Thanks Dad....Miss you....

This post is dedicated to my Dad who passed away in January of 2010. I have been racking my brain trying to remember my earliest moments with my Dad. I remember my first tractor ride with him. I don't know how old I was but riding on the big wheel cover of the tractor was great fun or sitting in his lap while he was driving was a big deal for me back then. I think all of us siblings cherished those memories because we all wanted our turn at riding no matter how dangerous it was. (We look back at how we were perched on the wheel and now know it was a foolish and dangerous thing to do.)

I also remember helping out with the dairy. If Stan wasn't around or he had to be at school early, helping to milk the cows would be my chore. Feeding hay, grain and helping out in the milking parlor was hard work for a young girl but when one grows up on a farm, you do what you have to in order to help out making a living for the family. There was one time when I was chasing a cow on the cement floor and that cow had just pooped a warm cow pie onto the floor. I tired to dodge the big cow pie, but somehow slid into the whole thing. My Dad said, "Way to slide into third base!" I had cow pie EVERYWHERE!!! I'm sure we all had a laugh at that because when I got home, I didn't smell too pretty and had to go to school smelling like a dairy....

Then as I got older, my Dad did little things that I will always remember. When I came back to Oregon as a single parent, my Dad made sure I always had a Mother's Day present from my daughter. The first year I was home, he said he was taking my daughter shopping. I had no idea what those two did or where they went, but on Mother's Day, my daughter had a gift waiting for me wrapped in a pretty box. The little things is what makes a Dad special.

My Dad had a few favorite things he would have me make for him. One of those items was a blackberry pie. So here's my recipe for my version of marion berry or blackberry pie.

Pie crust - you can go to the store a purchase a pre-made crust or you can use a crust I use from scratch.

3 cups flour
1/2 cup butter (cold)
1/2 cup shortening (cold)
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons ice water

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until mix resembles peas. Add 1 tablespoon at a time into the processor and continue to pulse until the mix comes into a ball. Pull the ball together and wrap into plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. When you're ready to use the dough, roll it out to fit a 8-9 in pie plate and place on the bottom of the pie plate. Fill the pie with your filling and dot with 2 tablespoons butter. Roll out the top portion of the pie crust and place on top crimping the edges to seal the pie. Use your fingers and brush a fine film of cream on top of the pie. Cut slits into the pie so the steam will be released. Cover the edges of the pie with tin foil or use a pie cover (you can purchase these at your favorite kitchen store). Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes and then bake an additional 30 minutes at 350 degrees. During the last ten minutes, remove the foil or pie cover. Remove from the oven and cool. Serve warm with ice cream.

Berry mixture:

5 cups fresh or frozen berries
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (depening on the sweetness of the berries)
1/2 cup flour (this will thicken the sauce for the berries)

Combine all and pour into the pie crust.