3 Ways To Enjoy Blueberry Season

    Every year Blueberry season comes around, and every year at my house they just get bagged and put in the freezer. Or just eaten fresh, so this year I stared trying blueberry recipes to start enjoying the very short picking season. The first recipe which is Blueberry pie, a classic blueberry dessert that captures the amazing taste of these fresh blueberries. This recipe for Blueberry muffins has the classic taste but with a crumb topping. And the last recipe is for blueberry fruit pizza, is a unique take on summer fruit recipes. To me blueberries represent the late days of July, and the warm summer weather. I hope you enjoy these summer recipes as much as I do!!!

1 Blueberry Pie
2 Streusel Blueberry Muffins
3 Blueberry Fruit Pizza

Blueberry pie

Crust: 

• 2 1/4 all purpose flour

• 1 1/4 tsp salt 

• 2 sticks butter 

• 3 to 6 tbs water 

Filling: 

• 6 cups Blueberries 

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 

• 3/4 cup flour 

• 2 tbs butter (softened) 

• 1 tbs lemon juice 

• 1 tbs corn starch 

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 Add the flour and salt in a medium bowl, then cut in the butter and mix until crumbly.

2 Now add In 1 tbs of water and kneed the dough, if the the dough needs more water then add more. 

3 Split the dough in half and roll out the first half, put it in the pie pan. 

4 In a large bowl mix in the blueberries, flour, sugar, cinnamon, butter, lemon juice and corn starch. Now pour the mixture in the pie pan. 

5 Roll out the other half of the dough and cut it in the design of your choice. (Always have holes for steam to be released during baking) before baking cover the crust of the pie with aluminum wrap, remove during the last 15 mins of baking. 

  

6 Pre heat oven at 425 f aand bake for 35 to 45 mins. Cool completely before serving. 

Streusel Blueberry muffins 

Ingredients:

Muffins

• 2 cups all purpose flour 

• 1 egg

• 3/4 milk 

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil 

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 

• 2 tsp baking powder 

• 1/2 salt 

• 1 cup blueberries 

Streusel topping 

• 1/2 cup flour 

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 

• 5 tbs softened butter 

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 In a large bowl mix in milk, vegetable oil and the egg with a whisk. 

2 Then add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix.

3 Now in a medium bowl add in flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter mix until crumbly. 

4 Spoon out the muffin mixture into a 12 muffin pan, then top them all with the streusel topping.

5 Preheat oven to 400 f and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan then remove.

Blueberry Fruit Pizza 

Ingredients

Crust: 

• 1 1/4 cup Flour 

• 1 egg 

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 

• 1/2 cup softened butter 

• 1/2 tsp baking soda 

• 1 tsp cream of tartar

• 1/4 tsp salt 

Topping:

• 1 8-once pack of cream cheese (softened) 

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 

• 2 tsp vanilla 

• 3 cups fresh blueberries 

1 In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until smooth, then add in the egg and mix again. 

2 Now add in flour, cream of Tartar, baking soda and salt, mix well.

3 Press the dough onto a 10 to 12 inch pizza pan. 

4 Preheat the oven at 350 f and bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes. Let it completely cool.

5 Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds then In a small bowl mix in the sugar and vanilla. 

6 Spread it on the crust and top with blueberries. 

Caramelized Banana Ice Cream Topping

    
 Every childhood memory has some kind of liking for food, probably because food is a thing you can have over again. Unlike adventures had in your childhood years, If your anything like me you've eaten your fare share of vanilla ice cream a thousand times. And probably had it with every thing from strawberries and chocolate to sprinkles. Vanilla ice cream is one of my childhood food memories, my mom would buy it by the bucket. And we would eat it mostly with strawberries all summer long. But recently my sister made me this very simple banana ice cream topping. And my vanilla ice cream has not tasted the same ever since. This very easy combination of of butter,brown sugar and bananas has changed my liking for vanilla ice cream forever.

{ingredients} 

                       
• 1 banana
• 2 medium size bowls of vanilla ice cream

• 1/2 cup brown sugar 

• 1/3 cup butter 

1 )  Cut up banana into thin slices.

2)  Melt butter in sauce pan, then mix in brown sugar.

3)   Add bananas and cook for about 6 mins or until bananas are Caramelized ( the longer you cook them, the Chewier they will be)

4)  Let cool for 1 min, then top ice cream (The frozen ice cream will cause the bananas to cool fast and make them chewy)

Rhubarb meringue pie

My truth about rhubarb:

      To tell you the truth rhubarb hasn't been something I enjoyed eating or cooking with for a long time, mainly because of its tart taste and the nature of its celery like structure. The first thing I think of when I think of rhubarb is putting it in a pie. And yes the always popular strawberry and rhubarb comes to mind. Which brings back memories of my aunts cooking from years ago. All the rhubarb you see in my photos comes from my aunts garden, which is full of rhubarb and memories for me. 

Ingredients 

Pie filling:

• 3 cups cut rhubarb 

• 1 1/2 cups sugar 

• 5 tsp flour 

• 4 egg yolks 

• 1 cup milk 

• dash of salt 

Pie crust: 

• 7 tbs butter 

• 1 cup flour 

• salt 1/4 tsp

Meringue: 

• 4 egg whites 

• 1 cup sugar 

• 1/2 tbs lemon juice 

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 

• 1/4 tsp salt 

1)  In a double boiler with water on the bottom layer. Mix in rhubarb  milk, sugar, flour, egg yolks, and salt. Cook for about 35-45 mins mixing often until thick.

2)  While pie filling is cooking, start making pie crust. Put flour,salt in mixing bowl and add butter in cubes. Then using hands start kneading the dough, until crumbly. Now add 2 tbs water and mix some more, if dough is not pliable enough add some more water.

3) Roll out the pie crust on plastic warp, then cover other side also with plastic wrap and Freeze for about 6 mins until cool but still easy to work with. Place on pie pan and bake for 12 mins on 390 f.

4)  Let completely cool until adding the cooled pie filling. Then start mixing the meringue, by adding egg whites, sugar, cream of tar tar, lemon juice and salt. Mix until mixer the attachment has a stiff white peak and the meringue is glossy.

5)  Spread meringue on top of pie and bake for 20 mins at 325 f. Let the pie completely cool before cutting and serving. 

    You may have heard that rhubarb leaves are poisonous, that is true. Never use the leaves just cut them right off. If you don't have a double boiler, use a pot with a bigger bowl that is oven and heat safe on top of the pot. Always have water on the bottom pot. Make sure not to add too much water. Enjoy this recipe!