Monthly Archives: October 2008

Bigfoot sighting!

Family, Thoughts,

Isaac's feet compared to the solar system

Isaac seems to have a way of destroying shoes.  I don’t really know what it is about him.  My Dad used to fuss at me for dragging my feet, “When you’re buying shoes, you can walk how you want…until then, pick up you feet!”  I was all prepared to fuss at my kids in the same fatherly way…but Isaac doesn’t drag his feet.  Still, he destroys his shoes.  On Monday, Emily took Isaac to get new shoes.  She started off at a local department store.  It turns out my 8-year old son wears an adult size 8 1/2 shoe.  Emily asked the attendant to bring forth their very cheapest 8.5 sneaker.  In response, they brought out a pair of shoes valued at $145.  Obviously they valued them more than we did.  He’ll need a new pair in 3-6 months no matter what they cost.  My crew finally ended up at a chain store and found a pair that were reasonably priced and stylish.

Ok, but seriously, an adult size 8.5 shoe on an 8-year old…he clears a path…mothers grab small children out of the way when he walks by.  The US Geological survey calls when he jumps rope.  It’s crazy.  My son is Sasquatch!

Berry Pie

Food

Putting berries in the pie shell

We picked a ton of blackberries earlier this summer and turned a lot of it into blackberry jam and blackberry syrup.  We froze approximately 1 ton of berries also.

 

'Dotting' the pie with butter

Fortunately, I love blackberry pie and my Mom has the World’s best recipe which I am sharing with you, my closest personal friends.  My Mom’s pies are the best in the world – bar none.  I cannot share all of her secrets but this one is one of my favorite pies she makes:

Berry Pie

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
5 cups fresh berries
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp butter

Heat oven to 425. Prepare (or buy) 10 inch pastry. Stir together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Mix together with berries. Turn berry mixture into pastry lined pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dot with butter. Cover with top crust which has slits cut in it. Seal and flute edges. Moisten fingers and dab on crust. Put butter dabs and sprinkle top with sugar. Bake 45-50 minutes until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Fight off everyone else in household to horde pie for self.

Fluting the edges of the pie

There are a few critical steps.  in particular, you must cut the initial of the pie-type into the top (in addition to the “slits”).  For example, the blackberry pie pictured here has a “BB” carved into the top-crust.  Initially, Emily was not going to follow protocol on this pie.  I informed her that without the initials, the pie should be dumped straight into the compost as it would have been rendered inedible.

Slits and initials in the pie

Luckily for me, she got things in order and followed procedure.  Anyhow, the sugar sprinkled on top is also critical.  These may seem like little things but they make the pie!
Blackberry pie!

Emily tells me I have a “pie problem”.  I loved (and finished) the squash pie from a couple of days ago.  I have blackberry pie on the brain.  I chalk it all up to getting my winter weight on so I an be ready for hibernation!