Berry Pie

Of all the holidays on our calendar, the ones that really make me happy are Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July. Both of them have no presents. Thanksgiving is about being thankful, seeing family, friends, and eating amazing food allllll day. July Fourth celebrates our wonderful country. Pretty much everyone looks forward to these holidays. It's hard to be disappointed...unless your Tofurkey is a little dry. :)

Memorial Day is another great holiday. Most everyone gets a long weekend, there are nonstop BBQs, beer drinking, maybe some fireworks, and lots of great tributes to the men and women who have served our nation. This year, Codester and I went to the family's house for some BBQ. We had a great batch of roasted asparagus (which means to us that it really is summer), amazing potato salad ala Dei, a white bean chili, recipe coming shortly, and some amazing desserts. D.E.I. made blueberry crisp that had some of the biggest blueberries I've ever seen. I made a strawberry & blueberry pie that I topped with some coconut whipped cream. Look how great this is!




Yes, I know my crust isn't all that pretty. I still haven't mastered fluting. It tastes delicious, however, and I think it makes is look kinda rustic. Ha!

Berry Pie
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

1 9-inch pie crust, cooked
3 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup blueberries
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. In a large bowl, mash 2 cups strawberries with a potato masher. You want these to get really mashed up, so don't go easy on them. Add the sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice.

2. Pour the strawberry mixture into a medium-sized sauce pan and warm over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a small boil, continuing to stir, and reduce heat to low. Cook until it resembles a jelly. Remove from heat.

3. Gently fold in blueberries. Pour into prepared crust, smoothing out as much as possible. Arrange the remaining sliced strawberries and blueberries on top of the pie. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Coconut Whipped Cream
Prep time: 5 minutes

(This is how it's done, ladies & gents. I haven't made whipped cream because the thought of using tofu scares ME. This is light and fluffy and has the sweet hint of coconut.

1 15-oz can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup powdered soy milk
1/4 tsp vanilla, if desired

1. Make sure you refrigerate the can of soy milk for at least 4 hours. This will really help it separate. Open the can and scoop out only the hardened parts. Leave the milk for something later, like curry.

2. Beat the coconut milk on high until light and fluffy. This could take up to 8 minutes, so if you have a stand-up mixer, rock it. Sift in the confectioners' sugar and powdered soy milk. Continue to beat for 2 minutes. Add vanilla, if using.

You can put this stuff in a decorating bag. You can dollop it with a spoon. You can use your (washed) finger to taste it right outta the bowl. It's so good. Seriously.

I hope you try this pie for summer...maybe even for Independence Day!!!