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On Monday, we went berry picking with some friends at a local farm.  I felt like we had gotten soooo many berries until we got home:)  I am pretty sure little hands ate way more than we saw!  Since blackberries are a little tart on their own, I decided to use some of them in a lemon blackberry pound cake.  They were so big, I ended up cutting them in half and they were a perfect compliment to the lemon.

This recipe is super easy and can be switched out to make tons of different flavor combinations!

THE INGREDIENTS

1 package cake mix (any flavor)

1 small box pudding mix (any flavor)

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water or fruit juice

2 cups of add in of choice (chocolate chips, nuts, fruit, etc)

THE DIRECTIONS

Set out all ingredients and allow to come to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.  In mixing bowl, stir together the cake ix and pudding mix.  Make a well in the center and add in the eggs, sour cream, oil and water.  Beat on low until combined.  Scrape bowl and beat on medium speed for 4 minutes.  Stir in your add in.  Pour into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or till toothpick comes out with wet crumbs.  Allow to cool mostly.

GLAZE

If desired, whisk powdered sugar with milk or juice until desired consistency is achieved.  Drizzle over cake.

*For mine, I used lemon cake mix, vanilla pudding, lemon juice in place of the water and milk in the icing.

My basil plant was getting out of control so I decided it was time for my first harvest!  I got so much, I am going to have to look for some more ways to use it up.  My first plan was for dinner when I made this yummy Chicken Penne with Basil Cream sauce.  I made a much lighter version than the original so I will post the original and then note my changes.  The original is super yummy for sure but not exactly figure friendly:)

The Ingredients:

1 qt (4 cups) and 1 pt (2 cups) heavy whipping cream (I used all skim milk with 1 tablespoon of light sour cream in each cream step)

6oz cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)

6 oz grated parmesan or parmesan/romano cheese

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 t. dry ranch mix ( I just put in a pinch of dill weed, onion powder and garlic powder)

salt and pepper to taste

The Directions:

Process basil and 1 pt of cream ( or milk and sour cream) in food processor or blender until thick and green.  Heat 1 qt cream ( or milk and sour cream) to a simmer stirring with a whisk.  Add cream cheese and stir until melted.  Add grated cheese and stir.  Add dressing mix and basil cream mixture and stir until starts to thicken.  Cook 2 lbs of penne pasta to al dente and drain.  Return to hot pot.  Pour sauce over top and stir.  Serve with cubed or grilled chicken.

*The starch from the pasta will help thicken the sauce.

We were wanting to plant blueberries in our garden this year but when we went to buy the plants, they didn’t have any.  Here is a great deal on ordering some!

Buy 2 plants for only $10.00 and then get a third smaller one for FREE.  You will have to pay the shipping as well but the total should be about $22.00 for all three plants shipped.  These are supposed to be awesome plants that put out a lot of fruit.  Order yours now HERE!

Right now, Amazon has great prices on their Felknor Ventures 82506 Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planter for only $7.29 or the Felknor Ventures TT041112 Topsy Turvy Strawberry Planter for $10.70!  Both of them ship FREE with Super Saver shipping on orders over $25.00 or with Amazon Prime or Amazon Mom!  These would be perfect for a back patio and a huge moneysaver!

Thanks ShoppingTipsAndTricks!

Click HERE to request your FREE Burpee Vegetable Garden Guide.  Burpee Home Gardens presents "Garden Fresh" – an insightful yet fun vegetable gardening guide that answers your questions on everything from what to grow, to how much and when. This companion offers ideas, inspirations, and the support you need to explore – and succeed at – the world of home vegetable gardening.  We just planted our garden this past week and it is a great way to save on fresh and organic produce.

Thanks OhioCouponConnection!

Here is a HOT new coupon out for your weekend projects!  Get $10.00 off a $50.00 or more printable coupon for Lowe’s HERE.  These expire on 4/4/11 and are valid in-store only!

Thanks SwagGrabber!

Lowes put out a new coupon that will get you special prices on some home improvement items.  The coupon is good through 3/28/11.  Here are the deals you can get with the coupon HERE:

• 20% off Sta-green fertilizers
• Save $800 when you buy a washer dryer pair as listed
• Delta bathroom or kitchen fixture for $39.00
• 20% off certain grills
• BOGO FREE 8pk of 60 watt GE lightbulbs at $7.48
• Valspar interior flat enamel paint- $15.48 per gallon
• 16 gallon wet/dry vacuum for $59.00
• Purchas a Porter Cable Drill combo pack at either $109 or $159 and get a FREE 18 volt cordless impact driver valued at $69.97

You can use this coupon more than once during the sale period through 3/28.  Make sure to read the coupon for the specific items included for each sale.