Some people are cake people. Some people are pie people. You might be able to guess what I am. But every now and then I can go for a really good berry pie.

Last Wednesday I decided to be daring and make my own pie crust and at the same time, get rid of some of those blueberries we picked. We had stopped at Whole Foods earlier in the week and nabbed some peaches.

Peaches + blueberries = PIE!

There weren't enough peaches to follow recipes online for a blueberry-peach pie, so I had to improv and make up my own recipe.

It wasn't bad! I ended up eating it each morning when I came back from a run. We kept it in the fridge and it was a cool (and delicious!) treat after being out in the sun.

Blueberry Peach Pie

INGREDIENTS

2	pre-made pie crusts or make your own (I used the Perfect Pie Dough by Cook's Illustrated)
3	cups blueberries - washed
3	cups peaches - washed and sliced (about 4 peaches)
3/4	cups sugar
1	tspn cinnamon
1/8	tspn ginger
1/8	tspn coriander seed
	pinch of nutmeg
1.5	tablespoons cornstarch
2	tspn lemon juice
1	egg - lightly beaten

INSTRUCTIONS

1.	Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Have dough prepared ahead of time. Prepare 9" pie plate with one pie crust.
2.	Wash and cut fruit, and place into medium bowl.
3.	Add sugar, spices, cornstarch and lemon juice to bowl of fruit and mix to coat fruit evenly.
4.	Carefully pour fruit into prepared pie plate. Some people add a little bit of butter to the top of the fruit before covering, but I forgot here.
5.	Roll and place remaining pie crust on top of the pie. Cut four slits in pie crust (to vent) and brush the top of the pie crust with the lightly beaten egg white.
6.	Place pie on a cookie pan to catch any drips. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees and put pie and pan into oven for 25 minutes. A tip to prevent the crust from burning: I place tin foil around the edges and remove it after 25 minutes of baking.
7.	After 25 minutes, rotate the pie and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for another 30-35 minutes. Your crust should be golden brown and the juices should be bubbling at this point and will be ready to come out.
8.	Place pie onto a wire rack to cool before serving. Suggested cooling time: 4 hours.

Brownie Cookies with Salted Caramel Filling

Superbowl means two things for me: commercials and lots of food.

We stayed home last night and made ourselves a party including wings and beer. Good wings, I might add. Tom found an awesome recipe. We were a little bummed that we weren't up in VT with his family at his aunt and uncle's house - a yearly tradition. But that is how it goes now.

To overcome the sadness, I made amazing brownie cookies that sandwiched a dob of salted caramel filling (thank you Bakers Royale!)  I used my go-to salted caramel recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and had a hard time resisting the urge to devour the entire bowl of caramel. 

Each of the three components (brownie, caramel, frosting) were great one their own, but when combined, packed incredible flavor. I am even going to go as far to say that these brownies are so much better than the boxed Ghiradelli brownies, and those are something pretty special!

It was hard to hold off on them, but somehow we managed to wait until Beyonce started performing before we took our first bite. 

Walking Long Distances is Always Better with Cupcakes

When we moved to DC I worried that I would miss out on the local produce that is so abundant in Vermont, and that there would be no farmer's markets in the area. Geesh, what a dorkus I was. My worry was put to rest during our first weekend in the city, when we ran by a great market in Dupont Circle. It wasn't until yesterday that Tom and I finally had a chance to check it out. 

The day greeted us with cooler temperatures, blue skies, and plenty of places along the way to stop and eat our goodies. One woman remarked that it felt like September. It was a perfect day.

Free samples of peaches, nectarines, watermelon, and cantaloupe were served at every stall, and some vendors even welcomed customers to taste the berries before purchasing. We fell in love with the peaches and snagged a few at one stand, then purchased a box of organic raspberries at another. Farm-fresh fruit is so much more flavorful than supermarket fruit, and I love being able to see the farmers (or at least their staff) that I am supporting. 

Tomatoes are definitely in season and there were a wide variety of tomatoes found at each stall. We decided not to buy any since we're leaving for VT this week. It would be a shame to have veggies go bad while we're gone. 

Tom lucked out. He's been without Rosie's Beef Jerky for a few weeks and found this Buffalo Jerky to hold him over until we can get back to Vermont to replenish his stock. 

We stopped by the fountain to enjoy the jerky and peaches, and to soak up the sun. 

We also stopped at Hello Cupcake's Dupont Circle location for an afternoon pick-me-up. I mean, if Tom can get beef jerky, then I certainly need a cupcake. It took me a while to decide between the strawberry lemonade cake and a more traditional, vanilla cake and chocolate frosting. Ultimately I went with the classic. I'm trying to find one that is just as good as the my little cupcake version, and after this one, I am still looking.

We stopped at a mini-park on our walk back home to enjoy the cupcakes. Note: If you want to make sure that I have fun and am in a good mood on a 1.7 mile walk, then be sure to give me a cupcake half way through. They were a little melted by this point, but were still just as effective!

 The frosting tasted great, but the cake was lacking some flavor. It was a nice, fluffy cake, but it did not taste like vanilla. Yikes! I'm starting to sound like a cupcake snob. Anyway, I enjoyed the cupcake, but have had more delicious ones. Will I go back? Yes! I need to try the strawberry lemonade.

 

Tom opted for the Root Beer Float cupcake. At first it tasted like a gingerbread cupcake. It wasn't until I was done eating it that I could really taste the root beer. It's funny how he always goes for unique flavors and I tend to hit somewhat boring chocolate and vanilla combos. 

That evening we enjoyed some of our farmer's market finds with our dinner. Tom found two great recipes on tastespotting.com and was the chef of the evening. He made really delicious corn on the cob, green beans with walnuts and balsamic, and honey-dijon glazed chicken. We'll definitely be using those recipes again in the future! 

Hope you all have a Happy Monday!