Today is my sister's birthday, and sadly she doesn't love cake.  So I am making her a mixed berry pie for her birthday.  I love the tartness of the berries with the crisp buttery crust.  My goal for this pie was to make it sure it wasn't a runny mess, because that always makes serving so sloppy! This recipe originally came from allrecipes.com but I made several changes. 
      If you are making this in summer and have access to fresh berries, I would recommend using them! If not, frozen berries will work, but make sure that you thaw them and let any extra water drip out so the pie isn't too runny. 
      I started with my pie crust recipe.  Make sure to double the recipe so you have enough for the top crust and the bottom.  After you make this, put it in the freezer so it can stay nice and cold and easy to work with.  

Directions:
1. Mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together.  Then mix the berries in gently to coat them. 
2. Roll out the first half of the dough and tuck it into the bottom of the pie pan.  
3. Gently spread the berry mixture in the center. 
4. Sprinkle a bit of lemon juice on top and chunk up a bit of butter and add it. 

I had been baking at my sister's house last week and left a lot of my stuff there.  So when I went to roll out the dough I realized I didn't have a rolling pin or my rolling cutter! So, I improvised with a wine bottle and a knife.  Better than nothing!

4.  Roll out the second half of the dough and cut it into even strips.  I have a rolling cutter that cuts a scalloped edge which is adorable, but of course I didn't have it either.  No matter what you use to cut the strips make sure to cover it in flour every time it touches the dough so you don't rip it accidently. 

5.  In order to make the laticce crust start by laying the two longest strips at a 90 degree angle.  From there continue to add the next longest strip. I try and make the gap in between the same width as the strips.  Each one should alternate over, under, over, under. Continue this until you reach the edge of the pie in all directions.  Amazingly it will probably take almost every strip even though there are gaps. 

6.  At this point you have a few options.  My sister loves pie crust! So I folded up the extra laticce strips, then folded the excess pie crust over that and pinched it with my fingers.  If you don't want such a bolky crust then trip some before you finish it off.  

7.  Because I was using homemade pie crust there was flour everywhere.  In order to ensure that the crust looked shiny and beautiful I mixed one egg with a bit of water and brushed it on the surface.  I then sprinkled some sugar and cinnamon on top. 
8. The edges will naturally cook faster, so wrap foil or a crust guard around the edges o the pie.   
9. You are done! Bake it for about 50-60 minutes at 425 degrees until the crust is crispy and golden in the center.

My friend Erica had a baby shower this weekend to welcome in their first little baby! They are waiting for the big surprise at birth to see if it is a boy or a girl.  So for the cake I decided to follow the theme of the invitations and go with baby carriages.  I made a lemon cake with a black berry filling and a meringue frosting.  I used a Martha Stewart recipe.  

I make the decorations the night before to simplify everything a bit.  I started by taking small chunks of fondant that I bought at Michael's.  I tinted them with either a gel frosting or the intense cake coloring.  Avoid using regular food coloring because it is too wet and will make the fondant sticky. After you tint it, roll out the fondant using powdered sugar so it doesn't stick.  I then used cookie cutters. After that I added details with sprinkles, indentations with a toothpick, or painting them with food coloring. When all the decorations were done I covered them with plastic wrap over night. 

Cake Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

***I made a double recipe and then made a three layer stacking cake.  I had a bit of extra batter that I threw in some cupcake tins. This recipe makes for a beautiful flat perfect cake for stacking.  It make kind of pitiful cupcakes. 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
3. Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.
4. While cakes are baking, bring remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir remaining 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice into syrup. ***I did this next step and I didn't end of using the lemons because of my decorations, so this isn't necessary***
5. Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup. Let cool completely. Prepare frosting, substituting 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice for vanilla extract. Frost cooled cakes and top with candied lemon slices.

     If you are stacking cake layers higher than two layers, I would recommend taking a good look at them to see if they are flat.  If not, when the cake is completely cool, trim a bit with a bread knife and flatten things out.  Put the trimmed side down so you are not trying to spread frosting on the cut edge. 
     Before laying the cake on the serving plate I like to put down a border of wax paper.  This way you can frost the cake without haveing to be too careful.  At the end of frosting slide it out, fix anything that needs it around the border, and you have a clean cake plate to serve from. 

***This frosting was very light and meringue-like.    It was a bit hard to form to the cake because initially it is very viscus and then sets up quickly so you have to work fast. If I were to do this again I would use a butter cream recipe.  It gives you tons of flexibility with shaping and spreading it on a cake however it is a rich, thick flavor so you have to decide what you are prefer. 

After making the frosting I scooped some into a separate bowl and mixed it with slices blackberries.  Make sure to rinse and dry the berries well so excess water doesn't ruin the frosting. Spread this in between the layers of cake.  It adds a bit of sour that contrasts well with the sweet cake. 

   When are the layers are construction I plop a bunch of frosting on the top of the cake.  I slowly spread it out until it starts spilling over the sides.  Then as it does I shape it down the side of the cake.  It is easier to encourage the frosting to go down than up! 

   When everything is set, carefully place the fondant decorations on the cake. Squish them in a little so nothing peals back off.   For me presentation is half the fun, so make sure you have a cake plate that you love! I found this one a few weekends ago in the back of an antique shop.  After about an hour of polishing it shined right up!

  Yes, there is snow! And this means it's time to ski.  I love heading up the mountain before the world is awake and seeing fresh glistening snow against the green trees.  It is a solid day of good outside exercising with the bonus of cuddling on the chairlift.  But let's be honest.  There has to be some food incentive if I am going to work that hard.  So, with ski season comes chunky oatmeal cookies!!
   

      They are the perfect pocket liner to give you a little burst of energy and sugar throughout the day.  The recipe is not very original, but it is moist and hearty.  I use the Quaker Oats recipe and add some chunk.  We are heading to Tahoe tomorrow with a bunch of friends to spend the weekend in the snow. So that means it's baking time.   By the way, I realize that this is totally against Feel Good February, but who really thought I would make it the whole month without baking.  This is my cheat for the week. 

Ingredients: Makes about 4 dozen(depending on how much dough you eat)
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons soft butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
2 eggs (thank you chickens)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker oats

The chunk:
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (I left this out this time due to allergies)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat the softened butter and both sugars on medium speed until it is creamy. You might as well take a taste now because it is already amazing.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Make sure to scrape the sides.
3. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well. 
4. Mix in the oats.  Then add raising, nuts, and chocolate chips. It will be a stiff for dough, but that's okay.
5. Drop a tablespoon on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. 
6.  Let them sit for a minute or two them carefully move to a wire rack to cook completely. They are melt in your mouth delicious, and they are hearty on a hungry stomach!
Time to hit the slopes!

    This is a simple berry sauce that seems to go with whatever I put it on!! It has a sweet but tart flavor.  It is rich enough to make you feel like you have just entered a world of decadence, with a surprise berry here and there.  I have used it as a topping for Chocolate lava cakes. I would imagine that it would go well over a shortcake, or biscuits as well.
     Last weekend I made it and we poured it over waffles. I will put that recipe up tomorrow! You should just plan on having an amazing Sunday morning breakfast.  Invite friends over, or just enjoy whoever is in your house. It is a great way to welcome in the day!   

    You can use frozen or fresh berries for the sauce, it will taste delicious either way.  I would recommend having some fresh raspberries around as a topping.  
   
Ingredients:
2 cups berries: raspberries, black berries, and/or blue berries 
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup water

Directions:
    Put two cups of berries in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of white sugar over the top and mix it in.  Add 1/3 cup of water.  
     As the berries are cooking stir the sauce occasionally.  You want to smash some of the berries to release the juice and make it more of a liquid versus a solid.  It is nice to the punch of a berry here and there.
     Boil the mixture to thicken it, add a bit of foaminess, and really enhance the flavor. The time it cooks will depend on what you want the final product to be. Take a look at the pictures above.  For the waffles sauce I only boiled the berry sauce for 5-6 minutes.  I still wanted chunks of berries.  I had blue berries in the mixture so it was a dark, deep color.  For the sauce on the lava cakes I wanted it more smooth without any chunks.  I boiled this for 10 to 12 minutes.  I only used raspberries so it would have a bright pink color.  I mashed the berries thoroughly which produced a smooth, thick sauce.    
   Pour it into a cute little sauce pitcher and off you go! Put some fresh berries out as well to accompany the sauce, or add them to the plate before serving.  This gives it a fresh organic feeling, with the deep flavor of the sauce.