Blueberry Pie 2 Ways! Blueberries, Blueberries and More Blueberries?

So what do you do with 10 pounds of wild blueberries?  Let me rephrase that…10 pounds times 5.  Yes you read that right; five 10 pound boxes of Wild Blueberries!  You’re math is also correct…that’s 50 pounds of Wild Blueberries.  I guess I love blueberries more than you do.  I know that’s not fair for me to say, but I really LOVE blueberries.  I love them because they’re not only delicious, they’re good for you.  Did you know that the wild kind are even higher in anti-oxidants than regular blueberries?  They are!

So when I heard about my friend taking a road trip to Michigan for these wild blueberries, which haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals, I made LOTS of room in my freezer?.  See I told you I love blueberries.  I’d show you the inside of my freezer too but that would be a bit embarrassing.  My nicely bagged and stacked blueberries look great, but the rest of my food is shoved here and there to make room for all my blueberries.  HA!

Blueberries make delicious smoothies which is what I have almost every morning after my run.  My favorite is this Blueberry Cheesecake Smoothie.

I added a couple scoops of Vanilla Smoothie Mix, a handful of fresh greens, flax seeds and you can switch out the berries as suggested; so instead of using raspberries, I used these yummy wild blueberries!

Blueberries are great with yogurt and granola.

Blueberries would be delicious in scones, muffins, or even a cinnamon roll.  One morning after a run in Minneapolis, my husband and I  stopped in at one of our favorite places to have brunch and in there bakery case were some incredibly looking Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls.  To be honest, I am more of a scone kind of gal, but this cinnamon roll was melt in your mouth delicious so if you are a cinnamon roll fan, try adding some wild blueberries next time you make your favorite recipe.

Blueberry pancakes…ahhhhhhh yes!  A favorite after a long run.

Blueberries are even awesome eaten fresh right out of the bowl!

Blueberry Pie.  Yep!  My mom makes great pies.  My favorite happens to be apple but these were to die for!  She made one this way….

and this way……….

Both were absolutely delicious.  And no we didn’t eat both in one night.  However, my husband gets asked all the time why he doesn’t weigh 300 pounds.  Truth is, he loves to run, do yoga and workout almost as much as I do.  But he really loves to eat my food and sample my mom’s deserts so he knows he’s gotta keep drinking his Smoothies and keep exercising.  Smart man!  We do live by the 80/20 rule meaning, 80 percent of the time we eat clean but occasionally my husband and I enjoy something as yummy as my mom’s blueberry pie.

Bottom line is I love to cook and my kitchen is definitely my “happy” place.  My mom also loves spending time in her kitchen, but she loves to bake.  We do make a good team.  And yes, my mom also made room in her freezer for a box of blueberries.  My mom didn’t waste much time either.  She was very eager to try out a new recipe, Cape Cod Blueberry Pie, she recently discovered in her Taste of Home Magazine.

So twice in one weekend she wandered over for dinner (she only lives a few blocks away) and my husband and were very lucky to sample two different pies.  I am not going to tell you which one got the most votes, but if you make them, please let me know you’re favorite.

And one more thing…….if you think you love blueberries more than I do, let me see your freezer.  The Blueberry war is on?

CAPE COD BLUEBERRY PIE

INGREDIENTS:

Pastry for single-crust pie (9in)

• 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 cup water, divided
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 cups of fresh wild blueberries, divided
• 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
• Ice Cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Roll pasty dough to about 1/8-in-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in pie plate.  Trim pastry to 1/2-in beyond rim of plate; flute edge.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.  Preheat over to 425,
2. Line Pastry with a double thickness of foil.  Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice.  Bake on lower oven rack 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Remove foil and weights; bake 3-6 minutes longer or until the bottom is golden brown.   Cool completely on a wire rack.
3. In a small bowl, mix flour, salt and 1/3 cup water until blended.  In a large saucepan, combine sugar, 1 cup blueberries and remaining water; bring to boil.  Stir in flour mixture.  Return to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in vinegar and remaining blueberries; pour into crust.  Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.  Serve with ice cream.

MY MOM’S TRADITIONAL BLUEBERRY PIE DOUBLE CRUST

INGREDIENTS:

Pastry for double crust pie (9-in)

• 4 Cups Blueberries
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup tapioca
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Roll out your pastry as above but you’ll have two circles.  Transfer one circle to bottom of your pie plate.
2. Fill with your filling.
3. Top with your other pastry circle and flute your edges together.
4. Bake at 375 for 55 to 60 minutes.