DIY Blackberry Pie

Hey everyone,

My friend Kate had a birthday this week, and she requested blackberry pie. Something I had NEVER made before. Shocking right? ;) So I whipped one up following a couple of recipes and making some of my own adjustments. Here's what I used:

What you'll need:
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Dough blender
- Rolling pin
- Pie plate

For the top and bottom crust:
- 2 1/2 cups white flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
-1 egg
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 cup shortening

For the filling:
- 4 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup white flour

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add in the cup of shortening and mix together with a dough blender (or your hands works too).

3. Whisk the egg and cold water together. Add it into your other mix. Combine with a pastry dough hook (or your hands works too)

4. Place flour on the counter to avoid the dough sticking. Roll out the dough so it is 1/4 inch thick or less. Use your pie plate to measure how big the crush should be (9" pie plate is what I used). Place carefully in the bottom of the plate.

5. Use the excess dough and blend it back together. Repeat #4 to make the top crust except don't put it on the top just yet.

6. Combine 3 cups of blackberries with the sugar and flour. Carefully mix with a spoon, trying not to break up or mush the blackberries. Place this mix into the pie plate on top of the bottom crust.

7. Add the remaining blackberries on top and then the top crust over everything.

8. Pinch the edges of  the crusts together. Cut some small holes in the top in the shape of an X.

9. Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn down the temperature to 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

10. Let cool and serve.

I was SO happy with the way that this turned out. It was so simple and the crust turned out AWESOME, which surprised me only because its been a long time, literally years, since I made a pie other than pumpkin. So if you're looking for a simple and delicious dessert: this is it! Isn't my pie plate so adorable?! Thanks Mom and Grandma for that one! Also HAPPY FALL Y'ALL! It is officially the greatest time of year!!

Happy baking,
- Olivia

#BookWorm: Wonder

Hello fellow readers,

So many good books have been getting added to my ever-growing list! There are also a lot of book to movie adaptations coming out this year which is changing up my order of what I want to read a little bit. I just finished the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio. The movie for this book is coming out in November and I am so excited to see it! It is about a little boy named August (Auggie) who has facial deformities. He has never been to a real school together. Right before middle school his mom decides that it would be best to send him to school so he can be with other kids. Obviously a lot of kids aren't used to seeing someone with facial deformities, so it was not an easy transition. Wonder takes you through the already difficult for most kids journey of the first year of middle school, but with a kid who has never been to school before in his life.

What I really liked about this book was that it was not only told by Auggie's perspective, it was also told by his family and how they dealt with Auggie's transition from being at home to being in school. I found this book fascinating. It wasn't anything with crazy plot twists or dramatic trends and I think that made it more realistic. It was honestly just reading through Auggie's journey and it was genuinely interesting to read about. I also found myself wanting to learn more about Auggie's diagnosis: mandibulofacial dysostosis, also called Treacher Collins Syndrome. Some cases are more severe than others. It effects 1 in 50.000 people. I had never even heard of this before reading this book, but it is interesting to read about. Especially because it is a genetic mutation. Yes, I'm a nerd for being interested in this but knowledge is power y'all! Overall rating of this book: 9/10. Worth your time!

Have any of you read the book? Are you interested in seeing the movie? The cast is pretty stellar: Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts as the parents and the little boy from Room (Jacob Tremblay) as Auggie. Since Jacob Tremblay did amazing in Room, I am sure that he will do just as amazing in Wonder. Can't wait to keep checking books off of my list!

Thanks for reading with me,
- Olivia :)

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things: Savannah, GA

Hello all,


We have recently returned from the true South in Savannah, Georgia. This is a place that has been on our list for a while now, and we were so excited to explore it! Here are a few of our favorite things while we were there:

1) Forsyth Park
We stayed three blocks west of the park and went there every day that we were in Savannah. It is beautiful, often has someone playing live music. There is a nice park for kids and lots of cute dogs everywhere. If you go in the spring or summer: BRING MOSQUITO SPRAY! They ate my legs alive while we took pictures in the covered tree areas.The fountain is a great spot for pictures also!

2) Betty Bombers
A little spot that you just might miss if you aren't paying attention. It has DELICIOUS burgers and adorable decor. The waitresses dress like Rosie the Riveter. It is not fancy but it is a cute place to go that is not super expensive unlike many places in the city.

3) Olde Pink House
FREAKING DELICIOUS!! And also the oldest mansion in Savannah. If you are in Savannah and are willing to spend a little extra for a sit down meal, this is some of the best food I have ever eaten. I highly recommend the fried chicken and mac and cheese! But even just their biscuits and cornmeal muffins are soooo good. You walk a lot in Savannah so you will burn off some of this meal just getting around ;)

4) The Squares and River Street
One of the coolest parts about Savannah would be all of the squares. There are lots of cute shops in each area surrounding the squares. River street reminds me a lot of Wilmington, NC and also has a lot of touristy shops but other cute and unique shops as well. Everywhere just feels so old timey in Savannah, it almost transports you back to another time. Until you see another drunk bachelorette party screaming profanities down the beautiful brick roads.

5) Wormsloe Plantation
To be honest the best part of this place is the entrance. Well known from a movie I love The Last Song with Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth in their early stages of love! The oak tree entrance is BEAUTIFUL and a great spot for pictures.

I thought Savannah was beautiful, full of Southern charm and history. Madi thought it was cool, but wouldn't necessarily choose to go back if he had to pick a place. We are continuing to add places that we want to go to our list.  The fall is upon us and I can't wait for all the fun that comes with it in North Carolina which includes BASKETBALL SEASON STARTING IN OCTOBER! Ahh!! Can't wait! Have you been to Savannah? What did you like the most?

Thanks for reading and GO DEVILS!
- Olivia :)