we just completed our first move in 5 years. there are things that i just love about moving. it gives you the opportunity to physically touch everything in your house and make a decision about whether it stays or goes.
i have been a big fan of
Leo Babauta and his blog
Zen Habits for a while and really started digging through his archives in preparation for the move. i desperately wish i could fully commit to the minimalist lifestyle but i can't quite get all the way there (especially when it comes to the kitchen).
i hoped this move would allow me to take one step closer to it.
i did not want to move anything i didn't
absolutely need or want. that was especially true of the pantry and fridge. i wanted to use up everything i could before the move day. this pie was a result of that. i found bags of frozen peaches, raspberries and blackberries in the freezer. it sounded like the perfect combination for a pie.
it was every bit as lovely as i thought it would be. the meaty peaches were a nice texture against the soft and tangy berries. it reminded me of summer flavors which is a nice treat in the cold minnesota winter. i used a recipe i have for peach pie and just added the berries. the cinnamon was a nice spice with the fruit and i added a bit of lemon zest as well because berries taste just a little bit better with some lemon.
this pie was definitely one of the positives that came out of the move!
peach raspberry blackberry pie1 16 oz bag frozen peaches
1 12 oz bag frozen raspberries
1 12 oz bag frozen blackberries
thaw and drain - blot dry with paper towel3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter
1 batch all butter pie crust (recipe below)
egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon water)
sugar to sprinkle on top
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare the pastry - roll out into circles about 11 inches in diameter. Place the bottom crust in pie plate and gently press into the plate. Roll the top crust around a floured rolling pin and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the fruit, sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest. Mix to combine.
Turn the filling out into the pie plate. Dot with butter and roll the top pie dough over the filling.
Trim the excess dough and crimp the edges of the top and bottom pastry to seal and cut slits into the top dough for vent holes.
Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 45 - 55 minutes until crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble. You can cover the crust with buttered foil if the edges start to brown to quickly.
all butter pie crust
Makes enough dough for one double, or two single-crust pies.
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces, 16 tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with cold water and drop in a few ice cubes - set aside.
In food processor, pulse flower, sugar and salt.
Dice two sticks of very cold unsalted butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Add to food processor. Pulse a few times.
Slowly add the water a tablespoon at a time and pulse until the dough starts to pull together. Go slowly when adding the water. You don't want anymore than you need.
Turn dough out of food processor onto a floured surface. Divide in half. Form into two discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour.
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these carrot cake cookies almost converted me from a pumpkin lover to a
carrot cake lover. yes, they are that good. the cookie itself is soft
and moist - yet strong enough to hold up as a sandwich cookie. i added
more spice to the mix because that is how i roll. i think it is a major
improvement over the original recipe. i usually could leave the frosting
out of the equation but in this case - the frosting makes these
cookies. the cookie itself is not very sweet and the creamy sweetness of
the cream cheese frosting balances out the cookie with the perfect
amount of sweetness to compliment the spices in the cookie. these carrot
cake cookies would be the perfect picnic or backyard barbecue dessert. 
i love the idea of using rice krispies in a cookie. i have adapted the
recipe a bit by adding toffee and cinnamon but i think the rice krispies
are what make them special. the cookie itself is crisp but the middle
is still chewy. the toffee melts the perfect amount to be chewy but
still hold that toffee texture i love. ever since i made 
these cookies are INCREDIBLE! i am not exaggerating - they are
perfection. the crispy cookie and the white chocolate would be amazing
on their own but the addition of the sea salt - oh my! the salty crunch
on top makes these cookies one of the best i have ever made.Session dataSession data 
these peanut butter and jelly bars fit the bill perfectly. not only are
they simple to make - you can easily double the recipe for a large
crowd. i need my peanut butter to be chunky - the smooth stuff just
doesn't feel like peanut butter to me - so i substituted chunky for
smooth. any kind of berry jam will work great and for those of you
grape jelly fans - that would work as well. i added a bit on honey to
the batter and honey roasted peanuts to the top because i think peanut
butter and honey are naturals together. 
the mixed apple pie was probably one of my favorite pies i have
made because each apple was so different - different flavor and
texture. they combined perfectly. the all butter pastry crust was flaky
and i had a lot of fun making up the top crust. i have done lattice - i
have done full crust - i have done crumble topping. i wanted something
special this time. i took the top crust and cut out circles with a
biscuit cutter and overlapped the circles. it looked like a flower. i
will be using that one again - it makes a traditional pie new again. 
this cake met every expectation i had and then some. i used a different
recipe for the cake because i have one i love and the baked recipe makes
a three layer cake which i thought was overkill. i made everything else
from the baked recipe. this was not an easy cake for me to make as i
seem to be cursed when it comes to caramel but it was worth all the
effort. the balance of the sweet & salty flavors is perfection. the
cake itself is pure decadence but with fleur de sel and caramel it puts
it into a whole other world.
i get why people love these brownies and i am sure they are equally
fabulous on their own but i am telling you they are a little slice of
heaven when marbled with a cream cheese swirl. i upped the amount of
espresso powder and decreased the sugar by a bit because i do that in
most recipes. both adaptations worked really well and i think they
enhanced the deep chocolate flavor in these brownies. 
