Blackberries {part 2}

{cooking}

Here are some more ideas of yummy things to make with {fresh picked} blackberries.

Blackberries, Chicken, and Brie (or Baby Swiss) Paninis:

 For each sandwich:
2 slices of good white bread (bakery bread is best)
thick sliced chicken breast
2-3 slices THINLY sliced brie (they do make "slicing brie" which comes in a log but I have a horrible time finding it in our area lately so I usually just end up buying a wheel even when I need slices..... to get slices easily from the wheel, just cut it in half and then cut thin slices from the cut edge)
~or~
2-3 slices Baby Swiss
Blackberries (halved)
Dijon Mustard

Layer chicken, cheese, and Blackberries on one slice of bread.  Spread just a little Dijon mustard on the other slice of bread and place mustard side down on top of sandwich.  Spread a thin layer of butter on the outside of one side of the sandwich and lay buttered side down on a hot griddle.  Use a panini press (or if you're like me and don't have one your hand, or a spatula, or whatever you can find to press down on it with) and compress sandwich while first side cooks. Cook until the buttered side is golden and the cheese is starting to get gooey and then butter the other side of the sandwich and flip it over.  Press and cook until that side is also golden.  Note: I made one with brie (for me) and one with Baby Swiss (for my husband who claims he doesn't like Brie - although he's eaten it when he didn't know that was what he was eating lol) and I sliced the brie on mine pretty thick, and I ended up liking his better (his I used pre-sliced sandwich cheese), mainly because the thick sliced brie on mine was overwhelming.  So my suggestion is to slice your brie very thinly.  Also be cautious of how much Dijon mustard you use. It has a very strong taste and can also be overwhelming, especially if you're not the biggest fan of it. (I like a hint of Dijon on stuff myself, but I don't like the taste to be very strong, all though that may just be mustard in general for me I usually tend to mix it with another dressing when I'm using it......).  This sandwich would also be good with Ham I think, especially with the Baby Swiss.

Blackberry-Peach Smoothie:

Combine 6oz. of peach yogurt and 1/4c to 1/2c. of frozen blackberries* in a blender ( I have one of those blenders that you blend it in the cup and then switch out the blades for a lid and it becomes a travel cup.... it's like the Magic Bullet blender, but it's a different brand.... I love it and it works fabulously for smoothies.... and easier to wash than a traditional blender).  Top off with peach juice and blend until smooth.
*to freeze fresh blackberries, spread them on a single layer on a baking sheet and then store in a freezer bag once they are completely frozen.

Blackberry Hand Pies:

 You can use up your second pie crust (if you bought refrigerated pie crusts) from when you made the Blackberries and Cream Pie , because I know you made that pie right?! hehehe ;).  Anyway..... all you really need to do is cut two piece of crust the same size and shape and place a small pile of berries mixed with sugar (to taste, just depending on how sweet you want it....) on one of the pieces.  Lightly dampen the edges of the piece of crust with a little water and lay the second piece on top.  Press the edges together sealing them with a fork, cut a slit in top, and bake according to to package directions for the crust. (or until it is golden).  You may want to brush the top of the hand pie with a little melted butter or egg wash and sprinkle a little sugar on top before baking too, but it's not absolutely necessary.  Make sure to let them cool well before you try to eat them!

and this last idea isn't really anything to make, per say, but I've been throwing a few blackberries in my Peanut Butter Cheerios (seriously if you haven't tried these Cheerios then you  need to right now. go to the store and get some. I'll wait................................ you see? aren't they amazing?! (well if you like peanut butter anyway...).  It tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as cereal.  So good!

After making the Blackberries and Cream pie the other day now I'm in the mood to make more summer pies and I've got a couple that I make that I look forward to all year, so keep your eyes out this week for more recipes!

Summer Bucket List: Blackberry Picking {part 1}

{doing}&{cooking}

 Well, I didn't end up getting as much done this week as I had hoped, but I did get to do another activity from my "summer bucket list" :D.  Thursday my husband had the day off and the weather was absolutely perfect (70-some degrees, sunny, and low humidity), which was a really nice change from the heat and humidity we've been having lately (it is Virginia in the summer so heat and humidity is definitely more the norm.... doesn't mean I have to like it lol).  We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go out to Miller Farms and pick some blackberries (probably my favorite berries - and I love berries) from their pick-your-own patch..  They have a wonderful set up there with the patch being right across the street from the market and they have parking right there at the patch, and all you pay for is the berries you picked (unlike some places that I've known of that charged an admission fee for the patch and then you have to pay for your berries on top of that) and the price per pound for the blackberries is very good.
    So this post I'm going to share some pictures from while we were at the patch and also my recipe for Blackberries and Cream Pie that I made last night :)

looking down one of the rows of blackberry bushes

all different maturities of the berries on one branch (start out white-ish and then darken to red and eventually to the purple/black that means they're ripe)

picking some ripe ones

starting to fill our basket (provided by the farm)

it really is a pretty and peaceful location out there

blackberries

our basket almost full

heading back to the car to head across the street to the market to pay for the blackberries (and of course pick up a few other things while we were out there anyway)

Blackberries and Cream Pie:

Ingredients:

 
1 pie crust (store bought refrigerated/frozen, or home-made)
8 oz. Cream Cheese (1 package)
1/4 c. Sugar (my husband said he would have like more sugar in it and if you like things ridiculously sweet like him feel free to use a little bit more than this.....)
1 c. Heavy Cream
1/4 c. Milk
about 2-3 c. Blackberries* (doesn't have to be exact, just enough to fill pie pan in a single layer before being mixed with cream mixture)

*this isn't absolutely necessary, but will make the pie tastier and bring out the juices in the blackberries some if you sprinkle them with a little sugar and leave them on the counter for a little bit to macerate some before mixing them in, in step 5.  I just sprinkled them with sugar (mix them to coat) right after I put the pie crust in to bake and it worked out well..... 

Directions:

{1} Preheat oven to 450 degrees (or temperature suggested on pie crust packaging or your recipe if using homemade)

{2} Lay crust in the bottom of pie pan. Pierce with fork (and/or use pie weights) and pinch the edges into a decorative scallop. 

    Bake for 11-13 minutes (or according to package/recipe directions) until done.

{3} While crust is cooling, cream sugar and cream cheese together, let your cream cheese soften a bit and cut it into chunks before adding to bowl to make it easier. (use an electric mixer on low-med. speed or the back of a wooden spoon)

 

{4} Gradually add cream while beating at low speed with an electric mixer.  Once incorporated beat at med. speed until fluffy.  Add milk and continue beating until it is creamy/smooth and holds it's shape

 

{5} Cut larger blackberries in half and leave smaller ones whole. Gently fold the blackberries into cream mixture until the berries are evenly distributed and the juices are swirled with the cream.

{6} Spread filling in baked and cooled crust and refrigerate at least an hour before serving (store in refrigeration)

  And I still have a decent amount of blackberries left after making this from just that one basket's worth that we picked (although I would have loved to have gotten another basket or two of them but I was trying not to bankrupt us on blackberries.... although after it was weighed it ended up being a lot less than I was afraid it might be, but my husband said no to going back across the street to pick more lol).  So I'll be posting some of my other ideas for using the blackberries sometime in the next couple of days.

Summer Pizzas

{cooking}

I love pizza! I really really love pizza. I love a traditional pizza parlor pizza with just cheese or with meats (in my opinion veggies don't belong on that type of pizza lol), but I also love making other types of pizzas, with different kinds of crusts and different types of toppings, at home.  One of my go-to, no-brainer meals is mini pizzas using refrigerator biscuits for the dough (just flatten each one slightly and top with sauce cheese and whatever other topping you want (I like mini peperoni, slices of grape tomatoes, minced onion, and finely chopped roasted red peppers on mine..... on my husbands I usually add slices of baby mushrooms, but I don't do fungus on my food ;) and bake following the biscuit package instructions for temperature and time.......).  For summer especially I'm often in the mood for lighter fresher tasting foods, and like to step a little more out of the box, so to speak.  Today I'm going to share a few of the summer pizzas I've put together this year :)

*for all of these pizzas I have used refrigerated pizza dough (I know, I know, one day I will actually take the time to make my own, I really want to try a cauliflower pizza crust..... but they are quick and really taste pretty good), if you have a great recipe for your own pizza dough and want to use it instead, just adjust any cooking times if necessary)

 

Pesto and Shrimp Pizza

What you need:

1 refrigerated pizza crust (regular/traditional crust)

1 1/2 c. traditional pesto sauce (the amount is an estimate and could vary depending on the size of your 

       dough and personal preference)

2 1/2-3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (again amount depends on size and preference)

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese (or shake-y cheese as we call it) (and I think by now you get the idea, adjust 

         for size and preference) 

approx. 1/2 pound medium shrimp, deveined, tails off and cooked (I usually buy frozen cooked, deveined 

        shrimp for this kind of thing)

{1}Following package instructions unroll pizza crust dough and pre-bake crust (usually about 8 minutes)

{2}Let cool slightly then spread with pesto sauce and top with mozzarella and shrimp (if you are using frozen shrimp make sure they are fully thawed before this step); sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

{3}Return to oven and bake according to package instructions (usually another 10-12 minutes)

I served this pizza with cherries (mainly because that was the only other thing in the fridge at the time (it was the day before grocery day lol). They actually went really well with it though, and of course there's always salad......

 

Summer Veggies and Grilled Chicken Pizza

What you need:
Refrigerated Whole Wheat Pizza dough (I used Pillsbury Artisan pizza crust with Whole Grain, it is really
            good)
1 c. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (again, approximately)
1 1/2-2 c. Shredded Mozzarella cheese
1-1 1/2 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Yellow Squash
Onion
Grape tomatoes
Baby Mushrooms

{1}Grill or pan cook Chicken breasts, seasoning with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika to taste.  Let cool and cut into small chunks
{2}Prepare and pre-bake pizza crust according to package instructions (for the crust I used it's 8 minutes @ 400 degress for dark or non-stick baking sheets and 425 degrees for all other types of baking sheets)
{3}While the crust is pre-baking, cut the veggies.  Cut Yellow squash into small chunks, slice or mince onion (I like mine minced), slice grape tomatoes (be very careful doing this as they are pretty tiny.... you could also just halve them if you like a stronger tomato taste.... I just prefer mine not as strong in each bite) and slice baby mushrooms.  I had also thought about putting green beans on this pizza, but decided to save them for another meal, but if you wanted to add them just snap the ends off and maybe snap longer beans in half.
{4}Mix Mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses together
{5}Allow pre-baked crust to cool slightly and then spread with the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, coat with cheese mixture and top with chicken chunks and prepared veggies.
{6}Return to oven and bake according to package directions (for mine it was about 10 minutes more)

I served this one all by itself because it really can stand alone with the whole grain crust, hummus, chicken and all the veggies on it.  It was actually quite filling.

 

Salmon and Goat Cheese Pizza with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

 

What you need:
Refrigerated Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (I used the same one as the last pizza again)
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (recipe to follow)
Approx. 8 ounces Goat Cheese (crumbled or sliced)
8 ounces Salmon (I used 2 frozen fillets)
Grape tomatoes

{Anyone seeing any flavor/ingredient trends here? lol}

{1}Season Salmon fillet(s) with salt, pepper, a little olive oil, and some Italian herb seasoning and bake @ 350 degrees until about halfway cooked (you don't want to cook it all the way through because then it will dry out too much on the pizza but you want to get it to the point that it will be done in another 8 minutes or so..... so depending on the size/thickness of your fillets maybe not even quite halfway cooked....)
{2}Start on Roasted Red Pepper Sauce while salmon is in the oven (unless you made it ahead of time)
{3}Cut/Flake partially cooked salmon into chunks and set aside for now.  Finish up the sauce if you're still working on that. 
{4}adjust oven temperature and pre-bake crust according to package directions (8 minutes or so). While that's in the oven slice (or halve) grape tomatoes and set aside as well.
{5} Allow crust to cool slightly and cover with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
{6}Slice or crumble goat cheese and lay over sauce on the pizza
{7}Top with salmon chunks and tomato slices
{8} Finish baking according to package instructions (about another 8-10 minutes for mine)


This would probably be good with a spinach and arugula salad. Last night when I made it we just ate it by itself and it was filling enough to stand alone as a summer meal.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I really really love this sauce.  I use it for all sorts of things..... on pasta, on salmon or shrimp, as pizza sauce.... it's good.  Also if you want it to be a thinner sauce you can leave out or reduce the amount of Parmesan cheese you put in it.

What you need:
2 large(ish) red bell peppers
1 c. Chicken broth
1 tbs. White Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbs. olive oil
Italian Herb seasoning (to taste... I probably usually use 1 to 2 tablespoons all together although I've never
           actually measured it)
Grated Parmesan Cheese (again I've never really measured how much I use especially since it varies
           depending on what I'm using the sauce for and how thick I want it)

{1} Roast your red peppers : slice each pepper into about 8 slices, removing seeds; lay skin-side up on a baking sheet (you want them to lay flat on the sheet so break the ends if necessary to get them to lay flat); place under your broiler until the skins are black and blistery (if you have an electric stove make sure the broiler is on high..... but if you ever have the choice get a gas stove/oven ;).... they really are so much better for so many things) They'll look like this when they're done:

 

Place them immediately into a ziplock bag or airtight storage container and put them in the fridge, for anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple days  (you want them to have cooled completely and juices to have formed - obviously this doesn't take a could days but they will stay good at least that long if you want to do them ahead of time or roast extras to use for another recipe.  Usually about half an hour is enough, although an hour or two would be ideal)

{2}When the peppers are done cooling in the fridge remove them from their bag/container and peel the skin off of the meat.  You want to end up with about a cup of Roasted Red Pepper (a little more or little less won't hurt, you just want to get pretty close and the 2 peppers is usually pretty spot on for me)

*if you don't want to roast the peppers yourself you can get jarred roasted red peppers and skip steps 1 and 2, but I think it tastes better with home-roasted peppers (and they're cheaper.....)

{3}Put the roasted peppers, chicken broth, olive oil, and vinegar in a blender, also about half of the amount of Italian herb seasoning you think you are going to want in it. Blend until it's all liquified.

{4} Empty the blended sauce into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it starts to simmer.  Add your Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper and Italian herb seasoning to taste and let it simmer until the Parmesan it well melted and incorporated and it's heated through (check the consistency several times and add a little less Parmesan then you think you'll need the first time - you can always add more but you can't take it out and it will thicken a bit as it cooks and incorporates into it so put some in let it cook down a few minutes, check the consistency, and some more, if necessary,...... you get the idea.)

{5} if you're using it for the pizza recipe above you probably want to let it cool just a bit before putting it on the crust but it your using it on pasta or something else that's already been cooked it's ready to go as soon as you're done heating it. 

Internet Problems...................

Well, it had been a while since I've been able to get on here.....

I've been having internet problems and not able to access the internet regularly for a little over a week now, so I've not been able to post any new blog posts.  Fortunately it's also been a pretty un-eventful and un-project filled week for me so the timing was good. I've spent most of the week in the pool at my parents house actually.

BUT.......

We're hoping to get the cable company to come out this week and figure out what's wrong and get the internet all sorted out AND.... I've got some plans for recipes and projects and maybe even a day trip or too that I'm very excited about being able to share over the course of the next week or two, so stay tuned, and sorry about the delay!

Happy Birthday America!

{living}&{making}

Yes, I know I'm a bit late posting this, but we didn't actually finish our Independence Day celebrations until Sunday (my husband was working on the 4th so we couldn't have a cookout then and Sunday was the first day ours friends that we had over for it were available) and then yesterday my internet was down so......... anyway......

I did have one really cool project that I was hoping to get done and share with you but that didn't end up happening this year :( so it's on the plans for next year already.  But I did make a couple small things to decorate the table for our cookout. I got the instructions/inspiration for them from Martha Stewart (of course lol) and the instructions for them are here on her website.  I didn't go all out decoration wise, after all it was just meant to be a casual little cookout, but if you know me you know that I LOVE to set a table anytime I have the opportunity, so I did at least do that..........

a close up shot of the Fireworks stamped table runner..... I actually just did it on a (somewhat) square piece of fabric that was leftover from some other project and it could be a small tablecloth on its own but I folded it to use as the table runner.

   

Close up view of the place settings. And no those are not paper plates, they are melamine plates made to look like classic paper plates that I got for a dollar each at (where else?) Target.  They were in the "dollar spot" section (at least I think that's what they call it) at the front of the store.  I love them they are perfect for cookouts and picnics! For this one I paired them with vintage style anniversary Ball mason jars  (The link is for Amazon, but I got mine locally at Wegman's and i'm sure other grocery stores would carry them too) and red napkins and utensils.

   

{menu} Hamburgers and Hotdogs (with fixings), potato chips, deviled eggs, and succotash pasta salad

{dessert} Watermelon Cake - seedless watermelon cut into a cake shape and "frosted" with whipped cream (homemade of course) and topped with blueberries (or any fruit but I was trying to stay with the red, white and blue theme)

I also made a few simple little add-ons for my strings lights for the 4th and left them up for the cookout.  They are made from used plastic water bottles and I found the instructions for them here.... I did do mine a little differently in a couple ways.... the most noticeable was that I didn't use the caps like she did mainly because I wanted to put them on my globe lights so I just pulled the globe off, put the light through the opening and put the globe back on, the way I hung them that worked fine...... I did save the caps though incase I want to do them that way some other time.....

   

And of course I LOVE fireworks {in case you didn't catch a hint with the decorating ;)}so we set a bunch off on the sidewalk in front of our house to finish off the evening.....

And sparklers..... I love sparklers..... these were supposed to make a "B" in the front yard.... but it didn't really work lol, but it still looked cool......