Sunday, January 31, 2010

Passing round blueberry pie


I have been meaning to share my Aunt Jean's blueberry pie recipe for a while now and I think its fitting to begin re-posting with this dish.

It always feels presumptuous to share other people's recipes.  I suppose in part because it doesn't feel like its mine to give.  Even more, though, I think its because I have relationships with these dishes and the people with whom I've shared them.

This pie recipe is a gem, as my grandmother would have said.  It has rescued the grumbling bellies of many an all-night game session, become the dessert for surprise guests, and served as a backup for a botched potluck dish that got a little too creative.  Its a quick prep pat in crust that you can use with almost any berry combinations.  I often keep frozen berries around and, therefore, can always whip this up if necessary at a moments notice.

Crust:
2 C flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2/3 C oil (something with mild flavor is best)
3 Tbsp milk

Pie Filling:
4 C fresh blueberries (or 2 pkgs. frozen)
1 C sugar
1/4 C flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp butter

Mix ingredients for crust.  
Pat all but 1 cup into the bottom and sides of a 9-10" pie pan to form an even crust.  
Mix berries and dry ingredients for filling.  
Pour into crust.  Dot with butter. 
Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of crust over the top and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 400 for 40-50 minutes until it bubbles in the middle.
Allow to cool and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Laziness


Its officially been over a year since I last posted on this blog and, frankly, my posting had been sporadic at best for a couple years before that.  I could generate all kinds of reasons to explain my negligent behavior, but I suppose this post's heading is as fair a rationale as any.  

On the bright side, we finally have internet at our home.  For three years I've survived without internet by writing lists of emails to send, articles to look up, searches to make.  I've huddled in the snow to find wifi points near my house and tried to cram in every spare internet chore I could between tasks at school. and thank god for the public library.

I know.  It was stupid.

But it was cheeper.  And it was quieter.  
Just also terribly, horribly, cripplingly inconvenient.

In conclusion,  I promise two things: 
1) there will be another post 
2) it will be about food