Making Memories and a Blackberry Pie

Last week my daughter, and my  grandchildren and I went blackberry picking. A ferry ride away from Seattle is a small town called Bainbridge Island. The island is filled with wild blackberry bushes and August is the best month to pick berries.

We ended up with a whole lot of berries, and even after eating a big bowlful, we had plenty left over for a blackberry pie.

My grandson Jayden is almost eight, and he loves cooking in the kitchen. He helped out so much in making this pie, from stirring the berries in the sugar, rolling out pie dough, and even brushed on the egg wash.

I love sharing this time with him, and I know he'll remember the day that he and Nana made a pie together. Cooking with children not only teaches them how to cook, but builds memories that last a lifetime. I look forward to making many, many more pies with him in the years to come.

Picking berries is so much fun, and you can't get any fresher that just picked off the bush.

The recipe that I used for the pie dough is the same one I use to make a fruit galette, but it's doubled.

This is absolutely the best dough recipe I have ever found, and it always comes out flakey and delicious. Even after we handled the dough much more than if I had made the pie alone, the crust was still so, so good.

Recipe for Blackberry Pie

Ingredients for pie crust:

4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons ice-cold milk

1 egg
1 tablespoon water (to make egg wash)

Ingredients for berry filling:

4 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons, divided
1/2 flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together egg yolk and milk, pour into flour mixture, stirring just until dough starts to form a ball.
Press together with lightly floured hands, and form into a flat round. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Lightly spray a pie plate with baking spray. To make the egg wash, mix together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk, set aside.
Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough into a circle, about 10 inches round. Fit into pie plate, Roll out the second piece into another round, set aside.
To make the filling, in a large bowl combine berries, sugar and 1/2 flour. Stir gently to combine.
Spoon the fruit mixture into the unbaked pie shell, cover with top crust.
Seal and crimp the edges, then make small cuts in the top crust to make vents for the steam to escape.
Brush the top with the egg wash, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake for 50-55 minutes, and until top is golden brown.
Cool on wire rack.

Garden Fresh Chicken Zucchini Bake





There are lots of zucchini and other veggies coming from our garden right now, and it's really exciting. It can also be a challenge to find a way to use them in recipes, and to make sure they don't go to waste.

This recipe for Chicken Zucchini Bake uses four cups of chopped zucchini, a box of stuffing mix, and a couple of cups of cooked chicken. It's easy to make, and is super good.

When I made it last night for dinner, I was hoping for leftovers, but no such luck. It was really nice though to see my grandchildren eat this dinner up, and get some of that good zucchini in their bodies.

Of course, if you don't have a garden filled with zucchini, the grocery stores and farmer's markets are filled with them.

This dish is great-tasting, easy to make, and when you have leftovers, reheats beautifully. And even if you are not a zucchini lover, try this recipe and you just might change your mind.

Recipe for Chicken Zucchini Bake

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:

6 ounce package of boxed stuffing mix (like Stovetop)
1/2 cup melted butter
4 cups zucchini, diced
2 cups of cooked chicken, cubed
1 can Cream of Chicken soup (10.75 ounces)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup sour cream

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix and melted butter. Set aside 1/2 cup of the of the mixture for the topping. Add the zucchini, chicken, soup, onion and sour cream to the remaining stuffing and stir together well.

Place the zucchini mix into a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish and spread out evenly with a spatula.

Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup stuffing mix on top and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

 

Recipe For A Plum Galette and Thoughts About My Mother

When I was growing up, most of the moms I knew stayed home with their kids, and were responsible for taking care of the house and doing all the cooking. That's just the way it was back then, and being a good housewife was something that my own mom sometimes struggled with.

My mother was always kind and loving to me, but there were days when I came home from school to find her laying down in her bed, with the room dark, and I could feel a heaviness in her that I didn't understand.

Of course, now I know that she sometimes suffered from depression. Depression wasn't talked about back then, you hid it because it carried shame. She did what she had to do for her family, and I know how hard it must have been to carry on as though she were fine.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with making a galette. Well, I remember my mom always being unhappy with her pies, and she thought they never looked pretty. She felt the crust wasn't right, and I remember watching her frustration as she rolled out the dough and put the pie together.

My own attempts at making a great pie crust weren't all that successful either. So when I learned how to make a galette, where you put the dough and the fruit together in a rather freeform sort of way, I thought about my mother.

I thought how wonderful it would have been for her to be released from her own judgment about presenting her family with a picture perfect pie, and instead something that was beautiful in it's own rustic way.

So now when I make a galette, it's my mother I think about, and know that she would think this was a great idea.

When I saw these gorgeous and delicious black plums at the store, I wanted to make a plum galette, even though I had never used plums before. One nice thing about the plums is that you don't have to take the skin off of them, which is a huge time saver. After you have sliced them, just toss them with some sugar and a little flour, and they are ready to go into the center of your dough.

Leave about a two inch rim of the dough all around the fruit so it can be folded up to keep the fruit inside. It's so amazing how different fruit galettes can look from each other, because they reflect the bakers own hands and how it was folded.

Most apple pies look like an apple pie, but I think the beauty of a galette is in the individual look of each one. There are no mistakes, and that is the most wonderful feeling.

Somehow, this dessert has been deemed 'fancy' by a lot of people. I have seen it in popular cooking magazines, and yes, it can seem that way. I also saw a whole mixed berry galette for sale at an upscale bakery for $36.00. Crazy, right?

But it's so very simple to make, and so satisfying to put this gorgeous dessert on the table to share with family and friends.

I wish my mom were here to have a slice with me. She would have loved the ease and freedom of this dessert, and told me how delicious it was. I miss her everyday.


Recipe for Plum Galette


Ingredients for pastry dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons ice-cold milk

1 egg
1 tablespoon water (to make egg wash)

Directions:

 Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together egg yolk and milk, pour into flour mixture, stirring just until dough starts to form a ball.
Press together with lightly floured hands, and form into a flat round. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Ingredients for filling:

2 pounds black or red plums, quartered, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss together plums, sugar, and flour.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into an approximate
10-inch round. Place on a large, lightly greased baking sheet. Scoop plum mixture into center of round.
Fold about 1 inch of dough all the way around to form a rim. Combine egg and water, brush outside of tart with the egg wash.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on pan 20 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Can be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Serves 6.

Recipe For Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

I seem to be having a little obsession with peanut butter lately. Recently, I've made 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Bites, Chocolate Cupcakes With Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting, and today I made these Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.

Yes, I do love peanut butter, and it certainly goes together with chocolate to make some of our favorite desserts. These brownies are packed with delicious flavor, and if you are a peanut butter fan like I am, you'll love them.

After making one of my favorite brownie recipes, I simply stirred two tablespoons of peanut butter into the batter, and poured it into the pan. Then I dotted the top with peanut butter, and took a knife to swirl it through the batter. So easy, and so good!!

For extra peanut flavor, you can also add some chopped peanuts to the batter. These are perfect for kids and adults, and I'm taking them to a friend's potluck dinner for everyone to enjoy.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Ingredients:

baking spray
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
1-1/4 cups cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with foil, with foil hanging over 2 sides.
Spray foil lightly with baking spray.
In a large bowl, beat eggs at medium speed for 1 minute. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients and beat until combined. Add the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and stir in well. Pour the batter into the pan. Drop small blobs of the remaining 1/3 cup peanut butter evenly on top of the batter. With a table knife, swirl the peanut butter into the brownie batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
Let cool completely before cutting.

Makes about 12 brownies.

 

Raspberry Brownie Parfaits, Yummy Snacks For Back To School Fun

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AddCoolWhip #CollectiveBias

September is just around the corner, and that means back to school for my grandchildren. It's an exciting time for them, and they have been busy shopping with their mom and dad for school clothes, new backpacks, and school supplies. I thought it would be fun to surprise them with these delicious kids desserts that I knew they would love.

As I was making them, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic about using Cool Whip and Jell-O Pudding to make desserts for my own kids for so many years. The time seems to have flown by, and now I'm making them for a whole new generation of our family.

I know that life means change, but one thing that hasn't changed is how much kids love pudding and Cool Whip. I decided to get a little fancier that usual, so I made these Raspberry Brownie Parfaits, and it only took a couple of minutes to put them together.

There are so many delicious recipes that you can easily make with Jell-O Pudding and Cool Whip. When I'm buying my weekly groceries at Walmart, I always make sure they are on the shopping list.

These Kraft products have always been very friendly to my budget, and right now you can get $1.00 off when you buy one (1) tub of Cool Whip and two (2) boxes of Jell-O Pudding, while supplies last. Just click HERE for the coupon.

For these Raspberry Brownie Parfaits, you can make them from your favorite brownie recipe, or use a high quality mix.

It's super simple to put these parfaits together, and you could even have the kids make their own. Just start with a layer of chopped up brownies on the bottom, a layer of Cool Whip, some chocolate pudding, and a layer of raspberry jam. Add some more Cool Whip, and top with a few fresh raspberries.

Use medium size dessert dishes for making these parfaits. I used these cute mini Mason jars that I picked up at a flea market, and they were perfect for kid sized desserts.

My grandson Jayden loved his surprise snack. I enjoy making the kids treats, it's a part of being a grandmother that really gives me a lot of pleasure.

He asked me if I could make this as an afterschool treat when they are back in school, and of course I said I would.

You can easily find Cool Whip and Jell-O Pudding at your local Walmart. I think they have the biggest selection of pudding flavors available. You can also find Cool Whip there in various sizes and varieties.

 

It's been a great summer so far, and I'm glad we have a little while left before the busyness of fall takes over, and the days begin flying by.

I'd love to share my super easy recipe for Raspberry Brownie Parfaits. And the adults love them just as much as the kids, trust me.

Recipe for Raspberry Brownie Parfaits

Ingredients:

1 - 3.4 ounce box Chocolate Jell-O Pudding Mix
2 cups cold milk
1 container of Cool Whip Topping
1 cup already-baked, chopped brownies
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix and milk, blend with a wire whisk for 2 minutes.
Place a generous layer of the chopped brownies in the bottom of a dessert dish or glass. Put on a layer of Cool Whip, chocolate pudding, a layer of jam. Finish with a generous layer of Cool Whip.
You may also alternate layers as you please.
Add fresh raspberries on top of Cool Whip.


Enjoy!!