Blackberry Cream Pie

Incredible! Wonderful! Tantalize the Taste buds Good! This pie is a new version of a previously posted favorite. This is our favorite pie recipe with a new twist. Blackberries! Here in Oregon there are tons of wild blackberries to pick along the walking trails. There nothing better than free fresh blackberries to make this pie! I could eat this pie all by myself. Not even joking.

Ingredients:

1 baked pie crust

1 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

1 cup sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups fresh blackberries

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

Prepare and bake a single pie crust shell. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt; stir to mix well. Add 2-3 tablespoons milk to sugar/flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Add remaining milk and stir to blend. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook pudding mixture until it begins to bubble; continue to cook 1 additional minute (mixture will be thick). Stirring egg yolks constantly, spoon a small amount of pudding into beaten egg yolks. Pour egg yolks into saucepan and stir well to mix. Return pan to heat and continue to cook until mixture thickens (very thick) do not allow to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool pudding.

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the cool pudding mixture. Spoon this mixture into the baked pie shell. Cover and chill pie for at least 1 hour to partially set.

In a medium saucepan, crush berries with a potato masher. (So I actually do it with my fingers because I take out the middle white part of the blackberry. I don't care to have those in the pie. Then I mash out the rest of the clumps with a masher if needed.) Add 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and water; mix well. Over medium heat, stirring, bring berries to a boil (berry glaze will be clear and thickened). Remove from heat and cool. Spoon berry glaze over pudding in pie shell. Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight to set. Garnish with an additional dollop of whipped cream or berries as desired. Enjoy!

Morning Glory Muffins

These muffins are fantastic! My family loves them. I make the giant size muffins for my husband and I and the mini muffins for the kids. This recipe came from my fabulous friend Celia, who also gave me the dynamite cornbread recipe.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1 apple, peeled and grated

2 cups grated carrots (optional)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional - You can add your favorite type of nut!)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until smooth. Add oil and vanilla and mix. In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until moist. Then add the coconut, apples, carrots, and nuts and stir. Bake in greased muffin cups at 350. For making large muffins, bake for 25 minutes. Regular muffins - 20 minutes. Mini muffins - 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Barbecued Meatballs

This is a family favorite appetizer! It is great for a crowd! This recipe comes from my momma.

Meatballs:

3 lbs. ground beef

1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup cracker crumbs

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:

2 cups ketchup

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup chopped onion

Directions:

To make meatballs, combine all ingredients and shape into walnut-sized balls. Place meatballs in a 9x13 inch baking pan or on a cookie sheet. To make sauce, combine all the ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour sauce evenly over the meatballs. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Makes approximately 80 meatballs. You can also freeze the meatballs before you cook them. If you freeze them, bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

My niece gave me this recipe. Let me tell you about her. The girl is 10 and is already cooking up a storm. My sister will come home from work and see her daughter finishing up pan pizza for dinner or some other delicious meal. At 5 years old, my niece would make me eggs for breakfast! 5!!! She is an excellent cook. She passed this recipe on to me. I really like this meal because you can put it in the crockpot and it is so yummy. I am not a huge fan of crockpot meals. Don't get me wrong, I love to use the crockpot. I just don't find tons of recipes for the crockpot that I am in love with. This one is definitely a keeper though! Thanks to my fabulous niece for sharing her recipes with me.

Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast tenders

2 8 oz. packages mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, cut into chunks

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup (2 sticks butter), cut into chunks

1 package (1 pound) uncooked fettucine

Chopped fresh parsley (if desired)

Slow Cooker Directions:

1. Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange chicken in single layer in bottom of slow cooker. Top with mushrooms; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

2. Combine cream cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until smooth and heated through. Pour over mushrooms, pushing down any that float to surface. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

3. Cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain.

4. Serve pasta with the sauce, chicken, and mushrooms from the crockpot. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese and parsley.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Greek Salad

I am a huge fan of the greens. A delicious green salad is a great pairing for almost any main dish for me. This salad was very good!

Greek Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. minced fresh dill (2 tsp. dried dill)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Dressing Directions:

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Whisk together until well combined. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and shake well before using again.

Salad Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce

Sliced red onions

Sliced black olives (I left these out because the hubs greatly dislikes them.)

Grape tomatoes, halved

Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Crumbled feta cheese

Salad Directions:

Add romaine lettuce to a salad bowl. Add toppings. Put dressing on side or on top as desired.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats