Four Berry Pie

372.  This past Memorial Day was a special time to remember all those fallen in battle to gain our freedom.  We are thankful for their sacrifices.
I took time that day to make a special meal and to make a Four Berry Pie for dessert with a Coconut Oil crust.  The berries included Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry and Blackberry.

Here is my recipe:

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 I am proud of my heritage, my father, my family, my husband who served bravely in WWII, Korean and Vietnam War and who actively helped to gain our freedom.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” 

~  Ronald Reagan

"Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." ~  Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men."           ~  Minot J. Savage

"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."  ~  Adlai E. Stevenson II

"Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world. A veteran does not have that problem."   ~  Ronald Reagan

“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it."   ~  Unknown

"For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue."   ~  James A. Garfield

Bake Sale

94. This past weekend my daughter and I embarked on quite an adventure. What type of adventure you ask? A baking adventure; shopping, mixing, measuring, rolling, tasting dough, tasting more dough, drinking pepsi & coffee to stay focused, melting chocolate, laughing, trying to remember if we just put in 5 Tablespoons of

cocoa or 4, and then collapsing into a chair after 10 hours on our feet. That kind of an adventure. We did all this for a Bake Sale the following day.

First we sat down and asked each other, "What type of sweets and desserts do people like?" and we made a list. At the top of that list was "chocolate" and "pie". So our adventure began with making pies, 9 pies! 6 apple or apple raisin and 3 fresh blueberry. Emily has the best pie crust recipe and as she made the crusts, I peeled the apples and mixed the blueberry filling.

Biscotti's were on the list and are always a yummy choice.

So we made White Chocolate Macadamia,

Chocolate Almond

and Walnut Chocolate Chip (recipe here).

Two large batches of Caramel Corn

and Chocolate Covered Pretzels made the list, some with toasted almonds, sprinkles or with drizzled white chocolate.

Three batches of Butter Spritz Cookies which we flavored with vanilla, orange and almond flavoring

Also, a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread

And around 9pm I decided a "quattro" batch of Brownies was needed. We didn't have enough chocolate. So we made Double Chocolate and Peanut Butter Salted Brownies

My daughter is a Packaging Design Major so she went to work designing the tags and labels. We packaged everything up and then attached the labels. We were finally done!

Our Bake Sale was a fund raiser for a trip we will be taking soon for humanitarian efforts; food distribution, free eye exams, free haircuts, free food, painting, and help with locals in the country of Poland. What a great feeling of accomplishment.

If you would like any of these recipes...just leave a comment!

Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.
- Hank Rosso

You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.
- Winston Churchill

He who allows his day to pass by

without practicing generosity and enjoying life’s pleasures

is like a blacksmith’s bellows — he breathes but does not live.
- Sanskrit Proverb

If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.
- Chinese proverb

Strawberries with Cream and Sugar

76.   Here is a delicious and super simple dessert.  We first had Strawberries with Sour Cream and Brown Sugar in a wonderful restaurant in Niagara Falls.  I smirked  at the simplicity until I tasted this dessert.  You will be very surprised once you take a taste.

"Strawberries with Cream and Sugar"

Strawberries, washed and patted dry, do not hull

8 oz. Sour Cream

1 cup brown sugar

Place strawberries in a serving bowl or on a plate.  Place sour cream in a small bowl and brown sugar in a separate bowl.  Provide small plates or tapas dishes for each person.

In your small plate place a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of brown sugar.

Take a strawberry by the stem and first dip the end in the sour cream.

Then dip it into the brown sugar and take a bite.  

You will be delighted and marvel at this simple and yummy dessert.

"Strawberries are the angels of the earth,

 innocent and sweet with green leafy wings

 reaching heavenward. " 

  ~Jasmine Heiler

Easter Baking

65.  This past Easter I prepared several mouth watering desserts and breads.

 So here is a peek!

Polish Easter Sweet Breads 

Apricot and Red Raspberry

and Brioche.

A batch of Coconut Macaroons covered with chocolate.

And a Strawberry Tart.  It was outstanding!

"Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying

of all foods;  and good bread with butter,

the greatest of feasts."

 ~ James Beard

Gooseberry Strawberry Pie

63. Pie making is a delight for me! I started my love for pie dough and the construction of pie back in Home Economics Class in Jr. High. My darling mother would give me freedom in her kitchen to bake all sorts of pie variations.

Today I made a Gooseberry Strawberry Pie! My sweet friend Joann brought me wonderful gooseberries that were huge. As big as my thumb!!

She knows an elderly gardener who grows all sorts of fruit and vegetables in his yard.

I had 2 cups of gooseberries in the freezer

and decided to use them. And what a better combination than with strawberries. I've made gooseberry pie in the past and gooseberries have a very subtle and tart flavor. As a child we had gooseberry bushes in our yard. When they were ripe, it was part of our chores to pick the berries in bowls, then sit with little scissors and clip the stem and "beard" from each gooseberry. What a nightmare! But as I've gotten older, I have come to appreciate those little round berries! My mother would make all sorts of things with gooseberries: cake, custards even gooseberry juice! And it was delicious.

So here is my recipe:

Gooseberry/Strawberry Pie

Recipe for a double crust pie

2 cups fresh or frozen gooseberries, washed and trimmed

2 cups strawberries cut in pieces, washed and hulled

2 cups sugar

2 Tablespoons tapioca

butter

sugar

Mix together fruit, sugar and tapioca blending till all fruit is covered. Set aside

Prepare pie crust

and place bottom crust in pie plate.

Pour the fruit into the bottom pie crust and dot with butter.

Place top crust over fruit

and seal.

Brush the top with water or milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 400º for 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 350º till pie filling is bubbling, approximately 40 minutes.

I made a lattice top crust.

Delicious! Just like a little slice of heaven on a plate.

"Happy and successful cooking doesn't rely only on know-how;

it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate

and needs enthusiasm with a deep love of food to bring it to life."

Georges Blanc