Blueberry Hand Pies

June passed by like a whirlwind for me. One minute it was here and the next, gone. July, ever so sneaky, crept up on me faster than a sunburn in the hot sun (and I unfortunately have a fair number to judge this against). Out here in the Midwest, summer is finally, finally hitting its stride. Spring coats have hesitantly been packed away. Shorts and flip flops dot the streets. Warm breezes brush against legs and blow softly through hair. It feels good.

It wasn't until Thursday of this week that I even realized the Fourth of July was this weekend. A coworker began talking about her weekend plans when it finally hit me. Somehow the vivid red, white, and blue colors that line store shelves, paint the streets, and dress the front of homes managed to escape my eyes. Even the calendar that hangs directly on the refrigerator slipped out of my vision. I did, however, notice that the berries were an unusually low price in the supermarket. Score one in my favor?

Nevertheless, I did have a small moment of panic. Did I already have plans? Should I plan something special for the day? What was I going to do?

But, more importantly, what was I going to bake?

The Fourth of July is, no doubt, a holiday surrounding the grill. This is the true season for hamburgers, hotdogs, and a large bag of chips. It's a chance to separate the men from the boys when it comes to the fine art of barbecuing. Or, in some cases, the women from the girls (my mother can wield a mean pair of tongs).

Like most holidays, I recognize them in the way my family chooses to eat. Whether we're at a potluck with friends or simply sitting around the table on the deck by ourselves, the grill is ever present. My mother usually tries to make this holiday special by grilling up meat and vegetable kabobs with big ears of corn. When I was younger, I wanted to do my part, too. For many years, I secretly whipped up a batch of vanilla instant pudding in the early morning hours. I would dye it red, white, and blue, layer it neatly into parfait glasses, and "surprise" everyone with a festive dessert.

After a couple years, it became less of a surprise and more of a tradition, but the simple magic of a red, white, and blue dessert was never lost.

And so, when it came time for me to decide on a Fourth of July dessert for this year, I asked you for help. Now that I'm a baker, my family expects a little more from me than an instant pudding mix. One of you wisely suggested an old fashioned pie. Perfect. What could possibly be more American than pie? Plus, a good pie also represents independence—well, independence from a healthy diet.

But, I wanted to take my pie a step further. Let's be real here; pie is messy. It's hard to cut. The filling likes to ooze out of the crust despite any orders and desperate pleas you may give it. And, though pie is delicious, it isn't necessarily a good dessert for summer potlucks. Until now. Hand pies are the perfect solution to this pie conundrum. Easy to make, easy to eat, no mess, no forks, no berry stained plates.

Though you may spot a few berry stained faces.

Have a happy Fourth of July, dear American readers! I hope it is filled with laughter, love, delicious food, the boom of a good firecracker, and the glow of flickering bonfire. Or, if you just so happen to be British, I offer you my condolences on this anniversary of your loss of a great colony.

And, for the rest of you, I sincerely hope you have a lovely Monday.

These Blueberry Hand Pies are the perfect summer potluck food. The flaky, buttery pie crust holds in the rich blueberry filling, keeping it well contained. A sprinkling of sugar completes the golden picture. I love these hand pies because they already come in individual portions and they are no mess, no fuss when it comes to eating them (especially wonderful for those of you who hate doing dishes). I hope you'll find you love these little hand pies too.

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Dried Blueberry Granola

After much poking and prodding from friends and followers alike, I've finally decided to take the plunge and get myself a Twitter account. Follow me @pastryaffair! It's a place to keep up with my musings, questions, interesting finds from other places, and, of course, updates from The Pastry Affair.

I feel like an old, technologically challenged woman saying this but, up until a few days ago, I'd never even visited Twitter. I know, gasp. After sharing this unsightly (and, let's face it, embarrassing) confession, the very least you could do is be nice to me. Pretty please? I'm the new kid on the block.

And, if Twitter isn't your cup of tea, remember that you can always follow The Pastry Affair on Facebook for updates and random thoughts!

Now, back to food.

I'm not one who normally gets excited about granola. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good granola. I would never say no to a delicious granola parfait. The real truth is that I just don't find granola as exciting as, say, a decadent dessert or 3-tiered cake. I mean, it's granola, right? Just a few toasted oats mixed with nuts and dried fruit.

Wrong.

After making this Dried Blueberry Granola, I want to eat my words. Granola can be exciting. This granola certainly attests to that. It reminds me of a really good raisin bran, never mind the fact that it features neither raisins nor bran. I believe the delicious simplicity lies in the texture. This granola isn't as clumped as you'd find it in stores, so it does have a texture closer to a cereal (which is perfect for munching with milk and yogurt).

Lately, whenever I find myself hunting around the kitchen for a snack, my hand somehow finds its way into this granola before I can stop it.

And, I find, I don't even want to stop it.

This Dried Blueberry Granola is hearty and filling. The granola is sweetened with brown sugar and honey. Add a handful of sliced almonds and coconut flakes, toast it in the oven, stir in a few dried blueberries, and now we're talking. This reminds me of the crunchy, breakfast version of this blueberry coffee cake. I love to eat my granola like a bowl of cereal. The milk softens a few of the oats turning the granola into a texture wonderland. Crunchy, chewy, sweet, fruity, this granola has a little bit for everyone. This recipe is easily doubled for those with a larger appetite or more mouths to feed.

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Blueberry Coffee Cake

I remember the first time I tried coffee very clearly.

A friend and I had agreed to ditch our college classes for a day and drive four hours away with one of our professors to a conference to hear a Nobel laureate give a speech. Because we were skipping out on a day of work, we pulled an all-nighter to try to finish the homework we'd miss the next day. When you happen to be a physics major, there unfortunately aren't many breaks from the books. At 7 am, we hit the road, incredibly exhausted.

I remember very little of the conference. We arrived, food was involved, and an incredible amount of scientific information went completely over my head. In my zombie-like state, my only focus was on a nice warm bed.

Late afternoon, it was the big event. The moment we'd all been waiting for. The Nobel laureate in physics was going to give a speech. As a future scientist, I was very lucky to even be sitting in the audience. This man was going to give us his secrets. Even so, I was falling asleep standing up. This is when my friend and I decided to take drastic measures—we'd drink the free coffee in hopes of staying awake.

This was a big deal. Even though we had reached our 20s, coffee had somehow eluded both of us until this moment. We decided to share (as one will do when they are fearful of what is in the cup). Nearly 1/4 cup of sugar was poured in. Cream colored the coffee nearly white. We were afraid of the acidic, bitter drink so we tried to mask it as best we could. And then, we drank.

I had never tasted something so awful in my life.

After one sip, it was clear we both had enough. Yet, the speech was going to begin and this was the whole reason we got ourselves into this mess in the first place. We figured, after this much work, we might as well be awake to hear what this man had to say so we took the coffee with us.

Each time one of us would nod off, we'd have to drink. These were the rules. It was a terrible game we played. Though our efforts were valiant, every single word of this man's speech was completely lost on me. I had no idea what he even talked about. I couldn't tell you the vaguest details about what his Nobel was even for. But I did learn this: it is possible to actually fall asleep sitting up perfectly straight on a set of bleachers.

Also, coffee tasted like gasoline. Possibly worse.

Nevertheless, I did eventually come around to coffee (and it really does taste better if you don't put in so much sugar). It's a good thing too because otherwise I would miss out on the wonderful world of coffee cake. By definition, coffee cakes are destined to be served with coffee (or tea) and this coffee cake is no exception.

This blueberry coffee cake is lightly sweetened and stuffed full of blueberries. The cake is partially made with whole wheat flour to give it a healthy spin. The cake is tender and light, but the crumble really helps this cake truly shine. Almonds, brown sugar, and cinnamon come together to give this cake some much deserved crunch. If you're looking for a coffee cake to enjoy for breakfast or dessert, this may be exactly what you have been searching for.

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