A Very Berry Summer

Theres no better way to celebrate the official start of summer than with some fabulous desserts. Yesterday I made a mixed berry pie (my first time making a homemade pie I might add) and I am so proud of it! I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com but made a couple changes. It was actually much easier than I expected! 

Heres my recipe:

For the double crust:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 butter (in place of shortening)

5 teaspoons ice cold water 

The berry filling:

1 cup halved strawberries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup blackberries

1 cup raspberries

1/2 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons flour

Combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture, then gently toss with a fork. Push moistened portion to the side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until all is moistened. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a balls. 

Transfer one piece of dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough from the center to the edges to the size of your pie dish. Wrap the crust around the rolling pin. Unroll it onto a 9-inch pie plate. Ease the crust into the pie plate, being careful not to stretch it. Trim the bottom crust evenly with the rim of the pie plate.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and 3 teaspoons flour. Add in the berries gently toss until berries are coated. Allow fruit mixture to stand for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the remaining pastry for the top crust. Stir the berry mixture and pour the filling into the pastry-lined pie plate. You can either Place the top crust over the pie and trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust, pressing lightly to seal. Crimp the edges of the crust and cut vents in the top to allow steam to escape. To prevent over-browning, cover the edge of the pie with foil.

* * feel free to be creative with this step, I cut my top crust into strips and woven them. I've also seen people use cookie cutter to make cute designs in their top crust.* *

Bake in the preheated oven on the baking tray for 25 minutes. Remove the foil.

Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Healthy Head

One of my new favorite skin and hair care lines is Alba Botanica. I first came across this line while I was shopping for new shampoo in Target. This shampoo and conditioner duo are part of the new Hawaiian Hair Care line and do not contain sulfates. Sulfates not only strip your hair of its natural oils but can also dry out your scalp and cause dandruff. But what really sold me on this product is the amazing smell! Its so hard to find a natural shampoo that still smells good. Now this product is not certified organic but it is 100% vegetarian. 

Some of the other Hawaiian Hair Care scents are mango, coconut, cocoa butter, honeydew and gardenia. 

Creations by Kate

Click on the picture for MakingItLovely instructions

One of the things I've been meaning to do, and can now check off my Summer 2012 bucket-list, is jewelry making. I love the look of statement necklaces but can never justify spending so much money on them . . . Solution? Make my own! I first came across this look on makingitlovely.com but made some adjustments to make this necklace my own. The necklace was so easy to make and only took me about 30 minutes. Below is my finished necklace 

(I used the same beads as MakingItLovely -- sorry for the weird coloring)

I have many more jewelry ideas for this Summer and will continue to post pictures of my creations! 

Bring Back My Bar

I've blogged before about my love for Scentsy wickless candles but I have some exciting news that makes me love this product even more. For the entire month of July, Scentsy is doing a "Bring Back my Bar" special. Twenty retired, top-rated scents are being brought back for one last time. I have never smelt any of these scents before but I'm so excited to try them! Cashmere and Watermelon Patch are top on my list. But the best part of this deal is these bars are only $5! So this is a great time to start your Scentsy addiction. Here is a list of the available scents 

(click on the picture to zoom)

If you are interested in trying Scentsy, check out Afton's website. You can see everything Scentsy has to offer and order directly from her website. She is a top seller and offers the best customer service! 

(Keep in mind Scentsy makes the perfect gift for just about anyone!)

Green Machine

My motto for Summer 2012 is "get healthy inside and out". I'm back to my gym grind consisting of yoga, sculpt and spin classes but I'm also really trying to focus on my diet. I've added this lovely veggie drink to my daily routine! 

Now if veggies aren't your thing I swear it doesn't taste as bad as it looks. It actually has a sweet taste because I add apple to tone down the veggie taste. I drink 1 cup of this veggie juice for breakfast every morning. 

Here's the recipe my family uses (we all drink it)

4 organic celery stocks

1 organic cucumber

1 handfull of organic spinach leaves

1/4 cup of organic kale

1-2 organic apples for sweetness (granny smith and pink lady work well)

Put all ingredients in juicer and chill. Makes 2.5-3 cups.

Some things to keep in mind:

Make sure to drink within 24 hours of making (we make ours the night before).

Use the entire vegetable! You're only drinking the juice. 

Make sure the clean your juicer immediately after making.  

You don't have to stick to this recipe, you can experiment with your favorite fruits and veggies.

Enjoy!

'Nana Bread

Today I made my mother's famous banana bread. This is one of my favorite recipes and a great alternative to throwing away brown bananas. When you're ready to serve, top with cream cheese for the perfect mid-day snack!

1 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 salt

1/3 cup shortening or butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten well

1 cup mashed, rip, bananas

1 cup chocolate chips/nuts (optional)

Start by creaming the shortening/butter with an electric mixer. Next beat in your sugar until fully incorporated.

Add your eggs, one at a time, and beat again. Add in bananas.

With your hands or a wooden spoon, mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt -- Make sure not to beat flour; this will alter the consistency of your bread!

Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes.

Enjoy!

State your Pride

Lilly Pulitzer recently held a contest for their Facebook fans to vote for the top 5 states to receive their very own state print. According to Lilly's Facebook page, 35,000 plus fans submitted their votes and the results are in! 

(photo from the Lilly Pulitzer Facebook page)

The Facebook post informed fans that not only will these prints will appear on Lilly's signature Murfee scarves but that there are a total of 6 states!

I'm interested to see how the prints will turn out and if they will be the same/similar to the patches from the Lilly State of Mind Patch print shown below. 

(To get a closer look, click here)

 I'm so thrilled that all three of my states are State Print winners- SC, FL & VA. I see three new Murfee scarves in my near future!!