Pie and the Payson Rodeo!

Mmmmmmm... I still had some summer fruit left over and have been wanting to make a pie for a while.

 

 For this pie I used nectarines and blackberries. Now that I think about it, the lavender sugar from my sister would have been really good in this.

Next time!

 

 

 

 When making the lattice pattern on the top,

it is helpful to have Batman as your assistant ; )

 

 

 And that's that!

 

 

 

 Time for dessert!

 

 

 

 It was Rodeo time in Payson, Az!

We made a weekend out of it and all went up to the cabin... 9 kids, 7 adults, and 3 dogs!

 

 

 We had fu-u-un!

 

 

 

It was so cool looking at these pictures afterwards. It all happens so fast you can't really tell how intense it actually is.

So awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a cowboy on that bull!

These guys are craaaaaaazy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



'Til next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lattice-Top Nectarine-Blackberry Pie (The Art and Soul of Baking)

 

2 recipes pie dough (I used store-bought this time)

6 med. nectarines

1 half-pint (6 oz.) blackberries

1/3 cup sugar

3 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 large egg yolk

2 T. milk or cream

 

Roll out pie dough and transfer to 9" pie pan, chill until ready to use. Then roll out other pie dough into a 14x12" rectangle that is about 1/8" thick. Carefully fold the dough into quarters, transfer it to a baking sheet, unfold, and chill until ready to use.

 

Rinse the nectarines and pat dry. Cut in half, remove pit, and cut each half into 4 or 5 slices. Transfer to a large bowl. Do not wash blackberries but check for bad ones. Add to the bowl. Add the sugar, flour, and lemon juice and gently toss with a spatula until the fruit is evenly coated.

 

Pour into the chilled pie shell. Create lattice top by slicing 1" slices from the pie dough rectangle. Chill pie for 30 min, not longer than an hour.

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position a rack in the bottom third of the oven. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the milk and brush it onto the pie crust and lattice top. Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp sugar.

 

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown, and the fruit is bubbling and tender. Let cool 40-60 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Fruit, Tuiles, and the Dog Days of Summer!

Mmmmm... summer fruits!

I really wanted to take advantage of these before the season is up!

I sliced them all up, and got them ready to put in the oven.

After roasting I poured the juices into a pot with a desert wine, and reduced it.

Then I poured it back over the fruit.

This really makes me want a glass of Sangria!

It's also very good over vanilla yogurt or ice cream with honey drizzled over it!

This particular mix of fruits might be too sophisticated for me, I think I might keep it simple next time... like nectarines, peaches and blackberries!

These are tuiles ("t-wheels", according to my google resources ) , and they go very well with this dessert.

When they come out of the oven they look like this.

After cooling for about 30 seconds you gently lift them off...

and then wrap them around a wooden spoon handle, or drape them over a rolling pin.

They are sweet and light, crisp and buttery... yum!

(For another version of these cookies, go to "On the Third Day of Cookies" post, from December, 2009.)

Oh, so handsome!

It's the "Dog Days of Summer", literally!

This is Duke, and he gets center stage this week : )

 

He and his sister were super fluffy and really cute.

Duke just kept growing and growing... and now weighs as much as a grown person!

 

This is where he was born, in Idaho... a winter wonderland!

 He used to take naps in the snow...

until we dragged him to...



the hot HOT DESERT!!!

Sorry Duke!

We are truly in the dog days of summer now, with temps up to 116 degrees.

Phewf!

He's got a LOT to say on that subject!

Sam and Duke.

Bella and Duke.

What a Good Boy!!!

Tuiles- The Art and Soul Baking

I used about a 1/2 T. for each cookie and just let them spread themselves in the oven. I also rolled them by hand. They don't come out as perfect, but are much faster.

1/2 cup plus 2 T. sugar

1/2 cup sifted cake flour

2 large egg whites

3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

1. Place the sugar and cake flour in the medium bowl and whisk to blend. Whisk in the egg whites and vanilla until well blended. Whisk in the melted butter until a smooth, thin batter is formed. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position an oven rack in the center. Line the baking sheet with a silicone mat. Drop about 1 T. of batter onto the mat. With the offset spatula, spread the batter into a thin circle about 4 inches in diameter. Make 3 or more circles, spacing them 3 to 4 inches apart. Bake the tuiles for 7 to 9 minutes, until the edges are golden brown but the center is still pale.

3. Transfer the cookies to a rack and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes, until they can be loosened and lifted from the sheet without tearing. Wrap them around a wooden dowel, for over a rolling pin to shape until cooled.



Happy Birthday Ho-Down!

Lucia's very first birthday!

My sister "T" threw a beautiful party!

The Birthday Girl!

We had pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, cornbread, fresh biscuits with honey butter, hot dogs, potato salad... it was a feast!!!

T is the oldest of all of us kids, and this candle was used for her own first birthday. So special to put it on Lucia's first birthday cake!

'Til next time!

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Muffins... and the Train Park.

This delicious recipe for "Morning Glory Muffins" came from King Arthur Flour.

They have carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, almonds, granny smith apples, and golden raisins. I also exchanged a portion of the white flour for wheat flour. Basically everything but the kitchen sink!!

I used 5in squares of parchment paper for the wrappers. If you tied little bows around them they would make a sweet little gift : )

And if you want to indulge, add a sweet cream cheese spread... it's like a glorified carrot cake!

And this is McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale. It is such a wonderful place full of history and lots of fun! It has an old presidential train, and 100 year old train depots that are now cute little shops and restaurants. They have kept the prices very reasonable, and I think we are so lucky to have something like this in our city!

So long for now!

Morning Glory Muffins- King Arthur Flour
( I exchanged 3/4 cup of white flour with wheat flour, and added pineapple )

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) raisins
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) white flour
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces)  white or brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (7 ounces) carrots, peeled and grated
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sunflower seeds or wheat germ, optional
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers.

To make the muffins: In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and sunflower seeds or wheat germ, if using. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan (they'll be full almost to the top; that's OK).

To bake the muffins: Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling

The Big Four!

Bella's favorite thing to do, in the world, is color.

So for her birthday I made her a gigantic pink crayon!

I thought these candles were soooo cute.

Birthday Buddies once again!

Happy Birthday Bella!