Happy Summer!

I hope everyone is enjoying all of the wonderful sights, smells, and sounds of summer! I thought I would pop in quick and say hello in between bike rides, baseball, berry picking and birthdays to share what I have been up to.
This is my newest folk-art painting, “Colorful Family”. I completed this fun piece last week. It was created on a recycled drawer front in acrylic paint. I listed this colorful chicken family painting last Thursday in my Etsy shop and 2 days later it sold! I wish everything flew out of the shop that fast. I have 2 more drawer fronts I want to paint on, hopefully I can find some time to work on them. I also have 3 beautiful vintage frames to fix and fill and I have started some Halloween themed drawings. I have a lot of new ideas I just hope I can make some time to work on them.

Noah finished second grade last week. I am excited and sad all at the same time. He did amazing this year. Every time he brought home a report card I didn’t think it could be any better, but every time it was. I am so proud of him. He did not only blossom academically but socially as well. I am so excited to have him home with me this summer. We have a lot of fun things planned, Boy Scout camp, biking, swimming, baseball, library, vacation, golf camp, community theatre.

Part of me is a little sad though that the year is over. Noah had a wonderful teacher this year. She not only was an amazing teacher but she really believed in and encouraged Noah. She is one of those teachers that we will always remember, he was very lucky to have her. She made all of her students an end of the year gift, a DVD slide show set to music of pictures from the school year. It is a precious gift.

We celebrated Abbey’s fourth birthday on the 17th, I can’t believe she turned 4. Abbey wanted a Fairy bike for her birthday and a Hello Kitty bike helmet. She looks so cute riding around on it. I can’t believe my baby is already 4!

Yesterday we went to a local orchard to pick berries and cherries.

They are so sweet and yummy. Abigail was covered in cherry juice, I think she ate more than she put in her bucket. She even had some on her back. It looked like she rolled around in them.

It's summer we can't go anywhere without getting ICE CREAM!

Have a great Tuesday!

MMM Monday, Raspberry Custard

On Saturday we went picking berries at a local farm. We picked red raspberries, black raspberries, blueberries, and sweet cherries. The kids had a blast; I think Abigail ate more blueberries than she put in the bucket.

Of course their favorite part was eating ice-cream after we were finished picking the fruit, ok it was my favorite part too.



Michael made several delicious pies with the fruit we picked, a cherry crumb pie, a colonial style mixed berry, and a raspberry custard.

Here is the yummy raspberry custard recipe.

Happy baking!

Pastry Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup toasted slivered or sliced almonds
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Filling:

3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cup fresh raspberries

Pastry Crust:

In a food processor, place the flour, salt, almonds, and sugar and process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/4 cup water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. Add remaining water, if necessary. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
Turn the dough out onto your work surface and gather it into a ball. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, flatten each portion into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour before using. This will chill the butter and allow the gluten in the flour to relax.
While the pastry is chilling, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Once the pastry has chilled sufficiently, remove the two disks of pastry from the refrigerator and divide each disk into four equal portions (you will have eight portions altogether). On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of pastry into a 7 inch circle. Place the eight pastry circles (four on each sheet) onto the prepared baking sheets and cover with plastic wrap. Place the covered baking sheets in the refrigerator to firm the pastry while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Slowly add the cream being careful not to incorporate too much air. Add the raspberries to the unbaked pie shell and then pour custard over top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on rack.