blackberry chia seed pie.

My first pie(s)! I was inspired by a pie recipe on the first year blog but made a few changes to the presentation & filling.  I love chia seeds (because they are so good for you) that I add them to everything and luckily it worked out will with the pie.

Crust

1 cup flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp butter, cut into small cubes

1 egg yoke

1 tbsp soy milk

Mix the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt together.

Cut the butter into small cubes and add them to the mix too. Mix it all together with your hands.

Add the egg yolk and soy milk in as well. Once the dough is mixed, form a ball, wrap it and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Not longer as it will get hard. 

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Filling

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (organic)

1/8 cup sugar

1/8 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp chia seeds

Egg Wash

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water

1 tbsp sugar for sprinkling on top

In a medium bowl, mix the fruit, sugar, cinnamon, flour and chia seeds together.

Next, take your dough out of the fridge and (if you're making 4 mini pies like me) section it into 5 pieces. 4 for each crust and the extra for your star cut outs.  I didn't use a rolling pin for this recipe at all, I just used my fingers to mold the pie crust into the pie pan. I did add a little extra flour, but it was too sticky to use the rolling pin. Fingers worked just fine.

Split your fruit filling into your four mini pies and flatten out your extra piece of dough. Using a variety of star cookie cutters, start cutting out different stars in whatever size you like and mix and match till you get a design you like. I got my cookie cutters at Sur La Table for $6. 

After you're happy with your stars, use your egg wash and brush a thin coat on top and sprinkle with sugar. I didn't use nearly as much as the recipe suggests, but it's your world. 

Now just pop them in the oven for 20 minutes, 

let them cool enough to take them out of the mold and serve up your festive pies!

ambitious baking. blueberry ombre.

the most ambitious cake i ever made. 

ingredients:

2 boxes of vanilla cake mix

2 boxes of vanilla frosting

4 cups of blueberries 

eggs, water & oil (as directed on the box)

* i substitute apple sauce for oil

1. in a large bowl mix all of the ingredients together as directed on the box.

or make a cake from scratch if you have time for that. (i do not)

2. i ended up using four cups of blueberries in total - 

but simmered them on the stove in 3 different batches. 

I threw in some water & sugar cubes initially but it was probably unnecessary.

cook the berries on the stove until the you see a deep purple liquid.

3. slowly add the blueberries to the cake mix until you get your desired shade of blue.

pour into a round cake pan & bake. repeat the process for all layers adding more blueberries to each layer. cook time will increase for each batch. my top layer was very dense with blueberries.

full disclosure: 

this cake took like 4 hours to make because i was rotating cake pans (having only 2).

i was trying to have it done in time for an oscar party and probably could have cooked some layers for a little bit longer. it ended up falling over after i cut into it. but does not mean it was not AMAZING!

it was AMAZING. definitely needs some tweaking but it's a pretty simple concept.

easy berry cobbler.

I tried to make mine the healthiest way possible.

4 tbsp. earth balance 

(organic buttery spread)

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup sugar

1 cup organic soy milk

1 package each of:

blueberries

strawberries

& raspberries

Heat oven to 375°

_____________

Melt butter separately & pour in the bottom of 9x13 inch pan.

Mix together Bisquick, sugar & milk

Pour over melted better.

Cut up fruit & spoon over.

Bake for 30 minutes are 375°

So easy and really good.

I might try to use less better & less sugar next time.

Just to see if it's still as good.

easter party. rainbow chip.

The easiest & tastiest thing to make for an easter party!

Takes just about an hour from start to finish.

Doesn't it just look so precious?

Ingredients: 

1 Betty Crocker Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix

oil, water & 3 eggs

1 rainbow chip frosting

& assortment of pastel sprinkles

red velvet. sweets & treats.

top: my version 

bottom: scratch recipe from smells like home.

I recently came across a photo (above) of some scrumptious looking red velvet brownies on pinterest... 

more specifically...

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream

recipe via smells like HOME.

They looked so delicious that I was inspired to make my own, 

except I searched for a recipe with a box mix base. 

I barely have time for baking right now, so fast & easy is pretty important!

The recipe I tested out can be found at Duncan Hines. 

Super easy... but not so much the brownie consistency I was expecting. 

Ingredients

1 Duncan Hines box of Red Velvet Cake mix

3/4 cup butter (melted) - that's a stick and a half!!!

1 egg

1/2 cup water

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Frosting

1 can of buttercream frosting (or whatever looks good)

Baking Instructions

-preheat oven to 325 degrees F

-mix egg, butter & water in a bowl. add box mix & 

stir until everything is combined, and lumps are gone.

-add chips into the mix & pour the mixture 

into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan

-bake for 40-45 minutes. let cool.

-frost them up & eat!

In my bakers opinion, this recipe was definitely good, for a 

rich, red velvet, chocolate cake recipe... 

but the consistency was certainly not a brownie-esque.

It was actually more crumbly & messy then I had anticipated. 

None-the-less, it was delicious! just not as I expected.

Next time I'll take the long route and go from scratch, 

or just follow the recipe on the box as-is and make a super simple.