The best Apple Pie I've ever had

Hubby and I were browsing through Whole Foods yesterday afternoon. He fully admitted that he tagged along only to snag a pie of some kind. Looking through the pie isle, I kept thinking, "I can make a better pie than that." So with a 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream added to our list, I looked for an apple pie recipe - not at all satisfied with the ones I've used before.

The recipe I found and used was the weirdest Apple Pie Recipe I've seen. Most AP recipes have you slice the apples, mix them with some sugar, corn starch and spices, place in crust, and then bake. This little recipe had me place the sliced apples in the crust by themselves. I then made a praline base (boiling sugar and butter together until about soft ball stage), and finally pour the praline base over the sliced apples. It baked up nicely with a lattice crust.

Even though I used Red Delicious instead of Granny Smith, it was very, very good. Especially with the vanilla ice cream. It was like pralines and apples and a crispy golden crust.

The pie recipe I used: Grandma Ople's Apple Pie from All Recipe
My crust recipe: Classic Crisco Pie Crust, using Butter Flavored Crisco rather than regular

Pie Baking tip: place pie dish on a cookie sheet or pizza pan when baking. It keeps the heat from directly touching the pan.

Crust tip: Wrap the edge in tin foil. Remove the wrapping the last 10 to 15 minutes you are baking. This keeps the edge of pie crust from burning or getting overly crispy.

A note on Crisco: Yeah, I hate using Crisco too, but it makes the best pie crust. If you buy a pre-made crust, they've used something like Crisco. I reserve it for the occasions when only it will do. You can sub butter for it, but it never comes out quite the same. Using 1/2 butter and 1/2 Crisco isn't too bad. Use your judgment.

Enjoy!!

Raising Megalomanics

I'm in charge of reading bedtime stories at night, which with 2 active boys isn't as easy and peaceful as it sounds. At story time it looks more like the Federation of Wrestling than the typical kids cuddled up in bed listening attentively to a story.

Out of desperation to get the attention of my wild animals, a few nights ago in the middle of a story "Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One," I changed the name of a main character to that of the most rambunctious boy. Prince BooBoy was then saved by the Princess.

Little did I know what I was starting. Now every book is about them. Sure, they've settled down and now listen to the story, but after having to read "Where the Wild Things Are" twice every night (once for "The night when E. wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind . . ." and once for "The night Booboy wore his wolf suit and . . ." - complete with them saying "I'll eat you up" and "Let the wild rumpus start") one starts to wonder.

Some stories aren't so bad. We have "Booboy and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." But when we get to "Farmer E Sheers His Sheep," and his older brother insists that the sheep are his sisters, it starts to loose something.

31 Days of Yoga and Meditation: Day 2

I took my yoga workout outside today, and it was great. I've been doing the same old dvd's for weeks now (off and on anyway). I wanted something different. So with my yoga mat in hand, I settled in the middle of the yard to do some basic floor poses and stretches, a couple of warrior stances and a balancing pose or two. (That's me to the right - I'm hoping there are less jiggly bits in a couple of months.)

An odd thing happened. While I was doing a lying down spinal twist, I started noticing the world around me. It was hot and muggy, not pleasant outdoor exercise weather at all. A rain storm was about to break any second, and I could hear thunder off in the distance. Then a murder of crows landed in our oak trees. There must have been a hundred or more, all squawking and yammering. What awesome foci!

Yoga hurts. It never stops hurting. If you get stronger and more flexible, there is always a more advanced way to do each pose. It will always hurt.

The stretching and strength building is not the most important part of yoga. Sure it is important. It makes the body strong, stretches the spine and releases tension and toxins in the joints, but the controlled use of breath to lengthen the stretch, straighten the alignment and breathe through the pain is why I do yoga.

And while outside in some painful pose or another I was able to breathe in the sky, the wind, the birds singing and transcend the discomfort.

One thought I had today, as I was outside doing yoga with my kids sitting inside (the girls watching the boys) and feeling the twinge of guilt for being so "decadent," is why do women, mothers especially, feel guilty for doing things that are good for them. Exercise, meditation, or anything that takes time away from the family - guilt. I read the same sentiment in the blog of a friend who just started an exercise program. We moms feel that unless it benefits the family, we should de-prioritize it. We can do it when everyone else is settled and all of our duties are taken care of.

But the irony is that when we take the time to exercise, meditate, garden, bead, blog or whatever it takes to make us feel once more like real people, we are happier with ourselves, nicer to those around us and less likely to stress out about all the little things. So I'm taking the time for myself - after all 25 minutes a day isn't a lot.

And what I've discovered is that rather than begrudging us this time and space, most people support. We're the only ones with feelings of selfishness and guilt. Everyone around us thinks it's wonderful that we do this for ourselves. Husbands support us and offer to take on extra duties (like putting the kids to bed) to give us what we need.

So it's an internal thing that needs to be stamped out!

31 Days of Yoga and Meditation: Day 1

Wrote this last night, but didn't get a chance to post it.

Yoga: What I thought was a 30 minute work-out video turned out to be about 18 minutes after subtracting the talking part. Other than that, it was a good stretching. Nothing too strenuous, but with my hips, I need the stretching. Since I did toning last night, I don't feel so bad.

Meditation: With my trance group meeting this Monday, I decided to try a trance pose that I may get the group to do. They have not yet done any floor poses -just standing poses. Kneeling with knees about 10 inches apart, sitting on heels and leaning forward slightly. Hands are in a specific position on the knees.

The meditation was good, but not the most powerful I've had. I kept falling forward and it did not feel like it was part of the trance. About 2/3 of the way through, when I admitted that this pose was not working for me, I switched to another more powerful one. It's still a kneeling pose, but slightly different configuration.

The meditation aspect of ecstatic trance work is not as relaxing as standard meditation (well, ET isn't really a meditation). But the several minutes of breath-work and visualization before makes it count. Of course, as with any floor posture, I continued the deep breathing afterwards in order to bring the circulation back into my legs, which are still tingling ten minutes later.

Bad Cook

I totally massacred dinner tonight - some of it anyway. The green beans were great. Steamed 3 minutes then smothered in butter and sautéed garlic. The french fries were fine, but how could mess up french fries? But I burnt the hamburgers, and not just a little. They are blackened in the worst way.

Next time I grill, I need to babysit the buggers. Trying to do 4 things at once does not a good burger make.

Soap from the Court of Burgundy - Take 2

I threw out the soap I made this weekend. I did not saponify because the percentage beeswax was way too high. In ten years of soap making (and I make a-lot of soap) I've never seen soap seize before. The oils instantly curdled when I added them to the lye water. It did not thick like soap looks at trace, but almost like (I hate to say it) lumpy vomit.

Of course fresh soap normally smells a little vile to me. It takes a day or two for the oils to settle out before that nasty burnt bile smell goes away. Then all that's left is the scent of the essential oils and/or the scent of the strongest base oil - like cocoa butter or shea butter. And that's a nice smell.

So I experimented a little yesterday with my Soap (now Soaps) From the Court of Burgandy. Both are one pound batches. If I'm going to experiment and possibly throw my results into the mulch pile, then I should waste as little as possible.

Batch #2
Almond SF .5 4%
Olive Oil 6 48%
Beeswax .25 2%
Lard 5.5 44%
Honey .5
Lye 6% = 1.56 oz
Water = 6 oz
1/2 tsp litseacubea and 1 tsp tangerine

What that liquidy stuff is on the top edge, I haven't a clue, but I do know what caused it - not enough lye. I think it may be excess water. Okay, maybe I have a little clue.

My scale doesn't like measuring small amounts. Things have to weigh at least a few ounces before it registers correctly. I knew I should have triple or quadruple checked my lye weight, but I was in a hurry - Fina and Megan could only keep Ed outside so long.

I knew something was off when I was stirring it - nothing specific, but something felt wrong. It will most likely still turn out alright, and certainly safe to use. It will just be a super-super fatted batch and very moisturizing.

My solution to weighing small amounts:
An old peanut butter jar filled with glass gemstones. Total weight: one pound. Place it on the scale, zero out the weight, and then I can accurately weigh small amounts of oils and lye. I made this yesterday afternoon.

Which is why the 2nd batch I made yesterday . . .

Looks Great!!


Test Batch #3
Almond Oil, SF 1.5 oz 12%
Olive Oil 5.5 oz 44%
Lard 5.5 44%
Honey .5
Lye 6% = 1.61
Water 5 oz
Added 2 tsp French Green clay to the superfat oils, essential oils & honey mix.
1.5 tsp of Spearmint EO

I should have taken a pic of it yesterday - it looked just like split pea soup. But as soap has a tendency to do (thank goodness), the color mellowed out over night leaving it a nice sage green. I took out the beeswax (I hate working with beeswax), but left in the honey. I also threw in some French green clay powder just to see what it would do. I actually can't wait to use it.

I may try to make another batch tonight. I may, just may, infuse some olive oil with some of the herbs from the Medieval French kitchen.

31 Day Yoga & Meditation Challenge

Why am I letting stress be part of my daily life when I have tools so readily available to change my attitude?

I’m challenging myself for the next 31 days to a Yoga and Meditation Challenge. Each day I’m going to do at least:

- 15 minutes of Yoga

- 10 minutes of Meditation

Let’s see if I feel any different at the end of the 31 days.

Yoga: It can be any type of yoga from Sun Salutations to 15 minutes of yoga stretches. What is important is to be present and breathe with the movements. Exercises similar to yoga can be substituted, such as Tai Chi or slow moving Kadas.

Meditation: The point is to focus for 10 minutes. Passive or Zen meditation is fine, but it can also be an active meditation combined with walking, dance or even mowing the lawn - mindfulness is the key.


Anyone want to join me?

Botched Batch of Soap

I think I made my first truly botched batch of soap last night. No, I don't include the time I was talking to someone while making soap and only put half the lye amount - at least that soap made suds. Or the time I made soap in 30 degree Massachusetts weather (did I say outside?), and the lye crystals never dissolved. Who knew?

I'm talking about totally botching a batch of soap when everything was done correctly. Was it the 8% beeswax that made the soap solidify before it saponified? Was it the honey that was measured when my scale decided to fritz out, so I don't know quite how much I added? Was it the citrus essential oil that can make soap seize up? I don't know. I lean towards the former reason rather than the lather, I mean latter reasons.

This batch of soap is supposed to be an entry for an SCA (that's Society of Creative Anachronism) Arts & Sciences competition for an event in December with the theme the Court of Burgundy.

So my soap is Soap Made from Oils from the Kitchen of the Court of Burgundy (I may have to shorten it to fit it on the label). I took the ingredients from "Early French Cookery" by Terence Scully, who uses period sources for the recipes.

My failed recipe:
2 lbs
10 oz Olive oil
11 oz Lard
2 oz Beeswax
2 oz Almond Oil (half added as a Superfatting agent)
1.5 oz honey ( I think)
3.47 oz lye (that's 6% superfatting)

I added saffron to the lye water, and before I'm bitched at for this being an incredible waste of saffron, this was such a decadent time period. The Court of Burgundy had more wealth than most countries, and it was just a duchy. Saffron was wasted then as a coloring agent for food. Plus I have 3 containers of and haven't used any in 3 years.

I scented it with lavender and sweet orange - 1 1/2 tsp each.

The color is gorgeous - a deep honey brown. The scent is a bit off.

Considering the time it takes to cure, I need to get it redone this week in order to have it ready in time for the A&S competition.

My next test batch:
2 lb recipe (although I may make it as a 1 lb batch)
12 oz Olive Oil
11 oz Lard
1 oz Beeswax (cut in half from before)
1 oz Almond oil (half from before)
1 oz honey (also less than before)
3.16 oz lye

I may not use the saffron again. The beeswax is very dark, so I don't think it did much to color it. And I may change the scent to sweet orange and lemon.

A new blog! A place to share my recipes, stories on being a homeschool mom, my experiments (other than my children) and many other things.