April Vacation So Far

This week is school vacation for all of us! We are definitely enjoying it to the fullest. Anna will turn one on Friday and her family party is Saturday so I’m focused on getting the house in shape and getting ready for the party with decor and some treats. I made this pretty letter A as part of the party decorations! We’ll move it to her room afterwards. We also planted blueberries and raspberries, went fishing, took some nice walks, made pretzels for the first time, and made chocolate covered marshmallows and pretzel rods. And the big news- Anna took her first steps!!!

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Blueberry Season

July means blueberries! I’ve been thinking of all things blue lately, from stuffing my face with fresh berries to baking, baking, baking! We had blueberry bushes when I was growing up on the farm, and I hated them because they were so small and it took so long to pick over the bushels brought into the farm market and put them into pints for sale.  If I could have kept from eating the biggest and juciest, the pints would have filled much more quickly!

Blueberry Glaze Pie

Blueberry Pie

Fruit Salad (Just fruit, no sugar is needed when it’s in season! A dollop of sweetened whipped cream couldn’t hurt though…)

Next on my list of things to make with blueberries: Blueberry Crumb Bars.  Check them out, they look awesome! I’ve made them with blueberry jam, but never with fresh blueberries.  Here’s a shot of the Blueberry Jam Crumb Bars

I also love Blueberry Buckle, Blueberry Shortcake, Blueberry Ice Cream Sundaes, Blueberry Pancakes… What’s your favorite way to enjoy blueberries? Links to recipes welcome!

Ruth’s Maine Blueberry Glaze Pie

Ruth is a family friend who lives in Maine.  She’s the grandma in a big family full of lobster fishermen and she reminds me a lot of my Great-Grandma Rose.  I love spending time in Ruth’s kitchen, visiting, eating delicious treats, and playing games late into the night. 

This pie has to be made with fresh blueberries, which makes it all the more special.  Ruth uses wild Maine blueberries, but you can try it with whatever kind of blueberries you have.  Ed’s mom was nice enough to bring home some wild Maine blueberries for me, so I’m using them today.  The measurements here aren’t all exact, which makes me think of Great-Grandma Rose’s recipes even more.  I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out!

Ruth’s Maine Blueberry Glaze Pie

• pre-baked and cooled pie shell
• cream cheese
• fresh blueberries
• glaze*
• sweetened whipped cream

*To make the glaze:

• Simmer 2/3 cups blueberries and 1 cup water for 5 minutes
• In a bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, 3 rounded Tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 cup water.
• Add the sugar mixture to the simmering blueberries and cook, stirring, until thickened.
• Cool.

To assemble the pie:

• Spread the baked, cooled pie shell with a thin layer of softened cream cheese.  Just enough to smooth over the bottom of the shell so it keeps the crust from getting soggy (Note: I was out of cream cheese so I skipped this part today, but I really do like it and I’ll be sure to remember it for next time!)
• Spread a layer of glaze over the cream cheese, then a layer of fresh blueberries.  Continue alternating until the pie is full, and end with a layer of fresh blueberries.
• Cool in the fridge.
• Top with fresh whipped cream and serve.

Blueberry Pie

• dough for 2-crusted pie
• 3 pints blueberries
• 2/3 cup sugar
• dash cinnamon
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• juice from half a lemon
• 4 heaping Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp butter
• pinch sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Roll out one crust and arrange it in the pie pan.  Combine blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and juice, salt and cornstarch in a bowl, then pour into the bottom crust and dot with butter.  Roll out remaining crust and use a star (or other shape) cookie cutter to make about 8 stars.  Refrigerate remaining crust for another use.  Lay the stars on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar, then bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown.  Bake pie for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake for another 50-60 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the crust is browned.  Arrange stars on the top of the pie and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Blueberry Jam Crumb Bars

It was Saturday night at 8:00, and I wanted to make something to bring to my aunt’s house for brunch the next morning.  It had to be fast and easy, so I was thinking blueberry oat bars, using up some of the abundance of blueberry jam in the pantry.  We’ve only got one jar of strawberry jam left, which is perfect because June is strawberry season around here, but there’s a whole bunch of blueberry jam in there.  However, upon looking in the pantry I realized that I had no oats, so I had to nix the oat bar idea. 

I started searching for blueberry bar recipes, and I found this blueberry crumb bar recipe at Smitten Kitchen, which looked fantastic.  The only problem was that it was made with fresh blueberries, of which I have none.  I’m even out of frozen Maine berries.  It’s late spring, that’s what happens.  So, I tweaked the recipe a bit and decided to make them with jam, although I must admit I’m very excited to try the fresh berry version this summer.

Blueberry Jam Crumb Bars

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 sticks butter, diced
• 1 egg
• 1 pint blueberry jam

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9×13″ baking pan using the wrapper of the butter (that’s a neat little trick I picked up somewhere).  Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl.  Blend in the butter and egg using your fingers.  Pat half of the mixture into the baking pan, pressing firmly.  Spread on the jam evenly, then sprinkle on the remaining crumbs.  Bake for 45 minutes until nicely browned.  Cool completely and then slice.

I can imagine making these with strawberry jam, peach jam, or even apple butter.  I’m thinking this recipe is a great way to use up those extra jars of jam in the pantry before the fresh fruit is back.

Do you have any recipes to use up extra jam?

Bread Pudding with Maine Blueberries

This is a great way to transform stale bread into a wonderful dessert or breakfast.  Green Bean wrote about her version of Bread Pudding in “Waste Not, Waist Full,” and it made me think of the Blueberry Bread Pudding that Ed’s mom has made for us with wild Maine blueberries.  Blueberries are one of the only fruits left in our freezer from last year, so this recipe was the perfect thing to make today.

• 4 cups cubed day-old bread
• 1 cup Maine blueberries (or regular blueberries, raisins, raspberries, etc.)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

Mix bread and blueberries in a casserole dish.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Pour over the bread and blueberry mixture, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight to allow the bread to absorb the custard mixture, occasionally pressing the bread into the liquid.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Dot the top of the bread pudding with butter and sprinkle on the brown sugar.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the bread pudding is puffed and golden.  Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely, refrigerate and serve cold.