Monday, May 7, 2012

Red Lobster Date Night = Morning After Pies

So I baked for auction again - and yesterday, I baked a new pie.  Ozark Mountain Pie. OMG!  AKA Morning After Pie (read on)...

Doesn't this look delish?!

The filling is DELICIOUS!  I'm totally baking one for US to eat - and my husband totally deserves his own pie, because he took me to Red Lobster for dinner Saturday night! OMG!! I had the rainbow trout! He said "Happy Mother's Day" and it was our first real "date night" in like 3 years?!  We had ZERO - count that - ZERO kids! Three hours, just me and E, and no kids!  We shopped in my favorite store - The Kitchen Gadget Store. OK, I totally don't know the REAL name of the store, I just call it The Kitchen Gadget Store LOL.  We bought new round cookie cutters in various sizes for my Apple Pie Cookies and a new wooden spoon.  I absolutely ADORE my wooden spoon collection!  On our way out,  I noticed a fantabulous marble rolling pin - so definitely, we're going back!  Then he took me shopping at Dunkins Diamonds and Gold....and well, that's a post for another day ;)

Anyway, back to the pies! A few days ago we hit a yard sale and I found a HUGE and heavy 3 ring bound cookbook. Lots and lots of recipes! I'm a sucker for a kickingly awesome cookbook, especially after I scoped out the pie and cookie sections!  So my sweet, sweet husband doled out a couple bucks and I tucked that cookbook under my arm and booked it for the car.

First pie I've tried out of the pie section - Ozark Mountain Pie.  It is LOADED with berries! I MEAN LOADED!  Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, and Red Raspberries!  I cooked the filling on the stove top, smelling and loving it!  Berry pies are always a huge hit in our house, and at the sale!

Tell me that doesn't make your mouth water?

I made a few other berry pies yesterday as well - Triple Berry, Blackberry, and two Pecan pies! 

Now I need to go milk that goat, but I'm sure the rest of ya'll are now feeling the urge to bake a pie!

Ozark Mountain Berry Pie
1 c sugar
1/4 c corn starch
dash of salt
1 c blueberries
1 c sliced strawberries
3/4 c blackberries
3/4 c red raspberries
1/2 c water
2 tbls lemon juice
pasry for double crust pie  (9 inches)
2 tbls butter

You going to combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan.  Mix in your berries. Add water and lemon juice and cook over a medium heat JUST until it comes to a boil.

Line your 9 inch pie plate with the bottom crust.  I usually do this BEFORE I make the filling, and I get the edges all trimmed up nice and neat.  Pour your berry filling into the crust. Dot with butter. Now here's where you have a couple choices, you can either work the remaining dough into some crazy designed lattice work, or take the easy way and just put a whole crust over the top, cut some slits in it or use a small cookie cutter to cut out some shapes before placing and sealing the crust. Pop it into your 350 oven for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  I bake my berry pies on a cookie sheet, and they do tend to bubble up and flow like molten lava, and a cookie sheet is way easier to clean up than an oven!

Cool this on a wire rack.  Store in the refridgerator, or if you're like me, cut a slice as soon as it's cool enough to the touch but not cold, and serve in a bowl with fresh milk poured on top!  Or a dollop of cream, or ice cream!

Yields 8 servings (if you share).


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

What do you get when....

...you have a Ninja in your kitchen + strawberries + goats milk?



and you add a tablespoon of sugar.....

and then you blend well.....



Strawberry fruit smoothies for two!!!!

And look who liked his!!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Life Lessons Learned on the Farm

We're starting another full week here on our small piece of Heaven on Earth. I'm just amazed with all the things God has blessed us with.  Family, friends, acreage, and a menagarie of animals that I only dreamed of as a kid.

I think I always wanted to be on a farm, or have a ranch of some kind.  I've always loved animals.

What makes this even better, the farm enables us to instill valuable lessons into our children, and they 100% know where their food comes from, how babies are made, how things are built, etc. all just from the going ons in our own back yard.   Amazing.  Such a simple, hard working life, yet it teaches so much.

A few other things my kids have learned....

.....a calf will totally bowl you over if you get in his way.....
Ferdinand

......rotted logs make great ant habitats (my kids must have sat and watched this log filled with ants for hours!)


......that it's Ok to be different from the rest of the herd....you don't always have to fit in to be cool...


......it's Ok to explore new things.....


......there's a time to work and a time to play...



....not everything is good for eating....

.......even if you're a goat


....and nothing is more important than family....
Bridgette and Brooklyn, trying to get to their mom on their first day of total separation.