LET'S CELEBRATE! 1st BLOG BIRTHDAY & BLUEBERRY GALETTES

Hip Hip Hooray! Motte is officially one year old TODAY!

Nuts, how time flies, isn't it?

You blink once and BAM! another year over.

I'm not sure how often a person actually blinks within one year, but that is clearly beside the point anyways.

Google says about 5.6 million times.

Which is actually quite impressive! Ask a child to count to five million and he will be busy for a looong time!

Unless he gives up at around 100. Which is more likely.

Besides covering my body in gold and silver flash tattoos (there's a heart on my earlobe, and a giraffe on my wrist, and a lightning bolt on my neck, and a feather on my-- Never mind, I'll keep that to myself and we'll just get back to the birthday bash), I decided to celebrate by doing some baking. Something I haven't done in a while despite being such a fan of covering myself in flour. No really!

Also, covering my body in more or less conventional household items seems to be my new thing.

Traditionally, I would say a cake is in order. But only recently having come across this mouth-watering recipe and the summer not over juuust yet, I quickly decided to make mini blueberry galettes instead!

Mini. Blueberry. Galettes, everyone! Look at these adorable little ones!

They're tiny, sweet - though not overly so -, they're nutty, and perfectly imperfect.

Just like me!

I'm pretty sure people still think I'm crazy for blogging in the first place. Having a full-time job and all that. And blogging being so incredibly weird in and of itself; putting yourself out there like that for all the world to see, sharing your deepest darkest secrets, your freaky preferences that nobody wanted to know about; Blogging, you know, is something hipsters do, and Barbie dolls, and wannabe journalists. Is what they say.

In retrospect, I'm not even sure how did it. Not being a Barbie doll.

It was quite an experience, my first blogging year, I can tell you that much. It definitely had some ups and downs.

I guess you could say I experienced it all. Writers block, going crazy over deadlines, missing deadlines, spending all day at work thinking about what to write about when I get home, sacrificing my social life, just not feeling it...

But the truth is, I also discovered so many cool new things, had the perfect excuse to do more of what I love, and learned a ton about myself!

I could go into more detail, but why don't you just let me know whether that is something you'd like to hear more about - my experiences blogging so far, my failures and successes, what I've learned, the advantages and disadvantages of blogging, any tips or tricks for new bloggers... anything you'd want me to write about?

Looking back, I can definitely tell that there are some things that worked really well, and some things that didn't. And it still is a learning curve. I am still testing the waters you know.

But I'd love to hear from you guys as well! So please leave me any feedback, comments or suggestions for my second blogging year! And here's to many more!

Also, here are some of your (gone by page views) and my (by personal preference) favorite blog entries of the last year. Let me know what your favorite post was and what you'd like to see more of!

And don't forget to scroll down for the recipe of the most amazing. Mini. Blueberry. Galettes.

Seriously, try them, and you will never ever get over them!

I know I can't.

(Y)OUR FAVORITE BLOG POSTS:

creative:
Channeling My Inner Katniss Everdeen: DIY Arrow Pencils
Math & Other Headaches: DIY Geometric Wall Art
DIY Native American Belt

delicious:
The Most Indulgent Triple-Chocolate Pick-Me-Up Cookies
The Most 'POP'ular Snack
Mother's Day Delight: Raspberry & Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes

beautiful:
American Beauty Haul
Need Workout Motivation? Follow These Eight Simple Steps
Fitness Roulette

comfy:
Royal Bed Chamber & DIY Lyrical Pillows
Chalkboard Art
Accidental Indoor Breakfast Picnic

reflective:
10 Best Ways to Destress: After Work
Send Me a Postcard, Darling
The Ultimate Guide to In-Flight Travel Essentials

MINI BLUEBERRY GALETTES with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

makes 6 mini galettes
1/4 cup / pistachios, or any nuts of your choice (walnuts work well)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon

For the filling:
1 1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp Milk

Chop the pistachios or pulse in a food processor. In a large bowl, add the pistachios, the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon, Cut in the butter and knead until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of ice water and mix, adding more water if needed, until the mixture comes together. Divide the dough into six equal balls and pat into disks. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C.

Place the majority of the blueberries in a large bowl, leaving a handful for later. Add the cornstarch, lime juice, sugar and milk, and gently stir together until the blueberries are well coated. Set aside.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a lined baking sheet. Mound the blueberry mixture in the center of the dough. Fold the edges over towards the berries, overlapping slightly. Brush the dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Bake the galettes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Serve slightly warm or completely cooled with a generous dollop of vanilla bean ice cream for added sweetness. Top with the remaining blueberries.

MUSICAL PAIRING:
Celebration, Kool & the Gang