Having overnight guests can be stressful or fun, depending on your perspective. I’ve found the more I prepare, especially when it comes to cooking, the more I enjoy my guests.
Last year I wrote about keeping our guests’ dietary needs in mind, which can be tricky, but it also feels good to pamper and to make our guests feel special!
On a personal note, I’m really looking forward to this weekend with our guests from out of town. I’m going to try to set aside my “to do” list and revel in God’s creational rhythms that nourish and restore our bodies, souls and relationships. Sometimes setting our agendas aside, simply relaxing and being present with others, especially in the “busy” days that we live in, is a true gift.
Being with people, loving them, getting to know them more, is really a beautiful thing and is what we are created for. The gift of enjoying one another.
So keeping our guests’ needs in mind (wheat-free diet) this weekend, I whipped up a blackberry loaf of bread with Spelt flour, baked and cooled it, then wrapped and froze so it would stay fresh before our friends arrived.
Earlier this week I spotted a patch of blackberries when I was out for a run, so I drove back and picked a bucket full. I love summer delights like warm blackberries on the vine. I did eat as I picked, but that’s when they taste the best. 
And even though they were hanging over the fence, I went around onto our neighbors’ property, reaching up high and picking the “big ones,” and their front door opened. Caught! But it all turned out okay.
Depending on how long our guests stay, it’s always good to be prepared.
Do you worry about dietary needs when you have guests into your home?
Now for the delicious taste of when applesauce (mine was home-canned) and blackberries come together …
Recipe: Blackberry Spelt Bread {ReluctantEntertainer.Com}
Summary: Delightfulness of blackberries and applesauce coming together in a warm loaf of bread.
Ingredients
- 4 T. butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a large loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter or oil and sugar. Stir in applesauce, eggs, orange juice and vanilla.
- In a second large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter-egg mixture until just combined. Gently stir in blackberries.
- Spoon batter into pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 8
Now to highlight some other fabulous blackberry recipes … ENJOY!
Two Peas and Their Pod: Lemon Ricotta Blackberry Muffins
Steamy Kitchen: Salmon with Blackberry Brandy Sauce
Add a Pinch: Blackberry Tartlets
How Sweet It Is: Blackberry Cobbler Waffles
Happy Yolks: Blackberry Brownies
Luna Cafe: Summer Tomato, Sweet Onion, & Blackberry Salad with Basil Mint Crema
Give Me Some Oven: Spinach Berry Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette
And, if you didn’t see my post earlier this week: Berry Nutella Bruschetta
Hi, I'm Sandy. Five years ago I stocked up on beautiful glasses from the Dollar Store. As I started writing about dinner parties, I realized that this "icon" portrays a great message. 
I want to share with you some of my favorite places to visit in blog-land, sites that I learn from and am inspired by, and some beautiful friends that I’ve met over the years.
Baking with spelt flour is really the only flour I have experimented with. This bread looks delicious! And thank you for sharing my waffles.
[Reply]
I love blackberries. They are my all time favorite. They grew wild by our house growing up. I miss the days when they were free..ha! Great bread recipe! Thanks for featuring our muffins! xoxo
[Reply]
That bread recipe looks yummy!!!!! I think I will make some this weekend.
Question: Where did you buy that big loaf pan?
Lynn G.
[Reply]
Loved this post….we are enjoying blackberries almost daily. I’ll be coming back for all the recipes shared here today…thank you!
[Reply]
W.O.W.
Everything looks so good that I accidentally drooled all down the front of my shirt and now I have to change because I look insane.
LOVE.
[Reply]
I’ve never cooked with Spelt flour. Yes, I do take into consideration friends’ dietary needs/preferences and I have plenty that have them. It’s caused me to really dig and find new yummy recipes to try. Many end up being ones my family likes to have on a somewhat regular basis even though we don’t have certain needs. Blackberry bread sounds yumm!
[Reply]
Love the speckle the blackberries give that loaf — lovely!
[Reply]
Sandy, Thank you! I am always looking for recipes using spelt flour as we are trying to eat in a healthy way cutting out as much white and processed ingredients as possible. This will be perfect with the blackberries and also as a base recipe to change up. Thank you again
[Reply]
That bread looks scrumptious. I’ve not made a blackberry bread before, I bet it is just heavenly. Thank you so much for sharing my Blackberry Tartlets.
[Reply]