Mother's Day-Brownie & Strawberry Trifle & Golden Berry Pie

To all Moms on this special day.
All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. Abraham Lincoln

This dessert is too good to be trifled with.

Just take a look.

 Brownie & Strawberry Trifle.
This dessert is very easy with just 4 ingredients.

 Mother's Day
is not complete without a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Thanks, Evie & Kevin.

My kids when they were little.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
 I never knew that something so small could affect my life
so much.
 I never knew that I could love someone so much.
 I never knew I would love being a Mom.

On to the recipe for the trifle.

The first of four ingredients is the Brownie.
I mixed mine up according to the directions on the box.
I added walnuts to the batter.

I baked, then let them cool.

The second step is to prepare the Strawberries.
I sliced 2 boxes of strawberries and sprinkled white sugar over them.
Maceration
 is the technique of mixing berries with sugar until they soften
 and release a delicate syrup
resulting in sweet, brightly acidic, and tender strawberries.
(https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/macerated-strawberries)

When the brownies have cooled, cut them into 1" squares.

I took the ingredients to my brother's house,
and assembled the dessert there.

Put a third of the brownies into the bottom of the bowl.
Top with a generous amount of the third ingredient,
Cool Whip
non-dairy whipped topping.
The recipe takes 2 cartons of Cool Whip.

Add another layer of brownies, strawberries, and Cool Whip.

Repeat with the third layer until all the ingredients are used.

The fourth ingredient,
Smucker's Magic Shell Chocolate Fudge.
Squeeze a generous layer over the top of the berries.

 I popped the dessert into the freezer for a few minutes.
The chocolate shell freezes in seconds, but I wanted the whole trifle chilled.

 Doug, Gail, Yatzi, Mom, Rick, Sheila

Denise, Gail, Mom, Rick

Celebrating Moms...
Denise, Yatzi, Mom, Sheila

 Doug & I with Mom

Sheila & Rick

Another recipe...
Golden Berry Pie
a.k.a. Cape Gooseberries

Mom always liked fresh gooseberry pie.
I thought I had found fresh gooseberries, but I had purchased Golden Berries.
I did not know the difference until Doug pointed out that
golden berries were not the same.

Goldenberries, also known as cape gooseberries, are considered a superfood due to their high concentration of nutrients. Goldenberries are native to Brazil, but are grown in many warm climates including Peru, South Africa, Australia and Hawaii. They are not easy to find fresh in the United States. Adding goldenberries to a well-balanced diet increases your intake of many nutrients that are important for good health.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/552707-the-nutritional-value-of-goldenberries/

I followed the directions for gooseberry pie
and achieved a very good pie.
These berries are naturally sweeter than gooseberries,
so I followed the directions for gooseberry pie and achieved
a very good tasting sweet pie.

Golden Berry Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups golden berries or gooseberries
• 1 tbsp. water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

The basic recipe comes from Midwest Living.

I modified it using 2 cups of berries instead of 4.

http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/pies/gooseberry-pie

I also filled 2 small ceramic pie plates using half the filling in each.

The golden berries came hulled.

I cut off the ends where the stem was.

 In the mean time, I rolled out a refrigerated prepared pie crust.

I used a plastic lid for a template to cut the crust to fit a small
ceramic pie pan.

 You need two of these.
One for the top and one for the bottom.

 Once the dough is in the pan,
use a fork to gently pierce small holes on the bottom of the crust.
 This allows for ventilation and prevents the dough from puffing up in the oven.

Then prepare the berries.

In a medium saucepan, combine berries, and 1 tablespoon water.  

Cook over medium-low heat until the berries "pop," stirring occasionally.

 Add the sugar, the flour, and nutmeg
 to the saucepan.

 Cook and stir until mixture just begins to bubble.

 Spread mixture in the pastry-lined pie plate.
Place remaining pastry on filling.
Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired.
Cut slits into the top pie crust to vent.
 Sprinkle with a little sugar.

 Cover the edge of the pie with foil.
Here are both of the pies.

 Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes.
Remove foil. Bake about 20 minutes more or until top is golden.

 Let cool.

Enjoy!

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
 I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

It has been many years since we were little,
but the bond between a mother and child remains.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

And remember that behind every successful woman......
is a basket of dirty laundry.
- Unknown

For more inspirational quotes go to:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_mothersday.html
http://boardofwisdom.com/togo/?viewid=1005&listname=Mothers%20Day#.VzTqpvkrK70