Banana pudding

Hi everyone!  I'm having so much fun watching the Olympic games, I'm going to keep this post short.  Just wanted to recommend that you try this recipe for Banana Pudding from Confessions of a Foodie Bride. My husband and I loved the real vanilla bean in this recipe, and it gave me an excuse to buy this fun banana liquor!

I love cold desserts in the summer, so this banana pudding was an instant favorite.  Let me know if you try it sometime!

Garden love

I was in Mankato, Minn., recently to attend a funeral, and I discovered this backyard garden next to the church.  I'm assuming that the church members planted the garden.  I was amazed how much they fit into such a small space.  It was too bright outside to get great photos with my little camera, but I tried!

There was a row of raspberry bushes in the back.

Potatoes and green beans in the middle.

Onions, lettuce, carrots and kale were planted in neat little rows.

Although it was a small garden, it was still a lot bigger than my backyard garden.  I wish I had that much sun in my yard!

Fresh-picked blueberry pie

I didn't have any plans this year for the July 4 holiday, and I read on Facebook that Berry Patch Farms in Nevada would be open in the morning for berry picking.  I've always wanted to pick blueberries there, so I got up early to pick berries!

It was a hot morning, but I was surprised that quite a few families were already there, even on a holiday.  I came home with two ice cream pails full of berries.

I ended up making blueberry jam (which didn't quite turn out, so I won't be sharing the recipe), and then used the leftover berries to make my favorite -- blueberry pie! (Again, my pies aren't the prettiest, but they sure taste good!)

I didn't really have a recipe when I made this blueberry pie.  I just used the chart on the back of the Minute Tapioca box that shows how many cups of fruit, sugar and tapioca to use when making different fruit pies.  (Have you ever noticed that chart on the back of the tapioca box?)  Kraft Foods, the maker of Minute Tapioca, also has this blueberry pie recipe that's very similar. The tapioca is a great pie-filling thickener -- although my picture above might not show that. My husband put an extra spoonful of pie filling next to the pie because he thought it was more photogenic. Ha!  I love that he takes an interest in my hobbies!

What's your favorite blueberry recipe? Are you a blueberry pie fan, or do you prefer another kind of pie?  Any pie is a good pie, if you ask me!