Bring Me Berries!

First...a moment of silence for the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor.  The world has lost one of the old-time screen beauties and we will be a little less glamorous because of the loss.

Good morning, Kitschies!  After a stoopid windy day on Monday and a really chilly day yesterday, it's gorgeous here in the Land of Entrapment Enchantment with a projected high of 65.  My allergies have eased up just a bit and I'm looking forward to running an errand at lunch so I can soak up some sun.  I love the warm weather and the budding trees of Spring.  But I do not love the wind and the pollen and the resulting allergies.

Last weekend it was pretty windy too.  I wanted to do something but it wasn't worth it to go outside.  Nate and I made cookies on Sunday (recipe will follow in another post soon) and on Saturday night, I made this great, simple recipe.  I found this on Epicurious - that was the first recipe database I tried waaay back in the day (I still use that recipe from time to time).  I need to remember to check that site more often because it really does have great recipes.

Mixed Berry Crisp
 2 12-ounce packages frozen mixed berries (such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries; about 6 cups), unthawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine berries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour and lemon juice in large bowl; toss to blend well. Transfer berry mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Combine remaining 3/4 cup flour, oats, brown sugar, spices and salt in medium bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping holds together in small moist clumps. Sprinkle over berry mixture.

Bake crisp until berry mixture bubbles thickly and topping is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES:  I used an 8x8 square baking pan instead of the pie plate and it worked just fine.  I usually don't care for the topping of crisps like this, but this one was great!

I love this recipe because you don't have to wait for fruit to come in season - it uses frozen berries and because of that, it's quick to put together, too.  

 

Nate threw the BIGGEST fit about trying this (the turd).  After lots and lots of deal making, he finally tried a bite and he liked it (of course).  And Mason?  He devoured his serving (of course)!

This isn't the greatest picture, but trust me...this was so good!  I'll absolutely be making this again.  You could serve it with ice cream, which I considered but decided against because the hubs gives me a hard time when I bring home "plain vanilla" ice cream.  And this time he gave me a hard time because I *didn't* bring home "plain vanilla" ice cream.  Damned if I do, right?

 

Speaking of great recipe databases, I found DinnerTool yesterday and it's got some great tools (as it should since *tool* is right there in the name!).  I especially love the meal planner - find a recipe, drag it to the day and you've got your menu made out for you.  And then once you get your menu set, you can use the shopping list to add and edit your list for your next trip to the grocery store.  If you're anything like me, there's always *something* you forget and have to go back at the last minute because it's a key ingredient in what you're making for dinner that night!  Do you have a favorite recipe database?

It's been really nice here overall.  Despite the wind, the trees and flowers are blooming like crazy!  

This is the view out the back of the clinic.  The trees are all blooming and while they're pretty, they're dropping pollen bombs like it's WWIII.  Thankfully they'll finish their blooming cycle soon and leaf out and my allergies should subside a bit.  See...there is beauty in the desert.

Life, With Pits & All

Good morning, Kitschies!  No, I didn't forget about y'all yesterday - it was just SUPER busy at work.  I am in the process of working on our new EMR program and it's a tad overwhelming.  I can usually work on things here at the clinic for hours at a time, but this?  I can only work on it for about an hour before my brain just stops working.  Like, I can't think of the next step even though I've done it over and over again.  *sigh*  At least I'm off tomorrow.  Don't you just love 3-day weekends?

OK.  So.  I've had this recipe in my pending file for a while (was it before Thanksgiving?!).  One weekend I told my hubs I wanted to make a pie and he immediately said "Cherry!".  I went browsing through my Allrecipes recipe box and found a tried and true recipe for his beloved cherry pie.

Cherry Pie
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup cold water
1 pinch salt

2 pounds sour cherries, pitted
1 1/8 cups white sugar
3 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp almond extract

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until pea sized. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll one ball out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate. Roll out top crust and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.) In a saucepan, combine cherries, sugar and cornstarch. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the juices thicken and become translucent. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and almond extract. Mix thoroughly and pour into pie shell. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

NOTES:  I didn't use the crust recipe given here; I used pre-made refrigerated dough and rolled it out to fit the 9-inch pie plate.  I didn't want to mess with the lattice top, so I borrowed Nate's PlayDoh cutter and cut out a bunch of cute little snowflakes for the top.

Separating out the juice from the cherries would've been easier if it wasn't the consistency of jelly.

I was afraid the "sauce" wouldn't thicken because it seemed pretty thin once I removed it from the stove.  But once it sat in the fridge for a bit, it firmed up perfectly!

It's been too long since I prepped a pie shell.  I cut the edge of the crust too short and didn't leave any to tuck under.  I ended up with crispy edges as a result (and that's even *with* a pie hat).

Aren't those little snowflakes cute?!  I should've made more and overlapped them a bit, but it wasn't bad for my first try at something decorative like this.

See?  Crispy edges.  *sad Megan*  Well, you can't win them all!  LOL  Yep.  I really should've made more snowflakes.


Today is my Friday here at work...and I definitely need the break!!  4 straight days of stress headache is wearing me down.  I may be back with a post tonight, or it might wait til tomorrow.  Or the weekend.  Either way, I'll be back.  Oh, and I'm going to announce a little giveaway some time in the next week, so keep your eyes open!

Just a Bowl of Fruit (Salad)

Good day my dear readers!!  It's SUPER cold here this morning.  The radio announced that it was 16* when I woke up and according to my computer dashboard, it's still only 18*!  Brrrrrr!!!  Sounds like a perfect day to stay home.  Under the covers.  With a good book and a warm cup of coffee.  Without the kids.  LOL  But, I'm at work.  I'm thankful for my job (and the heat in the building), but a quiet day at home to do whatever, whenever I want, sounds good, too.

Turkey Day was quiet for us this year.  Meaning?  Just the boys, the hubs and me.  Then the hubs invited his Dad.  No biggie - he's pretty quiet.  And it's just one more person, so it didn't mean I had to make any more/extra food.  It just meant that we had to clean up the house a little bit more than usual, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm just sayin'.  Anyway, we had more than enough food - as is true with all of our family gatherings.  Of course I'm going to share some of those recipes with you, my bloggy buddies.  This delicious, easy recipe comes from my family cookbook.

Sour Cream Fruit Salad
1 can chunk pineapple, drained
1 large can pears, drained, cut in 1" pieces
1 small package flaked coconut
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved
1 cup sour cream
16 whole large marshmallows, cut in half*
*Do not use miniature marshmallows - they will just disintegrate.  The cut marshmallows put gelatin in the salad and help to thicken it up.

Mix all ingredients together.  Cover and refrigerate overnight to set.

NOTES:  I don't know the size of the pineapple can, but I can tell you it's not the big one.  You don't have to get chunked pineapple; you can cut up the rings or you can get tidbits.  Either way, pineapple is pineapple.  LOL  I don't use a whole "small package" of coconut.  I throw in whatever tastes right.  I don't like sour cream, but I love this salad.  This recipe works well doubled, which is how we usually do it, but for 3 adults, this is a good size.

Remember to use large marshmallows!  If the scissors get gummed up while cutting the marshmallows in half, just run the scissors under warm water to clean them off.

Chunk the pears.  I can usually get 6 pieces out of one pear.  If you like more pears, you can always add another smaller can.

Chill and serve.  How easy is that?!  And it tastes good, too.  A pregnant woman I worked with begged me to bring this to her baby shower.  It felt weird not making it for a holiday meal.

I was going to share another side dish recipe with you today, but I can't get the cookbook disc to read on my Mac here at work.  So, I'm going to do another post today with a dessert instead (it deserves its own post).

I was thinking.  Once my blog hits its 1 year birthday (in April), I was considering putting together a cookbook.  Nothing big and nothing fancy.  Just a collection of the recipes I've shared on my blog so far.  Would anybody be interested in something like that?

*sigh*  I've got so much to do in the coming weeks.  Please cross your fingers that I find the time to do it all and still have enough time to sit back and relax a little.  Have a terrific Tuesday!

Berry berry, quite contrary

"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana." - Groucho Marx

SHIT (So Happy It's Thursday), Kitschies! Cursing right off the batt - nice; Mom would be proud. LOL It's Thursday which means one thing: 1 more day til the weekend!! Not that I have any exciting plans for the weekend, I just don't have to come in to work.

As mentioned in Time to Celebrate, the hubs' office usually throws a shindig for the 4th of July. The office (a food brokerage) usually supplies the meat and then everybody signs up for sides and such. The hubs told me that it was my decision to choose what to bring since I'd be the one making it. There was so much good food - I had to go back for a second plate because there was just no room left on the first one! Ahhh...good food, family and friends. Does it get any better than that? I decided on a recipe I first tried at Easter. (HA! I first typed that as Eatster - coincidence?) This is a good Spring/Summer fruit salad, all made with fruit that's either frozen or available year-round.

Blueberry Fruit Salad

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
1 (15 oz) can sliced peaches
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
3 medium firm bananas, sliced
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
3 Tbsp instant orange breakfast drink mix (Tang)

Drain pineapple and peaches, reserving juices; set aside. Combine the fruit in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine fruit juices with pudding and drink mixes; mix well. Pour over fruit and toss to coat.

NOTES: I did make a couple changes to this recipe. I know it's blueberry fruit salad, but there were just too many blueberries at 4 cups. This time I decreased the amount and only added 3 cups. That seemed to be just right. I remembered after I mixed this all together that there was too much juice for this salad. Next time I'll mix the juices, pudding and orange drink mix together as stated, but only use half of it on the salad. The salad drowns in juice as it is now. Without so much juice, I think this would be really good over vanilla ice cream!

See all that liquid?! TOO much!!

There ya go, Kitschies. I hope you enjoy this salad - I know I do! If you try this (or any others) recipe, please let me know how it worked (or didn't work) for you. You can find my email info in the "contact me" area of the blog. I always love hearing from my followers. Now...go do something fun!

Listening to: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace
Mood: sleepy