Carol’s Famous Blueberry Pie

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We are in Canada right now. Up at the cottage. Three hours north of Toronto. George’s family has been coming up here for more than 100 years. The main cottage still similar to what it was back then. No TV, no dishwasher, no electric light, no stress. Time stands still in this place full of family memories from this last century.

This year has been sad. We miss Bill. He is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Carol was married to Bill for more than 30 years. They are soul mates. This summer has been especially difficult for her.

One of our summer traditions is to eat blueberry pie. It is probably the ritual my kids like best (and me too). Carol makes one of the best blueberry pies you could eat. I believe the secret is in the wild blueberries. Usually, we pick them up right outside the cottage, but this year was too dry so we had to buy them.

Carol has been making pies for 50 years. She used to make her own pie crust, but stopped doing that when they became available at the store “Anything I used to make from scratch is no better than what I can get at the frozen aisle and it takes no time.” So, for those foodies looking for a pie crust recipe, you will need to find it somewhere else. In this household we are all about simplifying.

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Carol’s Famous Blueberry Pie

Ingredients

  • 2 Pie crusts
  • 4 cups of wild blueberries
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of flour
  • LOTS of cinnamon
  • Little bit of milk or cream
  1. Mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add this dry mix to the blueberries. Make sure all blueberries are coated.

jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie4 jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie19jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie18 jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie17 jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie162. Separate the edge of the pie crust from the container with a knife. jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie153. Add coated blueberries to pie crust.
jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie14jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie134. Add water to piecrust edge. jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie12 5. Add second piecrust on top to cover and press edges together in whatever shape you want. This will seal the pie. jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie116) Make small incisions into the pie to allow the steam from the fruit to come out without tearing the pie.
jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie107) Add milk/cream and sugar to the top to help browning. jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie9 jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie88) Bake 10 minutes at 450 Fahrenheit and 40 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit.jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie6 jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie3 jestcafe.com-blueberry-pie2

Eat and be happy.

I think I might not be posting as much this week and next. Also, thank you so much for reading and coming here to visit. I appreciate all visits and comments. I really do.

Also, a post about a naked cake, a chocolatier, and Max’s birthday cake.

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A Naked Cake And A Baby shower

jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake12We threw a baby shower for my friend Maureen on Sunday. It was an intimate affair. Only 6 women from different ages and backgrounds talking for 4 hours non-stop. It was beautiful and reinvigorating to talk with smart ladies while eating good food  surrounded by flowers.

We baked a naked cake for the event, and by we, I mean my friend Janna. I was there to witness and take photos of the process and was surprised at how easy it was to make. Here are some photos of how she did it:

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We had so much work to do that we took the easy route and bought cake mix. Janna divided two boxes in 4 different layers that were baked separately. The frosting was home made though. She used this recipe.

jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake11 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake10jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake9 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake8You need to cut the top of the layers after baking them so they are flat and easier to stack on top of each other. Add frosting and keep on adding layers. We added fruit to the cake for flavor and freshness. jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake7jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake6 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake5 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake4jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake3jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake2The last layer of the cake needs to be upside down so the top of your cake is brown and with no imperfections. Fill up the gaps with more frosting, decorate the top, and you are done! I used dahlias for decoration. So easy and beautiful.
jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake12 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake13jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake18 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake17jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake16 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake15 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake14jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake22 I went to the flower market in DTLA to get materials for the flower arrangements. I love the flower market so much. My favorite place in DTLA, for sure. Here are some photos of the arrangements I made. jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake21 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake20jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake28 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake27 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake26 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake25jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake35 I didn’t take many photos of the buffet table and the event. I didn’t allow enough time for a proper photo shoot before the baby shower started and I wanted to enjoy the company instead of taking pictures, but here you can find some of the ones I was able to take. jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake34 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake33 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake32jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake39 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake38 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake30This watermelon, tomato, mozzarella, and sage salad was so good. I have tomatoes growing in my backyard and they made this salad very delicious. jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake37 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake31 jestcafe.com-babyshower-and-naked-cake36I used succulents as the table centerpiece. Bought small bowls, filled them with succulents and voila, all done.

Hope you like the photos.

Also, a post about a flower workshop, a vintage inspired brunch, and a wreath making party.

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Vintage Brunch Inspiration

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Hosting is one of my favorite things but I haven’t done it much lately. We are trying to save and I haven’t had time to invite people. Of course, there are some exceptions. A couple of weeks ago we had friends over for brunch, my favorite meal of the day. I wanted to have a nice buffet table without buying any new stuff. I used vintage pieces from my home to decorate and it came out really cute, so I wanted to share some photos with you.

Sometimes it is so easy to add simple touches to a setting and make it look more appealing. Throughout the years, I have been collecting nicer serving plates. Cake stands are a must for me right now because they give height to a table and help layering it. I use them to serve chesses or pastries. I don’t think I have ever used them for an actual cake!

Another way of adding height to a table is using tall flowers and brunches. I cut long branches from our rosemary bush and placed them in a vase. One of my favorite serving pieces is a Bauer tiered tray I found at an estate sales years ago (see the image with the berries). It is colorful and it also helps with layering.

I added flowers in small vintage red wine glasses and made use of art I had in the bathroom plus other findings I have around my home.

I hope this post inspires you to use uncommon items to decorate a table. Beauty is in the details! And let me know if you have any suggestions or other ideas to beautify a table. Would love to hear. Have a great day!

Also, a post about a flower arrangement workshop, three flower arrangement ideas, and how to take a successful Instagram shot.
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Decorating A Cheese Platter

jestcafe.com- cheese platterThis past weekend was full of gatherings. My contribution to most of them was appetizers because they are my favorite dish: easy to prepare and an opportunity to decorate something. A cheese platter is my go to dish. Who doesn’t like cheese, crackers, and some charcuterie?

In the midst of preparing for one of the events, I decided to use my IPhone to make a small and easy GIF to share with you.

I wanted to go for a minimalist look. Not too many elements. I wanted to keep a yellow and orange palette while adding some objects from my garden. Not everything has to be perfect, but little details make such a difference. I hope you like it!

Also, a post about baking cookies with children, Max’s birthday cake, and a basil berry drink recipe.

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Baking Christmas Cookies With Your Children – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

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I wanted to write a post about the idyllic process of baking Christmas cookies with children. I bought the ingredients and the materials we needed. I prepared the kitchen and the camera to take beautiful pictures, and then I called for the angels to come and help me.

Within 10 seconds of mixing the ingredients, I knew this whole thing was going to be a nightmare. Baking with a 2 and 4 years old is NOT fun, people. They do not obey instructions, the lick everything around them, and they think that distributing flour around the kitchen is more fun than mixing it with eggs and sugar.

I don’t want to sound like a Grinch, but we all know the only reason why young children help baking cookies is to consume as much cookie dough as possible as soon as the adult in charge turns their back on them.

Here are the cookie cutters I bought at Sur la Table. They are pretty cute, but they need to be covered with flour for the dough not to get stuck on them.

jestcafe.com- christmas cookies1 jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies15Here are the beautiful pictures of my children trying to help:jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies12jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies25jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies22jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies21Here are the pictures of my children with their shoes on the table, right next to the cookie dough that we will consume in a matter of hours:jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies18jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies17jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies23jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies26jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies19 jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies14jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies13Here are the behind the scenes photos of my children putting their hands and mouth on the cookie ingredients whenever possible:
jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies20jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies8jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies9jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies6If they were not so darn cute, I would have been upset by now.
jestcafe.com-christmas-cookies28jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies11 Here are some pictures of my children and their gingerbread houses. This is what you call insane sugar crazy mode. My kids have become sugar zombies.jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies2 jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies3 jestcafe.com-xmas-cookies4 jestcafe.com- christmas cookies 5

In the last couple of weeks we have baked a lot of cookies, so I tried a lot of recipes. If you are crazy enough to want to do butter cookies with your children, this is the recipe I liked the best. It is from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of butter
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Prep
 15 m / Cook 
10 m / Ready In
 1 h 40 m

  1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least one hour. Chill cookie sheets.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Press dough out onto ungreased, chilled cookie sheets.
  3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden at the edges. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

For the icing I used this recipe, but I added more milk than what they recommend. I like softer icing because it is easier to apply to the cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 teaspoons milk
  • 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
  2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

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