Blueberry Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust

When I found this unique recipe in our local paper last year, I remember being discouraged by how complicated it seemed to prepare. But, I made a few changes, and now it's even easier to make (and much prettier) than a regular blueberry pie.

You can substitute other fruits, such as peaches, cherries or apples. I'm sure it would be equally yummy! (I bet this would even be good at the holidays with a pumpkin filling.)

I'm not going to let another year go by before making this special treat again.

Blueberry Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust

Filling
2 pints blueberries
1/2 C sugar

Cookie Crust
1 C sugar
6 T butter, melted
1 egg
1 t good quality vanilla extract
1 t baking powder
2 C flour

Crumb Topping
1/4 C brown sugar
3 T sugar
1/4 C flour plus 2 T
2 T oatmeal
1 t cinnamon
1/4 C butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 9" round cake pan with cooking spray.

Prepare Filling: Cook blueberries with sugar in heavy pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, until well heated through. Set aside.

Prepare Crust: In a large bowl beat together melted butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract until creamy. Beat in baking powder. Mix in flour just until combined. Do not over mix.

Press dough into cake pan and 3/4 up the side of the pan, using a piece of plastic wrap to help manipulate the dough in the pan.

Prepare Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon and melted butter. It should be a bit dry. If not, add more oatmeal or flour until slightly crumbly.

To Assemble: Using slotted spoon, place cooked blueberries in prepared crust -- a little syrup is okay. (Save reserved blueberry syrup for other uses.) Sprinkle crumbs on top of filling with your fingers. Crumbs should not totally cover the blueberries.

Bake 350 for 35 minutes. After the pie totally cools, you can remove from pan if you'd like for serving. Run a knife along the side of the pan and place a plate over the top. Hold upside down giving it a few gentle taps on bottom if needed. Have another plate ready to slide the cake onto, right side up. (This is much easier than it sounds.)

Spicy Homemade Ketchup

Make your own ketchup?? Yes, it is time consuming to make it yourself, but it really is nothing like the commercial stuff. (If you're looking for this to taste like Hunts or Heinz, this recipe is not for you.)

Homemade ketchup is a wonderful condiment, that you may even be tempted to eat right out of the jar. Last year, when I made this yummy ketchup, my 86-year-old mom went through the jar in less than one week!

If you decide that you'd like to try your hand at making ketchup, be sure to allow enough time. You'll need to be in and out of the kitchen, stirring the pot, for almost two hours.

Spicy Homemade Ketchup

2-3T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8t red pepper, or to taste
1/8t ground allspice
1/8t ground cloves
3/4t salt
1/4t fresh ground pepper
7C chopped tomatoes -- seeded and skinned (it's fine if a lot of the 7C is juice, after seeding tomatoes)
3/4C sugar
3T molasses
2T tomato paste
1/2C fresh lemon juice

Saute onions in olive oil in large pan. When soft, add garlic and red pepper, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute. Add rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly. Simmer, stirring occasionally, around 2 hours, or until mixture thickens and is reduced to around two cups. (As it gets thicker keep a closer eye on the ketchup, stirring more frequently, and possibly turning down the heat a bit to avoid scorching.) Taste for seasoning as well as sweetness. (Cook a bit longer, if you add additional sugar, until it is fully dissolved.)

Store in the fridge for use within two weeks or so. Can also be successfully frozen for up to 6 months.

Summer Salsa

If you like salsa, you need to give yourself a taste treat and make homemade salsa!

Last year was the first year I gave it a try. I guess I thought it might not be worth the effort, but it's amazing. My first try, we had been given lots of very ripe heirloom tomatoes that needed to be used quickly. I think I made about 10 cups of salsa that day. I had no idea how we could possibly eat all that salsa, but, amazingly, we did. That fresh, summer-tomato taste just can't be duplicated in a jar.

Summer Salsa

3C tomatoes (approximately), seeded and chopped*
3/4t salt, or to taste
1/4t pepper, or to taste
1/4t ground cumin
1/2 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, diced and then smushed w/ back of knife using a dash of kosher salt to help pulverize it
1 or more jalapenos, or other hot peppers of your choice, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1t olive oil (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours until serving.

*I strain out the seeds and save the juice for something else. You could drink it, as is, add to your homemade tomato sauce, soup or anything else you'd like. It's so delicious that it's a waste to throw it away!

Simple Sweet Refrigerator Pickles

I never tried my hand at pickling until last year when a friend gave us so many organic cucumbers that I didn't know what else to do with them.

Well, they were very popular around my house, especially with Grandma who could eat one jar at a sitting!

Another great thing is they last a long time without canning. I kept pickles in the fridge almost all year and they were still perfect.

Needless to say, when Matt and I went to the Farmer's Market this past Saturday morning and I saw my favorite curvy, spiky cucumbers I bought all of them.

Sweet Refrigerator Pickles

12 C sliced cucumbers (approximately -- I used 10 cucumbers)
2 C white vinegar
4 C sugar
2 T salt
2T celery seed

Heat vinegar, sugar, salt, and celery seed to boiling, until sugar is totally dissolved.
Slice cucumbers and put in very large heat-safe bowl.
Pour vinegar sugar mixture over cucumbers.
Ladle into glass canning-style jars, making sure pickles are mostly covered.
Store in the refrigerator. (It's best to wait a week or so -- if you can -- before eating.)