A Gift He’ll Love

Do you struggle to find the perfect gift for the men in your life?

Well, everybody knows, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

My husband’s grandmother, Eva died several years back at the age of 92.  Up until that time, she was the official pie maker in the family.  Her apple pie was a favorite of both my husband and his dad.

Luckily for them, my husband visited her before Thanksgiving, the year before she died and helped her make and bake her pies.  And as he did, he wrote down everything.  I say luckily, because her apple pie did not have a recipe, other than in Eva’s head.

The first year I took over making Eva’s pies, I was tempted to try to find a fancier apple pie recipe.  Because much to my surprise, she used store bought canned apple filling and apple sauce in her pie.

But there is something special about her recipe… and the way her pie tastes, that really is the way to their hearts.

So this week, when I needed a gift for my parent-in-laws… Eva’s Apple Pie was top of my list.

Despite coming from a can, this pie is absolutely delicious.  It turns out perfectly every time.  (Something I can’t say other apple pie recipes I’ve tried.)  It’s applesaucy… which is very old fashioned… and the crust is divine.  And it’s easy.

Here’s her recipe:

Eva’s Apple Pie

For the crust (makes three crusts):

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 pound of lard
  
• 1 cup of ice water (I learned the hard way, you don’t use even closed to all of it.  Usually I use about 1/2 cup of the ice water.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut up the lard into pieces and place in the freezer while you measure the dry ingredients.  Sift together the dry ingredients.  Add the lard into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter and incorporate thoroughly.

Add about 1/3 cup of  ice water and stir with a fork.  Then add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough pulls together.

Cut the dough into three equal parts.  Lightly form into disks.

Turn disk onto a floured surface and roll out into a round to fit into a 9″ pie plate.  Roll out second crust for the top.

For the filling:

• 1 can of Wilderness Apple Pie filling (More Fruit preferred)
• 1 cup of applesauce (she used chunky style)
• sugar
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• evaporated milk and sugar (for the top of the crust)
  

Mix together the pie filling and applesauce.  Pour into pie crust.  Sprinkle top with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Top with second crust, making sure to vent the top with slits.  Flute the edges.

Using a pastry brush, paint the top crust with evaporated milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Place in a 375 degree oven until golden brown.  In my oven that’s about 45 minutes.

For a perfect pie tutorial click here.  I used Eva’s recipe for crust for this pie, but I used the same techniques shown in the tutorial.

Breakfast Love

I love making a special breakfast on Valentine’s Day.  And since Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year… there’s actually time to enjoy a leisurely morning.

Here’s few easy ideas for showing your love with food this Valentine’s Day morning:

Heart Shaped Muffins

Using your favorite muffin recipe, place the batter in paper baking cups.  Then add a marble between the paper cup and the tin.  This makes a heart.  Mine didn’t turn out quite as perfect as I hoped… I will use a little less batter in each cup next time, but they were still fun.  And they tasted divine.

One of our favorite muffin recipes is Ina Garten’s recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins.

Here’s her recipe:

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.

They are ready for the oven.

And the results.  The are semi-heart shaped and not perfect.  I’ve had them work out better and I think I added too much batter to each cup…  But it didn’t matter too much, they are still delicious.

Egg in a Heart

These couldn’t be easier.

Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out a heart shape from a slice of bread.

Butter it up a bit.  Butter up the heart too.  I’ll put it on the grill also.  It can be used to dip in the egg.  Waste not.

Place the bread in a hot frying pan with some butter.

And crack an egg in the center.  Cook until golden brown and flip over.  Cook until desired the egg reaches desired doneness….

And serve it up….

Can’t you just feel the love?

Giveaway Winner

I loved reading all the entries for this contest… and one thing is for sure.  We love our chocolate.  Lots and lots of chocolate!

But we also love thoughtful, handmade gifts and cards….  Both are my favorites as well.

I’m hoping for funny and sweet handmade cards from my kiddos.  And I wouldn’t be sad about a little box of chocolate covered raspberries from Cummings in Salt Lake.  They are my favorite.

And now for the winner:

20. Sarah King |  February 1, 2010 at 2:18 pm

A handmade (or well-thought-out) gift is my favorite kind! I just love the sweetness of Valentine’s day.

Congratulations Sarah!  Email me with you address so I can send out your lovely necklace as soon as possible.  I’d love to get it to you before Valentine’s Day!

I also want to add a special thanks to Pink Chandelier for sponsoring such a wonderful Giveaway.  Be sure to drop by their blog to check out all their beautiful, hand-made jewelry.

Sharon’s Valentine Caramels

Don’t you love when the door bell rings and it’s a friend on the doorstep with treats?  Yesterday, as I was busy cooking a dinner for the teachers at our school, my door bell rang.  And much to my delight it was a friend sharing her delicious homemade Cinnamon Caramels.

They were so fun and delicious that I was surprised to find out they were made in the microwave… and take around ten minutes to make.  Is that possible?

Yes.

And Sharon generously shared her recipe with us all.

Thank you Sharon, they are absolutely delicious.  And they are so pretty and perfect for Valentine’s Day.  Now if you’ll excuse me.  I’m off to the store to buy cinnamon and anise oil… I can’t wait to try them out myself.

Microwave Caramels

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Light Karo Syrup (not dark-doesn’t set right)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Buttered 8×8 baking dish

Melt butter in large microwave bowl. Stir in Karo syrup, both sugars and sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high 6-6 1/2 minutes. Stir down and scrape sides of bowl every 2 minutes.

Stir in vanilla and nuts (if you add them at all).
Pour into buttered dish and refrigerate until set.
Cut into squares and wrap each in wax paper. Enjoy!

(Sharon’s note: I have made these at least seven times and they have turned out perfectly every time. I have found that 6 minutes and 15 seconds is the perfect length of time in my microwave.)

To use up the other half of the condensed milk just make another batch. Don’t double the recipe cause it doesn’t work.

Sharon’s Note:

*To make yummy cinnamon caramels, instead of adding the one teaspoon vanilla, substitute one half dram of cinnamon oil, (I got mine at Gygi’s) and half a teaspoon of red food coloring paste.

*To make licorice caramels substitute one half dram of anise oil and half a teaspoon of black food coloring paste.

Make it Do- Valentine Hair Clips

Last week, when I was fiddling with making my Pom Poms and Hearts Brooch, I made some fabric covered buttons.  I wanted to incorporate them into the brooch.  But after fiddling, I decided they didn’t work.

I had to find another way to use these cute buttons.  And the obvious answer was to make hair clips.  Which, as a mother of twin girls, we can never have too many of.

Here’s how I made them:

Using the template provided with the button kit, cut out your fabric of choice… remember to center the pattern in the middle of the circle, if you desire.

Have you ever made fabric covered buttons?  If not, you’re in for treat.  They are SO easy.

I tuck all the fabric down into the mold.

Lay the back on.

And pop it down.

And out pops the button.

Here’s one easy way to turn my button into a hair accessory.  Using a thinnish hair elastic band, slide it through the shank of the button.

And pull one end of the band through the other.  Give it a tug to make it tight.

And it’s ready for pigtails.

But I’m not done yet.  I want to make a hair clip, too.

For this button, I pressed the shank flat against the back.

Open the hair clip and hot glue the button to the clip.

And instead of wasting my cute buttons, I’ve put them to good use.  They will look so fun with the girls new skirts.

Short Winter

So the groundhog saw his shadow this morning.  And we’re all a buzz about it at our house.  No, there are no groans… they are all downright happy.

They want to go snowshoeing again, and skiing.  They want to build another snowman… this time a whole family of snowpeople.  And they want to build an igloo… this time one that stands up and has a roof.  And don’t forget the hot chocolate, Mom.  If Winter was over, we couldn’t have any more hot chocolate until next Winter.

Those who try to avoid winter find it long and cold.  Those who enjoy winter find the season short.

And don’t forget to enter Make it Do’s Giveaway of a Wonderful Pink Chandelier Necklace!  The contest runs through Thursday and all you need to do is leave a comment on Monday’s post.

Valentine Giveaway!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day… and because love is in the air…

Make it Do is giving away a beautiful Pink Chandelier necklace….

This gorgeous necklace has not one or two… but four charms.  Each of the charms comes with a swivel clip so you can interchange them easily.  Clip one to bracelet chain… or add one to another necklace.

Each pendant is handmade with clear beveled glass and is hand soldered.

I love the “Be Mine” charm…   This necklace is glittery and sweet, just like Valentine’s Day.

I received a Pink Chandelier necklace for Christmas this year… and I love it.  It’s my college team… a Utah Utes charm and necklace.  My girls got Pink Chandelier necklaces for Christmas too.  Their necklaces have dainty little monogram charms with a bird on the other side…. so sweet.

If you are interested in their wonderful jewelry check out : The Pink Chandelier Blog.

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on what treats you love for Valentine’s Day….  Is it chocolate?  Homemade sugar cookies?  Or is jewelry the way to your heart?  Maybe it’s foot massage?

RULES:

One entry per person, please.

Contest will end on Thursday, February 4…. at 10:00 PM Mountain Time.

The winner will be announced on Friday morning.

And many, many thanks to Pink Chandelier for sponsoring this fun Giveaway!

GOOD LUCK!

Pom Poms and Hearts

Earlier in the week, I showed the Girly Skirts I made for my girls.  But I wanted to add a little extra something sweet to the outfits for Valentine’s Day.

Then I had an idea at 2:00 am that seemed brilliant and I wanted to give it a try.

Like most ideas I have at 2:00 am, it didn’t work out exactly as I hoped.  In fact, I had to play and play with this project to come up with something I was really happy with.

The idea was to use pom poms, which my girls love.

It turned out to be a brooch for the skirt.  A skrooch…. no… a brirt… definitely no.

No, It’s just a brooch… best worn on a skirt.  But it might be really cute on a scarf too…. or a coat.  In the end, the project turned out to be much more simple that I thought… which I love best of all.

Here’s what you need for this project:

• approx. ten yards of yarn of choice- not too fine or you’ll need more
• small amount of red felt
• small amount of pink felt
• a safety pin or broach pin
• freezer paper
• I will posting a heart template on Saturday…. I used the inside and outside edges of a small cookie cutter.

Here’s how I made this project. Start by making pom poms:

Wind the yarn around your fingers.  I used approx. 4 1/2 – 5 yards of yarn.  The amount sort of depends on the thickness of your yarn.

Slip it off your fingers and tie a piece of yarn around the bundle, pulling the string very tight.  Make sure your string has about a 6 inch tail.  That gives you something to hold on to while you’re making the pom poms… and also is what allows the pom poms to dangle from the heart.

Using sharp scissors, cut through the loops.

You should have what looks like a really shaggy pom pom.  It needs a hair cut.

Give the pom pom a good trim.  I need to warn you.  You can cut for what seems like forever to get it looking perfect.  That’s why I think perfection’s overrated.  Your pom pom will be about 1″.  Leave on 6″ tail coming from pom pom.

Repeat the process and make a second pom pom.  Get out your broom.

Next for the heart:

Trace your two hearts onto freezer paper.  I used the outside and inside edge of the cookie cutter.  My outside heart is about 2 1/4″ wide and the inside heart is about 1 3/4″ wide.

Iron the freezer paper template onto your felt.  Make sure the waxy side is facing down toward the felt. You will be making two red hearts and one smaller pink heart.

Cut out the heart.

Peel off the freezer paper.  Using the freezer paper heart template, make a second red heart.

Repeat the process to make the smaller pink heart.  Now you should have two red hearts and one smaller pink heart.

Blanket stitch the pink heart to the first red heart.

Now for the second heart:  Clip the back twice for a pin to be inserted later.

Like so.

Tie the top of the two tails of the pom poms together.  Clip the yarn at the top close to the knot.  On the second heart with the slits, using a zigzag stitch, sew the pom poms to the heart.  I made sure my pom poms came out on either side of my heart.

Place the two hearts together with the strings from the pom poms sandwiched in between and stitch around using a straight stitch, right along the outside edge of the pink heart.

And it’s done.  I stuck a safety pin through the slits to attach to the skirt.  And that’s it.

This project was easy and I absolutely love how it dresses up the skirt.

Baking Soda and Vinegar to the Rescue- Again

The drain in the kid’s bathroom has been slow the last few weeks.

I wanted to find a solution to unclog the drain that didn’t include calling a plumber- too expensive.

And didn’t include Drano- too toxic.

I did a Google search on “How to Unclog a Drain Naturally” and found my old friends and cleaning champions-  Baking Soda and Vinegar at the top of the list.

I could hardly wait to give them a try.  This process works with a slow drain, I don’t think it would work with a drain with standing water in it.

Here’s what I did:

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 large pot of boiling water

(I removed my pop-up drain stopper first.) Carefully pour the baking soda down the drain.  Follow with 1 cup of white vinegar.  Let it stand for about 15 minutes.  Then I poured a pot of boiling water down the drain.

It was moving a faster, but still a bit slow.  So I repeated the process.

The second time worked like a charm, I heard a gurgling noise (which sounded encouraging) and when I poured the boiling water in, it really went down fast.  Now it drains as fast as when it was brand new.  Totally amazing.  And to think, I just used what was in my pantry, no $$$ out the door.

***** A quick update:  It does help to put a rag or stopper into the drain to make the bubbles go down instead of up.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, I did restrain myself… barely.  I had only one cookie today.  I was making them to give away… and somebody needed to make sure they were edible… right?  And when they are warm out of the oven… you would have to have more self control than me to not have at least one.  Since I needed 5 dozen cookies to give away, I doubled the recipe and had enough left over for my family.  And lucky too, I would have been in big trouble if I’d given them all away.

I love these chocolate cookies right out of the oven.  They are classic served with a glass of milk.  They just what a chocolate cookie should be:  chewy and soft on the inside, and slightly (perfectly) crisp on the outside.  And did I mention buttery.  And chocolaty.  They’re my favorite.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/2 lb. cold butter, cubed
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 to 2 1/4 cups flour (bread flour)
• 2 cups chocolate chips
  
• up to 2 cups walnuts or pecans (optional)
  

Cream butter cold with sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, eggs, and baking soda. Add flour in small amounts until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if desired. Drop by teaspoon (I use a small ice cream scoop) onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes at 375°. (Don’t over-bake—the cookies should appear slightly wet on top)

Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

This recipe is great doubled to make 6 dozen cookies.  (When doubling use 3 whole eggs.)

1. Cube up the cold butter.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.

3.  I always crack my eggs into a separate bowl, just in case I have shell go into the egg, it’s easier to grab it out. Add eggs and vanilla.

3. Mix in the soda.  Then add the flour a little at time until mixed in.  Be careful not to over mix.  Add in the chocolate in carefully… again don’t over mix.

4. Grease your cookie sheet.  I spray it with a little cooking spray.  I love using a small ice cream scoop.  It’s fast and the cookies are more even.

Because I am making 6 dozen, and am always in a hurry, I place 15 cookies to a baker’s half sheet.  Mostly it’s recommended to cook 12 to a sheet.  What are rules, but to be broken?

I cook them until they are a little golden around the edges.

Make sure to eat one while they are still warm.  The next day (if there are any left) and you want a warm cookie, you can put them into a preheated oven for a few minutes or into a microwave for 5 seconds or so.

One note about altitude.  I have a friend who mentioned she hasn’t been able to make a good cookie since she moved to our town of Alpine, Utah from Austin, Texas.  Here we live at close to 5,000 feet.  And that is the problem with her cookies.  I find I often have to add more flour to my cookies than a recipe states or I wind up with pancakes.   For this recipe I add about 1/4 cup more flour than the recipe calls for to compensate for high altitude.