Easy As Pie

If you're here from Healthy Happier, hello and welcome! If not, you can still download the recipe for Blackberry Pocket Pies.  Just click to save or print the PDF.

{ Yum. }

As promised... homemade pie crust!  It's not nearly so hard as people would have you think.  I'm certainly not a pastry chef, so if I can do it you can do it.  I'm convinced it's one of those things that folks want to keep feeling like it belongs to the most elite of cooks.  Not so.  I say pie crust for everyone! : )

Basic Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup Splenda or confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about one lemon worth)
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold butter-flavored shortening (i.e., Crisco); cut into small cubes
• Ice water (likely 1/4 cup)

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Sifter
• Pastry cutter
• Liquid measuring cup
• Plastic wrap

Directions

• Fill a measuring cup with ice cubes and cold water.  Place in fridge to cool.
• Sift flour, Splenda and salt into bowl.

• Add lemon zest, but do not stir.
• Using the pastry cutter { or your hands, if you don't have one }, cut shortening into flour mixture.  The downside to using your hands is that the shortening gets warm and sticky, when you need shortening to stay cold and form crumbles, so work quickly.

• Here's where it gets a little dicey, but you can do it.  Get your ice water from the fridge and sprinkle about one tablespoon over flour mixture.  Using your fingers, gently turn the flour mixture over the water droplets to moisten it.  You're not mixing, though, just exposing the flour to the water.
• Repeat sprinkling and moistening process until you've used about a quarter cup of the water and the dough begins to come together into a ball.  It shouldn't be sticky { that means too much water, so add a bit of flour }.

{ Not quite... }

{ Bingo. }

• Carefully pat the dough into a ball, wrap securely in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  It's the perfect opportunity to make the filling of your choice.

Speaking of filling, I promised you Apple Cinnamon!  And it's even easier than the blackberry.

Apple Cinnamon Pocket Pie Filling

Ingredients

• One Granny Smith apple; cored, peeled and grated
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or traditional brown sugar)
• 1 tablespoon frozen or very cold butter; grated

Equipment

• Paring knife, for peeling and slicing apple
• Box grater, for apple and butter
• Mixing Bowl
• Spoon

Directions

• Combine all ingredients and mix well.  For pies, follow from Step 5 to completion as described in Blackberry Pocket Pies.
• Great when topped with a glaze! Mix 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon melted butter and add milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.  Drizzle over pies and allow to dry.

How does your garden grow?

When Spencer and I went to Disney a few weeks ago, we spent a day at Epcot.  The nerd in me was super-excited about Future World and the World Showcase!

{ Love that this hasn't chagned a bit. }

Now, my memories of Epcot as a kid involve Spaceship Earth, a light-up Captain EO visor and Goofy in a space suit.  { For the record, Captain EO is back in all its 1986 George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola glory.  Complete with moon-walking MJ and the original special effects.  Oh my. }

{ Poster cpyright Disney, of course. }

But what amazed me about Epcot this go around was that we were lucky enough to visit during their annual HGTV Flower and Garden Festival.  Given the recent demise of my rosemary, I'm no professional gardener.  But, I figure, I started off buring stuff in the kitchen before I was a halfway decent cook.  I guess you've got to kill a few plants to figure out how not to.

The festival provided inspiration on a multitude of fronts.  First, the topiaries:



{ Minnie's dress is made of begonias! }

{ Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater }

{ Look at sweet little Dopey! }

{ Love the Tick Tock Croc and the plume on Hook's hat }

But as much as I can aspire to a garden like my mom's { or like the pros at Disney, same difference }, we live in a townhouse.  With no yard.  So maybe topiaries aren't in my future.  Besides, if I had topiaries, they'd probably be of the "Eat More Chicken" cows.  Not sure my HOA would like that.  Nor do they like the dead rosemary.

So if I can't pull off an elaborate topiary, and the dead rosemary has to go, how about something a little more along these lines?

{ Maybe this I can do.  Maybe. }

With a little help and encouragement from Mom, I emptied the rosemary's pot and added pea gravel for drainage.

{ Take that, root rot. }

It's no Disney masterpiece, but I transplanted the Creeping Jenny { that somehow survived a winter on the deck } along with a new honeysuckle vine Mom propagated.

With the random Creeping Jenny now on the front porch and my feeling inspired { and again, encouraged by Mom }, we now have two red white and blue planters on the deck, too.

If this 95* weather doesn't kill them and I manage to water regularly, perhaps these will survive the summer!

How does your garden grow?  Any tips for a beginner?

Oops

I thought it was impossible to kill rosemary.

{ Stupid root rot. }

Well, I stand corrected.

Rapid Recap

The month of May came with much to celebrate!  After we got home from Disney, Spencer and I spent our first anniversary by returning to the Mansion on Peachtree { love. love. love! }.  We dug our wedding cake out of the freezer, with a backup recreation on standby just in case.  And I was super-excited for an excuse to use my cake breaker.

{ The real cake is on the left.  And the dingle-hopper looking thing on the table?  It's a cake breaker! }

Then we celebrated Mother's Day with my family.  For the occasion, I attempted a Rose Cake inspired by I Am Baker.  { If you ever make it yourself, be sure to make a double batch of buttercream.  I only made one to start with, and then had to make another and match the pink all over again.  I can hear mom with the "I told you so" right... about... now.  I should've known better. }

{ Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. }

And Maude graduated from UGA!  I was so proud.  Like all the cool kids, she painted her mortarboard.  It made her much easier to spot on the field.  Plus, she had two tassels.  Blue for Education, and then red and gray because she's one smart cookie.

{ derp derp }

{ Thanks for the crooked picture, Jimmy Boy. }

Like any good fourth generation Bulldog, I had to find my name.

{ Look, Mom!  That's me! }

Then last week, Spencer was recognized for 10 years of service at the CFA Home Office.  The luncheon was beautiful, and it was fun to be the proud wife.

{ This photo is the reason I cut three inches off my hair on Thursday.  Why didn't anyone tell me it had gotten so bad! }

And in the midst of all this, we cleared out the condo and officially became landlords.   It's been so nice to focus on our house for a change!

It's been a busy few weeks, but good ones.  Here's to a fabulous June!

Simple Sides: Grilled Zucchini

I have a husband who, if left to himself, would live on chicken fingers and pepperoni pizza.  And he did, for quite some time. { Upon reading this just now, Spencer adds, "Hey!  I eat peanut butter, too!"  I rest my case. }

Until we started dating, very few vegetables were even in his vocabulary.  Least of all zucchini.  { As my cousin Dave used to say, "that's you-keeny, not my-keeny!" } But I snuck in some grilled zucchini recently and he actually liked it.  It was easy to make and definitely qualifies as a vegetable, so I liked it, too.

Next time you're grilling steaks, burgers, chicken or anything along those lines... give these a try!

Grilled Zucchini

You'll need:

• Zucchini (one medium sized per person, depending on how many other sides you're serving)
• Italian Salad Dressing (I use the Kraft Roasted Red Pepper variety, but any will work)

• First, slice off the stem end of each zucchini.
• Cut each one in half lengthwise, then into three or four triangular logs per half (depending on the diameter of your vegetable, you'll get 6-8 logs out of each).  You just want to make sure that they're not so thin that they'll fall through your grill grates.
• Pour a little of the salad dressing into the bottom of a rectangular baking dish, just enough to thinly coat.
• Layer the zucchini logs in your dish, alternating with salad dressing, and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

• Place zucchini on the grill, perpendicular to the grates, and cook over medium-high heat.  Turn every 3-4 minutes as nice grill marks begin to appear.  You'll rotate each piece a total of three times to have markings on each side (including the green one).

Quick, summer-y... and good for you, too.  Enjoy!