Fourth of July Cherry Pie...and life lately.

A quick quiz before I jump into all the latest news of the day...

Life is:

A) Like a bowl full of cherries.

B) What happens while you are busy making other plans.

C) Beautiful. (...and the title of a great movie)

D) What you make it.

Well...You're right!  

Whichever answer you choose, 

you are pretty much spot on.

I have to say that while we are quickly

approaching my very favorite holiday of the year, 

July 4th...

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the busy days

 that seem to have evaporated 

from the months of May and June.

I know we've been a busy family... 

from the last few weeks of the school year...

...to the first days of summer vacation...

There has been a constant and steady hum of activity...

Some of the highlights included:

 chaperoning field trips 

and field days, 

science labs and a sixth grade dance...

We (finally) finished the fence...  (more to come on this fun project)

We did a little of this:  (Road trip)

And watched a lot of this...(and this little team won their division):

Started growing some of these:

Visited here:

Ate some of this:

It's good to be back on the blog...

 I've missed you.

Sometimes life gets full...even a little rushed... 

and doing Blue Ribbon Kitchen is joy...  

a joy that gets squeezed into 

whatever time is leftover at the end of the day... 

   

or the week... 

or (ahem)... 

even at the end of a very swirling with excitement, 

busy as a bee  --month...

During the summer months...

and especially when the kids are on vacation....

I try to keep in mind that I won't ever get a chance to have my kids be this age again...

Truly, ... a gift of the "right now" that I have to take full advantage of ...

So, I'm soaking them in and loving each moment, as best I can... 

If I don't post quite as often...

know that I'm busy snapping pictures like crazy and 

I'll revisit some of our best summer days when I can.

Now, onto the holiday at hand...
July 4th!
Good Old Independence Day!!

I think I may have said this a few thousand times before, 

but I LOVE this holiday!!

Here is my very patriotic cherry pie!

Cherry Pie Recipe:

Use a two-crust pie dough recipe...

Need one?? 

Here's mine:PIE CRUST 101

 5 cups frozen Cherries-  I love to use this mix, available at Costco. 
 I think the sweet and tart-sour cherries together add a depth of flavor to the pie. 
 Below is a picture of the bag... 
I know I always find things easier when I know what I'm looking for...

If you don’t have a Costco or cannot find this mix, use your own mix of cherries: sour, sweet and tart  cherries to achieve the blend.  I have found bags of each cherry at my local grocery in the frozen section.

3/4 - 1 cup granulated sugar (Use 3/4 cup for a less sweet pie, use the 1 cup for a sweeter version)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract -- and not a drop more...too much extract is not a good thing.

4 Tablespoons King Arthur Instant Clear Gel (or use cornstarch)

2 teaspoons lemon juice.

2 TBS unsalted butter- cut into bits

1 pinch of salt

Mix the sugar, pinch of salt and instant clear gel together.  

Pour over cherries in a mixing bowl.  

Add lemon juice and almond extract.  

Gently stir and then set aside.
(I like to let the coated cherries rest on the counter for about
an hour or so, so the cherries are not fully frozen when the pie is baked.)

Roll out bottom dough, lay into a 8 or 9 inch pie plate.

Fill pie with cherry mixture.

Dot with butter.

Roll out top dough round to 1/4 inch.  Cover pie.

Vent the center.

Crimp edges.

I used some of my fancy pie cutters...

cherries...and stars of course... 

for the 4th!! 

Bake on a lined baking sheet... 

or use a Chicago Metallic Drip Protector.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes...

or until crust is golden and pie is bubbly.  

Cover the pie crust during baking to prevent edges from over-browning.

Let cool and serve.

You know,

Sometimes life really is like a bowl full of cherries...  

and sometimes life is like a plate of cherry pie...

....with vanilla ice cream.

(sparklers are always optional...  but WOW!... aren't they fun!?)