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Sometimes, I am an incredible planner. However, most of the time, I am not. I had planned on posting this recipe last week while I was out of town, but I became enthralled with episodes of Big Brother, stop judging me and packing and unpacking like 18 pairs of shoes.

I traveled to New Jersey for a couple of days to hang out with Amber and then headed to PA with Green Mountain Coffee for Big Summer Potluck.

I always hype up myself before embarking on journeys that require encounters with new people. I’m socially awkward and although I fully embrace this facet of my personality, new people is not something that I do well. I can easily appear to be standoffish – not because I’m bitchy although I can be and Brian will attest to that, but more because engaging in new interactions is not one of my strengths.

Plus, I always end up in an awkward situation that typically entails food in my teeth, toilet paper stuck to my shoe or something else random that makes me wonder why I went in public to begin with.

Being a blogger, I can kind of hide behind my computer and edit myself tremendously during an interaction, but in person, that luxury simply doesn’t exist. So I had to suck it up, embrace my nervous fits of profanity and hope that I packed the right shoes.

I’m not much of conference attendee due the aforementioned social anxiety situation, but the Big Summer Potluck is a bit different. It’s a little more intimate, a little more low key, but full of great friends, inspiration and of course – food. The best part of BSP was connecting with people like Jen, Paula, Kristen, Megan, Aimee, Shaina and so many others that I’ve only known through a computer monitor. Seeing and talking with people in person is good stuff – I think I may need to do it more often!

Berry Burst Granita uses the new Acai Berry Vitamin Burst K-Cup™. This specialty crafted K-Cup™ is designed to be brewed over ice – it’s caffeine free, naturally sweetened, full of vitamin C and bursting with delicious berry flavor. I blended this sweet, invigorating beverage with fresh summer berries to create a refreshing dessert perfect for the hot Summer days of August.

Moral of the story? Make granita and totally embrace your awkwardness – people aren’t really as scary as we make them out to be in our heads.

[pinit]

Berry Burst Granita

Ingredients:

Acai Berry Vitamin Burst brewed over ice (10 ounce setting)
3/4 cup fresh strawberries
3/4 cup fresh bluberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Strain the ice from the brewed Acai Berry Vitamin Burst and pour it into a blender. Add in the fresh berries and blend until the mixture is smooth. Give the mixture a taste, if it is not sweet enough, add in a little sugar until you reach the desired level of sweetness. My berries were sweet enough, so I did not add any sugar.

2. Pour mixture into a 9-inch square pan or dish and freeze, stirring and raking the mixture with a fork 30 minutes or so, until frozen, 4 to 6 hours. Scrape the mixture with the tines of fork before serving. Cover tightly and freeze. Scrape granita into bowls, garnish with berries and serve.

Notes:

- Granita can be made up to one day in advance.

All images and text ©

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23 Comments

  1. baker in disguise says:

    this is just soo soo pretty!! i love berries.. and it doesnt get better than this!! “Totally embrace your awkwardness”.. that made me simple!

  2. Amber says:

    I’m in love with these new k-cup packs. It was a fun week, though I wish we’d had more time to bake together. Social awkwardness is definitely one of the things I love about you.

  3. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says:

    Ohhhh, this sounds wonderful and refreshing!!!

  4. Cassie says:

    I adore granita this time of year. The berries are just perfect too, and the color is absolutely stunning!

  5. Becca - Cookie Jar Treats says:

    Ooooh. I’ve never had a granita before, but this one looks so pretty :)

    And I too and socially awkward. I never know what to say and usually I want to stay home as opposed to going out. It’s kind of sad. :P

    I hope you had a good time at the BSP :)

  6. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says:

    Mmm this sounds delicious. And I agree, new people even in smaller settings can be uncomfortable and awkward.

  7. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says:

    So fun! I can’t wait to try!!

  8. Kathryn says:

    I have exactly the same fears about meeting new people and especially people that I’ve got to know online and who don’t realise quite how awkward I can be! It sounds like the Big Summer Potluck was such a great weekend though that any anxiety was totally worth it :)

  9. Melange says:

    This is an absolute treat..the loved the way you presented it as well..Truly worth it !

  10. Lindsay says:

    I’m totally with you on the awkward-social-interaction thing. But I have to say I so enjoyed meeting you this past weekend. :) Us introverts need to stick together!