Easy Delicious Pie Crust!
Since this is October and a time for all things scary, I thought I would address a fear that a great number of cooks have to deal with periodically throughout their cooking careers. PIE CRUST!! There I said it. Do you break out in a cold sweat when you are ask to make a pie for Thanksgiving? Do you look through hundreds of recipes trying to find the ONE that will work and not leave you apologizing after the dinner? Well - you have come to the right place.
This crust is so very forgiving and bakes up nicely. It is not a flaky texture but more of a tender crispy kind you get at the store bakery. The dough holds together well. You even make it in a mixer bowl so you don't need special tools to cut in the ingredients. It tastes great every time and will not disappoint you OR scare you! Here it is, you can thank me later!
No Fear Pie Crust
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup Crisco (or high quality vegetable shortening)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon dry milk powder (nonfat)
3 cups pastry flour
1/2 cup ice water
Begin by making sure the butter, margarine, and shortening are at room temperature. (I usually put mine in the microwave for a few seconds on defrost but you have to be very careful not to liquify them!). Add these all to a mixer bowl and cream using the paddle attachment. When they are light and creamy, add the sugar, baking powder, salt, and dry milk powder. Mix together then add 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until all flour is incorporated.
Then add the water (I add ice to the water and mix it then pour off the needed amount into another measuring cup) and the remaining
1 1/2 cups flour and mix until blended.
Remove dough from the mixer bowl to a large piece of plastic wrap and completely cover with wrap.
Chill in fridge until it is firm and cold throughout. (I usually put it in for an hour or a half hour in the freezer). Turn out on a floured counter and roll out until it is about 1/8th inch.
(I make it about the same thickness as the side of my pancake turner).
This dough is a dream to work with and you can roll out the scraps again and it will still be great!
Cut to desired size and use directions from filling recipe for time and temperature. This makes one 9-inch two crust pie. See my Chicken Pot Pie Recipe for time and temperature guidelines for that size of pie. (Also see it for an amazing pot pie recipe!). (This will be my next post!)
So now you can go ahead and have a nice scary Halloween and not have to worry about having nightmares full of failed pie crusts!
I would love to hear your comments!
This recipe was adapted from The Lion House Cookbook
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I am excited to bring you this amazing recipe for glazed donuts! Through the years I have tried many recipes that promised to be great but just didn't quite work out. It was so very exciting to make these and with a few changes in the process, they are the real thing! They are airy and light and you will seriously want to eat the glaze without the donuts! (But really, don't do that it's so good on the donuts themselves!)
I do have a funny story (but not funny at the time). Last year I was making these donuts and had to run a quick errand after I had cut them and set them on sheets to raise. When I returned I saw to my horror that there were little foot prints in the flour on the counter walking up to the cookie sheet and one donut was pulled off the cookie sheet. I had forgotten that I was babysitting my daughters little chihuahua and didn't put her in her bed when I left. I had to throw away, clean up, and start all over. It was a sad day. Don't do that will you?
Glazed Donuts
To start with, mix the first 7 ingredients together in your mixer bowl until blended then add 2 cups of the flour.
Mix the next 3 cups of flour in and then let it mix slowly for about 2 to 3 minutes more.
Add more (about 1 cup) flour until the dough forms a sticky ball on the dough hook. Continue to knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
Coat a large bowl with oil and place the dough in it to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. When dough has doubled in size it is ready to roll out.
Flour the counter well and carefully put the dough out of the bowl. Handle dough gently to leave as much air in it as possible.
Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut donuts out with either a donut cutter or a large biscuit cutter and a small one for the hole.
Now this is the important part!!! Flour the back of some cookie sheets very well. This is key if you want to keep those puffy well risen donuts from collapsing when you move them. I use about 1/4 inch all over and maybe more. I make sure the sheets are very clean before putting flour on them and then the flour can be used again after the donuts rise on it. When you have a good layer of flour the turner you are using can easily slide under the dough and move it without sticking to it.
Let the donuts rise until they are doubled in size.
Gently lift them one at a
time and carefully shake some of the extra flour off. Place the dough in hot oil. I use
my electric fry pan and set the dial to between 375 to 390 degrees.
Pans can vary so cook a sample or a donut hole to see how fast it cooks
and then adjust the temperature. Try not to let extra flour slide into
the pan with the dough as this will slow down the pans ability to heat.
An extra wide turner like this one is helpful to pick them up also!
Fry them for about 40 seconds per side then turn I use a metal fry daddy slotted spoon.
When they are done, remove them to a cooling rack to drain. While they are still quite warm, dip them in your saucepan of glaze turning to coat both sides. With 2 forks lift them immediately out of the glaze and set on a rack that has been set inside of a cookie sheet so that the glaze will drip onto the pan. (this glaze can be used again by reheating it).
Now you have perfectly delicious bakery donuts!
This recipe was adapted from All Recipes Crispy Creamy Doughnuts here.
Light and Crispy Glazed Donuts
2 Tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all purpose flour (I add 1 more cup)
4-6 cups oil for frying
Mix the first 7 ingredients together in your mixer bowl until blended then add 2 cups of the flour. Mix until blended. Mix the next 3 cups of flour in and then let it mix slowly for about 2 to 3 minutes more. Add
more (about 1 cup) flour at a time until the dough forms a sticky ball on the
dough hook. Continue to knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
Coat a large bowl with oil and place
the dough in it to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm
place. When dough has doubled in size it is ready to roll out. Flour the counter well and carefully put the dough out of the bowl. Handle dough gently to leave as much air in it as possible. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch
thickness and cut donuts out.
Flour the back of some cookie sheets very well. Place the cut out donuts on the floured sheet. Let the donuts rise until they are doubled in size. Gently lift them one at a
time and shake the extra flour off. Place the dough in hot oil. I use
my electric fry pan and set the dial to between 375 to 390 degrees.
Pan temperatures can vary so cook a sample or a donut hole to see how fast it cooks
and then adjust the temperature. Fry them for about 40 seconds per side. When they are done,
remove them to a cooling rack to drain. While they are still quite
warm, dip them in your saucepan of glaze turning to coat both sides.
With 2 forks lift them immediately out of the glaze and set on a rack
that has been set inside of a cookie sheet so that the glaze will drip
onto the pan.
Donut Glaze
2/3 cup real butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
3 teaspoons real vanilla
4 to 8 Tablespoons hot water (I use about 6)
Melt butter in a small saucepan. (Make sure it is big enough to dip the one donut at a time and turn it but small enough to keep the glaze deep). Wisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add just enough hot water to make the glaze thin but not watery. Keep the glaze on low while you are cooking the donuts. If glaze hardens reheat it to keep it thin for dipping.
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Part 2---
In part 1, we talked about the really important reasons why you would want to make family sit down dinners at home part of your life. It really does give your kids more than just a healthy meal. It can be life changing for all of you. But how, you ask, can I possibly do that when we have so much going on and so many other "things" to do? I hope this part 2 article will help you get some ideas to lesson the stress and give you some doable ways to begin.
If you are anything like me and my family it seems like life gets busier with each passing year. So to help you with that, I put together a couple of top ten lists of things to do that will help simplify cooking for a family. Also, to help you see the effects that eating together can have. List #1 was in the 1st part of "What do your kids really want for dinner?".
List #2 -
Plan what you make and make what you love!
1. Right now, go get a pen and paper and write down as many
meals as you can that you like to make for your family.
2. Each time you try something new ask your family to rate it.
I tell mine that because this is a trial recipe, they can be
completely honest. I really want to know what they think.
(I brace myself for honest reactions!!) Ask them to rate it on
scale of 1-3. 1=dislike, 2=ok, will eat again, 3=great! loved it!
3. Write their preferences on the recipe so you can remember who
loves it and who just likes it etc. Now add it to your list from #1!
4. Rotate making each one's favorite meals. Or if you make one
person's fav. main dish, make another person's fav. side dish.
That way everyone is happy!
5. I LOVE lists! At the beginning of each month I try to sit down
for just one hour (as opposed to worrying about each and every
day for the next 30 days! and write each day of the month down
the side of a notebook page. I include the date and day of week.
(That makes it easier to see special occasions or prior
commitments and plan around them.)
6. Variety is the spice of life!
It is surprising how many meals you forget to put in your
rotation through the years. I still have favorites from my
college days that we still enjoy and are very easy and frugal.
Use your list from #1 above to help you fill in a dinner
meal for each day. This way you get a lot of variety
because you aren't just getting to the end of the day and thinking
"What's in the fridge we could have for dinner?"
Does this sound like too much work? It becomes fast and easy
when you do it with a list of meals you have made but also;
1. You don't have to stress every night (or all day long) over
what to have for dinner. It is all thought out! NO Stress!
2. If you aren't in the mood for the meal plan for the night
no problem! Switch! Because you have planned to have
all the ingredients for so many meals at the first of the
month, you can easily look at your list and just Switch!
3. Shopping is much more effective and easy because you
have a plan and a list! You save money because you
don't have to make a store run and end up picking up
extra impulse buys. As you fill in your dinner schedule,
make a line down the page for another column to list
any ingredients you don't have on hand.
7. Make Doable Meals! Be kind to yourself. As you schedule
your month, fill in busy days with meals that are simple to
prepare. Have a freezer meal that just needs to thaw in the
microwave or pull out some salmon, thaw it, sprinkle with
seasoning and bake for 10 min. with a green salad, dinner is
ready! Don't over schedule yourself!
8. Get a good freezer and use it!! I know a few women (working
and not), who spend a couple of complete Saturdays a month
making freezer meals so they don't have to cook when they
get home each evening.
That is great for those that it works for and I applaud them,
but it doesn't work for me. I can't remember a time
even now that my children are gone that I felt ambitious
enough or had a whole days time to devote to making
meals.
Much easier for me was to double or even triple meals
as I make them. I was already getting all the ingredients
out, mixing and cooking them so it just didn't take much
longer to make an extra recipe and freeze it. Even now that it is just my husband and I most of the time, I haven't lost
the desire to cook nice meals because I know that my efforts
tonight mean that I get a night or two off in the future and it
it so great to have 2 or 3 nights off a week that way!
9. Get the kids to pick meals they can learn to make and be in
charge of! Here is a link to a great recipe that even young
children can help with. Bubble Up Pizza by The Country Cook.
Another fun recipe kids really love is found on my site,
Ragu Enchiladas, and they could help with these also.
This is where I hope you won't judge me but I only have 9 in my top ten list..but I hope these ideas are as valuable to you as they have been to me!
The important message here is that eating together as a family is invaluable. It sets the stage for more open communication and creates the feeling that being together is important and that we like each other!
If all these ideas don't work for you please feel free to pick the ones that do and then improvise your own! You will soon learn that what your kids really want for dinner is...
YOU!
I would love to hear any ideas you have that would help others with busy lives find ways to have sit down meals together! I love your comments!
This has been shared on these wonderful sites!
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This salsa is so pretty to look at!! It is a fun combination of flavors too! The really nice thing about it is that it can be made in the summertime but also when strawberries first come into the stores in very early spring. Ours come in sometimes as early as February from the west coast. You don't have to wait for summer tomatoes for this one! It is sweet and fruity and the cilantro adds a touch of spice to the mix. If you don't like cilantro (is that really possible??) you can substitute basil for it. This recipe was adapted from How Sweet Eats.
Strawberry Mango Salsa
3/4 cup diced mango
3/4 cup strawberries, chopped small (1/2 inch)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pick a Mango that gives a little when you push in on it with your finger. There should be no brownish spots on it. I like the ones that are a blended red and yellow color. Don't peel the Mango just set it on a cutting board with the large rounded end down. Starting at the top cut the side off as close to the seed as you can, curving your knife around the seed. Cut all 4 sides the same way. Discard the seed and dice the meat by cutting a diced pattern in it without cutting through the skin like this:
Then push the skin from the back until the meat is rounded out. Like this:
Then you can cut it off and it is all ready to go in your salsa!
Dice your onions finely,
Cut cilantro like it shows here in this recipe for chicken salad.
Then add all the remaining ingredients. Let this sit for a couple of hours before eating it for the flavors to blend.
This is best eaten the same day. Enjoy!
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Do you ever walk through the meat department at Walmart or Costco and see a huge slab of beef vacuum packed in plastic and wonder "What do they do with that?" Usually you can get beef brisket in 3-4 lb roasts but they cost quite a bit more per pound so the large cuts are more economical.
The good news is that you can either cut them into smaller sizes and cook them at different times or cut them and cook them at the same time in a large pan and then freeze them to pull out later.
Cooking all at once is my personal favorite because you only have one preparation, one day of cooking, yet you can get from 3 to 20 meals out of it and not have to cook again! (Did I tell you that I LOVE my freezers?? Yes, that is plural). Whenever I can cook in large amounts, even though there are only 2 of us eating each night, I absolutely do it. Some people spend 2 or 3 days a month making freezer meals so they don't have to cook during the month. I found that I never have 2 or 3 days time to do this. It is sooo much easier to just double or triple meals when you are already cooking them, then freeze them in meal size portions. I have gone a week to a week and a half without ever needing to cook. I do like to cook but on busy days at work and with family I LOVE to pull out a wonderful meal that doesn't need to be cooked, just heat and serve. Well enough of that, let's talk about brisket!
So after buying the brisket (mine have been about 12 to 15 lbs.) cut off the outer plastic wrap and wash the meat. Then I just get a large knife and eyeball it to cut it in 3 to 4 lb. sections. Make enough of the rub recipe to cover the separate pieces.
Beef Rub
(for a 4-6 lb. roast)
2 Tablespoons chili power
1Tablespoon garlic powder
1Tablespoon onion powder
1Tablespoon ground black pepper
1Tablespoon white sugar
1Tablespoon seasoned salt
Mix together in a bowl. Rub it into the outside of all sides of the meat. Keep adding more until all of it is used if possible. As the rub has time to combine with the meats juices it becomes easier to add more dry rub to what is already there. After rubbing each piece with spices, place the meat in a pan large enough to hold your meat. Place the pan uncovered in a preheated oven at 350F degrees. Cook for 1 hour. Take out and pour into pan:
1 1/2 cups beef broth (More if cooking more than one 4 lb. roast)
Cover tightly with foil. Return to oven and reduce heat to 220F degrees. Cook for 4 hours more. Remove and let meat stand for 30 minutes before slicing.
After slicing, replace meat in pan to soak up broth and drippings. The meat will become very juicy and flavorful.
You can also pour the juice over the meat and then let it sit. If freezing some of the meat include juice so it can be warmed up with it. A lot of flavor is in the juice so put it to good use!
This meat is so delicious if you slice it and serve it on homemade buns found here. These are easy to make too because you can make them on the dough setting of your bread maker. Also, you can make them by hand if you don't have a bread maker.
The real secret is this! We had a catered lunch at work one time from a local barbeque restaurant. They served the meat on a bun but didn't put the sauce all through pulled apart meat. They sliced it and then add the barbeque sauce on top. It really made a difference. It wasn't too strong of a barbequed taste. Also, they used a really good sauce that isn't too vinegary tasting. I really like to make my own recipe but when I don't have time I use K C Masterpiece Original for this. It has a deep flavor without being too strong.
Party Time! This will feed a lot so now you have a meal plan for your next large family party or neighborhood get together!
Recipe source: Best Ever Beef Brisket (no longer found on All Recipes).With changes made by me.
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Pan Release (You're really gonna love this!)
This week's recipe isn't pretty, good tasting or even gourmet but......it is the one of the best recipes that I have ever found!!! And here it is!!
If you haven't ever tried this pan release this is going to change your life! It is so simple but the first time I tried it I was blown away. Everything I use it on comes out of the pan perfectly... It is so amazing. I have gone through my share of times crying over cakes that had places that stuck to the pan. I had to run a knife around the sides of loaves of quick bread or even regular bread to get them to finally come out and even then the sides were all ratty and messy because it got stuck!
NO MORE!
When you spread this on a cake or bread pan your product comes out so beautifully. It just slides right out like this----
This recipe is found in many places so I am not sure who the original came from. (If you know please let me know so I can give them credit. I would also like to personally send them a thank you letter because I really love this stuff.
Pan Release
1 part flour
1 part shortening
1/2 part vegetable oil
You can make any amount as long as you follow this guide. For example, I usually use
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Mix it together well with a wisk and brush on pan.
Make sure not to miss any spots. I keep the remaining mix in my fridge in a covered container. This keeps well for a few months if refrigerated.
I would also appreciate it if you kept this just between us. It's kind of a secret!!
If you like this post please leave a comment so I can get to know you better!
This recipe has been shared on these wonderful sites!
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