Baking Season: Success!

I normally don't have the patience to do a whole lot of baking or cooking. We eat homemade meals, and that tends to burn me out in the kitchen (wimp, I know!). In fact, I haven't made a batch of cookies in years! Hubby though is the master baker. He has perfected his technique for chocolate chip cookies and I am more than happy to reap the benefits.

This week however has tested my mettle in the kitchen. It started with pie and, baby, it ain't over yet!

The pie was for a pie baking contest at the church Halloween activity. I had no intention of competing, but I had a large bag of frozen blueberries (Costco, Woot!) that had been sitting in the freezer too long. The twist comes when we are feeding the Sister Missionaries and we discover that one Sister has a sensitivity to processed sugars. The poor girl rarely gets dessert, and I decided to come to her aid. Having watched my sister-in-law recently test the Williams-Sonoma blueberry pie recipe, I was feeling a little more adventurous than usual. The pie was delicious by the way, but I wanted something a bit simpler for this Sister. So I used the simple Better Homes and Gardens basic double crust and berry filling recipes with minor adjustments. The main difference really being that I used honey instead of granulated sugar for the filling.

Pie Crust:
 2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
8-10 Tbsp cold water

I've had several friends express anxiety at making pie crusts. Friends, if I can do it, you can do it. I don't even have a pastry cutter. I rock it old school with two butter knives to cut in the shortening. The trick is to not over mix when adding the water. Add it 1 tablespoon at a time, and just barely push it around with a fork until the flour has soaked it up, the push it to the side and add another tablespoon of water. No mixing or stirring here! The amount of water you add will depend on the temperature and humidity of the day, that is why is gives you a range.

Also, foil around the edge of your pie while it bakes will save you every time!

Pie Filling:
5 cups blueberries (frozen works just fine)
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

The cookbook recipe calls for 2/3-3/4 cup of granulated sugar, but when I called my awesome SIL for help (she always knows!), we read that honey is sweeter and richer than white sugar. Hence the reduction. The cookbook also calls for either lemon zest or cinnamon, but I decided that since the honey had a darker, richer flavor, I didn't want to go too bright with the honey. So cinnamon it was. Also, if you use frozen berries, the honey will also freeze when you add it. Fear not and keep mixing, it will turn out ok.

The pie was DELICIOUS. It was rich and just sweet enough, and perfectly flavored for fall. I would definitely go with lemon for a summer pie, but the honey and cinnamon were perfect for the season. This will be a make-it-again pie. Which is a big deal for me, the non-baker.

Also, it was eaten too quickly for me to snap a picture, and not to toot my own horn, but I got a prize. That's right, I wasn't even trying and I was voted one of the lucky winners.

Make this pie. It is good.

The end.

Because she's cute

Taken right around 3 months of age. 

She's my little bundle of drooly adorable happiness. She's my Little Miss. 

We're in! -Angels on Earth

Last weekend we moved the last of our stuff into the new place. We (meaning me and several other angels-on-earth) spent the weekend previous painting the bedrooms and the living space- someday I'll show you why- and we got all of our stuff packed and moved last weekend. 

During the past couple of weeks involving the move, i decided that there are times in life when you are able to give help, and times when you need to be gracious about receiving it. This move was one of those times when I gratefully accepted a lot of help from many friends at church. I ended up getting a blocked duct the day before we moved and felt feverish as we packed the last of our stuff and loaded the truck. Our first night here I was BURNING up, and by the next morning I felt weak, but better. We still had some packing and cleaning to do at our old apartment, and my wonderful friends at church told me they were coming over to pack up the kitchen, move it, unpack it, and then help clean the old apartment. They realized how sick I was when I didn't even know it myself. I didn't know how much help I needed, and they came anyway. 

Folks, there are angels here on earth. You just might be someone else's angel at sometime. 

Also, my Mom, photographer extraordinaire, sent along this picture from when Little Miss was 5 weeks old. it makes me smile. 

The stuffed animals are watching us creepily, and my nose is all smooshed. Love it!

 

The Good and the Bad

The Good:
We found out at a doctor's appointment earlier this week that Little Miss is done with her hip dysplasia treatment! No more harness for us! So now instead of going in every 3 weeks for a size adjustment and ultrasound, we only have to check her progress at six months, one year, two years and five years of age. Since she's no longer in the harness, she can wear the adorable footie pajamas we've been saving. Woot!

The Bad:
Those checkups involve x-rays (I've already talked to her doctor about it. I'm not keen on pelvic x-rays on a baby, but it is important). Also, it has become apparent the last couple of nights that she used the harness to help soothe herself to sleep. It kept her legs bent, and we would frequently see her stretching and pushing against it when she woke up in the morning. It helped keep her little leggies contained, much like one swaddles a newborn. Well now she doesn't know what to do with her legs. So she kicks off her blanket and wakes herself up repeatedly. Whereas she used to sleep two- six hour stretches at night, now she is back to waking up every 3 hours like a newborn, needing to be fed to get to sleep again. Its been a rough couple of days, but with a smile like hers...

Now for a nap. At 8:30am.