Blackberry Cobbler

We had some friends over for dinner tonight and I made a blackberry crumble.  Our freezer is stocked with berries from our neighborhood and cabin, so I scoured the internet for a good looking recipe.  Unfortunately, there are no photos.  Don't complain... there was no way we were going to miss out on eating this cobbler while it was warm. 

This dessert turned out great.  I served it with some fresh whipped whip cream and vanilla bean ice cream.  The kids couldn't scarf it down fast enough (same with the adults!).

Click here for the recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker, and here is a photo from Betty...

Blueberries and Crabs

The boys spent the night on the boat so our crab pots could soak a while.  That meant the house was very quiet this morning, especially since little Miss C decided to sleep until 8:45am!  After a walk to Tully's we ran in to our neighbor who was going to pick blackberries.  I love picking blackberries but had no supplies with me (bucket, gloves, garden tools to fight the vines).  But I decided I had to pick some blackberries when I walked past a tucked away location with more plump blackberries than I could count.  I sucked down my dirty chai and convinced Miss C to finish up the water so I could use the two 16oz cups to hold my pickings!

Best part?  The cups had lids so I didn't have to worry about the berries spilling all over our stroller on the walk back.  Of course, two of the stroller pockets were also stuffed full with blackberries. 

The blackberries quickly became a blackberry pie.  Lesson learned?  This blackberries were so juicy that the pie was too soupy after baking; even with the addition of some corn starch before baking.  Trick?  Add a tablespoon or two of uncooked tapioca beads to the fruit before pouring it in to the pie shell!   Here is a past post for blackberry pie.

The boys came home with quite a few keepers!  I love crabbing season!

Blackberry Pie

Tonight we had our friends Cam, Anne and baby Savi and Nick, Steph and little Matt who just turned 1 year old over for dinner. It was so much fun that I forgot to take a picture of the kiddos! Blake had fun sharing his toys with Matthew, and Savi enjoyed lounging in her parents' laps. Steph and Anne both brought amazing dishes that we paired with my all time favorite turkey burger recipe. To finish off the meal we enjoyed fresh made blackberry pie with the berries from the cabin and vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Now here is where I become my grandma.  I don't really have a recipe for the pie, I just learned the end flavor I want to create by watchin her make this pie with freshly picked blackberries from the cabin.  So here are the basics, but add more/less depending on taste...

Blackberry Pie

4 c. fresh blackberries

1-3 Tbsp flour (depends on how juicy they are - more juice, more flour)
1 c. sugar (more or less depending on how sweet/ripe the berries are)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (you can also add a bit of zest for a citrusy hint)
1 Tbsp butter
2 discs of rolled pie dough

Line pie pan with one rolled pie dough. Gently combine blackberries, flour, sugar and lemon juice and pour into pie shell.  Top with chunks of butter and cover with second pie dough.  Cut little steam vents on top pie crust. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 and back for another 30 or so minutes.  Basically, you want the top crust nice and browned.