Lanie’s Summer Blueberry Pie

As promised this long holiday week, I made a blueberry pie as a follow-up to the 4th of July Cherry Pie (July 2018 archives). For blueberry, I had the idea to add a fresh herb. I again checked the tried and true “plaid cookbook,” and I googled for herbs to pair with blueberry and found a helpful article on Driscoll’s berry farm web site. Here is my original recipe for Summer Blueberry Pie:

Blueberry Pie Filling

3 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed+drained
1 cup sugar
Rounded 1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
Zest+juice from 1/2 lemon
2 Tbs softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Additional flour, salt, shortening for pie crust

Whisk together: sugar + flour + salt + rosemary. With a fork, mash in softened butter. Add and mix in with fork: lemon zest + lemon juice + vanilla. Toss in blueberries.

Set aside blueberry mixture to macerate. Meanwhile, make pie crust…

Homemade Pie Crust

Sift together: 1+1/2 cups flour + 1/2 tsp salt.
Cut in: 1/2 cup shortening.
Add and toss lightly with a fork to mix dough: 4-5 Tbs cold water, adding and mixing 1 Tbs at a time.
Gather dough into a ball and knead a couple times. Do not over-handle the dough. Form dough into a ball; cut ball in half; form each half into a disk; wrap each disk in plastic wrap; refrigerate to chill.
Roll one disk of dough onto floured board; roll out enough that dough will hang over edge of pie dish. Roll pie dough onto rolling pin and lift gently to transfer rolled dough to pie dish.
Give blueberry pie filling a stir and pour it into pie shell.
Roll second disk of dough onto floured board; roll out enough that dough will cover pie. Roll pie dough onto rolling pin and lift gently to transfer rolled dough to top of pie; fold ends of dough under and crimp top and bottom pie crusts together to form sealed edge. Cut slits in top pie crust to allow steam to escape as pie bakes.

Loosely cover edge of pie crust with foil to protect from burning. Bake at 425* for 40 minutes. Let pie cool completely on a wire rack to set filling before slicing.

Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream. I’m convinced leftover fruit pie makes a healthy breakfast.

For ambitious bakers, it would be fantastic to make both a cherry pie and a blueberry pie for the 4th of July! God bless America!

Up next: I had the crazy decadent idea to make cherry pie s’more…

Lanie’s 4th of July Cherry Pie

Over the weekend I was inspired to make a 4th of July cherry pie. While apple would be the all-American choice, I like the patriotic color of cherry. I checked the tried and true “plaid cookbook,” called my Mom, refused to add red food coloring to my food, and came up with my recipe for 4th of July Cherry Pie:

Cherry Pie Filling

1 16-oz bag frozen pitted dark sweet cherries (I shop at Trader Joe’s)
juice from thawed cherries + cherry juice = 1/3 cup cherry juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbs softened butter
1/2 tsp almond extract
Zest from 1/4 orange
Additional flour, salt, shortening for pie crust

Pour frozen cherries into a bowl to thaw. When cherries are thawed, reserve cherry juice and add more cherry juice to equal 1/3 cup juice.

Whisk together sugar + flour + salt. With a fork, mash in softened butter. Add and stir cherry juice + almond extract + orange zest. Toss in thawed cherries.

Set aside cherry mixture to macerate. Meanwhile, make pie crust…

Homemade Pie Crust

Sift together: 1+1/2 cups flour + 1/2 tsp salt.
Cut in: 1/2 cup shortening.
Add and toss lightly with a fork to mix dough: 4-5 Tbs cold water, adding and mixing 1 Tbs at a time.
Gather dough into a ball and knead a couple times. Do not over-handle the dough. Form dough into a ball; cut ball in half; form each half into a disk; wrap each disk in plastic wrap; refrigerate to chill.
Roll one disk of dough onto floured board; roll out enough that dough will hang over edge of pie dish. Roll pie dough onto rolling pin and lift gently to transfer rolled dough to pie dish.
Give cherry pie filling a stir and pour it into pie shell.
Roll second disk of dough onto floured board; slice dough into long strips with a sharp knife or pizza wheel; lay strips of dough in a lattice design over pie filling; fold ends of dough strips under and crimp top and bottom pie crusts together to form edge. Try to make it pretty, but don’t worry; it will be delicious.

Loosely cover edge of pie crust with foil to protect from burning. Bake at 425* for 40 minutes. Let pie cool completely on a wire rack to set filling before slicing.

Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream. Definitely eat leftover pie for breakfast – that’s why there’s no photo of my weekend creation.

A couple notes: 1) When I was ready to learn how to make pie crust, my Mom came over and made it with me. It’s best if an experienced baker will help on the first try, and then it takes practice to make a pretty pie crust. 2) For additional cherry juice, I pour from a jar of maraschino cherries which I have in the ‘fridge for making Super Cutie Cherry Muffins (February 2017 archives). 3) For orange zest in July, I froze orange rinds in quarters when I peeled oranges in the winter season, but you can buy oranges any time of year.

Up next: the Sage hubby requested a blueberry pie…

Lanie’s Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

One of my first and best friends from Kingwood, Texas, is moving. I am honored to be included in her celebration at my old office where I began the tradition of pot luck parties. To secure my invitation since I’m no longer affiliated with that office, I promised homemade ice cream. While all of my ice cream flavors seem to be appreciated, I wanted to make something special for my friend. I was inspired by the mint plant on my patio and decided on mint chocolate chip. Many recipes I referenced cautioned that it takes peppermint extract to get a strong mint flavor. The recipe author I trusted most admitted he doesn’t get enough mint from his plant so buys it at the market to make ice cream, so I left the mint on the patio for iced tea and bought a 1 ounce bunch of big mint leaves. I was determined to make mint chocolate chip ice cream with real mint and my usual easy method, so I made up my own recipe and gave it a whirl. The ice cream was delicious and definitely minty. In fact, the fresh scent of mint lingered in the house the next day. Here is my fresh and simple ice cream creation:

In a pot, combine:
1 cup whole milk;
2 cups heavy cream;
3/4 cup sugar;
1 oz mint leaves, rinsed and patted dry.
Turn heat to medium, and gently stir cream mixture to dissolve sugar. Heat and stir until cream mixture is hot and steaming. Turn off heat; cover pot; let mint leaves steep in hot cream for an hour.

Strain cream mixture into a 4-cup heat-proof measuring cup. Mash mint leaves with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much mint flavor and color as possible. Discard mint. Stir in 1/2 tsp Tahitian vanilla. Cover cream mixture with plastic wrap and set in freezer to chill until very cold.

Turn on electric ice cream maker, and pour in cold ice cream mixture.
Let mix until beginning to thicken, about 15-18 minutes.
Add in 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces. (While big chunks of chocolate look appetizing, smaller pieces of frozen chocolate make a nicer bite in a spoonful of ice cream.)
Let mix another 5 minutes.
Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer to firm up.

I made this ice cream to serve at an open house as a trial run, and my friend said it was delicious. I will be making the exact same recipe again for her celebration and sending the extra with her, and I will remember my best friend every time I make fresh mint chocolate chip ice cream.

 

Lanie’s Pink Lemonade Cherry Ice Cream

I am blessed each month to attend Inspire Women’s Inner Circle where the sweet staff and wonderful teacher, Anita Carman, refresh and encourage women’s ministry leaders. This month we celebrated Anita’s birthday, so I brought ice cream to go with cake. I like to make a pink ice cream to match Inspire Women’s signature color, so I created pink lemonade cherry ice cream with white chocolate morsels. Here is another refreshing summer ice cream creation:

2 hours in advance, in a small bowl combine:
2 cups pitted, dark sweet cherries (I prefer Trader Joe’s frozen);
1/2 cup sugar;
Zest from 2 lemons;
Fresh juice from 2 lemons.

Let cherries macerate. When it’s time to mix the ice cream, strain cherries and reserve cherry juice. Mash half the cherries to mix in the ice cream mix, and reserve half to add in later.

In a large mixing bowl, mix on low speed until sugar is dissolved (2 minutes):
1 cup whole milk;
1/2 cup sugar.

Stir in:
2 cups heavy cream;
1/2 cherries, mashed;
Reserved cherry juice;
1 tsp Tahitian vanilla.

Turn on electric ice cream maker, and pour in ice cream mixture.
Let mix until beginning to thicken, about 15-18 minutes.

Add in:
Reserved cherries;
Heaping 1/2 cup white chocolate morsels.
Let mix another 5 minutes.

Ice cream will be soupy. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer to firm up. Remove frozen ice cream from freezer to soften for about 10 minutes before scooping.

This is so fresh and delicious! Maybe try amping up the sour by adding the zest and juice of a third lemon… Happy summer!

Unpaid ad, but FYI: My ice cream maker is the Cuisinart Classic Frozen Yogurt – Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker.

Lanie’s “Summer Delight” Strawberry Watermelon Ice Cream

For Hubby & me, Memorial Day marks the start of summer watermelon season. We have watermelon with every meal from Memorial Day through Labor Day. With so much watermelon sliced in the ‘fridge, I decided to create a watermelon ice cream recipe. Strawberry is another summer favorite fruit, so I modified my strawberry lime ice cream recipe (June 2016 archives) to make this summer delight creation. Here is my latest scoop on ice cream:

2 hours in advance, in a small bowl combine:
1 cup fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, thinly sliced;
1 cup fresh watermelon, cut in chunks, thinly sliced;
1/2 cup sugar;
Fresh lime juice from 2 limes.
Let fruit macerate. When it’s time to mix the ice cream, strain fruit and reserve fruit juice. Mash half the fruit to mix in the ice cream mix, and reserve half to add in later.

In a large mixing bowl, mix on low speed until sugar is dissolved (2 minutes):
1 cup whole milk;
1/2 cup sugar.

Stir in:
2 cups heavy cream;
1/2 fruit, mashed;
Reserved fruit juice;
1 tsp Tahitian vanilla.

Turn on electric ice cream maker, and pour in ice cream mixture.
Let mix until beginning to thicken, about 15-18 minutes.

Add in:
Reserved sliced fruit.
Let mix another 5 minutes.
Ice cream will be soupy. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer to firm up. If you can wait long enough that ice cream is frozen hard, remove from freezer to soften for about 10 minutes before scooping.

This is a cool, delicious, summer fruit delight! Enjoy!

Unpaid ad, but FYI: My ice cream maker is the Cuisinart Classic Frozen Yogurt – Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker.

Super Cutie Cherry Muffins

For my birthday Mom gave me a set of mini muffin tins to add to my kitchen collection, and she included  the printed recipe for cherry muffins. I had seen the Food Network and country singing star bake these muffins on Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, so I was excited to try them. Naturally, I made some adjustments and now I have a recipe which I can call my own. Today I made these cutie muffins with a bright pink cherry to share with the sisters at Inspire Women, and I was flattered when my treat was called, “Divine.” This is my creation:

Cream together: 1/4 cup softened butter + 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar.
Add and mix: 2 eggs.
Add and mix: 3 Tbs maraschino cherry juice + 1/4 tsp almond extract.
Sift together: 1 cup unbleached flour + 1/4 tsp baking powder.
In 3-4 batches, add and mix dry mixture into creamed mixture.
Stir in: 1/2 cup pecan pieces.

Scoop muffin batter into mini cupcake tins lined with mini cupcake papers. (Pampered Chef small scoop is the perfect size to portion 2 tsp batter.)
Lightly press 1/2 maraschino cherry into each mini cup of muffin batter.
Bake @ 400* 8-10 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned on top.
Dust hot muffins with powdered sugar.
Remove individual muffins to wire rack to cool.
Makes about 3 dozen mini muffins.

Serve with love! Package these cutie muffins in a basket to give for a gift or share at a ladies’ gathering. They are so super cute and yummy!

New Year’s Black-Eyed Peas

Happy New Year’s Eve! Last night I soaked the beans, and today I made a big pot of black-eyed peas to ring in the New Year. While I started with my Big Pot o’ Beans recipe (November 2013 archives), this variation is quite a departure from my original soupy beans. This is my new recipe:

1 lb dried black-eyed peas, soaked and strained;
4-6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces;
1/2 small/medium yellow onion, diced;
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced;
2 Tbs tarragon vinegar (or red wine vinegar);
1 15 oz can tomato sauce (I prefer Trader Joe’s organic);
2 cans water;
1 tsp coarse salt;
1 tsp paprika;
1 tsp Tony Cachere’s creole seasoning;
1/2 tsp ground cumin;
1/2 tsp ground ancho chili pepper;
1/2 tsp dried oregano;
1 bay leaf;
1 Tbs Louisiana Hot Sauce.

When you begin cooking, drain off soaking liquid from beans. Then start by frying chopped bacon in large soup (“bean”) pot. When bacon is crisp, drain off most of the rendered fat. Add a little olive oil to the bean pot; Sauté onion; Season with 1/2 tsp salt; Add garlic. Increase heat; Add 2 Tbs vinegar; Scrape brown bits off bottom of pot. Add strained black-eyed peas; Season with another 1/2 tsp salt; Stir! Add tomato sauce; Add 2 cans water; Stir! Add the rest of the spices and Louisiana hot sauce; Stir! Heat to boil; reduce to simmer. Simmer, simmer, simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings. Happy New Year! Wishing you joy, health and prosperity!

Pumpkin Muffins

Because I adore pumpkin recipes for fall, I wondered if I could modify my award-winning applesauce muffins (August 2016 archives) by substituting canned pumpkin. Yes! Here is my updated recipe:

Cream together: 1/2 cup softened butter + 1 cup sugar.
Mix in: 1 egg.
Sift together: 2 cups unbleached flour + 2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1+1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 tsp ground nutmeg + 1/4 tsp ground cloves.
Measure into measuring cup: 1 cup canned pumpkin.
Alternately add and mix flour mixture and pumpkin into creamed mixture, beginning and finishing with dry mixture.
Measure into glass measuring cup: 1 cup dried raisins (I’ve been favoring golden raisins). Pour boiling water over raisins and let fruit soak to plump. Strain plumped raisins and fold into muffin batter.

Scoop muffin batter into cupcake tin lined with cupcake papers. (Pampered Chef large scoop or an ice cream scoop is a perfect size for portioning muffin batter.) Bake @ 375* 20-25 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned on top and the toothpick test comes out clean.
Remove individual muffins to wire rack to cool.

Note: I had only a dozen cupcake papers, and the recipe makes 15-18 muffins, so I portioned the extra batter into mini cupcake papers. (Pampered Chef mini scoop is the perfect size for portioning mini muffins.) I don’t have mini cupcake tins (Santa, baby…), so I stood the cupcake papers in a pie dish to fill and bake them. Bake mini muffins 15-18 minutes, until muffins are set on top. Super cute for quick breakfast or little snacks!

Award-Winning Applesauce Muffins

Back-to-school season causes me to crave applesauce muffins. Something comforting about the spices and raisins suggests autumn is coming even though temperatures are still hitting the 80s in humid Houston. I loved when Mom made these applesauce cupcakes (I call them muffins now), and I won with this recipe in the Marion Star cooking contest when I was in 8th grade. I remember Mom helping me decide if I should enter the children’s category or the baking category, and I chose to enter the baking category, so some adults were not thrilled when a middle-school kid took the honor. I also remember one of my best friends coming to the mall for the event to cheer me on and my teachers making a big deal of my accomplishment at school the next day. This is my family’s recipe:

Cream together: 1/2 cup softened butter + 1 cup sugar.
Mix in: 1 egg.
Sift together: 2 cups unbleached flour + 2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1+1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 tsp ground nutmeg + 1/4 tsp ground cloves.
Measure into glass measuring cup: 1 cup unsweetened applesauce.
Alternately add and mix flour mixture and applesauce into creamed mixture, beginning and finishing with dry mixture.
Measure into glass measuring cup: 1 cup dried raisins (I’ve been favoring golden raisins). Pour boiling water over raisins and let fruit soak to plump. Strain plumped raisins and fold into muffin batter.

Scoop muffin batter into cupcake tin lined with cupcake papers. (Pampered Chef large scoop or an ice cream scoop is a perfect size for portioning muffin batter.) Bake @ 375* 20-25 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned on top and the toothpick test comes out clean.
Remove individual muffins to wire rack to cool.

Serve with love! Applesauce muffins are a wonderful treat because they can pass for a healthy breakfast-on-the-go or lunchbox or after-school snack. I’ve also packaged warm muffins in a cutesy basket to share at a ladies’ gathering or the office. I wish I’d taken a picture, but I baked in the morning and was rushing out the door…

…Ahh, but Mom had the brilliant idea to dig up the press photo from 1979. So, to prove I really did win the Marion Star cooking contest (and to demonstrate I am not vain by my willingness to post this tragic middle-school picture on the forever web), here I am so extremely excited to display my award-winning applesauce cupcakes. I do not remember if I thought I was having a good hair day.

Lanie’s Pink-berry Ice Cream

One of my co-workers at Tammy Bateman Properties office raved about a black raspberry ice cream, so I was inspired to make some for us. I modified my strawberry lime ice cream recipe (June 2016 archives) and think I got the blackberry/raspberry fruit ratio right on the first try. Because the ice cream is very pink and not blackberry in color, I named my flavor pink-berry. Here is my latest berry ice cream creation:

2 hours in advance, in a small bowl combine:
1 cup fresh blackberries, rinsed;
2 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed;
1/2 cup sugar;
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (juice 1 orange).
Let berries macerate. When it’s time to mix the ice cream, strain berries and reserve berry juice. Mash half the berries to mix in the ice cream mix, and reserve half to add in later.

In a large mixing bowl, mix on low speed until sugar is dissolved (2 minutes):
1 cup whole milk;
1/2 cup sugar.

Stir in:
2 cups heavy cream;
1/2 berries, mashed;
Reserved berry juice;
1 tsp Tahitian vanilla.

Turn on electric ice cream maker, and pour in ice cream mixture.
Let mix until beginning to thicken, about 15-18 minutes.

Add in:
Reserved berries.
Let mix another 5 minutes.
Ice cream will be soupy. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer to firm up. If you can wait long enough that ice cream is frozen hard, remove from freezer to soften for about 10 minutes before scooping.

If seeds are a problem, strain seeds from berry mixture. This sounded too tedious to me, and I think my friends at work agreed the occasional seed adds texture to the creamy deliciousness. Enjoy!

Unpaid ad, but FYI: My ice cream maker is the Cuisinart Classic Frozen Yogurt – Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker.