Half Assed Kitchen

5-ingredient Blackberry Pie

A late summer activity we like to do with the family is blackberry picking. We all trek over to Discovery Park here in Seattle, gingerly weave our way past the thorns and pluck as many fat berries as we can before A) One of the kids starts screaming that they've been attacked by a spiny bush or B) We get sick of it.

Today we went on our third annual blackberry expedition and brought back more than enough for a pie.

And the pie is easy. So easy. It can even be made with frozen blackberries, though we can't vouch for the perfect sweet-tart combo you get with fresh.

Here's what you need and how you do it:

4 cups blackberries

3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon white sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 box of 2 store-bought pie crusts (Yeah, we're not going anywhere near a rolling pin)

A few Tablespoons milk (we used soy)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the berries with sugar and flour. Pour into your pie shell. Top with second crust or make a fancy lattice like we did above. Brush the top crust (or lattice) with milk. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon (or so) of sugar over top curst (or lattice).

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Glorious One Pot Meals--A Giveaway

We're all about easy when it comes to cooking. At least we want to be.

We have a tendency to dirty more dishes than necessary and to, at the eleventh hour, tap our chins and think, hm, a homemade dressing would be so much better than bottled.

So when we discovered the cookbook Glorious One Pot Meals, we had to have it. Which is to say, we had to have two so we could give one to a reader of Half Assed Kitchen.

To enter, please leave a comment with the name of your favorite easy ass meal by midnight August 31st.

We'll randomly choose a winner and let you know via email.

Good luck!

Sweet and Smokey Sloppy Joes

 

We actually like Manwich. We know, sad, huh?

But this homemade recipe for Sloppy Joes is actually better than Manwich. Not quite as effortless, but it doesn't take too much muscle (or time).

Here's what you need and how you do it:

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup barbeque sauce

1 Tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard (optional)

salt and pepper

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

In a large skillet, brown ground beef or turkey, celery and onion. Drain the fat.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer covered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If consistency is too watery, leave cover off and let moisture evaporate.

Serve on toasted buns with french fries and coleslaw.

Baked risotto with lemon and edamame

The thing that is so lovely about this risotto is that you BAKE it, rather than babysitting it by the stovetop. And, if you don't cook it too long and dry it out (ahem) it still has that delicious creamy texture that risotto is famous for.

Okay, this looks suspiciously like our linguine with clam sauce. Beige anyone? But let us assure you that it tastes very, very different.

Here's what you need and how you do it:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup onion

1 cup arborio (risotto) rice

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 cup (or so) frozen, shelled edamame (optional) (adds nice color and flavor)

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (or, you know, not fresh. We're easy around here) thyme or tarragon will also work

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (optional)

Grated parmesan (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in olive oil in a dutch oven or large pan that can go into the oven. Add rice and lightly brown. Add the wine and chicken broth, bring to a boil and let simmer for several minutes. Add salt.

Place the pan in a 400 degree oven for about fifteen minutes.

Pull out pan and add lemon zest, edamame, chicken and herbs.

Cook for another 10 minutes (or so). Add parmesan and stir.

Be careful not to overcook as this will remove any creaminess (aka specialness) from this dish.