Mini Pies

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of 

getting together with a fellow blogger, and great friend to make mini pies. 

You can visit her blog over at Baking Yummies.

So the key to a good pie, is a good crust!

And that's exactly what she taught me how to make

First, correct measurements with baking is key!

Normally, I run when math is involved, 

but when it comes to food, i can adapt

TIP #1 

don't scoop your measuring cup into the flour

it causes it to become packed and heavy

instead gently push your flour into your measuring cup

and then lightly slide your finger over the top to even it out

seriously, big difference in the weight

and you want a light cup of flour

not a heavy one

TIP #2

In fact if there's only one thing you remember

make sure it's this!

USE COLD BUTTER

KEEP IT COLD

NEVER LET IT GET WARM

DON'T EVEN TOUCH IT

In fact, after each time you work with it

put it back in the fridge to get cold again

I think we re-refrigerated our butter and dough about 10 times

before it went into the oven

cold butter makes your crust flaky!

And lets just face it, Friends don't let Friends eat soft, limpy crust

TIP #3

cook your fruit filling

it draws out more of the juices

maybe this is a given for some people

but it wasn't for me

we chose blueberries for our filling

* Remember it must be cool before putting into your pie crust. 

We used a freezer to help speed up the cooling process

TIP #4

bake with a sleeping toddler

I don't even think I need to elaborate on that one

TIP #4

Use plastic wrap and parchment paper to roll out your dough

it doesn't stick to your dough and helps reduce the amount of extra flour that goes into your dough

TIP #5

Refrigerate your dough in between each roll out

TIP #6

make sure you only roll out our dough a minimal number of times

each roll out lessens the chance for flaky crust

TIP #7

Forking the edges is not just for decoration

it guarantees the filling is sealed into the mini pie

TIP #8 

after you egg wash and cinnamon sugar the tops and edges

poke a little letter to tell what kind of pie it is

TIP #9

don't feel like you have to bake them all at once

freeze them right after egg-washing!

first freeze them overnight straight on an uncovered baking sheet

and then transfer to zip-locs the next day

This way you can just pull one out of the freezer and bake as an individual serving

TIP #9

remember to poke some extra holes with a fork

on top before you bake or else filling will break through the fork seal

TIP #10

baking on the bottom rack of your oven heats the bottom of your pies, 

top rack heats the top of your pie

so rotate 20 minutes on bottom, and then 10 minutes on top 

so both parts of your pie are browned

And yes, they taste as good as they look

DELICIOUS!

Thanks, Christine! 

You're a great teacher and I'll be coming over again soon!

catch up

the last couple weeks I've been playing catch up

catch up on laundry 

catch up house cleaning

catch up on email

catch up on homeschool

and now catch up on blogging

its been a while since I've shared the happenings of the chaos household. 

I'm pretty sure this picture is where I left off last time

and its one of my favorite moments

It was taken on March 19th,

and today is April 20th

one month

so here's the in between

that same week we spent our nights with Mickey

and our days with Cinderella

she's a bit of a diva

Haley enjoyed Goofy's playground and the petting zoo

but spending time with these wonderful people

will be what I remember most

and then we began the long trip back home

but made one last stop at Grandma's house

we love stopping at grandma's

Jason gets to pretend he's 13 again

the girls gets to play outside

and me, i get to find fun things in the garden

we made it home

and immediately, someone came down with the flu

someone else had a birthday

ME

still NOT 30

coffee was the theme

and i was totally pampered

seriously, friends took me out for every single meal

Aidan and I made cupcakes

which I didn't eat

I ate jello

Thank you, Lent

day trip to the city

Haley's first time to Pier 39

she's almost two

we live twenty minutes away

parking cost us $24

see you again on Haley's 4th birthday!

got to visit our friend's new baby

which, of course, favors him

Lent ended

COME TO MAMA

EASTER!!

He is Risen!

and these two pictures are the only ones I got

No more Lent

means baking session with Christine!

mini pies

more on this in a future post

Last Saturday was a three-B marathon

Bible Study

Baby Shower

Birthday Party

i tried sewing an A on a onesie

as you can see it turned out well

bought a cute iron-on applique three days later

don't worry Abi, your birdie onesie will be delivered this evening

And its most definitely spring outside

which means all things spring

hikes

rainboots

parks

and water play

alright, I think we're all caught up

next post about the mini pies!

PinterTest Kitchen: sweet craving solutions and vegetable adventures

So this last month there has been zero baking going on around here

well, maybe a little

but i took no part in eating it

it was my first time participating in Lent

and I chose desserts and pastries

no candy, no doughnuts, no cupcakes, no chocolate, NO NUTELLA!

I did leave myself the pleasure of Jello for my birthday

that's right, I'm not joking

my birthday cake was JELLO

it was pretty tough, more about that later

anyway, in a attempt to satisfy my sweet cravings

I decided to pin and test these

don't get me wrong they're no cupcakes and ice cream

but they were pretty delightful

Baked Oatmeal Cups

check out the recipe at sugarfreemom.com

All natural

you can add your favorite toppings

chocolate chips on one, dried apples on another, 

fresh peach, fresh strawberry, craisins, nuts, the possibilities are ENDLESS!

this recipe makes a lot, but not to worry

refrigerate some in an airtight container

and throw the rest in a ziploc for the freezer

then thaw, and reheat in the microwave for 30-40 sec.

 

I may have been a little eager, and eaten right through the paper

don't judge me

I haven't had cake in a month

Frozen Yogurt Dots

Try this one!

Seriously!

NOW!

Your supplies....

pour your yogurt of choice in the ziploc

cut a little hole at the tip of ziploc, and use like a pastry bag

then line a cookie tray with parchment paper and dot

dot your little heart out

then freeze

i don't even think it took 20 minutes for them to harden

once they're done

DEVOUR THEM

no joke, they're gone in seconds

mom's love them, kids love them, even the yogurt hating ones

no one can resist the frozen dots!

-------

now just because I wasn't eating sweets

doesn't mean I was eating healthy 

I wasn't, and I think my eating habits worried by husband a little

because after vacation he willing did the shopping, and brought back a ton of vegetables

including a big bag of broccoli from Costco

luckily I had just been inspired by my mother-in-law to make some broccoli salads

and so I got on pinterest to see what I could come up with

I found this recipe for Mediterranean Crunch Salad and used it as a base for my own version

broccoli florets,

thinly sliced kale,

halved grape tomatoes,

1/4 chopped red onion, 

1/4 of a cucumber halved and sliced, 

halved kalamata olives,

feta cheese,

 some cooked pasta, 

mixed with some kraft greek vinagrette
and chill in the fridge 

 

its fantastic

And if you want to give it more of an italian flare,

substitute black olives for kalamata, 

mozzarella balls for feta, 

and italian dressing for greek. 

And there you go!

Best thing about this salad, it keeps VERY well overnight. 

Maybe even better than the day you make it.

But since my kids won't go for the salad, no matter how good it is

I like to give them carrots with ranch dip. 

Now I saw a pin that said you can make your dip a little healthy

by using "plain greek yogurt mixed with a ranch dip season mix

and it tastes EXACTLY THE SAME"

and all I have to say about that is

LIAR

linking up with Jessica