blackberry pie bars

So, guess what was on sale at the grocery this week? ALL the berries! Of course that meant that Jason and I bought basically all the berries... to be used in the four weeks we have left in this country. So many baking projects!

The best part of this recipe is... the shortbread crust? The creamy filling? The sheer versatility: these bars would be equally amazing with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries - in short, all the fruit in my refrigerator. I wanted to try as many new recipes with them as possible, but... :)

Blackberry Pie Bars
adapted from Erica's Sweet Tooth

Makes 24 squares

Prep time: ~30 minutes
Bake time: ~1 hour

Ingredients
For the crust:

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup margarine, cold and cut into small cubes

For the filling:
2 large eggs OR 4 oz. egg substitute
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
14 oz fresh blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 7x11" or 9x9" pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter, mixing until the mixture is crumbly. Put 3/4 cup of the mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Dump the remainder of the mixture into the prepared pan and press evenly to form the crust. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for at least 10 minutes.
4. To make the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, lemon juice, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until well combined. Add the blackberries and gently fold with a rubber spatula. Spread the filling over the crust evenly. Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the berries.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the bars are set. Transfer to a wire rack and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan. The bars are easiest to cut if you refrigerate them first; keep refrigerated. 

packing, OCD style

Pippin trying to help me pack

Guess who moves to Ireland in roughly eight weeks...?! This (slightly terrified) girl! However, in the past few days, we've gotten more specifics about Jason's job offer and my education, so we've finally been able to make actual plans. I generally handle nervousness by staying as busy as possible, so even though our to-do list is quite staggering, I'm simply thankful that we now have a list so that I have something to do besides sit around and worry. ^.^

The first order of business is packing. As you can see, my cat is being as helpful as possible, haha. (Other "first order" of business - make travel plans for the cat. More complicated than you might think... it warrants its own blog post). This was the first box that I assembled, and before I could place one book inside, Pippin had to investigate!

When we move in late August, we will be staying in temporary accommodations (part of Jason's job offer!) while we look for a house or apartment. Obviously, we won't be bringing very much with us - two suitcases a piece plus carry-ons. At first I was concerned, but now that I'm making decisions about "what I need," I'm realizing that the answer is "not very much." Items that I've mindlessly brought along in our past several moves, I'm now scratching my head going, "Why did I ever think I would look at this again?" Or even remember that I own it, to be perfectly frank. We're packing up the rest of our belongings that don't fit into said suitcases in two piles: to be shipped once we have a place, and to give away. I'm guessing that our "giveaway" pile will be much bigger than previously imagined.

Lest you're under the impression that I'm renouncing all worldly possessions, these are the books that I will be carrying in my suitcase because I *cannot be without them.* In all fairness, though, they are all marked for potential use in my doctoral thesis, so it's not just me being quirky and bookish.

What I'm working on now is packing the items in the first category: to be shipped when we have permanent accommodations. Of course, we won't need everything at once, but figuring out what items we'll need by what date requires more foresight than even I can muster. This is where the OCD comes in: I'm cataloguing each of our boxes. I'm numbering each box I pack, and on my master list, I'm writing down each item that goes in the box. This way, when Jason or I need a particular item, we can ask Jason's parents (who will keep our items / put them in storage for us) to ship us box 17, for example. It's... a lot of extra work, but will be worth it in the end, I think.

I've got a long way to go!