minutes.  Top each piece of bread with the tomatoes, using a spoon to allow for some extra juice to drop onto the bread.  Garnish with goat cheese.

Pomegranate and Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds

I ran across a package of pomegranate arils (those seeds inside a pomegranate) at my Walmart Neighborhood Market yesterday and I knew a big salad was in order! It was a perfect, quick dinner because all I had to do was throw it together.

The kids ate the chicken and some spinach, but didn't care for the pomegranates.  I think they are a little too tart for them.  But I love those things! And the creamy goat cheese goes perfectly with the tartness of the pomegranate.

Pomegranate and Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds
arugula and baby spinach
rotisserie chicken
pomegranate arils
goat cheese
slivered almonds
Champagne vinaigrette
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix ingredients in a lidded jar and pour over salad and toss.

Iced Mint Sweet Tea

I got this tea recipe from my friend Jill, who got the recipe from our friend Ashley, who got the recipe from Mrs. SoandSo, who I'm sure got the recipe from an older Mrs. SoandSo.  It's all of our favorite summer drink! 

This iced tea is so refreshing, and zero calories and zero caffeine to boot! If you have some fresh mint, it's even better.  And I've heard tell of people adding a little vodka to turn it into a cocktail, too....

Iced Mint Sweet Tea

3 decaf family size tea bags (I like Luzianne, but it's a Southern brand you might not be able to find. Lipton is good, too.)
2 spearmint regular size tea bags (Bigelow Plantation Mint)
1/2 cup-2 cups Splenda, to taste.  The more Southern you are, the sweeter you'll like it. :) I use 1 1/2 cups for one gallon of tea.
fresh mint

Fill a medium sauce pan about 3/4 full with cold water.  Bring to boil and then add the tea bags.  Turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow the tea to steep until it's at room temperature.  When it's cool, add the Splenda to a big pitcher, pour the tea over the Splenda, and stir well.  Add cold water to fill the pitcher, some fresh mint, and chill before serving.
 

NWA Bloggers Meetup

The Northwest Arkansas blogging community is pretty amazing and full of such cool and interesting people.  And I finally got to meet of bunch of them at the NWA Blogger Meetup at the Acumen office yesterday! 

John and Josh got the idea to do this meetup a couple of weeks ago, and invited a handful of bloggers to come so they could get some ideas about how to actually host a meetup.  Well, it kind of snowballed, and there were more than 60 bloggers there! Even though the whole event was thrown together at the last minute, it went off without a hitch. 

Here's my brilliant husband, completely in his element, talking about one of his favorite subjects, Google analytics.  If you come to our house at any given time, you'll find him sitting exactly like this (without the big screen, although I'll bet he wishes he had one connected at home).  Here's a link to his presentation, if you missed it.

 

A few of the lovely Arkansas Women Bloggers I finally had the privilege of meeting.

 

And the lunch.....I had this crazy idea that I'd make lunch for the group.  And then the group kept growing.  I'd never cooked for 75 people before and I started to stress.  But I still really wanted to do it, because I knew it would be fun and a great jump start for my blog.  With a little organization, babysitting help from my parents, and Sams Club, I pulled it off!! 

Oh, and some serious last minute sandwich making from my friend, Jennifer.  She stopped by Monday morning to help me pack lunches, and that girl rolled up her sleeves (figuratively...she didn't have sleeves) and saved the day!! Thanks, Jenn!

 

So I made all these lunches, printed a cute little menu to go on the lunch sacks that included my blog url, but guess what I forgot? To take pictures of the food. Duh. Live and learn, I guess.

Leftovers Frittata with Bacon

I had such a fun morning making boxed lunches for the NWA Bloggers Meetup today (I'll talk about that later this week),  but I didn't really think ahead to dinner...oops.  Leftover time!!

I love frittatas because you can really add most any meat, vegetables, and cheese you have to some eggs and call it dinner.  Tonight, it was bacon, fresh tomatoes, green onions, orange peppers, and mozzarella cheese.  We also had an arugula salad with my favorite honey vinaigrette, goat cheese, and almonds.

Leftovers Frittata with Bacon

Preheat broiler to high.

Using a nonstick skillet, brown 3 slices of bacon, chopped (I like to use kitchen scissors to "chop" bacon). 

Drain excess fat if there is more than a couple of teaspoons after the bacon is cooked. Add whatever raw veggies you are using (I used fresh tomatoes, green onions, and orange peppers) and cook until soft. 

Meanwhile, whisk 2 eggs per person (I use one whole egg and one egg white per person) with a little milk, and salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into pan with bacon and vegetables and stir.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set on top. Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese.

Place pan under the broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned and fluffy. Watch it closely!
Serve by cutting like a pie and with a salad.

NWA Blogger Event / Summer Panzanella

I made a super quick Summer Panzanella for dinner tonight, because I've been B-U-S-Y getting ready for the NWA Blogger Meet Up on Monday.  I'm making boxed lunches for everybody at the event, and today I was working on baking brownies.  And not regular ol' brownies, folks.  Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies. And outrageous is right!! I can't wait for you to try them.

Have you RSVP'd for the event?  It's on Monday from 11-1 at the Acumen building on Gregg Street in Fayetteville (across the street from Arsaga's).  It's going to be so fun to finally get face to face with some local bloggers I've "met" on twitter.  I seriously cannot believe how many of y'all are coming!  If you haven't RSVP'd, take a second to do it, just so I can make sure I have enough lunches for everybody.   I'm so excited about lunch, but I don't want to tell you the menu quite yet...

Summer Panzanella

I made it tonight with yellow peppers, green onions, farmers market heirloom tomatoes, and day old bread from Walmart (97 cents, yo!).  It was so cold and refreshing on this hot summer night.

Grilled BBQ Chicken with Sauteed Fresh Corn

This meal epitomizes summer to me.  Fast, simple, cooked outside, and healthy.   It helped that the kids were starving and worn out from a fun day, but they still ate every bite!

The Sauteed Fresh Corn with Basil is always a hit! And I made Pioneer Woman's marinated tomatoes (which were fantastic by the way), but I'll talk about those later.

 

BBQ Grilled Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin (or buy the thin ones in the store to save time)

1 cup bottled BBQ sauce

salt and pepper

Salt and pepper chicken.  Heat grill to HOT, and grill chicken, brushing with BBQ sauce until it's done.  HEALTH NOTE: remember the brush has touched raw chicken, as has the BBQ sauce you dipped the brush in.  Throw away any extra sauce and don't use the brush to put sauce on the cooked chicken.  Always be careful not to cross contaminate!

Cedar Grilled Salmon

I ran across some super cheap cedar planks at Walmart the other day and tonight we grilled some salmon with them.  It's my new favorite way to eat salmon.  So good!

Cedar Grilled Salmon

salmon fillets
salt and pepper
1 lemon and lemon zest
olive oil

Soak cedar plank for a couple of hours so it doesn't burn on the grill.  Preheat grill to about 400. 

Drizzle salmon with olive oil.  Add a big pinch salt, pepper, and lemon zest to each piece of salmon. 

Put the wet cedar plank on the grill until it it makes loud crackling noises.  Place salmon and cut up lemon directly onto the plank.  Grill for about 15 minutes (more of less depending on the thickness of the fish).  Do not turn salmon.  The plank will be black and charred, so remove salmon from plank to serve.  Squeeze lemons on top of fish (they will have a smokey flavor as well).

The Best 4th of July Cake

In honor of the 4th, here is the BEST flag cake you'll ever eat.  It's not the quickest or easiest to make (there isn't any cool whip or instant pudding involved),  but it's the one you'll want to take to your 4th of July party.  I had 6 little hands helping me decorate mine, and I was wracking my brain to answer all the questions about how many stars and stripes are really on the flag and what they all mean, all with a pastry bag in hand, so yours will be more perfect, I'm sure.   I should have brushed up on my American history before we started the cake....

This is a Barefoot Contessa Recipe, but Pioneer Woman did a step by step a while back.  If you need more direction, go there. 

For the cake:

2 1/4 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup sour cream (not low fat, Jeffrey wouldn't like that, now would he?)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda



For the frosting: 
3- 8 oz packages cream cheese
4 sticks butter
1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 pint blueberries
2 pints raspberries
 

Cake:

In a mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about a minute or so. Add eggs, two at a time. Mix after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, kosher salt and baking soda. Turn mixer to low and gradually add flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture, one scoop at a time. Mix after every addition. Keep adding the flour mixture, mix until just combined. Do not overmix!

Grease and flour a 17 x 12 1/2-inch sheet cake pan.

Pour the thick cake batter into the pan. (It’s much thicker than regular cake batters.) With a knife or offset spatula, spread the cake batter evenly over the pan.

Place the pan into a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. I baked mine for exactly 20 minutes, so you probably want to start checking then.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in a mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese and butter. Whip to combine. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides once during mixing.

Put about 1/2 the frosting on the cake. Mark off the area of the stars with a toothpick. Prepare a pastry bag with a large star tip and fill up to 2/3 with icing. Fold down both corners to keep icing from splurging out the top.

Gripping the folded-down end tightly under fingertips and start squeezing two lines of frosting at the bottom of the cake. Make two rows of raspberries on the cake, then add another two lines of frosting.
Keep repeating: two lines of frosting, two lines of raspberries, two lines of frosting, etc.

Fill the square in the corner with a nice layer of blueberries. With the star tip, squeeze little dollops of frosting all over the blueberries.