Rustic Tri-Berry Pie

In keeping with my "try 3 recipes from this magazine (Every Day with Rachael Ray) challenge", I decided to make the Rustic Tri-Berry Pie today. I bought the fruit earlier in the week so it was now or never (the strawberries were ripe RIPE).

:)

And the smell of them...mmmmmmmm...LOVE.

Ingredients

• 3 containers (6 oz. each) blackberries (about 3 ½ cups)
• 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking (not pearl) tapioca
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 8 oz. strawberries (about 2 cups), halved or quartered
• 1 container (6 oz.) blueberries (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick (8 tbsp.) plus 2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg, separated
• Ice water
• Strawberry ice cream, for serving

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup blackberries, 1/4 cup sugar, the tapioca and lemon juice; mash with a potato masher. Stir in the strawberries, blueberries, remaining blackberries and 3/4 cup sugar. Let stand for at least 20 minutes, gently stirring once or twice.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400°. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add 8 tbsp. butter and, with a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. Continue working with your fingertips until the mixture is flaky. In a cup, combine the egg yolk with 1/4 cup ice water. Drizzle over the flour mixture and stir with a fork until incorporated and the dough is slightly moist but not wet. (Test by pinching some of the dough; if it doesn't stay together, sprinkle about 1 tsp. more ice water on the dry part and gather the dough into a mass.)

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and, with a lightly floured rolling pin (I don't have a rolling pin so I used a soup can), roll out to a 13-inch round, rotating the dough occasionally to keep it even and to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Roll the dough up onto the pin and unroll over and into a 9-inch pie plate (see top right); center it and let the excess pastry drape over the edges. Gently press the dough into the pan (see middle right).
Spoon the berry mixture evenly into the pan, making sure to pour in all the juices that have collected in the bowl. Dot the top with the remaining 2 tbsp. butter. Gently fold the pastry up over the berries, pleating as you go around (see bottom right).

In a small bowl, beat the egg white with a fork until frothy. With a pastry brush, lightly glaze the pastry all over with the egg white. Sprinkle the dough with a few pinches sugar. Bake the pie until the berry filling is bubbling well, about 1 hour; check after 40 minutes and if the crust is browning too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of foil. Let the pie cool completely, at least 4 hours, before cutting and serving with scoops of strawberry ice cream.

BEFORE it went into the oven...

After it came out of the oven...

You can see why it's called "Rustic" Tri-Berry Pie...not exactly picture perfect BUT...the smell...oh the smell...

And I'll let ya know on the taste...it has to cool for 4 hours before I'm supposed to cut and eat it. :)

If you ask me, this is a quintessential summer dessert! Fresh summer berries baked in a pie with ice cream on top.

Mmmmmmmmmm...

XO

What's For Dinner? Penne with Grilled Summer Squash and Sweet Corn

Ingredients

• 1 lb. penne pasta
• 4 yellow summer squash (about 1 1/2 lbs.) - halved crosswise and each half cut lengthwise into 3 thick slabs (Make Ahead! Grill the summer squash up to 2 days ahead of using.) - I actually didn't have summer squash on hand so I used a giant yellow zucchini
  
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tomatoes, chopped- I used Roma tomatoes
  
• 1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn), or use frozen
• 1 container (15 oz.) whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 2 tsp. chopped thyme - please use FRESH not dried...it adds amazing flavor!
  

Preparation

Preheat a grill to medium-high. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente; drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot.

Meanwhile, brush the squash pieces with 1/4 cup EVOO and season with salt. Grill, turning once, until nicely charred, about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, corn and remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO. Add the ricotta, garlic and thyme; toss well. Add the drained pasta and stir in about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more cooking water as desired.

I actually did this all completely different - I put some EVOO in a pan with the minced garlic and a small pat of butter...then I added the chopped tomatoes and corn. In the meantime, I grilled the zucchini (in slices, lengthwise)...once that was just about finished, I chopped up the zucchini and tossed that with the tomatoes and corn. THEN, I added the ricotta cheese and thyme and mixed it all together. This recipe needs a good amount of sea salt and black pepper for flavoring - it could be a tad bland if you aren't careful to season everything well.

Here's how it turned out!

Doesn't it look delish?!

I wish that I could say that the kids loved it.

They didn't.

But maybe you'll get lucky and yours will. :)

My husband and I LOVED it. And it's filling so you don't need much.

I personally thought that it was a perfect recipe for a summer evening - no heavy meat (or meat at all for that matter) and no oven needed. :)

I served it with a salad...

And grilled peaches for dessert!

Oh.my.word...if you never grilled peaches before...now is the time to do it! Peaches are in season and if you buy them at a farm stand...HELLO. DIVINE. Grocery store peaches, not so much.

I got the idea to grill them from Rachael Ray...again...in the same mag that I got my previous 2 recipes from. It's so simple...slice the peaches (remove the skin first) and put them on the grill...I don't know for how long...just long enough for grill marks...you'll be able to tell. I again, used my George Foreman. It makes for easier clean up and the peaches will have an easier time staying on the grill instead of slipping down off the rack. Once they've been grilled to perfection by wonderfully creative you, place them in a pretty little ramekin and top them with real whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon.

TO.DIE. I swear to you. And fairly healthy I would say too...depending on how much whipped cream you use. ;)

It's the perfect ending to a summer meal. I really think that you'll love it.

I'm sad that I used up all of my peaches because they were on the verge of being too ripe but man were they sweet and so so delicious.

As Pearl Smooter said in Sweet Home Alabama, "Some people might call them "spoiled"... but I think that these almost-ruined ones... sometimes make the sweetest jam."

I love that quote. Been dying to use it somewhere. So, there you go.

In fruit and in life, sometimes the almost ruined ones make the sweetest jam.

:)

FUN FACT: The song that is playing right now is called Recipe for Makin' Love by Harry Connick, Jr. My husband and I had it playing during the cake cutting part of our wedding reception. Ahhhhh...memories. :)

What's For Dinner? Honey - Mustard Chicken

A couple of weeks back, I picked up a copy of Rachael Ray's magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray. It's not a regular purchase for me, however, Noah got a little crazy in CVS and wound up ripping out one of the 'Your Weeknight Meal Planner' pamphlets. So, I thought...you break it, you bought it. The photo of the burger on the front wasn't a deterrent either, I gotta tell ya (said in my "Rachael Ray voice"). Check it out...YUMMO. I'm thinkin' that you'd probably need jaw surgery after taking one bite though...eeesh.

Anyway...........

Since I do like to switch things up a little bit and I haven't tried a new recipe lately (other than the S'mores Pie 4th of July bomb - they should tell you that it's going to turn to soup in the heat.), I thought that it'd be fun to try 3 recipes from the magazine this week (Challenge anyone?).

I had to go grocery shopping this morning and it was a perfect time to purchase the ingredients I need.

Tonight's dinner is recipe numero uno (Take special note: FAST Chicken Meal - who wants to slave over a hot stove for very long in this dead heat?)

Honey-Mustard Chicken

Here's what you'll need:

Chicken: Not pictured (recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded thin - I personally used chicken tenderloins and didn't pound a single one of'em)
Honey mustard (1/4 cup)
Sea Salt (1 tsp) - you could also use kosher
Plain yogurt (1/2 cup)
Cayenne Pepper (1/2 tsp)
Honey - Actually...you don't need honey...I quickly read the ingredients, got everything out and took the picture...when I actually went to put the recipe together, I realized that what I thought said 'honey' actually was just the beginning of 'honey mustard'.
But with the thought of keeping things real, I kept the honey in the picture - just to prove to you that I really do have blonde hair.

K so...how much honey do you need?

NUTTIN' HONEY.

Correct. That was free of charge.

Combine all of the ingredients minus the chicken in a plastic bag
I found that placing a zip lock bag over top of a Tupperware container made for easy pouring/mixing

See here:

Once you have your 'marinade' all mixed up, you can add your chicken, seal the top and get ta shakin'...massage it all in reaaaaal good to make sure that your chicken is evenly coated...I actually thought this part was kinda fun...

Next up...gottagetstagrillin'...

My hubby wasn't home when I made these and I am not a big fan of using the gas grill on my own so I used my George Foreman grill...just a little something to keep in mind if you feel like doin' the same (Plus, it's healthier!).

Added just a sprinkle of parsley for color - and look, I even got some nice grill marks! :)

Served this with...

Corn on the cob (melt in your mouth DELISH and from my local farmer's market - I wonder if it would be okay to eat corn on the cob everyday?)

Roasted zucchini, red bell peppers and red onions

Before being roasted - don't you just love all of that beautiful color???

And after (Seasoned with EVOO, sea salt and black pepper)

Threw in some rice pilaf and apple sauce (not pictured) for good measure and we had ourselves a feast!

Now THAT is what I call YUMMO, Rachael.

Now if I could only do it all up in under 30 minutes...

XO

Mulberry-Orange Muffins

(FYI: Your muffins will not turn out with a greenish tint like mine did...unless you are out of rock sugar and improvise with green sugar crystals.) ;)

Mulberry-Orange Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

zest of one orange

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups low-fat sour cream

1 1/2-2 cups fresh mulberries, stemmed (this is a very tedious process - please be forewarned and make sure that you wear something to protect your clothes)

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

rock or turbinado sugar

unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Add orange zest and eggs, one at a time, incorporating thoroughly after each addition. Alternate flour mixture and sour cream in thirds, mixing until almost incorporated. Toss mulberries in 1 tablespoon flour, shaking off any excess. Carefully fold berries into batter.

Line a muffin tin with baking cups. Scoop batter into cups (fill completely); an ice cream scoop makes quick work of this. Top each scoop of batter with a sliver of butter (about 1/4 teaspoon) and sprinkle the tops generously with rock or turbinado sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until muffins are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

If storing in an airtight container, muffins will stay moist for a few days.

These are delicious and it makes me feel really good knowing that we used resources from our own backyard. I plan on keeping this recipe around for the next mulberry season...they were a bit hit in our house! :)

The Absolute WORST Thing That You Can Do When You Are Dieting......

...is look at recipes...

Especially one like this:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/05/knock-you-naked-brownies/

Now I am convinced that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil probably looked something like this.

Temptation.

I am so happy that I do not have the ingredients it would take to throw this together right now. ;)



“Calvin: Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man? Hobbes: I'm not sure that man needs the help”

I love Calvin and Hobbes - do you?!

Recipe for French Onion Soup - Finally!

Okay, so here it is as promised...like a month ago. Oops!

French Onion Soup

prep. 20 min., cook: 1 hr.

1/4 cup butter
5 medium-size white onions, thinly sliced (about 3 pounds)
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans beef consomme
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh parsley sprigs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 (3/4-inch-thick) French baguette slices
6 (1-ounce) Swiss cheese slices
Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion, and cook, stirring often, 40 minutes or until golden.
Add chicken broth and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove and discard herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into 6 ovenproof bowls; top with bread and cheese slices. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat 4 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly. Garnish, if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Values:
Per serving: Calories 297 (51% from fat); Fat 16.7g (sat 9.9g, mono 4g, poly 0.6g); Protein 15g; Carb 22g; Fiber 1.6g; Chol 52mg; Iron 0.8mg; Sodium 1885mg; Calc 296mg

This soup is DE-LISH and seriously just as tasty if not better than any French Onion Soup I've ordered in a restaurant. Better late than never! Enjoy!

XO

Me

While You Were Sleeping...

...I was blessed with the most incredible view...



...and I took some time to bake you a special breakfast treat...




...I had the absolute privilege of being able to bask in the warmest glow of a most amazing sunrise...



...while my bread was baking, I sat down for a moment and learned how to be...


...I prayed that someday I'll be able to live up to all of the wisdom found in this enlightening read...

...I tiptoed up the stairs, got quietly dressed, wrote you a note to tell you where I'd be and then proceeded back down the stairs...careful not to wake you...

...I pulled the delicious smelling bread from the oven to allow it to cool...


...and then I left for the gym...I don't know what it is but I love morning traffic when I am not pressed for time...

When I returned home from the gym, I opened the door quietly and took pleasure in the fact that you were all still sleeping...

So, I decided to sit down and write this blog post...still reveling in the silence...

Peace for just a few moments more...

Knowing that soon, my time will once again be yours and not soley mine...

All this while you were sleeping...

So when you ask me later what I've been doing since I've been up...now you will know...

And maybe next time, you'll be tempted to join me when you've seen how blissful it is...

But I hope not...

Because honestly, this time I covet...just me...the Lord...and His beautiful sunrise...

Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun...that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

Super Easy Summer Recipe - Remembering Arizona

Hi all! I'm baaaaaaack! Miss me? ;)

Had.an.AMAZING.time in AZ. Admittedly, I am WAY depressed to be back on the East Coast and super sad to be away from Kelly and Steve (and Kim too but I'd only have to hop in the car and drive 15 min max to see her).

I'm not quite ready to post my vacay pics yet b/c I have a lot to do around here and it's gonna take some lengthy uninterrupted time to do it up right for you guys. Keep your eyes peeled though...they'll be comin' your way sometime this week, I hope...

For today, just in case you are awaiting a blog post from me with bated breath...here's a little somethin' to whet your whistle.

Kelly and Steve made this dish for Kim and I on our first night in AZ and I fell in love with it. It's easy and so so delish. I was needing some fresh recipes for summer and this fits in perfectly with that.

So here goes...

You'll need very few ingredients:

Penne pasta, grape tomatoes (cherry, roma, plum etc are also fine, I would imagine) extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan reggiano cheese, fresh basil, garlic, sea salt and pepper not pictured

Your first step is to boil the water for your pasta (not pictured) - I add a little EVOO and sea salt to the water to keep the pasta from sticking and also to bring out the flavor of the pasta

Chop your tomatoes


Put a little EVOO in your pan...add some fresh minced garlic...

I use my Pampered Chef garlic press to get my garlic minced just right...


Add your chopped tomatoes


Meanwhile, if your pasta water is boiling, you may now add your penne (to the water, not the tomatoes - just in case you got a little confused here) (cook pasta according to the directions on the box)

Saute tomatoes

Pick and chop your fresh basil - smells DIVINE

I use my Pampered Chef food chopper to get them to the perfect size...


Add basil to your tomatoes


At this time, I flavor my tomato mixture with a little sea salt and black pepper

Drain your pasta

Toss the penne pasta with the tomato mixture and top with freshly shredded parmesan-reggiano cheese

I used my Pampered Chef cheese shredder to accomplish this


Here is the finished product:


And there you have it...a super simple summer meal...few ingredients and takes no time at all...and did I mention that it's healthy and superbly delicious?

Oh yeah, and my kiddos liked it too...BONUS!


Serve it up by itself or with a green salad...YUM.

Enjoy!

P.S. This recipe features Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Queen Creek Olive Mill in Queen Creek, AZ (we spent the afternoon there on Saturday - it was blissful - I felt so posh) lol


Check them out @ http://queencreekolivemill.com/

Curtis Stone Recipe For Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Wrap

Excuse me while I salivate just a bit...

A Recipe Worth Blogging About

The following recipe can be found in this book (Those Gooseberry people really know what they're doing). ;)

Here's me taking the lazy route - instead of typing it out, here is...the recipe.

The cast of characters aka the ingredients (I have found that I do love setting everything up beforehand and then just dumping the contents of the cute little bowls come direction time).

First step - melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, add onions and cook until tender. Add flour and 1/2 cup of your milk, stir continuously until you reach a nice thickness resembling a consistency not unlike lumpy oatmeal.

(You can also preheat your oven to 425 @ this point)

I like to have a candle burning nearby when handling onions, I don't know if it's true but I've heard that it helps cut down on the severity of the "onion air" (the thing that makes you cry, which I did previous to lighting the candle this morning)

Beating together the eggs, remaining milk, salt and pepper...add cheese

...and herbs...you MUST use fresh...the smell alone is so worth it...


Mix in "lumpy oatmeal" aka the onion mixture


Meanwhile, roll out your prepared pie crust and flute your edges (I'm not a real great fluter).


Pour your quiche mixture into your pie plate.


Place into your preheated oven (yes, I took a picture of this too).


Cook for 15 minutes @ this heat and then decrease it to 350 for another 25-35 minutes.

You can do a toothpick test if you so wish to make sure it's ready (I never do).

Here is the final result (I decorated the top with a couple of chives - food should be pretty!).


I served this to my family this morning along side of some Pillsbury Reduced Fat Cinnamon Rolls


And a special smoothie for my husband and I

Frozen berries
Fresh strawberries
Lime juice
1 whole banana
And for a twist: a little bit of Coconut Pineapple ice cream

Now...who wouldn't want to wake-up to THAT?!

Here's to a light-filled happy morning with special treats and a fabulous family! Cheers!

XO,