The Professional Domestic

Domestic Discussions Part I

cifelli pic — Photo provided by Melanie Cifelli-7 month old “Moose” gets his head stuck in the cat door

I have always been fascinated by other peoples’ domestic practices. So much so that I thought I would take my interest to the next level and have a sit down with a few people to see what they do in their homes. How do they handle housekeeping, money, children, spouses, food prep and home improvement? Here is my first “Domestic Discussion.” Hope you enjoy!

Melanie Cifelli is one of my favorite people to talk to because she makes me smile. Melanie, her husband Scott and their three boys, Caleb, Ethan, and Joey along with their 3 cats and 2 dogs, all occupy a rural country home that together, they have been renovating for the past 13 years.

Besides renovations, which I will discuss in a bit, Melanie’s life revolves around teenage boys, school sports like soccer and basketball, her home business, on-the-go meals, and her avid couponing which she learned at the height of the coupon craze and still practices on her weekly trips to the grocery store.

A little background on Melanie: To start with Melanie was born in the UK but grew up in Australia. She married her husband Scott who was an American citizen and after having the three boys they moved back to the US. In 2003 they purchased their current home.

At first Melanie didn’t really know if she was domestic enough to do a Domestic Discussions interview with me. “I am not what you call a Domestic Goddess.” she said to me in her Aussie accent. I assured her that everyone has some sort of domesticness (if that is even a word) in them.

First we discussed couponing. In Australia, she said they don’t have coupons or rewards cards. When she moved to the US she didn’t know how to use a coupon and was a little scared to try. It wasn’t until the extreme couponing craze and multiple television shows about the subject that got her confident enough to try couponing. She started with one, she told me, and it worked, so she tried more. When she first started she didn’t know if she should just hand them all to the cashier or lay them on top of each individual item she had a coupon for. I kind of chuckled remembering my mother laying them on each item on the conveyor belt.

Melanie says some weeks her shopping receipts are cut almost in half by using coupons. If there is a week that the newspaper coupon ads are particularly good she will buy more than one set of newspapers just for the coupons. I asked her which newspaper she liked the best and she said she rarely bought the Democrat and Chronicle, sometimes the Daily News, but most often the Buffalo News. It had the coupons she wanted and it was 50 cents cheaper.

In asking which stores she frequented the most, Tops supermarket was at the top of the list with their bonus card and $1 coupon doubler coupons that come out every few months. She also frequents Save-A-Lot and Dollar General which also take coupons. Aldi is another store she visits but they do not accept coupons.

I asked her if she used Amazon’s Subscribe and Save or Big Box stores like Sam’s, BJ’s or Costco. Yep both Amazon and Costco were favorites of her’s she said.

One of the things I learned from Melanie after our couponing discussion was that Tops let’s you use more than 4 of the $1 Coupon Doubler coupons. I was under the impression you got 4 per bonus card. Nope you can use more but not in the same transaction. Interesting!

Our discussion turned to family next. Her three boys are very active teenagers with sports, jobs, and school. She said most days meals are on the go due to differing schedules but she tries to make them as healthy as possible. Her crock-pot gets used a lot she says. She tries to make extra so there are leftovers and if they are on the road for a game Subway is a healthy alternative to fast food.

Melanie is a stay at-home mom but on the side she sells on Ebay, Etsy and occasionally Craigslist for extra income. The former co-owner of Amelia’s Antiques in Batavia sells antiques as well as crafts online from home after her shop closed a few years ago. She loves to restore antique and vintage items and from the view sitting at her kitchen table I would say she is very good at it.

One major thing that has consumed her life the past decade is the renovation of her home which they have owned for 13 years. Generally her husband is a do-it-yourself kind of guy which can make for some pretty funny stories. She told me about a particularly funny story about when Scott decided to rip out the toilet without quite having everything ready to put another one in right away. “Nine days without a toilet” she grins telling me. Although I am sure she wasn’t smiling at the time it happened. “We were foster parents to two other children at the time so we had 5 children under the age of 7 living in this house and we didn’t have a toilet for 9 days.” Luckily she said they did have a functioning, albeit a not so great to look at toilet in the back of the garage but traipsing out there in the middle of night wasn’t the greatest fun. I told her she should write a book about all of these funny stories.

I finished this Domestic Discussion by asking Melanie what her hobbies were, what she would like to do in the future, and if there is anything she wished she had paid more attention to learning when she was younger.

She said she likes to write and wished she did more, adult coloring books are a new hobby, she has also been teaching herself guitar by watching you-tube videos, and of course her antiques and vintage items are a great inspiration to her. She said as far as what she would like to do in the future going back to school is something she was thinking about and she has always wanted to learn to speak Italian. She finished with she wished she had paid more attention to sewing when she was younger. Her mother who lives in Australia, can sew anything and is a wonderful seamstress. I agreed with her. I wished I had paid more attention when my mother tried to teach me to sew too.

I would like to thank Melanie for being my first interviewee for this Domestic Discussions series. It was so much fun getting to know her even more. -MM

What’s For Dinner Week #3

Cream of Potato and Bacon Soup

This is one of my son’s favorite soups. It is easy and inexpensive to make but so satisfying on a cold winter night.

Recipe: Wash, peel and cut about 5 or 6 medium potatoes into small cubes. In a medium saucepan sauté a small thinly sliced onion in a TBSP of oil until translucent. Add potatoes, 2 cubes of chicken bouillon and 6 cups of water to the pan with the onions. Bring to a boil and simmer on low until potatoes are tender.

In another medium saucepan melt a stick of butter then add about a ¼ cup of flour to the melted butter. Whisk until it turns to a paste like consistency add more flour if needed. Whisk for about a minute making sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Next slowly add milk to the pan whisking the whole time. I never really measure this but it should be thick, smooth and without lumps so approximately 2-3 cups of milk. You just made your cream for the cream of potato soup!

Add the cream mixture into the potato soup pot stirring it gently. The whole soup should thicken nicely.

Serve with crumbled fried bacon on top. We also have added corn to the soup and topped it with cheddar cheese too.

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken Fajitas are super easy. I use the fajita packets in the taco section of the grocery store for seasoning. Grill or pan fry seasoned chicken breasts. Add thinly sliced onions and multicolored sweet peppers to the pan until just softened. Don’t overcook the veggies let them be slightly crisp not too mushy.

Use a soft taco that has been warmed in the microwave or oven. Fill the taco with the veggies and the sliced chicken, top with sour cream. Seasoned rice and refried beans make a great side dish.

Chicken and Biscuits

All I do for chicken and biscuits is boil split chicken breasts in a stockpot with thinly sliced onion and small chunked carrots and a few bouillon cubes. I add fresh sprigs of parsley and thyme when I have them in my garden otherwise dried herbs will do. When the chicken is cooked enough to almost fall apart remove the chicken to a plate to rest and cool. Add frozen peas at this point if you wish.

Make your favorite biscuits whether they are a refrigerator biscuit like Grands or a Bisquick biscuit.

To thicken the broth, combine about a cup of the broth and enough flour to make a thin liquidy paste.

Slowly pour the thickener back into the broth stirring gently. Bring to a boil then add the chicken back in after picking it off the bones. Pour over biscuits and enjoy!

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Everyone has a different recipe they like for homemade mac and cheese. I like to use whatever kind of cheese I have building up in the fridge like shredded taco cheese, a chunk of cheddar and some extra sleeves of American that haven’t been used yet.

I think one of the secrets is to slightly overcook the macaroni so it’s softer when it goes into the oven to bake.

The cheese sauce I do is pretty simple but I don’t measure anything either. I put a stick of butter into the bottom of a medium saucepan and melt it. I add milk and the cheese until all is melted together and hot and then I pour it over and stir it into the macaroni. Salt and pepper to taste and add any goodies to make it gourmet if you like.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly and there is a slight crust on the top.

Chicken Spiedies

I first ate a Chicken Spiedie at our favorite out of town hang out, the American Hotel in Lima, NY. It was first created however, in nearby Binghamton, NY. My husband loves these things but unlike the recipe below we like ours with melted mozzarella and caramelized onions too.

Serves 6

The chicken cubes are grilled so if you don’t have a grill pan or don’t want to start your outdoor grill in the winter you can use a cast iron pan and brown them over high heat.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves , minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons grated zest plus 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
6 (6-inch) sub rolls , slit partially open lengthwise

MAKE SAUCES Combine oil, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes in large bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons oil mixture to separate bowl and whisk in mayonnaise, vinegar, and lemon juice; refrigerate. (Sauces can be refrigerated, covered, for 2 days.)

PREP CHICKEN Prick chicken breasts all over with fork, cut into 1¼-inch chunks, and transfer to bowl with remaining oil mixture. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

GRILL CHICKEN Remove chicken from marinade and thread onto six 12-inch metal skewers. Grill chicken over hot fire, covered and turning frequently, until lightly charred and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to sub rolls or bread, remove skewers, and drizzle with mayonnaise mixture. Serve with fries.

Here is a link to this recipe copied from My Sister’s Kitchen – Chicken Spiedie Recipe.

Build your own Sliders

Sliders are basically two bite burgers like the original White Castle burgers. And we love them!

Have fun with topping like lettuce, tomato, cheeses, bacon, mayo, mustard, avocado, onion, relish, ketchup, pickles, etc.

Grab some mini rolls, some lean ground beef and some chips and you are all set.

Leftover Night

Take the night off from cooking and enjoy those leftovers!

For a printer friendly version here is a link to the original document What’s for dinner week 3 -MM

What’s For Dinner Week #2

doug food — Doug’s school project last year for Home Ec – Not bad huh?

After my first post last week for this series I have decided to write this week’s a little differently.

I removed the total cost for each meal because it was very time consuming and I wanted to be able to use my own items in the recipes especially in the summer when our fruits and vegetables are in full swing. I also did not want to be limited to just what was available in the ad. I wanted to use the ad as inspiration not for total food costs.

So here goes for Week #2.

On the menu this week:

CROCKPOT MEATLOAF – I love this version of meatloaf. The crockpot makes it so tender and when we have an away game I throw it in the crock and set the oven to turn on automatically for the potatoes and by the time we get home we have a wonderful meal waiting for us.

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER – Who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? I make our waffles and pancakes from scratch and any leftovers get frozen and used for breakfast another day. The pancake batter can be made up the night before and stored in the fridge.

SCALLOPED POTATOES AND HAM – I ask the deli counter to slice nice thick slices of ham so I can chunk them up for this recipe. Deli ham quality is particularly good and much cheaper than ham from the meat department.

CHUCK ROAST IN THE CROCKPOT – It’s crockpot week it seems doesn’t it?Right now being on the go with basketball practice this seems to be the only way we eat without getting takeout every night. I love the mushrooms in this recipe. It makes for very rich and flavorful meat and sauce. Warm blueberry muffins with this roast instead of bread are a wonderful treat.

TACO NIGHT – Make taco night fun for everyone by having a build-your-own taco line with all of the ingredients in separate bowls. So many choices helps with picky eaters.

FRIDAY NIGHT FISH AND CHIPS – Make it easy and more healthful to bake instead of fry your favorite fish and chips. If you like, make a yummy fish sandwich complete with homemade tartar sauce too.

LEFTOVER NIGHT – Take the night off from cooking and enjoy those leftovers!

I would love to hear from you if you have any meal suggestions that you love to cook for your family. You can email suggestions to me at marymargaretripley@yahoo.com.

Here is the link to Week #2’s “What’s for Dinner?” What’s for dinner week 2

-MMR

What’s for Dinner?

Funny enough, this new series called “What’s for Dinner” was a suggestion a few months ago by my husband. He knew I struggled sometimes with what to have for dinner and he knew everyone probably had days they struggled too.

We both decided that using my store’s ad to plan these meals would not only give inspiration but also be a tool to see how much each meal would approximately cost.

I have given you 7 meal choices this week. Pick and choose any that sound good to you. These are just suggestions and can be modified to fit your lifestyle, food preferences and budgets. Also in the summer with your own home gardens and farmers markets the costs of these meals with be even less.

I have typed the meal suggestions into a Word document for easy printing. They each include a shopping list, breakdown of costs and the instructions or recipe needed to prepare the meal.

Hopefully these suggestions will give you some inspiration and help make your evening meal planning less stressful. Believe me I have heard plenty of times “I don’t know” or “whatever you want to make honey” more than my fair share.

I would love some constructive feedback if you are willing. I would also welcome any meal suggestions that are favorites of your family’s .

Here is the link to What’s for dinner week 1

Enjoy! -MM

If I was 20 Again…

I often think to myself, what would the 20 year old me say about the 40 year old me? Would I be happy with what I saw?

I think so. To a point.

I think I would be happy with my 40 year old body. I only weigh 5 pounds more than I did at 20. Not too much is sagging yet. I color the gray hairs. I definitely have better hair since I didn’t know a thing about a flat iron when I was 20. After having my son, my body didn’t have tons of stretch marks so I would be happy about that. I wouldn’t be happy that I am too lazy to wear my contacts though. I would not have been caught dead wearing my glasses when I was 20.

At 20 I was engaged to my now ex-husband. I think the 20 year old me would be sad that it didn’t work out for us. As far as my wonderful current husband? I think the 20 year old me would be a little creeped out that I was married to a man 10 years my senior. Haha sorry honey. You know how kids are.

Would my 20 year old self be happy with my now almost 14 year old son? Heck yeah! He’s such a cutie and he’s athletic (not like me) and super smart (kinda like me).

How about career? Um, probably not. For one thing I work for my ex-husband and although the 20 year old me would think it was great we could get along she would still think it was weird. Secondly, at 20 I was studying to be a Chiropractor. Chiropractor…baker…nope not the same thing. Thirdly, I would have been disappointed that I wasn’t making a million dollars a year salary. Our 20 year old selves can be a bit naive.

I am not sure how the 20 year old me would feel about living in her grandparent’s house which means living next to her parents. At the time I was really worried that the house was going to be willed to me some day and I wasn’t sure I wanted it. Now if you asked the 30 year old me I would have said absolutely NOT! I wanted an 1800s home to fix up with a fireplace and a huge yard and I wanted to live in the village and walk to church. I did get that home in my 3o’s but sadly had to sell it. So here I am owning my grandparents house living next to my parents. The 20 year old is rolling her eyes.

If there was one thing the 20 year old me would not be please at all about it would be the financial debt we are in. It would have terrified her. She would be scolding me right now. “What is WRONG with you?” “How could you have let this happen?” “Here I am working my butt off at 3 jobs so you won’t have any student debt and this happens?” “I am very disappointed in you.” I know, I know. Life happens and that is something the 20 year old doesn’t understand yet.

I would most definitely be pleased with my car in 2015. It kicks ass!

Sounds like there are a few things that need to be modified in my life. The debt being number one. The others are decisions I made, good or bad, that I will not apologize for. They have made me a stronger wiser woman.

Now going forward. I need to ask myself what would the 40 year old me say about the 60 year old me? I am going to work on that right now.

How about you? What would the 20 year old you say? -MM

The Last Four Weeks

We have been so busy the last month or so that by the time we had some quiet time I was either sleeping or just doing absolutely nothing.

Here is what we have been up to.

My husband Scott turned the big 5-0 in November and I threw him a big surprise party. I started planning for it in July and it took lots of planning and telling fibs and lots of behind the scenes chatter with our friends and family to get him to his party without him knowing what was going on. Yes, he was surprised and I was so happy that he was happy!

The weekend after the big party I jumped into being the chairperson for our Rotary Club’s Pancake Breakfast. We had a great time, served lots of pancakes, and Doug got to play a minion for the morning, which was the theme for the breakfast.

Doug and I had another date night but this time we cooked at home together. We did shop first, to buy all of the ingredients for our meal. Grilled salmon, Swiss chard, cheesy rice and then we got a sampler box of cookies from the store for dessert that we had fun rating from 1-10. I love date night with my son. He is a great cook too!

I also spent the last two weeks in October canning and juicing and trying to put the garden to bed for the year. Here are a few pics of my preserving accomplishments this fall.

Here is quick video link of my favorite sound while I canned my grape jelly. Wait for it…

The Professional Domestic Facebook Video

I also have been working diligently on my project for my sweet Mom-in-Law’s Christmas present.

Almost done!

Of course between work, soccer games, Church, Rotary meetings, errands, bills, cleaning, preserving, date nights, cooking, etc., life has gotten a little overwhelming.

In the month of October both Scott’s mother and my father were in the hospital. Scott’s mom with a nasty bout of cellulitis and my dad with his second go around with colon cancer. They both are doing well and we appreciate all of the prayers and cards of encouragement we have received.

God has blessed us with so many small moments of joy these last few weeks. We are truly grateful for the good and even the not so good because in those darker times we have learned to persevere and enjoy the moments we have with our loved ones.

I will eventually get caught up on my Pie Challenge with you but until then I leave you with this beautiful night shot from our fall garden. Scott, Doug and I wish all of you a very happy, restful and thankful Thanksgiving this week! -MM

Week 7 Operation Pie Challenge

I was starting to have a problem coming up with an interesting variety of pies to use in this challenge and then I asked myself why I was limiting myself to just sweet pies? What about savory pies? This opened up a whole new world of recipes for me to try!

Have you seen this photo circulating on Facebook?

I thought it looked very yummy so I tried it one night for dinner.

Have you also seen those Facebook posts called “Nailed It” where the picture shows the epic fail of the person attempting to make what they saw in the photo?

Yeah, well here is my attempt to make the above mentioned taco pie.

Nailed it! Um no.

I was pretty disappointed. I did everything the recipe said to do and it turned out like this.

Just before writing this post I googled “taco pie” instead of going on Facebook to get the credit info for the photo and up popped the WordPress blog of Teresa Warner with the same photo. I thought that was interesting so I started to read some of the comments to see if anyone else had a problem with the recipe like I did. Every single person who commented said theirs looked just like the photo. “I must really suck,” I thought. Everyone else got theirs right.

Then one of the comments said that someone else was distributing this recipe and photo on Facebook with an altered recipe. Now we were getting somewhere!

I looked at Teresa’s recipe and sure enough the crappy dehydrated potato flakes the Facebook recipe called for as the bottom crust is actually supposed to be crescent roll dough. **Mental Head Slap**

I bet if I tried the recipe again using Teresa’s recipe it would look just like the photo and most likely taste a whole lot better my friends! I will be trying it again and I will give you an update soon. Moral of the story, do your research on these Facebook recipes that are circulating. From now on, you bet your sweet bippy I will! – MM

P.S. If you would like to check out Teresa Warner’s blog and the correct Taco Pie recipe click on the Taco Pie link below.

Taco Pie

Weeks #5 and #6 Pie Challenge Update

Week #5 of my pie challenge was a no brainer. We had apples coming out of our ears from our 3 trees so I made an apple crumb pie. I love the crumb topping once in a while when I just don’t feel like rolling out a second crust.

I didn’t take any pictures this time other than the finished product. Looks super yummy doesn’t it? The bottom crust was my standard pie crust that I posted about for the Maple Brown Sugar Apple Pear Pie. The apple filling in this recipe is really to your taste as far as how much sugar and/or cinnamon you prefer. The crumb topping is super easy and I really had never made a crumb topping until I had to make one for a pie one time at the bakery. I don’t know what took me so long to try a crumb topping but I am glad I did!

For the crumb topping I use a stick of butter, not too hard and not too soft, a cup of packed brown sugar and a cup of flour. I work the butter into the brown sugar and the flour until it resembles chunky sand. You don’t want it too finely worked into the dry ingredients but you don’t want big chunks of butter either.

Just spread the crumb topping over the apples in the unbaked pie crust and bake for close to an hour at 375 degrees or until the filling starts to get bubbly. Cool for at least an hour before serving (if you can stand to wait that long).

Week # 6 was Doug’s favorite Banana Cream. I was excited to try my old Betty Crocker Vanilla Cream Filling recipe with my newfound confidence of making the filling the way I had done the Mississippi Mocha Mud Pie. I had learned to make that filling by dumping the egg yolks in at the beginning of the process instead of adding them in slowly at the end like the older publications recommended doing. I couldn’t wait to try this new method with the old Betty Crocker recipe. Guess what? It worked out beautifully just like I thought it would! Woo hoo!

Here is the recipe from the old 1950s Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Vanilla Cream Pie for 9″ Pie

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch (I changed it from 3 Tbsps)
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups milk (whole milk is best)
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp butter
1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Measure out the milk and then pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes just to bring it a little warmer than room temperature. Doing this helps to jump start the process instead of standing there stirring it for an extra five minutes.

Using David Dial’s method in his blog Spiced add the dry ingredients in a saucepan and then add the milk and egg yolks to the dry ingredients using a whisk to combine. Heat all of the ingredients over medium heat, whisking constantly until it starts to boil.

Once it boils, boil for about 30 more seconds taking care not to let it stick and burn. It will get nice and thick and custardy. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

To prevent a skin from forming, lay a piece of plastic wrap right on top of the filling and chill until firm.

To assemble the pie, slice firm bananas into the bottom of a pre-baked pie shell. Next spoon over the bananas the vanilla cream filling. Then either pipe on (if you want to get fancy) fresh whipped cream with a pastry bag or spoon the whipped cream on top before serving. Yum! I highly recommend David Dial’s Blog, Spiced. Here is a link to his articles Spiced Blog

I have been struggling to find good pie recipes. I am not sure why. Most are too sweet or involve too much chocolate which Doug isn’t a big fan of. Then I thought why am I limiting myself to sweet pies? Why not explore savory pies? Ah I got your attention didn’t I? Until next time! -MM

Has Anyone Not Been Touched by Cancer?

Tomorrow my mom and I will be traveling to the VA Hospital to sit and wait while my Dad has his large intestine removed due to another go around with colon cancer.

At the age of 42 my Dad had part of his small intestine removed after his first diagnosis of colon cancer. For almost 30 years he has lived with a colostomy. Now at the age of 70 he once again is fighting cancer and all of his large intestine must be removed due to a cancerous tumor blocking the flow through it.

I am writing this post not only to ask for your prayers of healing for my Dad but also to tell you that this could have been prevented.

It had been five years from his last colonoscopy and for a man with this kind of history with cancer, waiting five years in between exams could have proven deadly. No excuse in my opinion, justifies not getting regular exams and preventative check-ups with your physician.

My Dad has not been the only member of his family diagnosed with colon cancer. His mother was also diagnosed in her fifties with it. That many years ago the treatment was not terribly kind. Although she did not have to have a colostomy she suffered decades of stomach and intestinal irregularities because of the massive amounts of chemo they flooded her small body with.

With this kind family history of colon cancer it was recommended that I start having colonoscopies in my thirties. At 38 I had my first colonoscopy and everything was fine.

Please, PLEASE if you have any family history of cancer or any other kind of preventable disease keep up on your yearly exams. It could be a life saver! -MM

Week #3 and #4 Pie Challenge

I apologize for my late delivery of week #3 ‘s Pie Challenge. We had a week of mind numbing busyness and Internet connection problems which will hopefully be resolved soon.

So here goes! Week #3’s selection was a Brown Sugar, Maple, Apple, Pear Pie. I made the recipe up myself because I had plenty of apples and pears on hand from our trees. I chose brown sugar instead of granulated sugar because Doug loves brown sugar. I thought “let’s try it!”

Both the apples and the pears were under ripe and very tart in my case so please adjust the sugar to your taste.

The filling:
About 2-1/2 cups sliced pears
About 2-1/2 cups sliced apples
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pure male syrup (not the fake stuff people)
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp soft butter
6 Tbsp all purpose flour
A little extra butter to use for brushing on the top crust at the end along with cinnamon sugar

Combine everything into a large bowl and set aside to prepare the crust.

The crust:
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups all purpose flour
About 6 to 8 Tbsp ice cold water

This pie crust my Granny taught me is a very standard crust. In her day lard would have been used instead of the shortening.

Incorporate the shortening into the flour with either a hand pastry blender or a fork until the shortening is well distributed throughout the flour.

Add the ice cold water a Tablespoon at a time using the fork to blend just until you get the crumbs to start to stick together. Do not stir! If you over mix you will get a tough crust and if this happens throw it out and start over.

Roll half of the dough (reserving the other half for the top crust) out on to a lightly floured wooden surface. Always flour your rolling pin as you go not your surface after the first initial flouring. If you mess up do not re-roll the crust it will be tough.

Using a metal spatula gently slide underneath the dough after you have rolled it out freeing it from the surface you rolled it out on (Maybe I should do a tutorial on pie crust technique).

I roll the crust up onto the rolling pin and then lift it over the pie pan. That’s one of the easiest ways to get a crust into the pan.

Fill the bottom crust with the pear and apple filling and then roll out the second crust and crimp the edges to seal everything in. Brush the top crust with melted butter and sprinkle on a little cinnamon sugar mixture

Bake at 375 degrees for at least 45 minutes. In my opinion the pie is done when you insert a knife through the filling and it doesn’t hit a hard apple.

We loved this combo although I didn’t really get a lot of the maple flavoring. I might increase that or outright remove it the next time. This was a sweet pie but the apples were so tart that it worked our perfectly. Again if you like a tarter pie then decrease the sugar to your liking. Also you can always use your own pie crust recipe or even a store bought crust if you like.

Week #4 Pie Challenge -Key Lime Pie

My husband loves Key Lime Pie. Everytime I make it though it’s not what he really pictures. I found this recipe for Key Lime from the Smitten Kitchen. Let’s see what he thinks about this recipe.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2015/01/key-lime-pie/

The Smitten Kitchen does such a great job of explaining how to make this pie that I think I will save myself the time and let you check the blog and recipe out for yourself. I added my own pictures below to prove that yes I did actually make the pie haha!

Although this recipe was the best scratch recipe that I have ever tried for a key lime it still did not satisfy the picky husband. I have come to conclude that the kind of key lime he wants is really the tacky green dyed stuff from a box. Sigh…. I do hope you try this recipe though! -MM