I was so happy to watch on Groundhog Day that after Punxsutawney Phil surveyed his surroundings, there was no shadow to be found, so an early spring it will be!!  That’s a fact, and I’m holding him to it! It’s been a beautiful, snowy and cold winter here in Ohio, but I am more than ready for the warm, sunny days of spring.  But Spring isn’t the only thing coming in March.  For all you sports fans, no one needs to tell you…..March Madness!! What goes better with watching a great college basketball game than pizza?  And this month you are getting two pizza recipes instead of just one.  One is based on my favorite pizza made by an Old Italian grandma in my hometown using my Simply Sauce pizza sauce and the other was submitted by the owner of Berlin Natural Bakery, Joy Zipper.  Joy's Pizza is called "California Sunshine Pizza" and it will definitely brighten any party or meal. With both of these recipes, as always, do not be afraid to experiment by using your own favorite toppings.  That’s the great thing about homemade pizza….with a great crust, a great sauce and your favorite fresh toppings; you can have a delicious, hot pizza from your own oven in less time than it would take for delivery.  And you’ll know it’s made right!! To make things even better, Berlin Natural Bakery is offering 25% off all sales of their Spelt Pizza Crusts and 16 oz jars of Simply Sauce Pizza sauce for the month of March 2011.  Each jar contains enough for at least 2 pizza crusts. Be sure to call us at: 800-686-5334 to place your order!

California Sunshine Pizza Joy Schrock Zipper

Place “thawed” Berlin Natural Bakery spelt pizza crust on lined baking sheet. Brush with Extra Virgin Olive Oil…..approx 1 Tbsp. Sprinkle with Garlic Salt (to taste) Add 20-25 Spinach leaves (cleaned & dried) Add dollops (about 1 tsp each) of Sundried Tomato (Bruschetta) over spinach Cut up approximately 3 oz of “Fresh” Mozzarella and spread over topping Sprinkle top with shredded mozzarella (optional) Bake 13-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and ENJOY!!

Cindy's Homemade Pizza Cindy Widder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen or unfrozen (doesn’t really matter) Berlin Natural Bakery Spelt Pizza Crust on cookie sheet or pizza tray. Place 4 or 5 thin slices of Colby cheese on top of crust. Cover top of cheese with Simply Sauce pizza sauce. This next step is based on preference…I usually place all my toppings on top of the sauce as I feel they bake a little better that way.  But, if you prefer your toppings a little more crunchy, you may want to put them on top of the cheese.  However you prefer, the next step simply involves putting on your toppings, cheese and then pepperoni if desired.  Place pizza tray on rack in middle of oven and bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Slice and eat! How simple is that.  Until next time….Happy Baking!

Spelt Angel Food Fruit Trifle

From Cindy Widder, GM Berlin Natural Bakery

If you are looking for something that looks so impressive and will make your friends and family think you went to a lot of work to make a delicious dessert for them…this is the recipe for you! I have gotten more rave reviews on this dessert I think, than I have on almost anything else I’ve made. And the BIG secret??? It is absolutely simple to make. Shhhh…don’t tell anyone…let’s just keep it between you and me! This is a very versatile dessert because you can use any type of fresh fruit that is currently available, or you could even use pie filling instead of the fruit if you wanted. Just experiment to your heart’s content. I am really excited to share this recipe with you because we recently just launched this brand new product in the bakery and it has been received extremely well by our loyal customers! Ingredients: 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream – I know it sounds strange, but it’s great! ½ cup cold milk 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed* 2 loaves of Berlin Natural Bakery Spelt Angel Food cut into bite sized cubes Fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, peaches, blueberries, whatever you prefer) Directions: - In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sour cream; mix well. - In a small bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed (or by hand) for 2 minutes. Stir into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped topping. - In a 2 – ½ qt. trifle bowl (or use whatever container you want…..you could even use a new plastic bucket in summer and use the plastic shovel for a scoop), layer half of the cream cheese mixture, angel food cubes and fruit. Repeat layers. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12-16 servings. *Since I do not like frozen whipped topping, I always make homemade whipped cream. For this recipe, take 2 small cartons of whipping cream, and whip on high until thick. Add ½ cup sugar and ½ tsp vanilla and you are good to go. I doubled this recipe and instead of just two layers, I layered it three times. On the first layer, I used sliced strawberries and blueberries. On the second layer I used sliced peaches and on the third layer I did another layer of the sliced strawberries and blueberries. It took about 1 ½ quarts of fresh strawberries, 1 pint of blueberries and 6 large peaches. Hope you enjoy this dessert as much as I do. Until next time….Happy Baking!!

By: Cindy Widder, General Manager Berlin Natural Bakery Summer is here and there’s nothing better than getting together with friends and family for a festive backyard BBQ. With the “Summer Hot Dog and Burger Bun Special” being offered from Berlin Natural Bakery this July, it’s a perfect time to share a delicious Grilled Burger recipe. The thing you need to keep in mind when you are making your own grilled burgers (or whatever dish you are making) is that it’s okay to improvise. In fact, that’s how most new recipes are developed. I’m always taking ingredients from one recipe and combining with others to get my own special dish. Sometimes it works out fantastically, and other times….well, those times I throw out the recipe and start over. But that’s the fun of it. You never know what you might get! Someone once told me that they never try a new dish when they are making something for an occasion like a family reunion or church function, because they are too afraid of it not turning out well. Not me. I absolutely love trying out new things on my family and friends for any occasion. Sometimes they are huge successes and once in awhile they are a huge flop. At least I haven’t lost any family or friends because of it yet and most of them seem to really enjoy being my guinea pig. That’s what I’ve done with this Grilled Burger recipe. I wanted to experiment with something slightly different from our usual burgers and this is one of those times where it turned out well. I also grilled (or should I say my husband…he’s the official grill Meister) Corn on the Cob using a butter/honey mix. The recipe for that is below as well. Grilled Burger Ingredients: 1 - lb ground beef 1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped 1/4 tsp chopped garlic 1 Tbsp. Hot Sauce 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce 1 1/2 tsp honey 1 pkg. BNB White or Whole Spelt Burger Buns Directions Mix the first six ingredients together and form into patties. (other ingredient suggestions: green/red pepper, jalapenos, mushrooms, oregano, basil, etc.) Grill over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink. Apply your favorite BBQ sauce if desired. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion or toppings or your choice. Grilled Corn on the Cob: (recipe for 4 ears...just double or triple as needed) Husk corn and remove silk. Melt 3 TBSP butter in small bowl Add 1 1/2 Tbsp honey and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning (optional) and mix well. Place each ear on a 13-in by 12-in piece of heavy duty foil. Spread butter mixture over each ear of corn. Fold in edges of foil and seal. Grill approsimately 15 minutes, turning every 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully unwrap foil and season with salt or pepper to taste. May your summer be full of wonderful celebrations! Until next time...Happy Baking! Don't forget to take advantage of the Summer Hot Dog and Burger Bun Special we are running the entire month of July! Let us know if you have any questions!

By: Cindy Widder General Manager Berlin Natural Bakery Have you ever bought or made a muffin that looks or sounds so good, only to have it be dry and tasteless with the consistency of sawdust?? The recipe I am sharing with you today is NOT that kind of muffin. I promise. The blueberries and Streusel topping make these muffins sweet, moist and delicious. An added bonus, and one that I love, is that they are easy to make. This recipe makes 12 muffins, but I always double it so that I have plenty to share. Much to the chagrin of my husband (although he’s finally resigned himself to the fact), I am one of those messy bakers….my kitchen is usually declared a federal disaster zone by the time I’m finished. He says that FEMA won’t even come in! Thankfully, I get to make the mess, my husband cleans up after me and we both enjoy the fruit of our labor. It works out perfectly. So when this recipe said to grease the muffin pan, I immediately thought “no way” and switched to using cupcake papers instead….much less messy. With the dreary, rainy days we’ve been experiencing here in the Ohio Valley the past few days, these muffins accompanied with a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea make the day seem a little brighter and sunnier. I think I’ll grab a cup of coffee and a muffin right now. Until next time...happy baking! Ingredients: 1 egg 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup oil 1 cup white spelt flour 1/2 cup whole spelt flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup blueberries (I use fresh blueberries, but if you use frozen, don't thaw them) Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottom of 12 medium muffin cups (or use cupcake papers). Beat egg and stir in milk and oil. Mix in dry ingredients just until moistened. (If you prefer, you can use all White spelt flour). Fold in fresh or frozen blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full (I use an ice cream scoop). Top with streusel topping (recipe follows). Bake 20 – 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before removing from pans. Streusel Topping Ingredients: Mix... 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed) 1/4 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Add 3 tablespoons of cut-up firm butter and mix until crumbly. For me, the best way to mix this is to just dig in and use my hands.

We’ve had a very interesting spring here in the Ohio Valley. It started with record high temperatures in March, and progressed into an indecisive April. Always wavering on whether to remain cold, shift into warm or advance right on into hot. Take today for example. Temperatures this morning when we awoke were in the mid 30’s, but by the end of the day, they will be in the lower to mid 70’s! Although amazing….a 30 to 35 degree temperature increase within a 6 hour time frame is not unusual for us at this time of year. Talk about making it interesting in knowing what to wear! This morning I put on the Capri’s I planned to wear to work, but then added socks, tennis shoes, a hooded sweatshirt and a coat to wear in order to first take our little dog Woodrow to the park. I looked ridiculous but thank goodness no one else was at the park at that time! I must admit though, that it is such a marvelous feeling when you walk outside later in the afternoon and the brilliance and warmth of the sunshine overwhelms you. Truly one of those “ahhhhh” moments! With the arrival of the warm weather, so also arrive thoughts of summer picnics and family reunions. The recipe I am sharing this time is a dish that my mom usually makes every year for our Moser family reunion. It is definitely always a hit and quickly gone. It has no fancy name, but the name itself pretty well describes the dish. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that mom just named it herself. May you have a wonderful summer surrounded by family and friends with much laughter, making great memories. Until next time…..Happy Baking.

Chicken in Dressing Crust

Crust: 1 – 8 oz herb seasoned dressing/stuffing mix (I used half a loaf of Berlin Natural Bakery White Spelt bread, cut into cubes and seasoned with 2 tsp parsley, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp garlic salt, and 1/4 tsp of sage. You could add other seasonings such as poultry seasoning too, but I personally prefer less seasonings). ¾ cup chicken broth 1/3 cup melted butter 1 egg beaten. Mix together and place in the bottom of a 10” pie pan. * Filling: 1 - 4 oz can mushrooms 1 ½ tsp. salt (or to taste) 2 tsp. Flour 2 Tbsp. diced pimento (optional) ½ onion, chopped 1 Tbsp. Parsley flakes 1 Tbsp. Butter 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 3 cups cubed chicken or turkey ½ tsp. dried thyme 1 cup peas ½ tsp garlic salt 1 cup carrots, chopped 4 slices American cheese or cheddar or cheese of your choice ½ tsp black pepper 1 – 10 ½ oz can chicken gravy or cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup Drain mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Mix mushroom liquid with flour. Sauté mushrooms and onion in butter. If using raw carrots, cook slightly before adding. Add all ingredients to the mushroom/onion mixture except the cheese. Cook and stir well until slightly thickened. Turn into crust. Bake at 375 F until bubbly (approx 45 minutes). Add cheese to top of casserole and bake another 5 minutes until cheese is melted. * You may want to double this recipe and put it in a bigger casserole dish…something like a 9”x13” pan. (A couple notes: I stewed a whole chicken {which was enough for a double recipe} and used the broth from it for both the crust and in place of the can of gravy or soup. After sautéing the onions and mushrooms in the butter, I added 1 ½ cups of chicken broth to the pan and brought it all to a boil. I added 2 Tbsp flour to the mushroom liquid instead of 2 Tsp. and mixed well. Once the broth was boiling I added the flour mixture to the broth, stirring constantly and basically made“homemade” gravy. Then I added everything else according to the recipe and poured it into the crust. If you use fresh mushrooms, just add the flour to water…2 Tbsp flour added to ½ cup water).