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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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August 17, 2011

A Big Welcome to Val So Cal!

Hey there, this is Val from ValSoCal, a Southern California food/life blog. I’m thrilled to be guest posting today At The Picket Fence. I adore both Vanessa and Heather.  Summer is here and I love to entertain and whip up easy and delicious recipes. Hop on over to my blog and lets have some yummy fun! Here are a couple easy recipes! Enjoy.

                  
   This sweet dip is the epitome of what Summer is all about!!  Refreshing and oh so good! Do you have a Summer get together that you are going to? Are you about to have a party at your own house? I beg you, Like, pleading with you to make this. Turn on some Jimmy Buffet or maybe Bob Marley and have a little fun.

Pina Colada Dip

1 package ( 8 ounce ) cream cheese, softened
1 jar ( 7 ounce ) marshmallow crème
1 can ( 8 ounce ) crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 pound cake or angel food cake, cubed
strawberries
fresh pineapple, cubed

Directions:          

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and marshmallow creme until fluffy. Fold in pineapple and coconut. Cover and chill until serving. Serve.

    
      There are very few things in life that I love more than butter….It just make me happy. I love full fat with salt butter. I could slather it on everything. I wish I could indulge more often but my thighs would not like me. Everything in moderation, right? You need to make this…like today!!



Blueberry Butter

1 pint blueberries
1 stick salted butter
4 to 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar
lemon zest ( optional )

Directions:

In a small bowl mash blueberries and set aside. In a another bowl mix butter and sugar until well combined. Mix the blueberries and butter together and place in a canning jar or bowl. Refrigerate or sever room temp and thoroughly enjoy!

blueberry butter

I came up with recipe because I needed to use up the berries I had!  This is perfect for a hostess gift. I like to smear some on croissants any carb will do. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!
Thank you so much Val for guest posting at the picket fence today! We encourage you to run… er um well…actually… type your way over as quickly as you can to Val’s fabulous, gorgeous blog and browse through all of her other amazing recipes! You will drool on your keyboard. we swear it!
Thanks for meeting us and Val from Val So Cal...at the picket fence!
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17 Comments Filed Under: Appetizer, Guest Posts, Recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Inspire Me Heather says

    August 17, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    Looks so yummy – thanks!

    Reply
  2. Honey at 2805 says

    August 17, 2011 at 2:06 PM

    So nice to meet Val! The blueberry butter sounds so yummy!

    Reply
  3. Tammy says

    August 17, 2011 at 2:15 PM

    Yum! My stomach is growling 🙂

    Reply
  4. Debbie says

    August 17, 2011 at 2:28 PM

    I absolutely MUST try the pina colada dip!

    Reply
  5. Val says

    August 17, 2011 at 2:29 PM

    Aww, I’m smiling big! Thank you ladies. You made my day!

    Reply
  6. Marina @ Yummy Mummy says

    August 17, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    Yay! Love seeing Val being featured around the blogosphere! She’s the best! xoxo

    Reply
  7. CraveCute says

    August 17, 2011 at 3:04 PM

    These both look and sound delicious!

    Reply
  8. Ginger Zuck says

    August 17, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    Yum, looks pretty too.

    Reply
  9. michelle says

    August 17, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    Love Val, she is so sweet and all her recipes are YUMMY!!!!
    xo

    Reply
  10. A Cozy Cottage in the City says

    August 17, 2011 at 6:38 PM

    Great to meet Val!!! I too am from southern Cal!!! 😉 I will have to go and check out her blog now!!! I do love me some “food posts!” 😉

    XOXO’s,
    Jessie

    Reply
  11. Liz says

    August 17, 2011 at 6:58 PM

    I love Val, too! She is so talented and in so many ways, not only with her great inspiring recipes, but she is a fabulous decorator and photographer. Thanks for sharing! XO ~Liz

    Reply
  12. Coley says

    August 17, 2011 at 7:44 PM

    seriously, you need to stop! My tummy is hungry after seeing those photos and I just ate lunch!

    Reply
  13. Elizabeth says

    August 18, 2011 at 12:43 AM

    I love flavored butter! We frequent a tapas restaurant that serves flavored. Utter and hot crush bread. Delicious! I must try this blueberry butter.

    Reply
  14. Leslie says

    August 18, 2011 at 1:05 AM

    I love Val’s blog, and I’m so glad you featured her! These recipes look D’lish!!! I’ve got to try them before the summer is up. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Light and Voices says

    August 18, 2011 at 2:10 AM

    So do you dip the cake into the dip?
    Joyce

    Reply
  16. Not Your Ordinary Agent says

    August 19, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    these are perfect for summertime! i cannot wait to try the blueberry butter! will you link it to foodie friday? https://notyourordinaryrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/08/foodie-friday-2.html
    can’t wait to check out your blog!
    https://www.homesandbabies.com
    https://notyourordinaryrecipes.blogspot.com Oh and congrats for being featured here… what an honor!

    Reply
  17. Tanya Anurag says

    August 19, 2011 at 4:31 PM

    Cake… creme… pineapple… aahh so yummy!!

    Reply

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Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.”.
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When I was a little girl we took a trip to Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, MO. One of the attractions there is the Marvel Cave. The whole theme park was actually built right around the cave! I will never forget the feeling of descending into the darkness. We had to walk down a steep, narrow path and I could feel the rocky walls beginning to close in on me. From time to time, our guide would even have to call out for us to duck our heads so as not to whack them on rocks that were jutting out. And just when it felt like we had been walking forever; just when it felt the most narrow and the most dark; just when we were starting to get really weary from navigating this path, we turned the corner and found ourselves awestruck as we gazed at this enormous room. Everywhere we looked there were stalactites and stalagmites. Lights had been installed and they reflected off of these formations creating the most beautiful colors on the walls. There were pools of water in a shade of aquamarine I had never seen before and waterfalls flowing from upper levels. That long, winding, damp trek had been so very worth it. The descent into darkness had revealed light…and life!

My prayer for you friends, is that you will look at that narrow path with the small gate as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to experience the kind of freedom that our souls are longing for. The wide and broad path of the world promises us a freedom that is fleeting and temporary. But at the end of the narrow path, there is hope and peace and life everlasting.

I’m choosing the narrow path. And in spite of the hardships, in spite of the challenges and the fears and the times that can feel as dark as the journey down into a cave, I wouldn’t trade a single minute of it.
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The month of June is coming to a close and it has The month of June is coming to a close and it has been JAM packed! The highlight by far though was my son's graduation from high school. When I started blogging, he was only 6 years old and some of you have been apart of my community here for that entire time. Now, he's 19 and there is a reason parents are told not to blink because the years truly do go faster than I ever could have imagined. He has become such an incredible young man we are so excited to see how God is going to unfold the next chapter of his life. We celebrated with parties galore (SO many open houses to attend!) and made memories we'll forever cherish. My mama heart was filled to bursting with the joy of it all! Now we're taking some time to just enjoy these warm, summer days making even more memories because, when you’re at this stage of parenting, you know all too well how much you need to grasp every opportunity to spend time together.

I hope your summer is off to a great start too dear friends! 🪴
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts o “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Happy first day of summer dear friends!! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted something new here but life has been crazy. I’ll have some new photos of house projects and life events to share with you soon but, got now, I’m just going to enjoy this gorgeous first day of summer after our ridiculously long, wet spring. ☀️
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