Signs!

Some of the signs I've been making and selling. 

~ motivation~

Source: merrimentstyle.com via Becky on Pinterest

My busy blessed life as a domestic engineer

I was pretty sure my life was slowing down. I thought I would have more time to "blog". More time for my interior design passion, my cooking ambitions. Reality: I have three kids, myself, my marriage and a home to take care of and i feel that is what i should be taking care of. It's what I WANT to take care of. I love being able to stay at home and do all that it entails. No, I don't feel this way every minute of every day. And I'm not saying that I don't make time for me. It's really a balancing act. You need to do things for you. I need to take care of myself but not at the expense of my family. I don't want to take my "me" time to the point of selfishness. This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. I see it everywhere. People losing themselves (they think they are "finding" themselves)in their blogs, their friendships, their hobbies, their passions. I'm grateful that I am aware of what I DO have and that I'm not looking for fulfilment everywhere else.

The down low

Daylight Savings Time has caught up with us today (especially my whiny, emotional kids) and we are all wiped. Anyone else feeling exhausted?

Source: houzz.com via Becky on Pinterest

I went grocery shopping this morning and found out that I could get a free turkey since I spent $100! That made my day! It doesn't take much to make me happy.

I have so many things that need to get done. I swear I just keep doing EVERYthing but what I should be. Oh well, I am still accomplishing something :)

I am SO fun tonight, eh? Hopefully my next post will be super-dooper exciting ;)

Toodles,

Beck

Apple Pie

My church is having a pie and bread making class tonight.  I was asked to make and bring a pie of my choice.

If you know me very well you know that I don't pat myself on the back very often.  But today I will say, I made a good apple pie!  It is a bit of work but worth it if you love apple pie (or if you love someone that loves apple pie).  I'm pretty sure it is because of the following recipes I used as to why my pies turned out so delectable!

 

 

 

 Lion House Apple Pie

5	Tart Apples, peeled, cored, & sliced
½	C. Water
1	C. Sugar
2	T. Flour
1	t. Cinnamon
⅛	t. Salt
1	T. Lemon Juice
2	T. Butter
2	Pie Crusts

Directions

Put bottom pie crust in pan. Steam or simmer apples gently in water until they wilt and begin to become transparent. (This is a partial cooking only so that apples will cook thoroughly in the pie).

Combine the sugar & other dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread half over over the pastry lined pie pan. Lift apples from cooking liquid into crust. Add ¼ c. of the cooking liquid. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Sprinkle pie filling with lemon juice and dot with butter. Roll, fit, and seal top crust. Brush with milk & sprinkle with sugar. BAKE at 425 on lower shelf of oven for 30-40 minutes or until nicely browned.

This recipe printed from Key Ingredient.
Direct recipe link: http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/4771014/apple-pie-lion-house/

~I have always used this pie filling recipe.  What I changed with the pie filling was I used at least 6 granny smith apples (to measure 6 cups)  I also place the apples in a bowl with the water and lemon juice as I'm cutting them so they don't go brown.  I used twice as much butter to dot the pie.

and for the crust (go to this link if you want more detailed instructions.  I think it's worth it if you want the best results)

Pam’s Pie Tutorial! 

For a nine inch, two crust pie:

2 ½ cups all purpose or pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sugar (for a fruit pie. Omit sugar for a savory pie.)
¾ cup cold butter, cut into chunks
¼ cup cold leaf lard, cut into chunks (I use butter flavored Crisco)
¼ cup cold water

Mix the 2 cups of the flour, salt and sugar together lightly in a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor.

Add the butter and lard chunks and cut into the flour using a pastry cutter or by pulsing the food processor. The mixture should look like large crumbs and begin to cling together in clumps. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour and mix lightly or pulse the processor two or three times.

Do not over mix this flour. It should coat the clumps

Sprinkle the water over the dough and with hands or a wooden spoon mix in until dough holds together.

Shape the dough into two discs.

Using two sheets of parchment paper that are at least twelve inches square each, place a disc of dough between them. (If the dough is sticky for any reason, don’t worry. Just sprinkle some flour on the parchment to get started. You shouldn’t have to add much and it will stop sticking.) Starting at the center, roll the pin out to the edge. Turn the dough and parchment as necessary and continue rolling, always from the center to the outer edge. The goal is to have a circle shape that will be just slightly larger than the pie dish. After a couple rolls, lift the parchment paper away from the dough to loosen and replace the parchment. Flip the whole thing and loosen the other paper sheet. Continue rolling until the dough is about eleven inches in diameter for a nine inch pie dish.

When the dough circle is the desired size (hover the pie pan over the dough to check if the dough circle is large enough) loosen both sheets of parchment by lifting them away and then replacing them on the dough. Keep one sheet of paper on the dough and use it to lift the dough and flip it into the pie dish. Take care to center the dough in the dish. Remove the paper.

Carefully lift the edges of the dough and scoot the dough into the bottom corners of the dish. Try not to trap any air under the bottom crust.

~I use a marble rolling pin which makes a huge difference when rolling out my crust.  I also changed a few other things.  I used butter flavored Crisco instead of lard.  I baked my crust for 20 minutes at 425 on the second to bottom rack.  Then 375 for 30 to 40 more minutes covered with foil.  Serve with vanilla ice cream and then realize you have just died and gone to heaven!