I was raised cooking with whole foods, though I had no idea until it became trendy. I remember turning the crank as my mother hand-made pasta, and cookies were always from scratch. We dried our own fruit in the summer and always had mason jars of preserves in the pantry. To this day, when my brothers and I return home, we gather in the kitchen to prepare a meal and trade new recipes.
Last August, I became a wife and will (someday, by the grace of God) become a mother. I want to ensure that the people I love eat good, tasty, quality food as I carry on the tradition of handmade meals. However, this is not always easy as I spend my working day chasing after 6 year-olds in another endeavor to "leave no child behind." It can become easy to fall back on something that's been processed and made for my ease.
Saying this is all well and good, but sometimes not everything goes according to plan. Today, for instance, I made a blueberry pie with frozen summer berries I'd picked at a local farm. Unfortunately, it became the pie that wasn't. I was to bring dessert to my husband's grandparent's wedding anniversary dinner. I decided I'd make a blueberry pie that is (usually) quick and easy. Today, however, it took twice as long to bake. Then, it turns out, the bottom never did "crust." A pie mess resulted and left my husband and I an hour late after a stop at a local bakery for a substitute.
Use your favorite pie crust recipe and roll it out extra wide. Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar and lemon zest over the berries and place in the center of the dough. Fold the excess edges of the crust over the berries leaving a hole in the middle. Bake at 350 for about half an hour. The left side of this picture looks pretty good actually...unfortunately, it just fell apart.
