Blackberry Season

One of my favorite times of the year is almost over and gone. The blackberries have been amazing this year! It was a very early start to the season and it’s going to be a very early end. My sister has been coming over on Sunday’s to help pick them. We pick until our hands are purple, they sting from the thorns, and our buckets are full. There’s something about the smell of picking blackberries that is so relaxing, it brings back memories of going up to the mountains with my mom, Oma, and Aunt in the summer to pick while wading in the creek.

While we pick we hear Howard (mom’s big black lab) snorting as he eats the blackberries off the lower branches. Silly dog will eat anything. The other dogs laze about in the shade.

After we pick it’s never hard to think up of something to do with all the berries. The options are endless, variations galore, and all of them taste delicious!

We’ve had: blackberry & peach cobbler, blackberry coffee cake, blackberries and angel food cake, blackberry margarita’s, blackberry pie, and blackberry jalapeño jam.

I have enough in the fridge from yesterday to make another batch of jam, so I think that’s what I’ll do today!

blackberry jalepeno jam

pie

coffee cake

Ali and the Monster

cobbler

Do you have a favorite blackberry recipe??

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Pie!!!

One of my favorite parts of this time of year, all the holidays and family time surrounded by food! It brings back so many memories for me, we had so many happy thanksgivings and Christmases!! I am so excited to start making memories with my hubby and starting traditions with him!! I want to give my kids amazing memories and reasons to want to come home to the fun times when they move out and start their own lives.

But that’s not the point here… Today I made pumpkin pie!! YUM!
So I had this dough in the fridge from the last pie I made, and it’s thawing so I can roll it out:

I seeded my pumpkin, save the seeds!!
Put it in a pot with water in the bottom and “steam” it, or if you own an actual steamer thing, or you can even bake it in the oven till it’s soft and malleable.

Peel the skin off, and put the pumpkin flesh in the mixer or bowl.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-fresh-pumpkin-pie/

Here’s the recipe I kind of went by… I like to throw stuff in, so I added some maple syrup. Be creative, I’ve made it with some fireball whiskey before too! That also turned out yummy!

Then put your saved pumpkin seeds to soak in water! Saave the Seeds!! (in the Julia Child SNL skit voice).

Pretzel Bottomed Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Pie

Yes, It’s a mouthful to say. Yes, it is a little time consuming to make. Yes, it is soooo worth it!!!

Here’s a recipe and where I got the inspiration (via pintrest):

http://www.akmdesignsandelights.blogspot.com/2012/02/bake-me-happy-pretzel-bottomed-reeses.html

Here’s a picture of the one I made:

It was yummy! Because I made it in a 9×9 however, I should have cut back on the pretzel part… it kinda just fell apart when cutting it and ended up in the bottom of the pan even when the rest of it was gone!

I also decided to add some peanut butter into the dough itself, because in this family you can NEVER cook with too much peanut butter! So I probably added 1/2 c. of peanut butter to it and cut back the flour a bit to make up for it. It worked, it was lovely. It was gone in two days.

The salty crunchy crust, and the chewy cookie inside, with chocolate and peanut buttery goodness in every bite was delicious!

Try it! I dare you!