I have been perfecting this pie ever since trying Mandy's Strawberry Rhubarb Bar recipe for the first time years ago.  That recipe is so good, and I make it every summer as soon as we start getting some good berries, always experimenting with it by changing the fruits (peaches, blueberries, or a combo of different berries), then one time I moved it to a pie dish, added crust and made a couple other little changes with the prep.... Suddenly I have a mean blueberry pie.  

Like the Rhubarb Bars, this too is really, really good.  If you're not afraid of making pie crust, you've got to try it.  Make the crust ahead a day or two to save time.  If you are afraid of making pie crust, or you're in a pinch for time, make it with a frozen pie crust until you are ready to take the next step.

You'll Need:
for the crust:
(makes 2 9" pie crusts)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 egg
1/3 cup plus 2 T ice water (more if needed)
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into cubes
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

To make the crust: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flours, sugar & salt.  Add the shortening and the butter to the flour mixture, and using a pastry blender, cut it until the butter resembles small peas.  You can also use two knives but you will do a LOT of cutting to get to the appearance of small peas.  In a small separate bowl, beat the egg with 1/3 c of the water and the vinegar.  Add the egg mixture to the flour/butter mixture gently tossing with your hands just until it comes together in a ball.  If the dough is too dry, add another T of ice water.  Gather the dough together on a CLEAN lightly floured surface and divide evenly into 2 balls.  Flatten the balls until about 1/2" thick and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and fridge at least 1 hr.  

If not using right away, fridge for a couple days or freeze for up to 3 wks.  If frozen, thaw for 1 day in the fridge before you roll it out to use it.

for the topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter at room temp (leave out 30 min prior)
1/8 tsp baking soda

for the blueberry filling:
4 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs flour

To make the pie:

Combine all topping ingredients in a mixer on medium speed until looking crumbly (see pic).  Set aside.  

On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll out the cold pie crust until it is very thin and a few inches bigger than the pie plate (so it drapes about 2 " over the edges on all sides).  Sprinkle flour on the rolling pin and on the dough as you roll it out so it doesn't get sticky.  When ready to transfer to the pie plate, put the pie plate turned upside down over the rolled-out crust, and then flip the pie plate WITH the parchment paper/crust ALL TOGETHER.  Peel off the parchment paper and let the crust sink into the pie plate carefully.  No need to trim the edges because you will fold the uneven edges all over the blueberries and then cover with crumbs so no need to be neat here.  Prick all over the dough with a fork. 

Rinse blueberries in water and drain.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Add the lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and flour; toss until all blueberries are evenly coated and then fill the pie shell with this mixture.  

Fold the edges of the uneven crust inwards towards center of pie, and then dump crumb topping mixture in center of the pie plate on top of the blueberries and slightly on top of the crust near the edges of the pie plate.  The crumbs can cover the pie crust a little, but keep the crumb topping mostly in the center over the blueberries (see pic).  

Bake at 350' for about an hour until you can see blueberries bubbling thru the top and the crumb top is lightly browned.  Let cool before cutting and you will get pretty clean pieces of pie (see pic).  This pie will stay together once it's at room temp.  Suggest to serve with vanilla or Salted Caramel Ice Cream.   

I love a refreshing summer cocktail, but I tend to not like cocktails that are super sweet (unless I am having it for dessert).  I looked up a bunch of raspberry mojito recipes before coming up with what I think is the best combo of ingredients.  It is light and refreshing, slightly sweetened, and has a delicious bite of lime.  

Have you ever been raspberry picking?  I have had two experiences, the first was awesome...a sunny warm day in Michigan and my mom was visiting.  We laughed and ate as we picked, we took pictures and just enjoyed the company and the beautiful day.  We picked so many raspberries, we went home and made 2 dozen jars of jam!  

You will need:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed, plus a couple leaves to garnish each glass
White Rum (1-2 shots per drink)
Raspberries (a small handful per drink)
Lime juice (1/2 shot per drink)
Club Soda (to top off each drink)

First, bring your sugar and water to a boil.  Once boiling and sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and add your mint leaves.  Stir and and then cover and let steep for 1 hour.  

After your mint water steeps, strain out the mint leaves and you are left with mint infused simple syrup.

To make your cocktails, fill a tumbler glass with ice.  Add 1 shot of rum, 1 shot of simple syrup, a small bunch of raspberries, a couple fresh mint leaves, 1/2 shot of lime juice.  Top off the glass with just enough club soda to fill the cup and serve....or sip...or gulp!

In the hot summer weather, sometimes you just need to eat salad for dinner.  It's too hot to eat a big plate of hot food.  But, it's also dinnertime, and we want something more substantial than just salad.  So... here's a different way (other than adding chicken) to make that salad feel like a meal.   

Makes 4 servings.

You'll Need:

4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vinegar
8 strips of thick cut smoked applewood bacon (I got this from the deli at Freshdirect; but you can use regular bacon if that's all you can find)
5 oz pkg of Spring Mix mesclun lettuce (or whatever lettuce you like)
1 large tomato chopped or 1 1/2 cups cherry/grape tomatoes sliced in halves
1/2 English cucumber chopped in small pcs (the kind without seeds)
1/4 of a red onion, sliced very thin (or as much as you like on salad)
1/2 cup canned Garbanzo beans (chick peas; rinsed with water and drained)
1 1/2 cups of croutons (you can use store-bought or make your own with this link)

Dressing:
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice. 

To Make:

Begin cooking bacon til crispy.  Dry/cool on paper towels and set aside.  

Meanwhile fill a large bowl with all salad ingredients:  lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, beans.  In small separate bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.   

To poach your eggs: Boil water in a small pot with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 cup vinegar added to the water.  While waiting for water to boil, get a small bowl of ice-water ready in the sink.  Carefully crack the eggs into a ladle or small dish, then place the ladle or dish just over the boiling water and turn the bowl so they slide into the water very carefully instead of plopping in and making a splash.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Immediately remove eggs from the boiling water with a plastic slotted spoon, and carefully place the eggs in the ice-water for 30 seconds to stop them from cooking.  The middles will be runny but the outside will be cooked delicately.  Set aside in a bowl.  

When you are just about ready to eat, add croutons and dressing to the bowl of salad ingredients, and toss to coat all the veggies and croutons.  You don't have to use all the dressing, you can set some aside on the table for those who want to add more to their salad.  Then transfer salad to large plates for individual servings, top each plate with 2 strips of crumbled bacon, and 1 of the poached eggs.  Sprinkle salad with some fresh ground pepper and serve!  

I am really in love with mango...well, mango flavored anything (the texture of mango is not my fave).  But mango drinks, sauces, salsas, sorbets....I love them all!  I messed with a few recipes to get this Mango Sorbet pretty darn perfect.  It's smooth and creamy and not too sweet, I hope you like it!  

You will need:
2 heaping cups of peeled and diced ripe mango (I have made this with semi-ripe and really ripe, and the really ripe is way better)
1/2-3/4 cup granulated sugar (your call, I tend to go less on the sugar)
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
1/4 cup of sweetened flaked coconut, toasted* 

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.  If you have an ice cream maker, follow the instructions from here out, using this as your batter.  If you don't, simply freeze this batter for a few hours or over night and voila!  I find using an ice cream maker makes for a fluffier sorbet where simply freezing it from the blender make it a little more compact.  

Top your sorbet with toasted coconut and enjoy!

*I toast the coconut in the oven.  I preheat the oven to 350 and spread a single layer of the flakes on a baking sheet and cook until they are just lightly golden brown.  It only takes a few minutes and you have to keep an eye on it because it burns easily, and burnt coconut is not tasty...trust me, I have tried to salvage a neglected batch!  Depending on your oven, you may need to turn/toss the coconut halfway thru cooking it (my oven cooks the edges of the pan before the center).

Note: I have tried subbing the mango for other fruits and while it is still tasty, it is not the same consistency as with mango.  I think mango freezes differently and makes for a creamier sorbet, where other fruits, like strawberries, make it more Italian-ice-like.  

WOW.  I cannot believe it's been a year since we first started posted our recipes!  I mean can you believe it?  I can hardly believe it (say that like an old man from Long Island and then tell me what movie that line is from!).

For our 1st anniversary we thought it would be fun to have a virtual progressive dinner at each of our houses, since we wish we could actually do that in real life!   So we are  going to start with drinks and apps at my house in Michigan (Rachel), then move to dinner at Emily's in New Jersey, and finally finish the night with dessert with Mandy in New Hampshire.  We hope you enjoy having dinner with us!

For these fresh and sweet treats you will need:
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
3 Tbs granulated sugar (plus more for sugaring the rims of your glasses)
3 cups of cubed watermelon (I like to freeze the watermelon first so your drink is automatically cold when you blend it!)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup tequila
Club Soda (enough to fill each glass 1/3 of the way)
Strawberries and limes for garnish

Run a lime wedge around the edge or your glass and then dip into a plate or bowl of sugar to sugar the rim.  Cut a strawberry and a lime and garnish on the edge of your glass.

Put all ingredients EXCEPT CLUB SODA into the blender.  If your watermelon is not frozen, add a couple ice cubes and leave out the water.  Blend until creamy.

Fill your glass 1/3 of the way full with club soda, then top off with your blended mix.  Give a little stir and enjoy!

This bruschetta is so delicious...I served it with thinly sliced french bread (I know, I should have used Italian since it's Italian food - but French is smaller and more sturdy!).  I also served marinated fresh slices of mozzarella cheese (marinated in olive oil, basil, oregano and S&P).

For the bruschetta you will need:
6-8 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped small (I did this in my food processor)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar 
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper (or to taste)
1/2-1 cup fresh parmesan, shredded
1/2 red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 lemon wedge
1 French baguette, cut in 1/2 inch slices

The prep is super easy - just chop it all up nice and tidy and then squeeze the juice from the lemon wedge over the top (just a spritz otherwise it will taste lemony!) and then serve with the baguette slices.  Thanks for coming over to my house!!

For the scallops you will need:
20 jumbo scallops or about 40 regular sized
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 tsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Using a paper towel, brush a little olive oil on the grill grates so the fish doesn't stick when grilling.  Preheat grill to high.  

Rinse and pat dry scallops with a paper towel.  In a small bowl, combine garlic with lemon zest and juice.  Add 1/4 cup olive oil and whisk for 1 minute.  Stir in oregano.  Set this aside to spoon atop grilled scallops.

Brush scallops on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill about 2 minutes on each side.  Arrange on serving platter and spoon sauce on top, then top with fresh parsley garnish.

For the tuna you will need:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs fresh sushi-grade tuna
1 Tbs fresh ground pepper (this is important for a really peppery taste)
1 Tbs sea salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon cut into small pcs to serve with tuna

Same as for scallops; using a paper towel, brush a little olive oil on the grill grates so the fish doesn't stick when grilling.  Preheat grill to high.  

Grind your fresh pepper  (you can grind whole peppercorns in a coffee grinder or mini cuisenart, or just use a table pepper grinder and try to measure out a Tablespoon before your arm falls off).  

In a bowl, combine ground pepper, salt and paprika.  Rinse and pat dry tuna with paper towels.  Cut tuna into long thick strips, 1 or 1 1/2" thick.  Roll each pc in the pepper mixture and set on a plate.  Drizzle tuna with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and grill tuna about 1 minute on each of the 4 sides - just until seared.  (see below ***) Set on a plate for a few minutes before checking.  Then cut tuna into equal sized cubes.  Drizzle with remaining olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.

***4 minutes of total grill time should give you medium rare tuna, but cook to your liking. Mine is cooked through in the pics but ideally you want pink centers. 

Now don't eat too much, otherwise you will fall asleep on the ride to Mandy's house like they little cuties...

Our dad is a huge fan of strawberry rhubarb anything.  A few years ago I wanted to make him a delicious dessert but couldnt find a recipe anywhere for what i was picturing, so I came up with this.  I make it multiple times every summer now and have even made it with different fruit combinations.  

For the shortbread crust you will need:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) room temp.
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup flour

For the fruit middle you will need:
1 1/2 cup rhubarb stalks chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
1 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch

For the crumb topping you will need:
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp baking soda 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 8x8 inch baking pan (or a pie plate works).  Combine crust butter and conf. sugar in mixer until smooth.  Add crust flour until JUST BARELY combined- overmixing it makes it difficult to spread in pan.  Mixture should still look pretty floury.  Press dough evenly into bottom of pan and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, heat rhubarb and strawberries in saucepan over medium heat, mashing and stirring it so it gets juicy and doesnt burn on bottom, until tender and juicy.  Stir in the 1/2 cup sugar.  Whisk cornstarch and lemon juice together until smooth and then add to the fruit and boil 1 minute until it thickens slightly.  Set aside. 

Mix all topping ingredients except butter in a bowl.  Then pour melted butter over that and toss with a fork until combined and crumbly.  When shortbread bottom is done, pour fruit over bottom crust.  Pour crumbly topping evenly over fruit.  Bake in oven for approx 25-30 minutes more or until topping is slightly browned and fruit is bubbling.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.  You may make a drizzle for the top with 1/2 cup conf. sugar mixed with 1-2 Tbsp milk if you want (makes a glaze icing).

We really hope you have enjoyed our progressive dinner as much as Remy (above) is enjoying her berry crumble!  It's been a really fun and busy year of creating and cooking and sharing...thanks for visiting and trying our concoction out!  

And a special thanks to my sisters Emily and Mandy for doing this with me - I love you both so much and have had so much fun!  I cannot WAIT to see you both next week!

That reminds me, next week is our family reunion at our parents cabin, so even though we probably won't be posting anything new while we are there, we will be sure to come back with some pictures and new recipes to share after! 

Enjoy your day, week or however long it is until we post again! 

Happy 4th of July!  This is a great summery dessert that I have been making for 5 years now.  I don't know why it wasn't one of the first things I posted, but anyway, better late than never.  I make it when we have friends over because it looks good, individual portions, and after eating and drinking a lot, it's not too too heavy in the whole spectrum of desserts.  

So, here it is:  

Step 1, fruit:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp real vanilla extract
4 cups of berries of your choice, washed and set aside in a bowl: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries...
 
Combine sugar, water and vanilla in small saucepan and cook on high.  Let boil only about 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  Once cooled, add 1/2 amount to fruit and toss gently.  Set the rest aside to use in the parfait cream (Step 3), or another use.
***use extra syrup in your morning coffee or in whipped cream.  Keeps in fridge for about 5 days.

Step 2, oats:
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt 
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used a combo of sliced almonds and pecans, and smashed them up in a plastic bag first)
1 cup Quaker "Old Fashioned" oats (these are the big oats)

Preheat to 350'.  In a medium non-stick pan, mix all above ingredients together -EXCEPT OATS- over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Once this heats up and gets bubbly, add "old fashioned oats" and toss to coat thoroughly (I use two wooden spoons to toss).  Keep tossing as it continues to cook for another 2 minutes or so.  Then remove from heat, and spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 10 minutes at 350', just until slightly browned.  Set aside to cool.  The oat topping will get crunchy once it cools.    

Step 3, parfait cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs simple syrup (you'll make this in Step 1)
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbs acacia honey (or a good honey.  plain honey is ok too but not quite as tasty)

Whip heavy cream, simple syrup and honey in the mixer with wire whisk attachment, on highest speed, about 3 minutes, until looking solid like whipped cream.  Then add the sour cream and whip for 30 seconds more on high.  

To Assemble:
Layer oats, berries, cream in a glass of some sort to see the layers.  Eat immediately, or within a couple hrs (not to be made ahead).  Garnish with fresh mint leaves, if desired.