Shortbread tarts

As promised, here is the recipe...

Crust:

1 c. butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 c. flour

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

Lots of fresh berries

For the crust, you are going to cream the butter and sugar, then add the flour. You can use one large tart pan or lots of little ones. I think I had about 10 smaller tart pans, that I greased and then pressed the crust into the bottom and edges, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. I put them all on a cookie sheet and baked at 375 for about 10 -15 minutes. I don't like my crust crunchy or brown so I under cook it just a bit, but you do want a little bit of color to show up before you take them out so they stay together. Let cool before you fill.

For the cream cheese filling, cream the cheese and powdered sugar, and keep at around room temperature. Fill the crusts the appropriate amount, so its about level with the tops of the crusts. I used 3 different sizes of tart pans so the amount varies. Wash, cut and dry you fresh fruit and place on top however you would like. Keep refrigerated before serving.

It was the fourth of July so I went with a flag theme for these ones. They're so delicious, I can't believe I've never attempted to make anything like this before! I hope you enjoy!

Apricot Cobbler

**this recipe can DEFINITELY be made dairy free/vegan.  I have used coconut oil instead of butter and almond milk instead of cream and it still makes for a lovely cobbler!  :)

Filling:
12-14 apricots (depends on the size)
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
dash of clove

Topping:
1 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
3 T. sugar (plus more for dusting)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. cold butter
3/4 c. cream or half and half

Peel and slice apricots, place in a 9x13 pan (or a similar size).  In a separate bowl or measuring cup, add all the dry filling ingredients and mix; sugar, flour, spices (which can vary, I like a lot of nutmeg, you could also do no spices and just add a little vanilla or almond extract).  Add the dry ingredient mix to the apricots in the pan, and lightly toss (just enough to cover all the apricots), and even out in the pan.
For the biscuit topping, mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl.  Slice the butter into tablespoons, add to the dry ingredients and cut in (I use a pastry cutter), until all pieces are smaller than a pea.  Add the cream, or half and half (I use milk if I have to), and only mix until combined.  If it's too sticky, add a little flour, and fold dough (knead) a few times.  If you want perfect biscuit shapes, you can roll it out (about 1/2 inch thick) and use a cookie cutter (or something round) to make your biscuits.  I separated my dough into 10 even pieces, pat into circles and evenly placed in the pan over the apricots.  Use a pastry brush and lightly brush the dough with cream (or whatever you used).  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.  Fruit filling should be bubbling all around, and the biscuits should be golden and cooked through.  Let cool for about an hour, serve with vanilla icecream!
Enjoy!

Magic bars

To be honest, I think they might just be magic.  This delicious bars are so easy I think my girls could have made them all by themselves.

Magic Bars

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/2 c. butter (melted)

1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (I like to mix white and milk chocolate)

1 c. chopped/sliced nuts (almonds, pecans or walnuts, really anything)

1 1/2 c. flaked coconut

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until combined then press into a 9x13 greased pan.  You can mix the dry ingredients and then evenly place them over the crust or one by one add them.  We sprinkled the chocolate chips over, then the nuts, then the coconut on top and slightly press/flatten down.  Open the can of sweetened condensed milk, and drizzle evenly over all the toppings (you can use a spoon or just pour straight out of the can).  Just make sure to keep a slow drizzle so that you evenly distribute it.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  The top and edges should start to brown.  Let cool before you cut them.  

My photo shoot buddy :)

Blueberry Mango Pie

My new favorite, especially for spring.  

For an 8 or 9 inch pie

For a 9 inch pie I have to adjust the recipe so that I still have a full pie.  Also, for a lattice crust, or if you want extra dough for braiding or any add ons, you will need more dough.

Pie Crust Recipe:
2 c. flour
½ t. salt
¼ c. sugar
2/3 c. shortening
8-9 T. cold water

For detailed directions of my pie crust.

Fruit Filling:
5 c. berries/mangos (1-2 cups mango, 3-4 cups blueberries)
1 c. sugar
2 T. flour
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt

For the fruit, I use frozen, but let it sit out for a little while (maybe 30-45 minutes) before using it.   In a separate mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix in the fruit.  I like to mash some of the berries (maybe ½ c.) to help absorb and mix the sugar mixture.  If you were using blackberries, which is what I originally used this recipe for, the berries break while you mix it and you don’t have to worry about it, but you want it to incorporate.   Add the berry mixture to the empty pie crust, and spread evenly to the edges.
Cover pie with top rolled out crust. Roll the edges in to seal in the berries and design the edges however you prefer. The top should have some kind of an opening to allow air to be released, use any design you prefer for that as well, with a knife, just deep enough to cut the crust.  You can use an egg wash over the crust if you would like and sprinkle it with sugar, or just leave it dry. 
Bake at 375 for about 50-60 minutes. The edges of pies have a tendency to burn, so you may need to use a pie crust saver, or just foil will work fine. You can cover almost the entire top and edges with foil, just as long as you cut a hole in the center, to allow air to flow. The pie is almost done once the filling begins to bubble through the cut made in the crust (let bake for 5-10 minutes after you notice a bubbling edge).

Lemon Meringue Pie

I need to give my mother credit for a majority of this recipe, as well as the pie crust. I'm not sure where she originally got it from, but she's been using it for years and I owe my love of pie making to her :)

Lemon curd:
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 T. cornstarch
3 T. flour
dash of salt
1 1/2 c. hot water

3 egg yolks
2 T. butter
1 t. lemon zest
1/3 c. lemon juice

Meringue:
5 egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar
6 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla

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From my pie crust recipe (only use half because this is for one lemon meringue pie) cook the crust on 425 for 10-15 minutes, until edges are slightly golden. Before cooking you will need to fork the bottom of the crust a few times, and also either fill with pie beans or use a few pieces of foil to use as a form for the pie. The crust will collapse if there is nothing keeping it up around the edges.

For the Lemon Curd: In a saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt; gradually add hot water, stirring constantly, over high heat. Cook until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Slightly beat egg yolks and stir a small amount of hot mixture into them. Add spoonful at a time of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, stirring the whole time. Now mix the egg yolk mixture into the hot mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Take off heat; add butter and lemon zest. Slowly add lemon juice, mixing well. Pour into cooked pastry shell.

For the Meringue: In a mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks from, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and mix until completely combined, just a few more seconds. Spread meringue over filling. Use a spoon to seal the meringue to the edge of the crust and to create a wave over the top. You don't want to have a peaks to high, because they could possibly burn.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, until the meringue is golden brown. Check about midway through and make sure the tops of the meringue peaks are not getting too brown, if so, take down the temperature of the oven to about 320.

Dreamy Lemon Bars

This is a recipe that my family, friends
and I have used and loved for years;
hope you enjoy it!


Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 c. butter
½ c. powdered sugar
2 c. flour

Filling:
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
8 T. lemon juice
Zest from 1 lemon
4 T. flour
1 t. baking powder

Crust:

• cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add flour
• press into a 9x13 buttered pan
• bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden, not brown

Filling:

• beat eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest completely; gradually add in flour and baking powder
• pour over crust, bake at 350 for about 20 minutes; the edges should be golden not brown
• let the bars sit for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut once cool

Kristin's Tips

• The most important part of this recipe is cooking time, all ovens and pans are different, so it's really hard to tell someone how long to cook something; the best thing I can do is to tell you what to look for. Make sure when you're only cooking the crust that you don't let it get too dark (it will take away from the flavor if it cooks too long) and if its undercooked, they'll be harder to keep intact, and they'll be more gooey than anything. Same thing goes for when you're cooking the bars with the filling; you want a golden color around the edges, nothing too dark, or they'll be too stiff, and if undercooked, too gooey. Hope I've helped!

P.S. Yes you have seen this recipe before. I cheated a little by reposting it, but it's because I now have beautiful pictures and I had it posted to foodgawker. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Brownies... no bake and delicious!

I love easy, raw desserts.  Being someone that bakes a lot and loves the culinary aspect of that, I will probably never give it up completely, but I do like to switch it up, because I very much promote healthy living!

This is such an easy recipe and so delicious.

Raw, easy, healthy Brownies!
1 1/2 c. pecans
3/4 c. dates
1/2 c. cocoa powder
honey or maple syrup

With a food processor, blend your pecans, until they will not blend anymore (should be very fine).  Add the cocoa, pulse a few times until blended.  Add the dates (they should be pitted), and blend completely.  Now here is the only tricky part.. The recipe I used didn't call for honey or maple syrup, but it did say to use soft dates, which mine were not, they were more dry.  So after the first 3 ingredients were combined, they didn't form a "dough" which it was supposed to.  I added a drizzle of maple syrup and it did the trick.  While mixing, it should come together to form a ball of dough.  In a 8x8 pan I cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the pan but lay over the edges.  Press the dough into the pan, and refrigerate for at least an hour.  You can lift the paper out to cut the brownies on a cutting board or leave them in the pan.  Serve cold!  So yum.

Wonderfully Raw Macaroons!

So, I will confess that this cookie is a 100 % knock off of the Wonderfully Raw Coco-Roons that I love oh so much, but are too pricey to buy in bulk.  Although my sweetheart of a husband said they were better :) I've been searching for a couple weeks with foodgawker/google/pinterest and other places for similar-looking recipes, and I think I found/created a winner.  I've only made them once (I stupidly made a huge batch so I couldn't justify make more the next day, even though I wanted to, just so I could make some tweaks to the recipe).  Obviously things can end up different depending on the brand of the ingredient you use, or your specific oven and things like that, so don't be made if it doesn't come out perfect :/

Raw Vanilla-Maple Macaroon

1 1/2 cups almond flour
3 cups coconut flakes (dried and unsweetened)
3/4 cup maple syrup (real maple syrup)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, coconut, and salt) thoroughly.  Add the wet ingredients (syrup, oil, and vanilla), and mix.  If for whatever reason it feels to dry to roll into a ball and stay intact, add a little more coconut, but this mix should work fine.
On cookie sheets lined with parchment paper I scooped/formed the cookies, using a small cookie scoop.  You could roll them if you want, if you don't have a scoop, but that made it the easiest for me.  The size of the cookie doesn't really matter, but you will have to change the cook time accordingly.  If you had a dehydrator, you could use that, which would make this cookie truly raw, but I don't.  One recipe I found that used a dehydrator said 8 hours, but it really just depends on how you want the cookie to turn out.  So try it out half way through!  I used my oven at 200 degrees, with the door open.  This took almost 2 hours.  Yes, this very simple recipe has a painfully long finish time.  I checked the cookies at the hour and a half mark to make sure they had not dried through the middle and the bottom was still quite moist (not easy to handle) so I let them stay in longer.

This recipe made about 2 dozen, maybe a little more (I forgot to count darnit).  You only need one pan because they don't expand, you can place them right next to each other.  Let them cool and store in an airtight container.  I didn't refrigerate them and they lasted just fine for a week.

Wonderfully Raw, has an amazing assortment of these cookies!  We've tried the lemon (my favs), vanilla-maple (martin's fav), and the chocolate brownie one (I'm not the biggest choco fan).  I'm trying the apple pie next!  You should try them first and then you really know how to create this perfect little cookie.  My next flavor to make will be lemon :)  This is the basic recipe so I would assume I'll use this and add to it.
Bob's Red Mill is the brand I use for most of my flours/grains and other things.  I buy my almond flour and coconut flakes in bulk on amazon :)  They really have everything, especially if you have to do gluten free, which I'm obviously going for.  We just love their gluten free pancake mix.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

A while ago I posted this recipe for peanut butter cookies, it's my favorite, always turns out amazing.  THIS recipe is just the gluten free and slightly less processed version.  My goal is to make it completely unprocessed and more natural but I'm not completely there yet.  Surprisingly I didn't have to change the amounts of any ingredients, just simple substitutions, which was amazing! I might actually keep this healthy baking up now :)  So, all I did was sub Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour, for traditional all purpose flour, and organic coconut sugar for granulated sugar.  It wasn't much of a change, but gluten free!  My next step is substituting all the sugar, and switching out the butter for coconut oil.. next time!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. organic coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
1/2 c. all natural peanut butter
1 T. honey
1 egg
1 1/2 c. Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
3/4 t. aluminum free baking soda
1/4 t. salt

Cream butter and sugars till light and fluffy.  Add the peanut butter and honey, mix thoroughly.  

Add egg , make sure to scrape bottom of bowl, and continue to mix.  

Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt.

Use a cookie scoop or spoon, and then roll into 1 inch balls.

Use fork to make cross marks, dip fork in flour if it sticks to the dough.

Sprinkle the top with sugar (I used the coconut sugar).

Bake at 375 for 8-9 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen.

I like my cookies soft and chewy, so I'm very careful about when I take them out of the oven.  The cookies will puff up slightly and start to gain a little color around the edges before ready to be taken out.

*Important side note: the dough should not stick to your hands.  You should be able to roll a ball without a mess, so if it's sticky, add a little more flour.   Reason that the recipe doesn't always have the same moisture levels include, size difference in eggs, temperature of butter, brand of flour, brand of peanut butter.. tons of things!  So just keep this in mind.

CandyCane Cheesecake

*the great thing about doing a cheesecake in a 9x13 or on a cookie sheet, is that it not only cooks faster and more even, but you don't have to do it 2 or 3 days ahead of time. My vote now goes to cheesecake bars, instead of your typical cheesecake.

chocolate shortbread cookie crust:

1 c. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. powdered cocoa
3/4 c. flour

Cream butter, sugar, and cocoa in a mixer until completely combined, make sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl. Add flour, and mix until combined. In a buttered 9 by 13 pan (or bigger if you have it) press dough evenly on the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Because you cannot see a golden color, you just want to make sure that it looks as if it is cooked, and not a cough dough texture anymore.


Cheesecake filling:

24 ounces of cream cheese (3 boxes)
¾ c. sugar
3 eggs
1 T. vanilla
¼ t. salt
1 c. sour cream
a few drops of peppermint extract (to taste)
1/2 c. crushed peppermint candies (I like the ones that melt in your mouth, not the hard candycane ones)

Topping:
2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
crushed peppermint candies, and whole candies

Cream the sugar and cream cheese in a mixer or with beaters. Add one egg at a time, scraping the bottom of the bowl after every egg. When completely combined (it is very important that you have no lumps, so the first few steps are crucial) add vanilla salt and sour cream. Mix until smooth. Add peppermint extract and candies, if you want more flavor, add a few more drops. Pour filling into crust, smooth out top.

Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes at 330 degrees. It can be tricky to know when the cheesecake is done. The top should lose it's wet luster and have a dull look to it and it should be set. Check at the 1 hour mark first, if it is starting to crack or brown, turn the temp down to 300. Add the 2 cups of sour cream mixed with the sugar to the top of the cheesecake. Be careful to only add small spoonfulls at a time as to not break to the top. Smooth out and bake for another 10 minutes. Make sure you place on a rack for an hour or so before placing in the fridge. You should keep the cheesecake refrigerated for at least 24 hours before serving.

Decorate with the crushed candies, and chocolate sauce.. you know, if you like chocolate :)

I hope the directions make sense. I took most of the instructions from my basic cheesecake, and then made the adjustments for the chocolate crust and candycane filling. Normally I put the candycane crumbs on before serving, but I put it on a few hours earlier, and so it somewhat dissolved, hence the pink/red layer over the top. It turned out kind of pretty.

Lemon glazed angel food cake for my mama

Happy Birthday to Hootie :)

that's what we call her (hehe)

For the angel food cake, I used a box mix and followed the instructions (and of course made sure to not over cook it).

For the glaze:

Juice from 2 lemons (about 6 T.)

6 T. melted butter

just a few drops of vanilla

1 c. powdered sugar

Mix the lemon juice butter and vanilla. Add powdered sugar, and mix thoroughly. I didn't thicken mine up as much as I should have, so depending on how you want it to look on the cake, and more or less powdered sugar. Pour the glaze along the top of the cake, it should drip down by it self. You can spoon more into areas that didn't get enough.

Garnish with candied lemon peel/zest.

I peel some of the lemon, sliced it thin, and put it in a saute pan with a little bit sugar. Once the sugar began to caramelize I took it off the heat and sprinkled more sugar over the top. I have no idea how you should really do it, maybe check out martha stewart's website :)

yum.. from smitten kitchen

Ok, so the honest truth? I haven't done any cooking in about a week; or anything interesting for that matter. I don't love the summer. I know this sounds weird, because everyone loves the sun and the summer and the summer activities, but I don't think I ever have LOVED it. Being hot is one of my least favorite things, and I try all the tricks to keep cool but even during the winter, I'll wear a t-shirt and shorts; I don't know what the deal is, but I'm always hot. I love fall, and winter, and spring; so my good mood in those three seasons makes up for the complaining mood of summer. Well, since it has been rather hot (I'm so spoiled I live in a city with the worlds most mild temperatures) I have kept my activities to a minimal. We (Martin and I) start school in about a week, so that's another reason why we have tried to keep our schedule open. So I have managed to stay out of the kitchen and the yard, but it's time to get back. Kind of sad, but we have to have a normal life now. The honeymoon is over. No more seeing each other for about 95 % of everyday and having most of the week to do as we please. It's time to get serious (with school at least) and unfortunately we're not at the same school this quarter. This fall is going to be a HUGE adjustment for me. Have I not given you the details to our current delightful schedule? Martin works 2 nights a week. On those nights, I bring him dinner on his break, and I get to stay in text contact with him most of the evening. And I could visit him if I wanted (which I used to do). He plays a show every Sunday night, which I go to most weeks (so we're not actually apart). And occasionally he has shows on Saturday somewhere in the Bay Area, and I almost always go with him (so again, we're not apart). I babysit for a living (a minimal living, but again we do not have to part). Up until last week we shared my car, so we run most errands and do just about everything together. Pretty awesome huh? And to think, we're giving that up for an education (wink wink). We've been dying to go to school actually. With budget cuts and registration cuts, we were not able to apply last fall or spring, and opted to not go summer, so we've been having the time of our lives. So wish us luck!

Enough of the personal stuff.. I wanted to tell you about all these yummy thoughts I have, and since I'm not posting about anything else, I've been sharing what I have found. Also, I've organized the blogs I look at into my favorites folder this week, and so I can actually keep up with some of them. This picture, of peach shortbread is from smitten kitchen, which I check out regularly, and I plan on making these.. like this week. Don't they look yummy?! And, my guess is they aren't that difficult to make, so I'm gonna give it a try. Anyways, I hope you have a had a wonderful weekend, and I hope you take a look at a few of the blogs I recommend. I don't cook often enough to have a stacked library of recipes, but, I can lead you in the direction of some people that do.

I know.. I've gone cupcake crazy

But... I have one more to show you! During all the birthday mania this last week or so, I threw this one into the mix, because I know britney wanted chocolate frosting, and I know she loves junior mints :)

Also, I made up a simple chocolate buttercream recipe.

the easy choco buttercream:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1-3 T. milk

Cream the butter and shortening in a mixer. Add the cocoa powder and mix until the lumps have completely smoothed out. Add the powdered sugar and mix completely. The mix will be dry, but continue to mix to ensure that the powdered sugar and butter mixture are combined (make sure to scrap down the edges). Add the vanilla and 1 Tablespoon of milk. Mix thoroughly. Continue adding milk a Tablespoon at a time until the desired texture is reached.
Keep refrigerated until about an hour before use. If it's too warm it won't hold a form, if it's too firm it makes it more difficult to pipe.
Use sprinkles and candy to decorate!

(I'm sorry if this recipe doesn't turn out perfect. I don't always keep track of what I'm putting in a mixing bowl! Just taste test along the way and you'll be fine.)

Reese's Peanut Butter cupcakes!

Peanut Butter Buttercream
(this is for one basic cake mix)

3/4 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. butter (1 cube)
3 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 T. vanilla
1/2 c. cream

Cream the peanut butter and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat until the powdered sugar is completely combined and there are no lumps. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time while mixing until all milk is in. Mix in vanilla. You can just add milk until the desired texture is reached if you prefer to not use cream, or if you don't have any on hand. But the cream gives it more rich and cohesive consistency. Mix for 1 to 2 minutes. Add sifted powdered sugar to thicken the frosting or add more milk to thin.

This should frost about 2 dozen cupcakes (1 cake mix)

strawberry cream cheese cupcakes

I have had a busy week! With Jennifer's birthday which I made cupcakes and brownies for, cousins coming into town, a murray/gallagher family birthday party (including Martin's brother, father, aunt, and grandma who all have birthdays this week, if you can believe that) which I made cupcakes for, 2 Martin Murray shows, a giants game, a party for my friend Alissa who won the Singing Bee (a lyrics tv game show on CMT) which I brought cupcakes to.. and geez, I'm sure there was more.

Anyways.. these are the cupcakes I made for 2 of the parties and they were a huge success!! Super easy and super delicious, I hope you enjoy!

Cupcakes:

1 box of white cake mix

3/4 c. my mom's strawberry jam :)

(just kidding you can use any kind, hers is just the best though)

Frosting:

1 box of cream cheese

2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

Sprinkles!

Follow the cake mix instructions for the cupcakes. I like to use the foil baking cups found at any grocery store (it's a double cup, the bottom layer a foil cup, the top layer, a plain white baking cup). It keeps the cupcakes from burning or overcooking on the outsides. If your oven usually burns, turn the heat down to 325, sometimes the box instructions says to do the same. Make sure you don't overcook them! They're only delicious if there moist, so if the box says 20-26, you're most likely going to take them out at 20. Use a toothpick, test the center, it should come out with batter on it, but a few crumbs is fine. Cool before frosting. I like to refrigerate them.

For the frosting, cream the cheese and sugar together in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, or with beaters. Mix until there are no more powdered sugar lumps; make sure the edges are scraped down. Add the vanilla, and mix till completely combined. If it is too thick you can add a few drops of milk. I use a frosting bag and a decorating tip, but you can frost with just a spoon to make it easier. Surprisingly, decorating with a bag makes things go much quicker. It does take some practice but once you have the hang of it, it's like riding a bike, you just don't forget. For an even more strawberry cupcake you can add a few spoonfuls of strawberry jam to the frosting and pink/red food coloring, like I did with these pinkalicious strawberry cupcakes.

I used two kinds of sprinkles; the colored sugar crystals, and the mini white pearls. Rainbow sprinkles would also go great with this cupcake.

p.s. Mary, thank you for the adorable pink cake stands :)

boysenberry pie

These wonderful berries are out of my family's garden, which I just love.

For an 8-9 inch pie

Pie Crust Recipe:
2 c. flour
½ t. salt
¼ c. sugar
2/3 c. shortening
8-9 T. cold water

For detailed directions of my pie crust.

Boysenberry Filling:
4 c. berries
1 c. sugar
2 T. flour
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt

If you don’t have to wash the berries, don’t; they tend to hold a lot of water in them, but if you must, dry them well. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Gently mix in the berries. Add the berry mixture to the empty pie crust, and spread evenly to the edges.
Cover pie with top rolled out crust. Roll the edges in to seal in the berries and design the edges however you prefer. The top should have some kind of an opening to allow air to be released, use any design you prefer for that as well, with a knife, just deep enough to cut the crust.
Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes. The edges of pies have a tendency to burn, so you may need to use a pie crust saver, or just foil will work fine. You can cover almost the entire top and edges with foil, just as long as you cut a hole in the center, to allow air to flow. The pie is done once the filling begins to bubble through the cut made in the crust.

the 300 cupcakes

Yes, that is 300 cupcakes.

Brady and Raquel, love you :)

Congratulations

Fudgies!

my only no bake cookie recipe... and they are literally Martin's favorite thing in the whole world right now... thanks for the recipe mom :)

1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. milk
3 T. cocoa
2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 c. oatmeal

In a medium sauce pan, combine butter, milk, cocoa, and sugar. With a wooden spoon, continue to mix over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. For 5 minutes you will continue to stir will boiling. Take the pan off the heat, add vanilla and mix in, then add oatmeal. Mix till combined. On and ungreased cookie sheet, test one cookie, by using a spoon and dropping a spoonful of the mixture onto the pan. The cookie should keep its form and the chocolate and oatmeal should stay together. If the chocolate oozes down and spreads, you will need to keep the mixture on boil for another minute or so.
I make rather large cookies so I only have about a dozen, if you make them a small spoonful, you should have 2 dozen.

Strawberry Pie

Crust:

1 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/8 c. sugar
1/3 c. shortening
5-6 T. cold water

Mix flour salt and sugar. Add shortening and with a fork mix in the shortening. With the fork you lift from bottom to top, you don't press down to break up the shortening. It will take a little bit of time, and the pieces of shortening should all be pea size or smaller.
Take a few fork fulls of dough crumbles and set aside. Add the water to the flour mixture. If you're adding sugar to the recipe, you may need the extra tablespoon of water. The dough should come together as a ball in your grip, add a few more drops of water if necessary.
On a floured surface roll out dough with a rolling pin. Just roll it out to the edge of your surface or about 1/4 inch thick. It doesn't matter the shape or look of the dough at this point. Sprinkle the dry dough mixture, that had been set aside, on the top of the dough, to the edges. Roll dough up, like a fruit roll up, and close off the edges so the crumbs don't fall out. Cut into fourths, stack on top of each other, and smash down, so you have one large mass of dough.
Again on a floured surface roll out dough. This time you're going to eventually need a close to perfect circle, so when rolling out, try to keep your shape. After you've rolled dough out an few inches wider than pie pan. Place pan in the middle of dough and cut a circle out, use the extra pieces of dough to fill in places that didn't quite keep shape. Using rolling pin, roll dough over and then onto the top of the pie pan. Lift dough into pan, making sure that it's up against the walls and edges. Using your fingers roll the edges of the crust down and in so that it sits just along the edge of the pan. Once you've circled the whole crust, go back around, using your thumb and index finger to shape the crust. You can make the wave as tight or loose, as big or small as you would like.
For more detailed pictures go here.
Your crust is done!
Poke a few holes in the crust with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees. You should fill your crust with pie weights or an alternative (I use foil, by molding it to the inside of the crust), this is to keep the walls of the crust from caving in.

2 containers of large strawberries (4-6 cups)
1 container of strawberry glaze
vanilla ice cream or whip cream

Cut the tops off the berries and mix with the glaze, fill the crust and keep refrigerated until served.

Berry Wonderful Cheesecake

Yes I am home from vacation and found myself back in the kitchen, one of my favorite places to be. For mother's day, my nephew Jack and I collaborated on the most important part of the day, dessert. We decided to go with my favorite, cheesecake. And to make it mother's day marvel, I went with a berry swirl topped with even more berry goodness. Cheesecake, although feared by most, is a very easy and simple dessert to make. Prep time for me, ends up being under 30 minutes, which is pretty amazing for such a decadent dessert.

Kristin's Berry Swirl Cheesecake

For a 10 inch spring form pan

Shortbread cookie crust:

1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 c. flour

Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until completely combined, make sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl. Add flour, and mix until combined. In a buttered spring form pan, press dough on edges and about 3/4 up the edges. It should have no more than ¼ inch depth, so you may have extra dough. Make sure the crease of the pan (in between bottom and sides) doesn’t have a build-up of dough. You will want a consistent depth all around.
Take a piece of heavy duty foil (or two sheets of regular) and shinny side down, place your pan on top, and fold the foil up the outside of the pan. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be golden brown, if you notice the edges are browning before center is cooked through, turn the temperature down.

Cheesecake filling:

24 ounces of cream cheese (3 boxes)
¾ c. sugar
3 eggs
1 T. vanilla
¼ t. salt
1 ½ c. sour cream

1/3 c. - 1/2 c. berry preserves (any flavor or make, I prefer my Mom's homemade boysenberry)

Cream the sugar and cream cheese in a mixer or with beaters. Add one egg at a time, scraping the bottom of the bowl after every egg. When completely combined (it is very important that you have no lumps, so the first few steps are crucial) add vanilla salt and sour cream. Mix until smooth. Pour filling into crust, smooth out top.

You may want to water down the preserves just a bit, it should drizzle off the spoon, not drop. Take the preserves and spoon onto the top of the uncooked cheesecake in a swirl pattern. Using a butter knife, not cutting into the crust swirl around the batter a few times, allowing the preserves to sink down into the batter a bit. Be sure not to over mix, you want the preserves still intact, not mixed in (it loses the effect).

Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes at 330 degrees. It can be tricky to know when the cheesecake is done. The top should lose it's wet luster and have a dull look to it and it should be set. Check at the 1 hour mark first. Turn the oven off, open the door, and leave the cake in for about 20 more minutes. Mare sure you place on a rack for an hour or so before placing in the fridge. You should keep the cheesecake refrigerated for at least 48 hours before serving. I actually prefer 3 days, if you are thinking that much ahead of time.

Decorate with fresh berries and watered down berry preserves. You can make your own berry drizzle with frozen fruit, sugar and a little bit of water, cook down until the sauce is the desired consistency.