Blueberry Pickin

We finally got around to picking some blueberries on Saturday. The farm we went to was only 10 mins away and it was $1.50/pound! So i'm pretty sure I'll be making a few more stops there before the season is out. It was fun though! They even had these handy-dandy buckets that buckle around your waist! Fanny pack style! We also talked with southern accents the whole time we were picking, bc it was just more fun that way. I would recommend it. 

Per Duke's request I made a blueberry pie when I came home, which was extremely delicious and extremely easy! Also my first time ever having blueberry pie!




Also, I cannot forget to mention that today is also my dad's birthday and Father's Day of course! (2 birds, one stone, thanks dad). So happiest of birthdays to him and I'm so grateful that he is my father!

I'll leave you with the pie recipe just in case you decide you want to make a delicious blueberry pie as well! 

Blueberry Pie

**I ALWAYS use the pillsbury rolled up crust from the dairy section. (not frozen) I'm a big believer in things made from scratch, but i think this crust tastes great and obviously super easy. So I will pretend you are using that crust too :) 

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts

7-8 cups blueberries 

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

1 egg yolk

1 TBSP milk

Place blueberries in large bowl, and with your hands, mush up a few (recipe said  about a 1/2 cup's worth...i mushed like 1/4 that...) Add in sugar, flour, lemon zest and juice; stir to combine. Place bottom crust in pie dish. Spoon (or pour) berry mixture into pie dish. Slice up other crust (I use a pizza cutter) into about 1 inch strips. Arrange the strips in a lattice pattern and crimp up the sides to look pretty.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk. Brush lattice surface and pie border with egg wash. Refrigerate pie until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack placed at the lower third. Line a baking sheet large enough to hold the pie dish with parchment. Place pie on the baking sheet and bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350. Continue baking until crust is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling in the center, about 40-50 mins more (I used about 6 cups of berries and my oven cooks fast, so i turned down the temp at 15 mins, and cooked for about 40 mins after that..also put tin foil on top after about 25 mins so it didn't overbrown the crust!)

Enjoy with a scoop of yummy vanilla ice cream (preferably Haagen Dazs or Blue Bell :)

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blackberry Sauce

I made these pancakes today for lunch. They were really good! And not very hard. Duke likes to find recipes for me to make and pins them for me on pinterest. This was one of those. They are light and fluffy and yummy. Plus I love all things lemon. and blackberry. So this was a winner.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blackberry Sauce (via annies-eats.com)

Yield: about 12 pancakes
Ingredients:

For the blackberry sauce:
12 oz. blackberries, rinsed and drained
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water

For the pancakes:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup milk
3 large eggs, separated
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1½ cups cake flour*
1 tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup sugar

*You can substitute ¾ cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch per 1 cup of cake flour.

(which is what I did)

Directions:
To make the blackberry sauce, combine the blackberries and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to release some of their juices and the mixture is simmering.  Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; whisk until smooth.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the blackberries and mix well.  Reduce the heat to medium and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens slightly.  Remove from the heat and keep warm if desired.  The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.

To make the pancakes, combine the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add in the cake flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until incorporated.  In another clean, dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy.  Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat, adding the sugar gradually, until medium-soft peaks form.

Fold one third of the egg white mixture into the ricotta mixture with a spatula until completely incorporated.  Add in the remaining egg whites and fold in gently until the mixture is smooth and light.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat.  Grease as needed.  Ladle a scant ½ cup of batter onto the cooking surface for each pancake.  Allow to cook until bubbles begin to form on the top surface.  Use a large spatula to carefully flip the pancake and cook the other side until light golden and cooked through.  Repeat with the remaining batter.  If desired, keep finished pancakes warm in a 200˚ F oven until all the batter is cooked.  Serve warm with fresh blackberry sauce.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Tikka Masala

I made this is a recipe a couple weeks ago and we LOVED it. While we were in Utah over Christmas we went to the Bombay House-(really good Indian food) and I had been craving it ever since. So I found this recipe and Duke and I both agree it's pretty spot on to Bombay's recipe! Also, it's not one of those daunting recipes with a million plus ingredients. Anyways thought I would share in case anyone else is interested in eating delicious food. Here is the link to the recipe: Chicken Tikka Masala
Also the website I got the Cafe Rio copycat recipe from. This lady knows how to copy a recipe.

Breakfast

I have a new favorite breakfast that I thought I'd share. Warning: it is a form of oatmeal. I know not everyone is a fan..but i LOVE it. I use to always eat the single serve package cinnamon swirl or something of the sorts. And while I still like it, sometimes you get sick of eating hot mush. So my newest thing is eating the oatmeal "raw". I found this recommendation on a blog, gave it a whirl and i love it!!



Just put some oats in a bowl (not the instant kind), pour enough milk to cover oats and let the milk soak in for a few minutes to soften. Then I add honey, sliced almonds, bananas, or whatever other fruit I may have. I think it's so great. I've eaten it non stop for 3 weeks. Maybe someone else will like it as much as I do??

shins, sounds & cookies

I got off my blogging kick for a little while. 4 days to be exact. It was some rough times. Can't really say I've been up to that much. I am digging the new ios5, however geektastic that is to say. when you use google maps, it actually give you MULTIPLE routes now. And I like the new reminder app thingy.

We got to see The Shins AND The Sounds last weekend on the BEACH and it was very fun/awesome/cool/fun etc. Both were good!

The Shins

The Sounds

pretty beach sunset

Also, here's a fun autumn recipe I found on pinterest--Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies. I really liked them!!

Picture from their website.