Blackberry Pie

This is Ian's favorite kind of pie.

Pastry:
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup shortening
2 scant cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold water

Directions: Blend shortening, margarine, flour and salt. Once it is well blended add water, mix until it forms a ball, using your hands for this part works best. (Depending on the size of your pie this amount will make 2 or 4 pies.) Cut into equal parts and roll out.

Pie Filling:
4 (generous) cups of fresh blackberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions: Preheat oven to 400*. Wash blackberries and allow water to drain. In a large bowl mix berries and lemon juice. In a small bowl mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour sugar mixture over berries and stir all together coating berries. Pour berries into pie shell and cover with remaining rolled out pastry. Cut some sort of holes in top of shell for heat to escape. Bake until pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted margarine
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 apple pealed and grated

Beat milk, melted margarine and vanilla. Then add eggs and beat. Add flour, half cup at a time, beating in each half cup. I usually add the cinnamon, sugar, baking powder and salt in with the last half cup of flour, but you can add it when ever. Stir in apple. Cook in waffle iron, makes approx 8 waffles.

Brownies

1 cup butter (or margarine)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Icing:
1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
1 cup icing sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp hot coffee ( we don't drink coffee at home so I use really strong French vanilla, the instant kind)

Directions:
Soften butter (or margarine) and then cream together with both white and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix them in. Then add flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix. Put into 9 x 13 baking dish and bake for 30 minuets at 350*

Icing Directions:
Melt butter (or margarine) and then mix in vanilla, milk and coffee. Add icing sugar and cocoa and stir till smooth. Spread on brownies once they have cooled.

Bran Muffins

I got this recipe from All Recipes.com

Bran muffins with raisins are my favorite kind of muffin, how plain-jane and geeky eh!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup wheat bran
1 cup butter milk (I never have buttermilk in the house so I just use 1 cup reg milk with 1 tbsp of lemon juice or 1 tbsp or vinegar trick)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375* Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2) Mix together wheat bran and butter milk, let stand for 10 minutes.
3) Neat together oil, egg, brown sugar and vanilla. Add to buttermilk/bran mixture.
4) Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just blended. Add raisins and spoon into muffing tins
5) Bake for 15-20 minutes.