Our Thanksgiving in Pictures 2007

Food Glorious Food! Pie Crust Edition

Tomorrow, I will bake pies. I didn't want to bake them too long before Turkey Day because I don't like them when they get stale-ish. I found this Martha Steward recipe that I got years ago from my mom - who always went on and on about how wonderful it is in the food processor - only I never had one. I tried it today - and it is a snap. The recipe is terrific - and it makes THE BEST pie crust - ever. I thought I'd share - and tomorrow when the pies are baked - I'll post some pictures of those too!

Martha Stewart Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 + cup of ice water

Makes enough for 2 single-crust pies or 1 double crust pie

Making the dough:
1. Add flour, butter (very cold and cut into cubes), salt and sugar to food processor.
2. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-sized pieces remaining.
3. Add 1/4 cup ice water (mostly ice with water to fill spaces and drain 1/4 c very cold water off)
4. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. If needed add up to 4 Tbsp. more ice water 1 Tbsp. at a time) DO NOT overmix
5. Turn out onto work surface,; knead once or twice, until dough comes together - Chill
For easy rolling, always start with well-chilled dough, and a lightly floured work surface. Chilled dough will not soften as quickly as warmer dough; flour absorbs any moisture from the dough and prevents it from sticking.

Use this with any of your pie recipes.
Here are some other tips:

To Freeze Dough:

Put tightly wrapped disks in a resealable plastic bag. Label with the date, and freeze for up to three months. Defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Pressing: Place one dough disk on a floured piece of parchment paper. Using knuckles, press edges of dough to help prevent cracking.

Rolling: Roll dough to a 14-inch round. Using parchment, lift and wrap dough around rolling pin; carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate.

Fitting: To avoid tearing or stretching the dough, lift around the edge, and let the dough drape inward. Use kitchen shears to trim the edge of the dough to a 1-inch overhang.

Crimping: Fold excess dough under so it’s flush with (and on top of) pie-plate rim, and pinch to form a flat edge. Crimp edge of dough, if desired: Using your thumb and forefinger, press the dough gently against a knuckle from your other hand, and continue at regular intervals.

1 Preheat oven to 350°. Prick bottom of pie dough all over with a fork (to prevent it from puffing up or shrinking). Refrigerate until chilled, at least 10 minutes.

2 Carefully line dough with parchment paper or foil; fill to the top with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is firm, about 15 minutes.

3 Remove parchment and weights; continue baking until crust is golden brown and bottom is flaky to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before filling.

By following these seven simple rules, you can produce a flaky, tender crust every time.

1. When making the dough, make sure the butter is very cold.

2. Handle the dough as little as possible. Both the stretching of the dough and the warmth from your hands will further the development of gluten -- long, stringy protein molecules that form when flour is blended with liquid -- resulting in a tough dough that's difficult to roll out.

3. Since our pie-dough recipe yields two single crusts, divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a flat disk before wrapping it in plastic and chilling. This will make it easier to roll out each crust into a perfect circle.

4. Chill the dough thoroughly (at least 30 minutes) before rolling it out, and use a minimum of flour to dust the rolling pin and work surface. Brush excess flour from the rolled dough with a dry pastry brush before transferring it to the pie plate.

5. For an extra-crispy pie crust with a golden color, brush the unbaked top crust with water, and sprinkle it with sugar.

6. For a shiny pie crust, brush the unbaked top crust with an egg wash made from one egg and 2 tablespoons cream.

7. Cut decorative vents in the top of a double-crusted fruit pie; vents allow steam to escape and prevent the fruit juices from overflowing.

Holiday Ebook Project

I am working on another project! I am working on another ebook and I need your help. I am making a "Family Holiday Favorites" ebook with favorite recipes, craft ideas, memory makers, thrifty tips, etc. I am going to give away the finished product to five of you who contribute to this book. Please send me recipes for your favorite holiday meals, cookies, candy, pies, etc., fun things to do to celebrate the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and/or Hanukkah and New Years), thrifty ways to make your holiday dollars stretch without skimping on the fun and festivities, etc.
Please send these ideas to me via email at julientexasATsbcglobalDOTnet. Be sure to include your name, city & state and country if you're outside the US.
Please help me get the word out!
Email me if you would like the button or banner that will link back to my blog. It is the first one I've ever made - I did it myself! Woo hoo!

I Don't Know How to Say Goodbye to You

I made this video from random snippets of our trip to WV almost a year ago now at Thanksgiving time. It may not be of much interest to anyone who wasn't a part of these memories - but it means everything to us. I miss our friends so badly - and it is hard to imagine not going to see them this Thanksgiving! I hope this will be a little piece of love to help them remember us - for now! We'll see them soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who happens to stumble across my humble little ramblings. We are leaving tomorrow morning bright and early - that is if I can get my butt to bed tonight and away from this computer!! There is so much to be thankful for - even when life seems to be throwing curve balls, the Lord is good - He loves me and He cares about my every need, counts my every tear, and knows my every dream.
When I was growing up, as a child of divorced parents, I often wondered if there really was a God. Yes, I had heard about Him but seeing no tangible evidence of Him in my life, I was sure that even if there was a God, He didn't care much about me. I bounced around - often by my own choice- between parents, state to state, school to school. I was lost in the deepest sense that a person can be lost. I never felt again like I had as a child - secure in the comfort of knowing I had a home and a family where I belonged. It was all fractured. Then one year at Thanksgiving, my mom and I went to a co-worker's house for our holiday dinner. The previous year we had had turkey pot pies, and this rabid traditionalist woman my mom worked with was not letting that happen again! I remember pulling up to the house, that was all decorated for Christmas and nestled deep into the woods in the Georgia countryside. The family was huge -aunts, uncles, grandparents, the whole kit and kaboodle. I remember in my heart, I made a prayer - sharing the desires of my heart that the Lord would one day give me a family like THAT one. Well, I grew up and got married - had children of my own, and never really thought about that day again. Eight years ago this past September, after ten years of marriage, my husband and I were finally able to buy our own house - and I was filled with that sense of being "at home" once again. Our son, Kullen was about a year old at the time, and we would occasionally lay down in my bed and take a nap together. Around Thanksgiving time, I remember stretching out, and staring out the back window of my bedroom as I was unable to sleep. As I looked at the beautiful woods, and the leafless trees, I remembered that Thanksgiving day as a lost little girl, and my dream-my wish-my prayer for a family and a home again. I realized in that moment how very real God was and that His love for me enveloped every part of who I was - even intimately caring for the desires of my heart! I was and still am so truly thankful for that gift.
I pray that you might know the depth of that love He has for you this Thanksgiving.