This post was sponsored by Thyme & Table.  All thoughts & opinions are always my own. #WhatAGoodThyme

Today I’m sharing my recipe for a mixed berry galette.  It’s rustic, beautiful, delicious and so simple to make!  Plus I’m introducing you to the newest and coolest line of kitchen utensils from Thyme & Table.

Hello Spring ♥

I’m in gear to get all things springtime going, but I think we’re officially in our 3rd winter here in Pennsylvania.  *Sigh*…it’s snowing again.  Fingers crossed for warm sunny days & soon!

I usually bake nonstop during the winter months – this year I took a bit of a break from it.  I was definitely feeling soups, stews and hearty comfort foods during these colder months.

We had a few warm days and all of a sudden I’m craving fruits, berries and baked goods.  I’m ready to bake!

Plus I’ve been staring at all these bright, fun & too cool utensils from Thyme & Table.  I want to chop, whisk, mix, scrape – I want to get busy in the kitchen with all these pretty utensils!

Thyme & Table is a new line of fun, colorful & affordable kitchen utensils available at Walmart. All the pieces are so funky, fun yet functional!  I love the pop of color these utensils have added to my kitchen and know everyone else will as well.  I’m thinking Mother’s Day, gift baskets, housewarming presents – I’ve got gift ideas covered for awhile!!!

I’ll admit, some of my kitchen utensils are a bit beat up and overdue to be replaced.  My daughter tells me all my kitchen stuff is so “old fashioned” – so this fun & fresh change was needed!

Back to baking!  Craving fruit, I found a decent selection of berries at a local grocery store and grabbed one of everything they had.  I happily left with strawberries, blueberries & blackberries.

I knew I wanted to bake a galette.  I love, love, LOVE galettes!  They’re beautiful, rustic and so perfectly simple.

I made my own pastry dough here.  It’s simple, so when you have the time – definitely go for it.  When you don’t have the time, grab some of that premade pastry dough.  It will turn out delicious either way.

I try to keep the sugar to a minimum when working with fresh fruits & berries.  Unfortunately, none of these berries were particularly ripe, sweet or juicy – so I added a bit more sugar than I might normally.

Please know that galettes are so forgiving – so eager to please!  They really beg to be every bakers best friend!  I sloppily rolled out the dough – egdes all messy & uneven.  Guess what – it adds more character.  I had a bit of berry lava oozing out one corner while baking.  Easy fix – I just spooned that sweet lava over the galette while it was cooling.

Warm sunny days and springtime baking – I’m ready for you ♥

Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Amanda-

Visit Thyme & Table to learn more about their fun & fab kitchen must-haves! 

You can find all these gorgeous kitchen utensils from Thyme & Table at your local Walmart.

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5 from 1 vote

Mixed Berry Galette

Mixed Berry Galette. It's beautiful, delicious and so simple to make! Oh, and if you don't feel like fussing with pastry dough, go ahead and use the premade stuff 🙂

Prep Time2 hrs

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time2 hrs 50 mins

Course: baked goods

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

• For Pastry:
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 9 tablespoons cold salted butter cubed (1 stick + 1 tablespoon)
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
• For Filling:
• 4 cups mixed berries chopped if necessary (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• -parchment paper-

Instructions

• For Pastry:
• Combine the flour with the butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and process until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining.
• Add the ice water over the flour mixture and process until the pastry just begins to come together.
• If not using a food processor, you can make the pastry by hand with a pastry cutter.
• Pat dough into approx a 6" disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours. This can be made well ahead of time if necessary.
• For Filling:
• Combine berries, sugar and cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Gently mix together.
• To assemble:
• When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 400°F
• On a floured surface, roll out dough until roughly a 12"x14" rectangle. The corners can be rough and uneven and it's fine if you can't get roll the dough out to the full measurement.
• Transfer rolled dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Brush about half of the egg white onto the dough.
• Spoon the berry filling onto the dough, leaving a 2" border uncovered around the edge.
• Fold the edges up and over the filling, overlapping slightly.
• Brush remaining egg white over dough and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
• Bake until the filling is bubbly and the pastry is golden brown & crisp - about 40 - 50 minutes.
• If any of the berry mixture oozed out, spoon on top of galette
• Let rest on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes and then transfer galette, still on parchment paper, to wire rack to cool.
• Slice & enjoy ♥

Welcome fall with this Apple Cranberry Crisp! Cinnamon baked apples, a sweet & tart layer of cranberry sauce topped with a candied, crumbly, buttery oat topping.

This was originally posted September 13, 2015.  I’ve updated a few of the photos during some fall baking. 

My love of fresh cranberry is no secret.  The tart little berries are my favorite thing to bake with.  I could add cranberries into (just about) everything I bake and live happily ever after.

As for the canned stuff – I do like it – but I feel it misrepresents all the awesomeness of cranberries.

I quote myself:

“Poor, misunderstood cranberries.  They have such a bad reputation.  People associate this sweet and tangy berry with that lumpy, clumpy, almost gelatin like blob of canned sauce that gets served on holidays.  There’s so much more to this superfruit.”

An email from a reader prompted me to share this recipe.  She commented on how much she loves the flavor of cranberry but never has anything but canned sauce on hand.  She requested an easy, fall dessert made with cranberry sauce.  I have the perfect recipe!

First, I’ll mention though, Fall brings cranberry season!  Yay!!!!  I always like to remind everyone to stock up when they’re in season, or after the winter holidays when the prices drop.  Cranberries freeze perfectly, just throw the little baggies in the freezer “as is” for year round goodness.

Fall also brings apple season and it’s currently in full swing.  I just bought a half bushel of fresh apples from a nearby farmer for $5 dollars.  That’s over 20 pounds of apples for 5 bucks.  Crazy!!!  Lucky for my family, we love all things apple!

Onto the recipe already, I know!  Nothing says early fall to me more than an Apple Cranberry Crisp.  Apples are in abundance and the flavor of cranberry gets us excited about holidays to come.

Even better, this Crisp is super simple to put together.  The most effort here will be slicing the apples!

Welcome fall with this Apple Cranberry Crisp!  Fresh baked apples with cinnamon, a sweet & tart layer of cranberry sauce and a candied, crumbly, buttery oat topping.  Yum!  Add a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or your favorite yogurt – you’ll be kissing Summer good-bye!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Happy Baking 🙂

Amanda ♥

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5 from 1 vote

Apple & Cranberry Crisp

Welcome fall with this Apple Cranberry Crisp! Cinnamon baked apples, a sweet & tart layer of cranberry sauce topped with a candied, crumbly, buttery oat topping.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: baked goods

Servings: 8 - 10 servings

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

• 4-5 baking apples about 1 1/4 lbs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 can of cranberry sauce 15 - 16 oz. can
• 1 cup quick/rolled oats uncooked
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter cold

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease or spray a 11" x 7" baking dish.
• Peel, core and slice apples into sixteenths.
• Evenly arrange apples in baking dish.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon, gently toss.
• Spoon cranberry sauce on top of apples. Using a spatula, smooth cranberry sauce into an even layer.
• In a mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, brown sugar and flour. Mix.
• Add cold butter slices to mixture. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly.
• Spoon & evenly spread topping over cranberry layer.
• Bake for about 40 minutes or until top is a light golden brown.
• Remove form oven and cool on wire rack. This can be served warm or cold.
• Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired. Enjoy 🙂

A simple & delicious fresh peach & blueberry pie with a buttery crumb topping. A late summer favorite! 

The motivation to make the perfect Peach Blueberry Pie occurred a few years ago.  During the holidays a friend used to bring an assortment of pies from a bakery in her town.  Everyone raved, oohhhed & ahhhed over these pies.

My husband fussed over the Peach Blueberry Pie.  I love all things pie & was sooo excited to taste it!  It was a picture perfect pie topped with a beautiful lattice crust and oozing with peaches & blueberries.

I bite into it.  Sweet.  Sugar.  That’s all I tasted – sweetness and sugar.  Awful.  I was expecting so much and all I tasted was the burning over-sweetness of sugar.  I knew there was a buttery crust and blueberries and peaches in there somewhere but they were all lost in a sea of sugar.  So sad, so disappointing.

Why?  Oh, why would someone destroy something so wonderfully simple?

Easy.  These fruits are out of season locally during the holidays.  The fruit they were using was under ripe and not so naturally sweet.  They increased the amount of sugar trying to compensate for the quality (or lack thereof) of the fruit they were using.

Lucky for us all – peaches & blueberries are in season now.  We are fortunate to have an abundance of orchards nearby and my girls and I have been busy picking.  After coming home with over 10 pounds of peaches and buckets full of blueberries – I knew I had to make this Peach & Blueberry Pie.

Actually I made two.  We enjoyed every last single bite of this pie.  We probably won’t have it again until next year during peach & blueberry season.

The secret to this pie?  Perfectly juicy, ripe & sweet peaches.  Oh, and the plump sweet blueberries.  That’s it.  It takes only a few ingredients and a few minutes to toss together.

Hope everyone is enjoying these last couple weeks of summer!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  Happy baking 🙂

-Amanda-

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5 from 1 vote

Peach Blueberry Crumb Pie

A simple & delicious fresh peach and blueberry pie with a crumb topping. A late summer favorite.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: baked goods

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

• 1 9 " pie crust baked & cooled
• 3 cups peaches peeled & chopped (4-5 peaches)
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Crumb topping
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• For pie filling:
• In a mixing bowl, combine chopped peaches, blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice & cinnamon.
• Spoon into pie shell.
• For topping:
• In a separate bowl, combine flour & brown sugar.
• Cut in slices of cold butter with a pastry blender until mixture is pea size crumbles.
• Sprinkle topping mixture over top of pie.
• Place pie on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet - this pie often oozes over while baking.
• Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 25 - 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
• Cool pie on wire rack & then refrigerate.
• Slice, serve and enjoy.
• Store pie covered in fridge. Best eaten within a day or two of baking.

A sweet, simple & delicious French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with a buttery brown sugar crumb topping.  Easy baking for a summer day 🙂 

Oh, I love days like these.  It’s warm, it’s beautiful, it’s so wonderful to be outside!  Summer is almost here and all the warm sunshine brings all the farms and gardens back to life.

I live in a farming county and am pretty much surrounded by farmland.  So not only do I get to breathe in that fresh country air (eek), I also get the fresh produce perks.

I’m not sure how it is in other parts of the country or world, but here you’ll find many farmers have roadside produce stands.  Most of them offer simply whatever is in season, while others will have a selection of homemade jams, sauerkraut, pickled veggies, butters, baked goods and such.

You have to know which produce stands to visit, though.  The stands I go to are 50% – 80% cheaper than what you’ll find in a farmers market or grocery store.  I’ve seen some stands that are priced far higher, some are even higher than local stores that carry the same local produce.  These pricey stands, located on the main roads, thrive off all the tourist traffic.  Locals know to drive a few minutes off the main roads to find the same fresh produce at a much more Lancaster County price.

I was excited to pass my favorite produce stand and find it open for the season.  I grabbed ten stalks of rhubarb for $2 bucks and a big bundle of asparagus for $2 bucks.  Happiness!

Further down the road, I found a farm with a small table of fresh strawberries for sale.  Being some of the first of the season, strawberry prices are still top dollar.  I grabbed two quart containers for $8 and it was worth every single cent.  Fresh, juicy strawberries LOADED with flavor.  Ohhh, it’s been awhile…

This, folks, is how the majority of my cooking inspiration occurs.  I tend to not plan ahead – I enjoy being sporadic.  I usually visit produce stands and local farm & discount stores and then build meals and baking ideas around those finds.  It keeps things creative and fun – predictability gets boring!

I had just made a Rhubarb Kuchen – my husband and I loved it – but it was just too much rhubarb for the kiddos.  I didn’t want them to miss out on the joys of fresh rhubarb, so I threw together this French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

Is it really French?  I don’t know.  I’ve been eating this French Rhubarb Pie forever and have never bothered to ask or find out.  I just know I love it’s sweet simplicity.  I often add strawberries to it for those that don’t have the palate for just rhubarb, in all it’s glorious boldness.

This pie is simple to make – chop, mix and bake till golden brown. It has to be refrigerated after cooled, but the crumbs on top will hold up for a day or two before getting mushy.

So get the rhubarb while the getting is good.  I hope you love this French Rhubarb Pie!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

A sweet, simple & delicious French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with a buttery brown sugar crumb topping.  Easy baking for a summer day ♥

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Desserts

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

• 9 " pie crust unbaked
• Filling:
• 2 cups diced rhubarb 4-5 stalks
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries hulled, cut into fourths if large, halved if small
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon flour heaping
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Topping:
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed
• 1/3 cup butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 9" pie dish with pie crust.
• For pie filling:
• In a mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, egg, sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir gently until thoroughly combined.
• Spoon into pie shell.
• For topping:
• Combine flour and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Cut in slices of cold butter with a pastry blender until mixture is pea size crumbled.
• Sprinkle topping mixture over top of pie.
• Place pie on a cookie sheet (not necessary - but far easier to remove when done baking) and bake at 400° for 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 25 - 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
• Cool pie on wire rack.
• Slice, serve and enjoy.
• Store pie covered in fridge. Best eaten within a day or two of baking.