Mommy’s Boisterous Blackberry Raspberry Pie

Eat pie, be thankful for sweet childhood memories.

When I was young my family would spend a week each summer camping up north at a spot overlooking Lake Michigan. The big lake was breathtakingly beautiful, but routinely ice cold. As kids, we didn’t care and frolicked in the waves from dawn until dusk. One of the highlights of our week was going to Leland, a charming little village on the harbor. We would browse the unique shops and take home fresh-smoked whitefish, bread, and cheese. We would also stop at a local farm stand to pick up homegrown sweet corn, tomatoes, and sweet blackberries. Much as we enjoyed this outing, my brothers, sister, and I couldn’t wait to get back to the campsite, for we knew we were in for a treat! You see, my mother was a master at outdoor cooking and no meal was more anticipated. We ate fried whitefish, fresh tomatoes, sweet corn, and the yummiest blackberry cobbler “pie” ever while enjoying a perfect Lake Michigan sunset.

Recommended: Flaky Classic Piecrust, frozen (page 1), Sweetie-licious Crumb Topping (page 6)

Filling

5½ cups fresh or frozen blackberries

1 cup sugar

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

2½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the blackberries, sugar, and cornstarch.
3. Stir on medium heat until boiling.
4. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Remove from the heat. Add the orange juice.
6. Pour the fresh or frozen raspberries on the bottom of a frozen piecrust.
7. Top with the cooked blackberry filling.
8. Cover with Crumb Topping, covering all of the pie filling.
9. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until the pie filling bubbles over.
10. Cool on a rack and keep at room temperature.

This pie won a first place for a reason—soooo good!

Yankee Dixie Pie

Eat pie, be thankful for our veterans.

Without our veteran heroes, our American dream would not be. Let us remember them all, who made us the independent, democratic country we remain today. All of them, whether they are with us in body or spirit alone, deserve all the respect and recognition we, as Americans, can muster. But most important, they deserve our gratitude. Because without these heroes of America, we would not exist in the world that we know and, more than likely, take for granted every day.

So let us love, hug, give thanks, and pray for all living and passed veterans who carried out their heroic duties to make our lives peaceful, independent, equal, and safe, for the good of America and all humanity.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life…. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”

—Melody Beattie

Recommended: Sweetie-licious Cream Cheese Crust, frozen (page 2)

Filling

½ cup butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon flour

¹/₈ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whipping cream

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

½ cup chopped dates

½ cup coconut

1 cup dried tart cherries

¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Garnish—Optional

Confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, salt, eggs, and vanilla. Add the whipping cream and mix well.
3. Fold in the walnuts, dates, coconut, cherries, and chocolate chips.
4. Pour into a frozen piecrust and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the center is set.
5. Let cool. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

The old-fashioned sweet flavor of dates in this pie is a perfect pair with the dried tart cherries!