Friday, July 26, 2013

Pop! Goes the...Pickle Top!

If you can't stand the heat...and the smell of vinegar...you might want to stay out of my kitchen today. Yep, Patricia's making pickles!



Pop! That's one done...

Just ignore those popping sounds for a moment, and let's start this story at the beginning, shall we?

It began on a warm, sunny day in mid-April...with some Straight Eight seeds, a trowel, a hefty shovel of compost, a trellis made from some repurposed lattice panels that formerly lived on our deck-railings, and rain...lots and lots of rain. The vines grew big and strong and lush over the lattice. 

More rain. The bees and other pollinators visited the lovely yellow flowers.



More rain. And before you knew what was happening...presto! Cucumbers! Lots and lots of cucumbers!!



Pop! Pop! That's another one done...and another...

Have I ever told you I don't eat cucumbers? Well, not raw cucumbers, that is. I like them, really I do, but they don't seem to like me much. My neighbors like them, so I remember to include some in the baskets of garden goodies I share with them. Oh sure, every now and then I take a chance and make my version of Aunt Myrtle's Veggie Spread (carrots, chives or green onions, and cucumbers...all diced/shredded to bits...and blended with softened cream cheese; nothing better on a bagel or a saltine cracker, trust me...;-), but I usually avoid cukes in the raw state. Mr. T is the same in this game.

Ah. But perform the magic that comes in a bottle of vinegar, and I'm first in line for the finished product. Pickles! Sweet...sour...spicy...dill. Whole...spears...slices...chips. Doesn't matter much to me. I love them all!

And today, I'm making two different kinds: Hot Dill! and Easy Sweet 'n Spicy. Read on for more...recipes follow at the bottom.

The Hot Dill! Pickles I make in the "usual" way, using cucumbers, garlic, hot peppers, and dill from the garden.



Each jar gets a cayenne pepper and 3-4 cloves of garlic. Maybe 5...I like me some garlic-y dills!



Then I pack the jars with cucumber slices and add a large sprig of dill that has flowered and started to go to seed. 




After boiling the ingredients for the brine (vinegar, water, and canning salt) and filling the jars, I then process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Give them a couple of weeks, and I should have another batch of tasty (and zippy!) dills. The longer they age, the zippier they get. Cayennes are like that, don't you know.

[I say "I should..." because Mr. T wouldn't touch a dill pickle with a ten-foot pole...literally. Whenever we eat at a deli, he is adamant that they NOT put a pickle spear on his plate...or anywhere near his food. Of course, "they" usually do put a pickle spear next to his sandwich, so he hands me his plate to remove the offending condiment...so he won't have to touch the thing. Woe be to the server who brings him his order with the dill pickle on top of his sandwich! There goes the tip. Oh he says he hates all pickles, but he had to admit that Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, and Potato Salad just are NOT the same if you forego the sweet pickles.]

So that's the dills. Now, about the Easy Sweet 'n Spicy version that I learned from Momma.

First off, you should know I come from a long line of pickle-producing people. There was Bummer (really, my great-great Aunt Velma Stewart...but she wouldn't have answered to anything but Bummer), who pickled anything and everything (including watermelon rind)...and was famous for her 14-day Sweet Pickles (that recipe nearly caused my Aunt Bonnie Keaton to lose her sanity one hot, humid West Tennessee August...but that's another story...;-). Then there was my cousin Pannie, who was famous for saying "If a recipe takes longer than 20 minutes to make, I won't have it." Her recipe for Freezer Pickles is in our Family cookbook...although I must admit I've never tried them, not liking the sound of "To eat, thaw at room temperature." Sounds a bit soggy to me. 

Anyway, I have made sweet pickles the old-fashioned way (countless hours of brining, fermenting, soaking, draining, rinsing, and repeating, etc.), and I have gone the easy route. I have come to the conclusion that Nana/Momma/Edith's Easy Sweet 'n Spicy Pickle method cannot be beaten. Oh yeah, I'm with Edith on this one: take the easy route!

In this case, the easy route begins with a trip to Sam's Club...for the gallon-size jar of whole kosher dills. That's right...we by-pass the garden altogether, folks! 

While I was there, I picked up 10 pounds of sugar (you "only" need 5), whole cloves, and whole cinnamon sticks. I already had a jar of pickling spice in the cupboard.


After removing the whole dills from the jar and draining, I sliced off the ends of the pickles and cut each crosswise into 1/4" slices...maybe closer to 1/2" since I know that the slices "shrink" after they begin to brine. Then you put a layer or two of pickle slices on the bottom of the empty gallon jar, along with 3-4 cinnamon sticks, 1-2 Tablespoons whole cloves and 1-2 Tablespoons of pickling spices...depending on how spicy you like your sweet pickles. Cover this with a "layer" of sugar (about 1-2 cups). Continue the layering process, adding another 3-4 cinnamon sticks about mid-way to the top.


When you get to the top, you are almost done!* You will see the sugar liquefying before long, developing a lovely sweet-spicy brine that will turn those dill slices into sweet pickles in just a few days. After about a week in the fridge, during which time you will want to turn the jar over every day to mix the juices and the spices (keeping a pie plate under the lid catches any drips), you can either leave your sweet slices in the Mother Jar or download them to smaller quarts (which I do, in order to share the goodness...:-). If you do move your sweet slices to smaller jars, you can heat the liquid from the Mother Jar to boiling before pouring over the slices in quart jars and processing in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.



Pop! That's the last one done...success! The dills are done!!

Pickles packed...time to tackle the tomatoes...! Gardening is never done...:-)

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* Now, at this point, I do add my "secret ingredient," which isn't necessary but is nice. As the sugar turns to liquid and the slices start to absorb the juices, there will be a bit of room left in the jar. I add the pickle juice leftover from the last jar of sweet pickles I made in the previous batch, cinnamon sticks and all. That's it! Just remember to save a jar of pickle juice for the next time you make Easy Sweet 'n Spicy Pickles!

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Recipes

Hot Dill! Pickles
            yield:  Makes 2 quart or 4 pint jars (can double)

Ingredients:
8-10 pickling cucumbers (I use Straight Eights)
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons canning or pickling salt
2-4 heads fresh dill, preferably ones that have flowered and are going to seed
4-8 small cloves garlic, depending on your taste
1 Whole cayenne pepper pod for each jar

Directions:
1. Cut a thin slice from the ends of each cucumber; discard. Slice each cucumber in fourths, lengthwise, to make spears. Trim spears as necessary to fit jars.
2. To make the brine, combine vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, gather your jars, lids, rings, and canning equipment. Prepare as directed by the manufacturer.
3. Remove hot jars from canner. Place 1 head fresh dill, 1 whole cayenne pepper pod, and 1-4 cloves garlic into each jar; pack in cucumbers. Pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers to within 1/2 inch of rim (head space). Wipe rim with a clean cloth, top with lid, and add screw ring (but do not over-tighten ring).
4. Process 10 minutes for pint jars and 15 minutes for quart jars, or as directed for your canning equipment.
5. Set processed jars on towel to cool. When you hear a "pop," test the jar lid for a good seal by pressing the center to make sure it stays depressed. If sealed, your dills are OK to put in the pantry until use. If the lid doesn't seal, put in the refrigerator and use this jar first.

These dills are better if aged at least 2 weeks before eating, and they get hotter as they age. Enjoy!

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Edith's Easy Sweet 'n Spicy Pickles

Ingredients:

1 gallon Kosher Dill Pickles (whole)
5 pounds white sugar
4-6 sticks cinnamon 
1-2 Tablespoons whole cloves
1-2 Tablespoons pickling spices 

Directions:

1. Drain the liquid off the dill pickles.
2. Slice the whole dills crosswise into 1/4-1/2" slices. 
3. In the original gallon jar, layer pickle slices, spices, and sugar.
4. Tighten the lid. Put the jar in the refrigerator, using a plate to catch any drips.
5. Turn the jar over every day for 5-7 days. (i.e., turn the jar right side up on Day 1, upside down on Day 2, right side up on Day 3, etc.).
6. Pickles will be ready to eat in a week. You can pack in smaller jars if desired, or just leave them in the original jar if you have the room.

Enjoy!










Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Other Side of Sixty

Good morning, from the other side of 60! Truly, it's a good place to be...better than the alternative, as my Daddy was fond of saying. Of course he never admitted to making it to 40 much less 60, since when asked how old he was, he always said he was 39 and holding!

We started my special day off early...at 4:00 a.m. Hadn't meant to get up quite that early, but Elmo decided he needed "Hop on Pop" time at that hour, the Good Lord knows why. (That's what we call it, when one or more of the dogs takes a notion to climb up on Mr. T while he is sleeping...or trying to sleep. Hop on Pop, indeed.)

We had set our alarm for 5:00 a.m. in order to be able to see the sunrise...which Timeanddate.com said was 6:15 for Greensboro and 6:16 for Winston-Salem. Didn't have a listing for High Point, but since we are about halfway between GSO and WS, we figured 6:15 and 1/2 ought to be about right for planning purposes. Prepped the coffee maker the night before...all we had to do was press ON...and then fill up the thermal go-mugs. Sliced up some zucchini bread...just zap in the microwave and smear some butter. Add a banana...grab our collapsible chairs...cameras...and bug spray and we were good to go. Out of the house and off to Oak Hollow lake by 5:45.


We could not have scripted a better sunrise for my birthday. Barely a cloud in the sky...no hint of the almost-daily rain that we've had for nearly a month. Yes, it was going to be a hot one as mid-July usually is, but at dawn...it was just beautiful. A great beginning for this brand new year.*

We followed dawn's early light by being early birds at our favorite breakfast spot, Tex and Shirley's. Of course, I got country ham with my eggs and pancakes...it is all about my favorite things on this day, don't you know? After all, one of my resolutions includes "Enjoy what you eat; eat what you enjoy. The rest is just noise." Diets and deprivation are no longer part of my life. Good riddance! Spent too many of my years fretting about my weight (a number, only a number) and what I should and should not eat. I'm loving 60 already!

A trip to Home Depot for some supplies and a few plants, then back home to enjoy the deck before it got overheated. Mr. T did a little landscaping while I potted up a couple of hanging baskets of portulacae (moss roses). And what fun would gardening be if you didn't get to enjoy the bounty? Look what was blooming for my birthday bouquet: several red roses, including Chrysler Imperial (the AARS winner for 1953, so I call it "my rose"), Always and Forever, and Mister Lincoln; a couple of pink roses (Friendship, the AARS winner for 1979, so I call it Missy M's rose; and Miss All American Beauty...also known as Maria Callas outside of the USA); a Sheer Bliss rose; some Becky Shasta daisies; white zinnias; and a couple of brightly-colored glads.



Then while Mr. T set up our party pool (a fun 8' x 8' x 27" wader...complete with a lounging bench and cup holders!) so we could cool off later in the day, I moved on to my next birthday-related activity: making a Keepsake Garden Stone. I used a kit that he gave me on Mother's Day to document this special occasion. I tried to think of a phrase that summed me up...and the refrigerator note pad that Momma gave me for my birthday a few years back caught my eye: Perennial Optimist. Yep...guilty as charged. So "Perennial Optimist turns 60" it was. 

I mixed the Portland cement with water in a bucket as directed, poured it into the mold provided, and pressed my right hand in as instructed. I was born with crooked little fingers...supposedly the first feature Daddy commented on when he saw me at my birth...so a handprint seemed an appropriate descriptor to document.  I used a butterfly stone that came with the kit to represent my love of gardening and nature's beauty, along with a couple of red tiles to represent my ruby (birthstone) ring I wear on my right hand. I raided my shell collection from last year's beach trip (always a favorite vacation spot and activity) for as many "butterfly" shells as I could include. And then I looked through Aunt Eloise's Lincoln head penny collection (that I inherited from my Uncle Smiley Keaton) and found one from 1953. Huzzah! Just what this memory stone needed! Here's a picture of the finished project...it has to cure in the mold for three days...see what you think.


A dip in a cool pool is just what this 95-degree day needed. Ahhhh...yes, I believe I will have another glass of the Biltmore Estates Riesling, thank you dear. While we are chillin', the steaks can be grillin'.

And how what is the perfect ending for a perfect milestone day? Why, cake of course! Chocolate cake. Look what Mr. T made...possible:


Found those soccer ball candles...thought they'd be good stand-ins for beach balls on this beach-themed beauty. Six of 'em...one for each decade.

[Some regular readers may wonder if this day I've described isn't a tad dull...at least lacking in the Adventure department. True, it doesn't hold a candle (ahem) to Mr. T's 60th (trip to Maui, sunrise at 10,000 feet on the Haleakala volcano, etc.), but I got to celebrate with him...so the "been there, done that" T-shirt fits. I do have Adventures I want to do, but they mostly involve extra-long flights, the International Dateline, and the need for healthy knees for lots of walking activities...think Australia and New Zealand. And, a week of vacation from work (that's 5 whole days, you know) just won't do that Adventure justice. So, instead of trying to accelerate that Adventure to fit the milestone, I'd rather make a wonderful homemade memory...and put the South Pacific on simmer for a bit longer.]

Perfect day. Perfect memory. Perfect cake. Now, fire up those candles...and hand me a knife! 


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*Brand new year — I advise my coaching clients to save up making New Year's resolutions until their birthdays...since it truly represents a new year for each of us. Am taking my own advise...and will post more on this subject in the coming weeks.


Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Squash Are Coming! The Squash Are Coming!

Fair warning: if you see me coming toward you with a grocery bag, I'm probably bringing you some of this morning's harvest...and there's probably a squash or two or ten in that bag. What can I say? It's that time of the year. Squash, green beans, and tomatoes, oh my! 

Here's a picture of a zuke that almost got away from me. It was hiding under a couple of leaves, growing to town.



Most folks suggest harvesting squash from 4-6" in length...when they are just ripe and most tender. But it rarely takes more than 24 hours, especially when the weather is this warm and wet, for the little morsels to grow into mammoth mallets! Our neighbor said he picked a zuke while we were gone to Looeyvul that he described as big as a baseball bat...said his wife commented "did you drive that thing into the house, or carry it?" Wish he'd taken a picture...

[Be sure to check out my post over on our garden blog, Gardening With Giants, to read more about what's happening in the Kitchen Garden. Click here to go there.]

On tonight's menu: Tequila Lime Chicken and goodies from the garden. Included are BOTH Squash Casserole and Zucchini Bread. [Here's a shot of the hot loaves, cooling on the rack. You can also see The Nest Egg Legacy, the family cookbook I did years ago, there on the stand...well-used, don't you know. (Recipes below, by the way.)]



Since one is a savory dish and the other is sweet, I don't think there will be any objections. Sliced tomatoes are a simple but tasty addition...I like 'em with salt, pepper, and a dollop of mayo in the middle. Learned that from my Papaw, who used to use Miracle Whip...but I'm partial to Hellman's, which isn't nearly as sweet.

I can't eat Zucchini Bread without thinking about the first time I had it: about 1975 or 76, I think...in Senatobia, MS, at the home of my W friend and former second floor Callaway dorm-mate from Tunica, NPW. I had never heard of making bread with it, and all I knew about zucchini was that it was a vegetable...and I had a pretty limited veggie range at the time, which did NOT include squash of any sort. But my Momma always insisted we take one bite of a dish when we were guests in another's home, so manners kicked in...and am I ever glad they did! Loved. It. Thanks, N!

Somewhere along the line, my taste buds matured...or my palate longed for Southern-inspired dishes to cure a taste of homesickness in all of our moves about the country...whatever. I developed a much longer list of veggies that I liked...including the formerly-hated squashes, especially if you added enough cheese...:-).

Recipes? Did someone mention recipes?

Here you go!

==============================

Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded zucchini
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I use pecans)
1 cup raisins, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 (9x5x3-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray.

In large bowl, stir zucchini and lemon zest until well mixed. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients (except sugar). Stir nuts and raisins into dry ingredients. Add dry to zucchini. In large measuring cup, beat the eggs into the oil; add sugar and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend thoroughly.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 50 to 60 minutes,  or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on cooling rack 10 minutes.

Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days. Serve warm or cold. Spread a warm slice with cream cheese for a special treat! Enjoy!

Makes 20-24 servings (2 loaves, 10-12 slices each)

==============================

*Katrina's Squash Casserole

Ingredients

4 cups sliced Summer squash: yellow, zucchini, or a mixture
1/2 cup chopped onion
35 buttery round crackers, crushed ( I used Town House brand)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I used New York Sharp Cheddar)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt (I used a seasoned salt)
ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add squash slices and onion, cover, and steam until squash is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well, and place in a large bowl.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and cheese. Stir half of the cracker mixture into the cooked squash and onions. In a small bowl, mix together eggs and milk, then add to squash mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. 

4. Spread into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cracker mixture, and dot with 2 tablespoons butter.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

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*Katrina was my 3rd cousin, once removed, on Momma's Farris side...I hope I got that relationship correct, since she was a crack genealogist in addition to being a loving wife, Mom of four children, a nurse by training, and a fabulous cook in a family of great cooks (her mother and her aunts). Thought the world of her...



Saturday, July 6, 2013

The 2013 Great Hemerocallis Hunt

We are back home, recovering from our annual Great Hemerocallis (Daylily) Hunt. Thankfully, the temperatures didn't reach 100 this year as in years past...but mid-90's, with humidity readings to match, and no shade sure made it feel like the thermometer hit the century mark. Whew! What a day! We have been busy as these bees. (Heheheheh...I couldn't resist showing you these pictures we took with our iPhone cameras...Thomas took the yellow one, I took the pink one...:-). 





So, why do we go in July...the hottest month of the year, you ask? Well, that's when the day lilies are at peak bloom (June and July), that's when the NC farms tend to be open on the weekends, and that's as close to my birthday as we can get. [You may recall that for several years now, I have celebrated my Big Day with a trip to the Daylily Farm to pick out a new cultivar or two...or nine...:-) ] We missed last year because of our extended stay in KY, which has several Daylily farms, no doubt...but I just wasn't up to it then. No worries...made up for that little oversight today!

We knew we could only "do" one farm today, so we had to choose from the three we knew and had visited in the past, or maybe locate another one to explore. Easier said than done, on that last choice, though...when a search of "Daylily farms in NC" yielded no further selections that were open to the public on a Saturday in July and within a couple of hours' drive of HPNC. OK, so that made it easy:  we chose to return to Lakeview Farms in Garner, NC...which we admit has become our fav in NC. They have a great website here




For the past few times we have gone on the annual Daylily Hunt, I have had either a color in mind...or a type...or both. It helps to do a bit of thinking and planning ahead, especially when we get to a farm with a sea of blooming day lilies, and all Mr. T can see are the red ones. He loves bright colors, so if I don't have some kind of suggestion of what to look for, we would spend hours in the hot sun looking at every red cultivar...and never see anything else. Unless it was a bright orange. Or maybe bright yellow. If both of those colors were on tall day lilies that stood out above the red ones.

Me? I'm a sucker for purples...as if you couldn't guess. And I'm currently on a lime green and chartreuse kick. OK, that's bright, I'll admit. Oh, I'm not opposed to bright colors...it's just I think we need to have a few eye-pleasing combinations as well as the eye-popping ones.

So, this year my plan was to look for more "spider" types of day lilies to add to our gardens. Spider daylilies are defined by the ratio of their petal width to their petal length. Think long and skinny petals. We were introduced to these unusual looking blossoms a couple years ago when we purchased the cultivar Red Ribbons from Lakeview. We paired them with Red Volunteers...and it's a match made in hemerocallis heaven!

Additionally, I wanted a bright combo for the very back of the Way Back...need a really bright pair to draw the eye down the path to the rear property line. And I think we found just the right combination in New Jersey Spider (gold one) and Ruby Spider (red and gold). They are tall and bold...and should easily draw eyes in their direction. And Mr. T is more than happy with these bright colors!



My plan for this Hunt included finding a purple and lime green spider for the back yard, to be planted along the walk, in front of the garden shed (you know, the shed with the purple doors...:-). My first choice (Yabba Dabba Doo) wasn't available, as they had sold down to their last clump, but I found one I like better color-wise (if not name-wise...:-) called Wilson Spider. I didn't get a picture of it, but I did get one of the complementary selection called Easy Ned (another spider...with lime and chartreuse coloring).

 

Then, I wanted to add a white one to our collection. We have two white cultivars (Dad's Best White, which we got while in Missouri and transplanted here, and Miss Amelia, which we bought locally at the Farmers Market last year), but I wanted one with a lime green or chartreuse throat. I was excited to find one that fit my plan perfectly and whose name will help commemorate my Big Birthday coming up in 10 days called Just Celebrate.


We got a few others (!), including a bright red one with a bright green throat called Here Comes Santa Claus (OK, now who could resist THAT name?), but I'll have to snap pics of them when we put them in the ground tomorrow. 

Or, should I say IF we put them in the ground tomorrow? We are currently experiencing yet another thunderstorm with more rain...10 or more days in a row, I think. Great for the gardens...but not so good for doing actual gardening. Ground is just too wet to work. 

No matter...we won't mind a day of rest around here. Not one little bit, will we mind that...no siree!






Monday, July 1, 2013

Found My Thrill

Sing it, Fats Domino:


"I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill,
On Blueberry Hill where I found you
The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill
And lingered till my dreams came true."

I've been singing that song on a loop for the past few days. Is it possible to be this excited that a bush has borne fruit? Seems silly...but there it is.
Actually, it isn't one blueberry bush...there are 9. We got three in the Spring of 2011 and added 6 more in the Fall. There two different varieties of rabbiteye blueberries: 5 called Climax and 4 called Premier. We purchased them from the Guilford County 4-H and planted them in three raised beds. I've written more about them over on our gardening blog, Gardening With the Giants. (Click here to go there.)

Anyway, we missed whatever harvest there was last year, so we didn't know what to expect. Returning from our recent trip, I was thrilled to collect 2 whole cupsful! Yippee!! And were they ever tasty...:-)

First harvest of blueberries, 2013
Unfortunately, they didn't last nearly as long as I would have liked. About as long as it took me to look up my favorite blueberry pie recipe to confirm I would need a minimum of 4 cups...preferably 5 cups of berries. Hmmmm. Grow, blueberries, grow!

And they did. Four days...and three rains later, and I picked 6 cups of berries. Talk about a thrill!

Second harvest of blueberries, 2013

First came the blueberry pancakes for Sunday Brunch. And they were gooooood!




And then it was time to dust off that recipe for pie...yummy blueberry pie. Here are the pictures...followed by the recipe. Enjoy!


The filling

 


Weaving the lattice

 


The finished pie, just out of the oven...bring on the ice cream!



________________________________________


Blueberry Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

5 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

1. SPRINKLE berries with lemon juice; set aside.
2. FIT half of pastry in a 9-inch pieplate according to package directions.
3. COMBINE 1 cup sugar and next 3 ingredients; add to berries, stirring well.
4. Pour into pastry shell, and dot with butter.
5. UNFOLD remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface; roll gently with rolling pin to remove creases in pastry. Using a pizza cutter, cut 1/2" strips for a latticed-top.
6. Weave pastry strips over filling; seal and crimp edges.
7. Brush top of pastry with beaten egg, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar 
8. BAKE at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until golden. Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning, if necessary.
9. Allow to cool thoroughly on the counter to let the center to gel. Store in the refrigerator.
10. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.



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