Lattice Pocket Pies

In August, I received an email from Wm-Sonoma notifying me of free shipping. Do you think they knew it was my birthday ;-)

I spied a $10 item was just too cute to resist. This is an item that I will use on a regular basis, since I truly LOVE it!  It even met my three requirements to bring another gadget into this house.

CUTE!
FREE SHIPPING!
EASY!

You will find this neat little gadget on the Wm-Sonoma website.

Click here Lattice Pocket Pie Mold

The pie mold includes a recipe for pie dough, but I had leftover puff pastry on hand, and rolled it on a flour board to about 1/16".

The recipe posted on the box calls for pie filling, but instead I mixed some fresh, chopped fruit with peach/ginger jam and a little cornstarch.

Here is the lattice and solid sides of the press.

The cut out shapes.

I used chopped Sweet White Nectarine and Georgia Peaches in the pie well before putting the lattice top on it.  

Add the lattice dough and press down to seal and crimp edges

of the pie.

  Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle sanding sugar.

The Basics:

1)  Cut out shapes of dough

2) Set one piece of dough on cutter and add filling. Brush edges
with egg wash.

3)  Top with another piece of dough and press down to seal and crimp edges of pie.

4) Freeze pies for 30 minutes before baking.
5)  Bake pies at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

If you want to make it SUPER EASY, you can use use store bought pie dough and canned pie filling.

Bon Appetit!

Thank you for stopping by!

Debbie

Mountain Breaths One Year Blog Anniversary

It's hard to believe it's been one year since I started blogging.


177 journal entries...


Thousands of insightful comments...


and one year later....


It's been journal/diary of my life. Sharing the world through my eyes. My supportive husband has been at my side, encouraging, "offering" to give me ideas (most them of I just crack up at). Like the other day, when he took me for a drive to show me something that I needed to take a picture of. It was a huge wasp's nest hanging off a tree! Too funny, he felt that it was blog material. Maybe it is...if you want to see it, just ask.


I've never kept a diary, well maybe for a few weeks when I was a teenager. I can honestly say that blogging is a commitment of time. When I started blogging, I really didn't have a clear game plan other than sharing random thoughts, recipes and pieces of my life with my family, friends and loved ones. I want to thank all my dear readers for visiting to see the world through my eyes.


On this anniversay, I'll just share a dessert that brings countless visitors to my blog. I also want to thank Feedjit. It provides useful information about who is coming to my blog. Unknown vsitors come from many countries.

Lemon Berry Cake
 with Mascarpone Filling

Some of you may remember this lemon berry cake that I previously blogged about. We very much enjoyed a lemon berry cake at a restaurant, and I obsessed and tried for weeks to re-create it for my birthday.  The cake is made by Sysco, and their website states the following: "Two layers of moist cream cake with cranberries, blueberries and cinnamon streusel baked into each cake then filled with fruit and a lemon mascarpone cream. If anyone comes up with a recipe, I would love to hear about it. 

Thank you for your visit!

Debbie

Pumpkin Cobbler

We are having cool mornings and evenings, and I was craving fall flavors. It didn't matter that everyone I know is on a diet. I just had to make this....it was calling my name.

If you are craving fall flavors, this will make you very happy :-)  I froze several squares of it, and I'll probably be hitting the freezer tommorow!

Pumpkin Cobbler adapted from The Kingsley House Bed & Breakfast

1 large can pure pumpkin (or two small cans)

12 oz can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 large box yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped pecans (may omit)

3/4 cup melted butter

Mix first 8 ingreedients and pour into well-greased 9x13. Sprinkle cake mix on top, then pecans. Drizzle with butter and bake 50 minutes at 350 until set in middle. Spoon into ramekin or dessert dishes and top with a dollup of whipped cream.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you'll stop back soon.

Debbie

Fresh Blueberry Pie

It was cool this morning, so I turned the oven on and did some baking. Had to make my beloved lemon berry cake, and decided to bake a few pie crusts to try a new "no bake" fresh blueberry pie.

Yesterday morning, I threw myself together and headed out to a local blueberry patch at 7 a.m. Had to beat the crowd. No kidding. The patch opened at 7:30, and I thought I was doing good by getting there at 7:20. Well the road was already lined with cars. Last Saturday, opening day, the patch was picked clean. So, after being closed for a week to let the berries ripen, we enjoyed two hours of picking and a lot of socializing.

Recipes were being exchanged through the bushes! One woman yelled, "try the fresh blueberry pie from the Fannie Farmer cookbook". Well since I didn't have the cookbook, she just rattled off the ingredients. And you really don't need the cookbook, this is just so easy.





Deb's Fresh Blueberry Pie (no bake)
8" baked pie shell (use your favorite recipe) I use the recipe that came with my food processor
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 TB cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 TB butter

In a medium saucepan, mix two cups of fresh blueberries with cornstarch, sugar, salt and water. Cook over medium heat until mixture has thickened. Remove from burner, add butter and let cool.

In the baked pie shell, put remaining two cups of fresh berries. Pour the blueberry sauce over it. That's it.

Can serve with whipped cream, but it's wonderful plain. I will make this again and again.

oh so sweet things

Perhaps when I retire, the nice folks at Mackenzie Childs will hire me to be their gardener. Being surrounded by their beautiful pottery and gardens, would lift me up every day. 

While I was at the Mackenzie Childs barn sale on Saturday, they had something for everyone. My dog Kiki might enjoy sniffing this perch :-) I know she wouldn't sit on it. But she sure would look sweet if she did.


I would love to know a young girl who sleeps in a bed like this...I would ask her if she feels like a princess.

The view from the barn sale is very inviting.

I should have bought the Courtly Check grill which is a new item this year. 

The birdies in my backyard deserve a new bird house...whatcha think? I've been admiring the birdhouses for a while, and I got a great deal.

This is Joe's purchase, he insisted I needed it. 

So, I made Chicken Marsala just to show my appreciation :-)

Thank you for stopping by!

Filled Strawberries

In honor of Memorial Day Weekend, you might need a quick and easy dessert to bring to a party.



Filled strawberries taste just like mini cheesecakes to me, and I am always happy to bring this signature dish to a party.

You may have seen these before, the recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart. I added a blueberry to give it the red, white and blue theme for upcoming Memorial Day. The strawberries were huge, so it was a double delight!

Filled Strawberries
===================

8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 TB tablespoons confectioners' sugar
12 strawberries

Whip room-temperature cream cheese on medium speed until slightly fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 2 TB confectioners' sugar. Trim tops and bottoms of 12 strawberries to level. Use a small melon baller to scoop out tops. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip with cream cheese mixture; pipe into berries until it brims over tops. Toast 1/4 cup sliced almonds in a 350°oven until golden-brown, 3 to 6 minutes; arrange slices over filling.



Thanks for stopping by!

Flashback and Foodie Friday

Each Friday, my friend Suzy encourages us to join her in "Flashback Friday". We enjoy looking back at the food we have served, the gardens we tended, and the trips we have taken over the last year or so. I am sharing a delicious cheesecake that I made during the winter, using a recipe that Ann shared.



I love Fridays for many reasons, and always look forward to Foodie Friday where I can get inspiration from the many wonderful cooks out there. To see what else is cooking for Foodie Friday, check out Gollum's blog. Designs by Gollum


If you enjoy cheesecake, you will like this one! Enjoy the weekend.



White Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from http://www.dianasdesserts.com
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake recipe

Crust

1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together and pat into bottom of a spring form pan lined with Buttered parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Filling:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (24 oz. total)
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces melted quality white chocolate


Reset oven temperature to 325°F

Melt white chocolate with heavy cream. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

With an electric mixer beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until well mixed and smooth. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth.Add the melted chocolate cream mixture. Stir until smooth.

Pour plain batter over crust.

Wrap foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Place in a shallow pan and pour in hot water. (Bain Marie)

Bake in preheated 325°F oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven and let cool. When cool refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 or 5 hours.

Drizzle with white chocolate and or Dulce de Leche.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. While I am not even a wee bit Irish myself, I always enjoy the festivity of St. Patrick's Day. And since a little birdie told me that my internet friend Kathleen was hosting a wonderful St. Patrick's Day dinner at her beautiful home in Long Island, I baked some Irish soda bread using her recipe. And I must confess, my favorite thing about St. Pat's, is the food. Specifically, the Guinness beef stew.



We celebrated Saint Patrick's Day with Guinness Beef Stew. I found the recipe at Elise.com and we really enjoyed it. Every other St. Pat's day, we have the stew. Next year it will be corned beef which I make using a 3 lb. flat cut. I cook it slow, and then I finish it in the oven after I rub it down with brown sugar and Dijon mustard.



Since DH has some Irish blood, I put together a little collage for him.



I wish I could have picked fresh flowers from my garden, but the supermarket had some nice ones for this celebration. We finished the evening with St. Patrick's Irish Mist brownies and Irish Coffee. I found these beautiful crystal mugs at the Village Basement.




I am so glad that my internet friend Barb shared the recipe for her St. Patrick Irish Mist Brownies. They are excellent, and will be on my St. Patty's table for many years to come. Thanks Barb! Check out Barb's wonderful blog. Foley's Follies

St. Patrick’s Irish Mist Brownies

Brownies ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs

Frosting ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
3 T butter, softened
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
5 drops green food color
2 drops yellow food color

Drizzle ingredients:

1 (1 oz.) square unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 350ºF. Melt 1/2 cup butter and 2 squares chocolate in 2 qt. saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth (4 to 6 minutes).
Stir in all remaining brownie ingredients until well mixed. Spread into greased 8 in. square baking pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until brownie just begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients except chocolate in small bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Spread over cooled bars. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Cool completely; cut into bars. Cover; store refrigerated.

You will be in for a real treat when you check out Kathleen's Irish fare on her blog. She went all out.

click on this: Cuisine Kathleen

Irish Soda Bread....Kathleen

4 C flour
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 C sugar
2 t caraway seed
1 C raisins
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2 C buttermilk
1/4 stick of soft butter

Sift dry ingredients. Mix in the seeds and raisins. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix.

Add beaten eggs and soft butter, mix

Put into 2 greased loaf pans, or 1 10 in round. Slit the top with a knife.

Bake at 350 about 30 to 35 for loaf pans, 50 for round.
Brush with butter or milk 10 min before removing from oven.
Check center to see if done, do no over bake..

Thanks for stopping by! Happy St. Patrick's Day to you.
Debbie

Egg Custard with strawberry sauce

Our favorite restaurant has Egg Custard on the dessert menu, served warm with raspberry sauce. Today I had a craving for egg custard, OK I always have a craving. Actually, the milk was about to expire, so I wanted to use it up. For five simple ingredients, I can have egg custard any time. I made a strawberry sauce since I didn't have any raspberries. I know my mom will really enjoy this recipe.

Note: I used ramekins to bake the custard, and when cool, I ran a knife around the custard and put in decorative serving bowls. The restaurant serves them on a plate in a pool of raspberry sauce.





Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
nutmeg
Preparation:
Beat together milk, eggs, salt, and sugar. Pour into custard cups; place cups in a pan with hot water nearly to top of custard line. Sprinkle each with nutmeg and bake at 325° for about 40 to 55 minutes, until custard is set. This really depends on depth of the baking dish. A knife inserted in center should come out clean. Makes 4 to 6, depending on size.



While I was baking the custard, Mr. Cardinal flew in for his lunch. You can hardly see him with the snow coming down.

Thanks for stopping by!

Debbie