Pizza at Home - Oregon Blackberry and Blueberry Pizza

This week we are in Seaside Oregon! What is Oregon known for? How about berries? Both blueberries and blackberries! 

While we were walking along the beach in Seaside, we kept seeing these shrubby blackberry bushes. 

On closer inspection, there were blackberries on them, but it's still a little early in the season. The weather here by the beach is pretty cool so they are a little behind some other places before they are ripe. But if you look hard enough, you'll see that there's one berry, usually on the very end in the center of the cluster that has started to turn. 

But free berries are free berries, plus the kids love searching for them. It's like a treasure hunt! 

Hiding, but still findable. 

As we were picking, other people walking along commented that they remembered picking berries with their family here too, but years and years ago. 

Ohh, that's going to be a good one. 

Kids - We found the motherload! 

Ian, you can't eat them all!

Knowing their Daddy has longer arms, I was called upon to reach for the extra far, or well guarded berries.

Kids - That one! No, lower! Not that one. The other one! 

These blackberry bushes are very protective of their berries too. Thorns all over the place! 

I got a little scratched up going after them. 

But it was all worth it! 

After about an hour of hunting, we've found enough ripe berries to make our pizza tonight and then some!

Perfect! We've got the blackberries. Theresa picked up some Oregon blueberries as well to go with them. 

I gave them a rinse and set them aside. 

For my base tonight, I'll be making a cheesecake. Cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, egg, and vanilla. 

All mixed up and whipped together. 

I spread it over my thin crust pizza dough and then topped it with my berries. 

This needs a topping. How about a cinnamon streusel? Sugar, flour and cinnamon. 

Then I cut in butter chunks, almost like making biscuits. 

Then it went on top of the pizza and cooked for about 12 minutes. 

The streusel browned up nicely. 

Everyone who helped with the pizza, come take a picture! 

 

We paired it with a local Oregon Root Beer that was recommended by my nephews, Eli and Josh. It was delicious! Not too carbonated and had a great flavor.

Not too much cheesecake here. Too much and the thin crust wouldn't be able to handle it. 

The creamy cheesecake, fresh berries, and crumbly topping made for a delicious Oregon pizza! And I love the memories of all of us picking blackberries by the beach together!