Summer is here!

Summer has officially begun in Seattle! We don't start to heat up until July so for us to have a few days in the 80 prior to the 4th of July, it's a big deal! I always read a couple of light weight chick lit books during the summer. It's just fun and perfect for the beach. While I was in Hawaii recently I read 2 books on the beach. Life is a Beach is by Claire Cook, the author of Must Love Dogs and Goodnight June by Sarah Jio. Both were fun and the right choice for the sitting in the sun. Life is a Beach is about 2 sisters trying to figure out their life. The main character is living over her parents garage and can't figure out her relationship with her artist boyfriend. Her sister is married and overworked with kids and isn't very happy. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. By the end the relationship is figured out and the sisters are headed in the right direction. Not sure there is a lot of beach in the book except that they live near the beach and the one sister makes jewelry from beach glass.

 Goodnight June is set in Seattle. I've read 3 of the authors other books and really enjoy that they are all set here in places I know. This one is about a woman who inherits a children's bookstore in Green lake and must decide between saving it and her childhood memories or going back to her high powered job in NYC. Of course there is some baggage with the store and her childhood and a handsome restaurant owner next door. I really enjoy her books because they mix mystery, romance and local color well. What I dislike is that the characters fall madly in love within a week. Really. How often do men say they are willing to sacrifice their entire life to help the woman they just met? Just wish the romance didn't happen so fast. But, really fun read and loved the tie into books especially a classic like Goodnight Moon. I'd recommend both for some light reading.
The 4th of July was Friday and I made Cherry Pie and French Vanilla Ice Cream. Delicious. Went to a friends house where we had ribs, corn on the cob, potato salad and ice cold beer. afterwards we watched fire works on the roof top. overall a fun evening. The cherry pie was pretty easy. I have to admit that i didn't make my own crust. I don't have my big food processor (it's in storage) and it is hard to make without a food processor. So, I used Pillsbury dough that I rolled out. But the filling was all mine!
Here is the recipe;

• 3 cans of tart cherries in water (not the pie filling! i use Oregon Fruit products Red tart Cherries. find them with the canned fruit section)
•   4 Tbls cornstarch
•   1 1/4 cup sugar
•   1/8 salt
• 1/4 vanilla extract

  Drain one can of cherries. use the juice from the other 2 cans. Mix fruit, cornstarch, sugar, salt, vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir regularly. Let cool. Preheat oven to 425. pour filling into prepared pie crust. trim the edges of the pie crust. cut strips into a 2nd piece of pie crust to create a lattice top. drip the stips over the top and press around the sides with a fork or crimp with your fingers. Brush top with a egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20 minutes and then lower temperature to 350 and cover the edges with foil or a pie crust shield (I bought one at Sur La table) and bake for another 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

lattice pie top



cheery pie filling

 

finished Cherry Pie



 

Pie!