7.16.2012

Huckleberry Pie

Have you ever tried huckleberries? They are a much tinier version of blueberries, usually grown in the wild, upper elevation of mountains. Last summer we hiked up to a location my boss had mentioned he'd seen a jackpot for huckleberry plants. And picking these berries are a true labor of love. They are so small, after an hour and a half, we'd only had about a gallon-size bag worth of berries.  So needless to say, I tend to be a little stingy when using them up in recipes :)

A friend had mentioned she'd had quite a bit of these little huckleberries stocked up in her freezer but had no idea how to make pie crust. I told her I had this incredibly easy recipe that makes 2 double crusts, so she came over and we baked this super delicious pie! Look how tiny those berries are!


Huckleberry Pie
Grandma's Pie Dough from Country Living
Filling from She-smoke

3 1/2 cups huckleberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoon corn starch
 
Heat the oven to 375°F. Roll out one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness, and transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Set aside in the refrigerator. 

Mix the sugar and cornstarch together, then carefully coat the berries with it.  Transfer to the prepared pie pan.

Roll the remaining dough to 1/8-inch thickness and use a scalloped pie cutter to cut dough into strips at desired width.  

Drape the strips over the pie and weave over and under each layer.  Trim the edges of both crusts, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang.  Fold the dough under, lighting pinching to seal.  Crimp around the rim and refrigerate for 10 minutes.  

Bake on the center shelf of the oven until the crust is golden brown - 45 to 55 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

7.06.2012

High Five for Friday 7.6.12

Happy Friday! I think this is my favorite day of the week! Here are a few things I'm high-fivin' today.

Photobucket

We are finishing up week 5 of half-marathon training. We've had to skip a run here and there but overall we are staying on track.  I have to admit, it has been so much harder than I ever imagined.  And not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.  There have been many runs that I've completed and end up beating myself up for not being able to run faster, push harder, be better. Which I know is completely absurd considering I'm breaking my personal records by leaps and bounds!!! I am grateful for a supportive husband and great friends and family that believe in me and encourage me when I'm ready to throw in the towel.  This goal is supposed to be FUN!  I want to put the focus back on being proud of what my mind and body has been able to accomplish with hard work and dedication. 

We finally had all our dogs do a comprehensive session with a dog trainer.  My Riley Boy is getting a little too aggressive for his own good and we just wanted some direction on how to prevent it from getting any worse.  Hard to believe it with this adorable face, huh! She gave us some really great pointers for him and hopefully we can get him back on track!
photo c/o jenny j

This weekend, we will finally be close to hitting 100 degrees for the first time in a couple of years.  I'm thinking some cold and refreshing drinks are in order, doesn't this watermelon-lime cooler look delicious?

My sweet SIL sent us a Smash book for our anniversary! I'm so excited to put all our wedding cards in here, the ones that are currently being held safe in a ziplock bag :)

I'm going to savor the last few days of my stay-cation! I've been catching up on house projects, soaking up some sun, and have finished DIY stuff like this farmer's market bag! It's going to be hard to get back to it Monday morning!

 
What are you high-fivin today? Be sure to link up!

7.02.2012

DIY Earring Organizer

Happy Monday! I took the week off and am hoping to get a ton of half finished projects around the house done! First on my list was an organizer for my jewelry. I have everything just thrown in random places - jewelry box, bathroom medicine cabinet, gym bag, etc.  I found this tutorial on an earring organizer that I thought would work perfect with a frame I'd found at a yard sale years ago. 

photo from kevinandamanda.com
It was a little hard to find picture wire hanger, but after a few stops, I found it in the hardware section at Walmart. Time to say goodbye to this guy in picture frame, he provided lots of laughs over the past few years!

One band-aid and 30 minutes later, this to-do was complete! 

It was a lot of fun to go through my jewelry and find long lost items I forgot I had. I'm hoping to make a necklace organizer too!

Do you have any fun projects planned for the holiday week?