Happy St. Patrick's Day! Unfortunately, because this festive holiday falls on a Monday this year, I'll be spending my day at work and school (don't feel too badly - I'm going to celebrate over the weekend). However, some celebration is necessary, so I prepared some festive food to celebrate.

Happy Pi Day!! For those who are unfamiliar with this holiday, let me give you some background. Pi (π) is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle's circumference to the circle's diameter. The value of pi is approximately 3.14159, but pi's actual value is infinite in length and its digits have no pattern (it's captivated people throughout history).


So, 3.14 = March 14 = Pi Day! In case you think I'm pulling your leg (I'm not), the House of Representatives designated March 14 as National Pi Day in 2009 (see, it's real). Also, I just learned, March 14 is Albert Einstein's birthday.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate Pi Day than with pie. And because I can't commit to one large pie, I decided to make 2 different flavors of mini pies: mixed berries and blueberry. Thanks to my friend Liz for helping to make these tasty little treats!

Mini Berry Pies

Yield: 24 mini muffin-sized pies | Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Pate Brisee (pie crust)

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 Tbsp. water

• 1-2 Tbsp. sugar (for dusting)
• Mixed Berry Filling
• 2 oz. strawberries

• 2 oz. raspberries

• 2 oz. blackberries

• 1 tsp. cornstarch

• 4 1/2 tsp. sugar

• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• Blueberry Filling
• 1 cup blueberries

• 1 tsp. cornstarch

• 4 tsp. sugar

• 2 tsp. water

• 1 tsp. lemon zest

Who doesn't love blueberry pancakes? They're light and spongy, golden brown and a little crunchy, and bursting with sweetness and tanginess from the blueberries. In fact, they're made perfect with some real maple syrup...and maybe a few strips of bacon.


One of the reasons why I adore pancakes is because I welcome any chance to eat dessert for a meal. While eating a slab of chocolate cake (a slice just won't cut it) for dinner is typically frowned upon, pancakes covered in maple syrup for breakfast is fairly common.


Another reason why I love pancakes is because I have such fond memories of eating pancakes growing up. I remember waking up on the weekend when I was younger to find my mum in the kitchen whipping up a batch of homemade pancakes. She'd even let me help, flipping the pancakes on the griddle and eating any batter drips that cooked (the "mini pancakes" I'd call them).


And while "homemade" pancakes sounds like a lot more work than pancake mix (like Bisquick), it's really not! Homemade pancakes only require a few ingredients, and they're things you already probably have in your kitchen anyway. Added bonus: pancakes freeze well! Just pop them into the toaster when you want to reheat them and they'll get warm again AND have that crunch you get when they're fresh off the griddle!

Homemade Blueberry Pancakes

Yield: 4 servings | Prep time: 5 minutes | Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups flour

• 2 Tbsp. sugar

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 cup milk (add up to 1/3 cup more if your pancakes are too thick)

• 1 egg

• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup blueberries

I have a lot of blueberries. A LOT. Which is a great excuse to make some delicious baked goods :) First, I decided to make blueberry muffins using my mum's recipe. I have memories of growing up and watching my mum make these delicious muffins with fresh blueberries...and anxiously waiting for them to cool down so I could eat them all!

Blueberry Muffins

(Yields 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup suagr
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners (or grease the muffin cups if you'd prefer!)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt
3. Cream eggs, sugar, Greek yogurt and vegetable oil
4. Gradually add flour mixture. Mix until just combined - be careful to not over-process!!
5. Stir in blueberries
6. Spoon mixture into muffins cups - fill 2/3 full
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cakes are springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted into a muffin comes out clean

And here they are!



Next, I made a peach and blueberry buckle (adapted from this recipe). So, what exactly is a buckle? And how is it different from a cobbler? Good question! Here's a break down of the fruity-pastry desserts:

• Crumble: Fruit with a "crumble"/streusel topping, which is baked in the oven until the fruit is cooked. The streusel topping typically includes ingredients such as oatmeal, brown sugar, butter and various spices
• Cobbler: Fruit with a cake/biscuit topping, which is dropped onto the fruit into small round blobs - resembling a "cobble" stone road (hence the name!) - and baked in the oven
•  Grunt: This is like a cobbler, but it's made entirely on the stove. The name is derived from the "grunt" sound of the air bubbles moving through the fruit's syrup and escaping from between the globs of cake/biscuits
• Buckle: Fruit is now on top of the cake/biscuits. When in the oven, the fruit sinks while the cake rises - causing it to "buckle"

Peach and Blueberry Buckle

(Yields 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of peaches, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup of blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Combine peaches, blueberries, water and 1/3 cup sugar in a pot, mix well. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside
3. In the meantime, place butter in a 9x9 baking dish and put in oven to melt
4. While the butter is melting, mix flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Slowing pour in milk while whisking to prevent clumps
5. Your butter should be melted by now. Remove baking dish from oven, swirl melted butter around so it coats the bottom of the baking dish
6. Pour batter into baking dish (on top of butter) - do NOT mix. Gently spoon cooked fruit with syrup on top of batter
7. Place baking dish back into oven and cook for 35-40 minutes

Here's a picture of my buckle before baking...



...and after. I served it with some cool whip, but it's not necessary because it's delicious alone!


Enjoy and thanks for reading!