Babies, Blueberries & Brambles

A visit to

get’s me every time.

All it takes is a sweet little hand to pull me aside to give me those old familiar pangs!

But there is also much goodness in the garden.

A recent visit with Catherine at A Country Farmhouse  yielded a heavenly harvest of berries, the privilege of sharing her beautiful photographs & a great opportunity for me to share my recipe for

Blackberry Syrup Liqueur

Picking blueberries and picking blackberries can be two very different experiences.

Be prepared!

 

Soft and squishy blackberries are hiding in brambles.

Brambles come with these!

So I would go with this!

It’s sooooo worth it though!

BLACKBERRY SYRUP LIQUEUR
• 1 1/2 pints blackberries
  
• 2 tablespoons or 3 or 4 of your favorite brandy
  
• 2 tablespoons of orange juice
  
• 3 tablespoons of honey
  

Preparation
1. Pick over the berries and reserve 1 cup of the smallest and most attractive. Muddle by hand or in a food processor, puree the remaining 2 cups berries with the brandy, orange juice, and honey. Transfer the mixture to a sieve set over a medium bowl. Press the puree through the sieve and discard the seeds.
2. Just before serving, stir in the reserved whole berries.
   
3. Makes about 2 cups of syrup.
   
4. Serve over vanilla ice cream or custard.
   

Tonight I’ll use our favorite Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream but just in case you’re somewhere that’s still nice and warm, here ya go!

 HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM

⅔ cups Sugar

2 whole Large Eggs, At Room Temperature

2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

¼ teaspoons Salt

2-½ Tablespoons Heavy Cream, Plus Enough Skim Milk To Equal 1 2/3 Cups Liquid

1 cup Heavy Cream

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

PREPARATION
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the eggs until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the flour and salt and set aside.
Bring the 1 2/3 cups of heavy cream and skim milk mixture to a simmer in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Slowly beat the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until the custard thickens slightly (it should coat the back of a spoon). Do not let the mixture boil or you will have scrambled eggs.
Pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly. Add the remaining 1 cup of cream and the vanilla. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled or overnight. I prefer to let mine chill overnight.
Stir the chilled custard mixture and then freeze in your ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer’s directions. This ice cream is delicious when it is at the soft-serve stage. You can also freeze the ice cream for a firmer texture.

I urge you to curl up in your favorite spot and have a nice long visit at the farmhouse.  She’s already harvesting pears!

Thank you Mike & Catherine for sharing the berries, the babies, and your bountiful country life.

Y’all have a wonderful weekend!

Messages that move me.

Maybe you're a young woman with big dreams.
Maybe you're a woman in need of support.
Maybe you're a woman who believes in miracles.
I’ve been reading many of your stories today and I’m amazed!
Good intentions. 

Old dreams resurrecting. 

Unforeseen circumstances. 

Magical moments. 

Bungled efforts.

Joyous occasions. 

New desires wooing. 

Missed opportunities. 

Whims of fate and a few

detours along the way.

My gosh!  It takes courage to excavate a new plan or a buried dream and tell us all about it! 

At each stage of life, we experience both laughter and tears. Each one of these experiences creates another important layer of who we are.  I tend to equate more layers with more lines on my face, more white hair on my head, more wisdom and more to share.

I also constantly remind myself to keep striving, learning, yearning and doing because I know what it feels like to reach even the smallest milestone.  That moment deep down inside when I own my unique point of view and I realize how priceless it is.

Today, whether you’re sitting at your computer or sitting in the carpool line, expect good things and know that someone is listening to you and talking to you and encouraging you.

Today you inspired me to share my own point of view. 
Thank you for sharing yours.

Now I hope you’ll take a moment to relax for a while and just breathe.

Enjoy these 3 short

{Messages That Move Me}

and share them with other inspiring women you know.

Ooooooo,   you must also visit this spiritual, inspiring & stylish friend of mine {here} as she’s linking to a fabulous group of bloggers who are discussing their many different philosophies on living out hopes & dreams!