Blueberry Sour Cream Pie

Tags

blueberry, pie

Up in the foothills, on my way to and from work, I pass fruit stands that sell fruit, as well as delicious pies. There is one place in particular that looks like a large barn surrounded by vineyards and orchards, and they have amazing pies. Between my best friend and myself, we’ve tried strawberry-rhubarb, peach-blueberry, strawberry cream cheese, and boysenberry sour cream. They have all been delicious, and I hope to be able to replicate some of the recipes soon.

My search began with sour cream pies. They are creamy, yet almost like a custard in texture. It is a very unique pie, indeed. In my searches, I found two different recipes to try. One of them was a strawberry sour cream pie. It looked pretty, but the flavor wasn’t all that great. Since then, I have found a blueberry sour cream pie that is very tasty. It’s not quite comparable, but it satisfies the craving while I search for a closer match. Any fruit can be substituted, but my guess is that fresh fruit would work the best. If you’re interested in trying a unique pie, give a sour cream pie a taste!

On a side note, I’m still searching for the perfect pie crust. I’ve tried a couple that are satisfactory, but nothing great. The one I tried with this pie has been my favorite yet, as it is a little flaky and a little crumbly, but it’s still missing a little something. Feel free to use your own favorite pie crust or a store bought pie crust.Blueberry Sour Cream Pie

1 pie crust, baked
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
2½ tablespoons all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten to blend
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2½ cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, ¾ cup sugar, flour, egg, vanilla extract, and salt. Gently fold in the blueberries. Pour into prepared pie crust. Sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until filling is set and top is lightly browned, about 25 minutes, covering crust to prevent over browning if needed. Let pie cool completely before cutting and serving.

Source: Bon Appetit Desserts

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Italian Meatball Burgers

Burgers are a classic summer food. But sometimes, the classics can get a little boring. So, why not mix it up a little? This is an Italian twist on burgers, almost like a meatball sub in burger form! And if you’re like me, I can’t resist Italian food, even if it’s a simple burger.

Now, I tend to oversize things, so I made only 4 burgers to make sure they really filled up the buns, and added extra cheese and extra marinara sauce. Six burgers is probably a more appropriate serving size, but I’ll leave that choice up to you. These are messy burgers, indeed, so make sure to keep napkins on hand because these are finger-licking good!When it comes to cooking burgers, there’s a cool trick I learned while watching Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals. If you make an indent in the middle of the burger, it keeps it flat and that way there are no domed burgers. This was a crucial trick for me to learn, at least, because whenever I made burgers, they would shrink in and dome up, almost turning into balls. So give it a try, and let me know if it works as well for you as it did for me!

Italian Meatball Burgers

1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 pound ground sirloin
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Cooking spray
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
6 Italian bread rolls or ciabatta rolls
1¼ cup marinara sauce

Prepare grill.

In a large bowl, combine ground sausage, ground sirloin, Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, salt, and garlic powder. Divide beef mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Using your thumb, make an indent in the middle of the burger (this helps keep the burgers flat instead of doming in the middle). Let patties sit at room temp for about 15 minutes before placing them on the grill.

Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes. Turn patties over; grill 2 minutes. Divide fresh mozzarella cheese evenly over patties, and grill an additional 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees F. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes.

Place rolls, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each roll; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons sauce and top half of roll.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Marinara Sauce

Tags

carrot, celery, onion, tomato, wine

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m all about pasta. This means I love the more complex pasta dishes, all the way down to the most simplistic. And what is more simplistic or basic than good ol’ spaghetti, which of course needs a basic marinara sauce. This is a staple for any pasta lover, so you can build upon it if desired, adding meat or mushrooms, extra garlic or basil, or anything your heart desires.The sauce starts out with a mirepoix, which is a fun and fancy French term which means the combination of onion, celery, and carrot. I add some wine to this sauce because it makes the sauce richer, without adding any wine flavor.

Marinara is about more than just spaghetti. It’s a great dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks, zucchini sticks, or calamari. It’s a great accompaniment for Italian burgers, which I’ll be posting next. Another fun meal is eggs poached in marinara sauce, which is served over a nice, crusty slice of bread.This recipe doubles or even triples really well, if you have a large enough pot, then freeze it in large freezer bags and you’ll always have homemade marinara sauce on hand. And homemade food always tastes that much better than store bought!

Marinara Sauce

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
⅓ cup dry red wine
2 dried bay leaves

In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and ½ teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 70 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce to the desired consistency. Alternatively, a blender can be used, working the sauce in small batches (hot liquids expand and can blast the blender lid off). Serve immediately, or cool, then cover and refrigerate for a day, rewarming over medium heat before serving.

Source: Adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

Tags

breadcrumbs, Parmesan, zucchini

There are many times that I wish I lived in a house, instead of in an apartment. One of those main reasons is a garden. I’m super envious of all the people who end up with a surplus of tomatoes and zucchini, or a backyard full of plump, juicy fruit hanging from their trees. A girl can dream, but in the meantime, I’m stuck relying on the supermarket.

If you are fortunate enough to have extra zucchini, and your freezer is full of zucchini bread, try some zucchini sticks. They’re versatile enough to be an appetizer or a side dish, instead of french fries. The crunchy crust is a great contrast to the soft zucchini inside, and they’re great for sneaking zucchini into unknowing children or husbands!Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

½ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound zucchini, about 2 zucchinis

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cut off the ends of the zucchini, then cut in half crosswise and cut in half lengthwise. Cut the zucchini quarters into long strips, cutting lengthwise.

Place flour into a large zip lock bag. In a shallow dish, whisk 2 eggs with 1 tablespoon water. In a second shallow bowl, combine Panko breadcrumbs, plain breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Toss the zucchini strips with the flour until well coated. Working in batches of 3 or 4 strips, remove the excess flour, dip the strips into the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumb mixture. Toss until well coated, pressing the breadcrumbs onto the sticks to help them adhere. Place breaded zucchini sticks on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly spray the zucchini sticks with cooking spray, to help them brown.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately with Ranch dressing or marinara sauce for dipping.

Source: A Dash of Sugar and Spice original

Spinach-Artichoke Cheesy Tortellini

Tags

artichoke, Parmesan, spinach, tortellini

Love spinach artichoke dip? Love tortellini? Then you’ll love this dish! Like all Rachael Ray recipes, this one is a 30 minute, or less, meal. It’s always nice to have meals like this in your recipe binder.

I came across this recipe a few years ago, when I was going through a coworkers cookbook. I copied down some of the recipes that sounded good, and I’ve been making this ever since. It’s a big hit with both me and my husband, and it’s nice because you can adapt it to your likes. I gave the recipe to my best friend, and she took out the artichokes and added mushrooms and some other vegetables. This recipe is a good starting point, from which you can build to you and your families own likes and dislikes.

By the way, this is about as close as I usually get to vegetarian 🙂 It has chicken broth in it, which voids it as vegetarian…. but I still count it! I’m sure you could substitute vegetable broth if you wanted.

Spinach-Artichoke Cheesy Tortellini

1 (10 ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 (14 ounce) can water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
18-20 ounces cheese tortellini

Cook the tortellini in salted boiling water according to package directions, about 7 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add garlic and diced onion; saute until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine; cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, then the cream and bring to a low boil. Season with nutmeg and reduce heat to low. Add the artichokes and spinach, breaking up the spinach as you add it to the sauce. Stir to combine, then stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the tortellini. Serve immediately with additional grated cheese.

Source: Adapted from Express Lane Meals by Rachael Ray