Two Pies and a Skirt

And the countdown begins. 32 days until summer break! It's a bitter sweet countdown because as I quickly approach my summer break, I am also quickly approaching Johnny's four month departure for Georgia. So, with him leaving soon, I'm subconsciously doing special things for him.



One of those things is baking blackberry pie. Here's a great recipe for pie crust that I found online.



Beautiful blackberries from Trader Joe's.

And the finished product. I got the recipe from the fabulous Joy of Cooking cookbook. Here it is for you.

1. Line a 9in pie pan with the above crust recipe and bake through
2. Wash 6 cups of fresh blackberries
3. Puree 2 cups of the berries in a blender
4. Whisk together in a medium sauce pan: 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 1/8 tsp of salt
5. Stir in the pureed berries along with 2 T of lemon juice
6. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, and cook for one minute (really let it bubble up and thicken)
7. Add mixture to the remaining berries, pour into the crust, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set

With the second pie crust I had left over, I made a healthy chicken pot pie. Here's the recipe from Real Simple. It's a staple in our house.

Johnny has also been wanting me to make my own clothes now that he bought me a sewing machine. I thought I'd humor him and make myself a skirt. It turned out pretty well.

We went to a friend's wedding this weekend, and it reminded me of how lucky I am to have Johnny. Keep him in your prayers as we quickly approach his fourth months of training.