Blackberry Pie

 

In the past few years, I have been through a lot and quite honestly, have lost a lot. Some things I willingly gave up and others were taken from me. No matter how it happened, it was painful and hard to overcome.  I know I have lost a lot but I have gained even more.  I understand more of what I want and what I need and am happy to see myself as a more diverse individual. I have rediscovered interests and developed new passions.  

 

In saying that, it does not mean that, at times, I won't mess up in some way.  I make mistakes. I don't trust well. I am self-conscious. I don't always communicate effectively. I can be impatient. And, I just generally have my moments!! Recently, I almost lost someone who is very important to me for all of these reasons. Of course, no relationship is perfect and each person brings their own problems or issues to the party, but now I see some of mine more clearly. I have a tendency to over-analyze and recently, I was just too inside my own head.  This prevented me from seeing the greatness that was right in front of me. Do you ever do that? Well I did!  It is like that old saying, "you can't see the forest for the trees!" I was not seeing the whole picture and I was panicking when little things went wrong. I was asking for one thing and then holding my hands over my eyes when it was happening. I was not allowing people to love me in THEIR WAY! I know a lot of this comes from fear. In the past, when I thought I had my whole life figured out, the bottom fell out and I realized just how hard I can fall. And honestly, I am scared of that again. What I realize now, is that recently, I was falling again. I was falling into bad habits and allowing fear to make my decisions instead of letting things take a more natural course. By following this path, I was allowing things that are very important to me slip away.

 

I know, that deep down, these are all things we know about ourselves but sometimes it takes a great event to really bring it to the forefront. I know now that have some more work to do!  There is another circle of healing that I need to conquer. And I will! I know that I will never be perfect but ever-growing might be a good compromise!

Vanilla Extract

So, this is just a simple project that makes great gifts and can save you a little money. I decided to start making my own vanilla extract because as you might guess, I go through a lot of vanilla! I prefer to use real extract, not imitation. As most of you know, that can get a little costly. So, after some research, I decided to start to make my own. I have been really happy with the results. The best part of this recipe is that it only takes 2 ingredients: vanilla beans and bourbon.  You might have to go out to buy the beans, but they are easy to find in any natural food store and you will definitely get your money's worth as they last for a long time.  If you are like me, I am sure you have bourbon or whiskey in your house. If not (let me know, cause I won't be visiting,) go get you the biggest bottle! You will need something to sip on while you are waiting for your extract be ready to use!

Cheers!

Crunchy Pecan Blackberry Cobbler





Garden Goodness Part 3

What is better than some blackberries? Now you all know I love some blackberries. And I know.... from feedback that I have gotten from some of my readers, last year's blackberry story made some people cry (see Blackberry Lemon Thyme Jam.) That was not my intention but it does make me feel nice that I can really reach you in that way.

This recipe came up as a way for me to say Thanks. As some of you know, my life has been a little upside down these past few years. And while that crazy is coming to an end soon. I am sure a new crazy is just around the corner- that is life right?? Well as a single girl in a new neighborhood, all alone, I have had some learning to do. Thanks to my Daddy, I am a well rounded girl who needs little help using most tools, changing a tire or doing a whole range of household "typically" male tasks. As great a man as he is, he made sure my little sister and I  knew how to survive without a man. And strange to say but since I have been married I have really appreciated that (ironic, huh?) Now, as I live alone again, I appreciate this learning all over.

Well, I did not make this recipe to say thanks to my Dad. No, I make him a lot of other recipes to show my love (a new one is coming next week. I can't tell yet in case he is tuning in.) There is one thing that I can not do with my Honda Accord- haul things. Lucky for me, I have moved into an older neighborhood that has some really great people in it. You know, the kind that when you move in come down and introduce themselves and give you their name and phone number. Well, these neighbors are awesome. They know I am a single girl and they check on me. They brought me a light to put in my garage, that senses when I am home, they send bones home for my Golden Retriever Charlie and as they say here, they are just "good people." (I love this local saying.) Recently, I went to a local store and got a great deal on a new coffee table. Unfortunately I had no way to get it home. I purchased it with the promise that I would come back for it at a later date. As I was pulling in to my driveway, I saw my neighbors and thought should I ask or not. Uggggg..... I hate to ask!!! But I did and they were more than happy to help. They got in their truck right then with straps and a protective blanket and off we went. I was so happy to have them. They always say "honey, you don't owe us anything. This is just good neighbors helping good neighbors." But what is my saying here at Bonbons and Biscotti- "Love Begins in the Kitchen" and for this single girl a little lost in the world right now it is so good to know that she has someone to count on. So, I got in my kitchen and I baked; adding a ton of appreciation and thanks with every sprinkle of sugar.

Blackberry Pound Cake

Blackberry Pound Cake

Here is the other blackberry recipe that I mentioned in the last post. I will refrain from being so wordy in this post since I gave you my Blackberry story the last time.

I would like to thank every one's comments and encouragement over the past few month. I have received a lot of personal messages and Facebook love. I am humbled that my last post touched so many of you. I have wanted to write a blog to condense and share my family memories for a few years, but I never thought people would be interested. You all have proved me wrong. Thank you!!

Please continue to tell your family and friends about Bonbons and Biscotti. Spread the word, share the love.

XO

Rebecca

Blackberry Lemon Thyme Jam

Blackberry Lemon Thyme Jam

Every summer when I was a child, as a family we looked forward to blackberry season. Because I lived in a somewhat rural area in Western Pennsylvania, our house was surrounded by wooded and undeveloped areas. This allowed for the perfect environment for wild blackberries to grow. They were not the "monster-size" berries that you find at the grocery store now, they were tiny, sweet purple clusters that mother nature tended all on her own.

My dad was the blackberry pro; spotting them on the side of the road as we drove home from my grandma's house or the grocery store.  Dad is a man of few words. He will talk when needed but he is never a person to "waste words" just to hear himself talk. Us girls always knew when he was thinking and as we would drive, we knew he was making mental notes of location and approximate ripening time for our berry picking.  When that day came and dad declared the berries ready, we would all bundle up in our long sleeve shirts and long pants and head out. Since my sister and I were young, we would pick the berries along the bottom and the perimeter of the berry patch so we did not get "stuck" by the thorns on the bushes. Mom and Dad would always venture more into the middle of the patch and therefore get the largest haul.

One really memorable thing about berry picking for me was the vessel that we brought the berries home in: my dad's miner's bucket. For most miners, the bucket that they use to take their lunch into the mine, is a very special item. It is an item that they carry with them everyday; into a place unlike any other and a scene that most people will never see. Most miners carry the same bucket through their mine career. Those buckets see young, hopeful men just starting out going into the mine, they see hard work, the loss of best friends and in this day and age, business politics, and unfortunate mine closing which include the loss of local jobs that have sustained families for generations.  In most cases, the mine bucket will "retire" or become "laid off" from it's duties at the same time their owner does.

Whenever I used to see my dad's mine bucket come home from a long day's work; dirty, scuffed, and with its reflective stickers, I was instantly proud of my dad. But most important for a miner's kid, that bucket was always a sign that my dad was home! Mining is dangerous and knowing he was home was always comforting and a relief (some of my fellow classmates where not so lucky.) The dirty, empty bucket would then sit on the kitchen floor until we were done eating dinner as a family. After dinner, as my mom scrubbed that bucket to get it ready for the next shift,  I always wondered what the bucket had seen that day!

I think that vessel, my dad's bucket, is one of my family's most valued items. It was present in our everyday life and saw my family in all stages of our lives.  If it could talk, it could tell the story of the mine, my dad's long hours there, me and my sister's childhood and my mom ever present in the kitchen making home life happy. That bucket did not just feed my Dad lunch; it fed our entire family.

And on special days in mid summer, in rural Pennsylvania, that shiny silver bucket would go into the woods empty and come out brimming with dark purple berries....