Thursday, June 28, 2012

My Oh My It`s Apple Pie

Yesterday morning I was in a pie making mode.  Or more like I had told my husband that I would make one (first mistake) and the second (mistake) was that I bought everything for it.

This is the only pie recipe I make or have tempted to make with outstanding results.  I don't even make the crust.   After been told by  this person that shared the recipe  that she uses store bought crust, I figure I can do it too.  I use the frozen crust at the local grocery store. This is such a fantastic quick yummy dessert, that it`s really all about the apples and not about the crust.    Not even sure if I``ve ever made a pie crust before, pies are not my thing, but this one is so good.

On a side not, I have finished my last shawl this week.  Felt a little weepy wrapping them up, but I know they will be going to good homes. Will post some pictures shortly.

So get your pie plate out and your apples ready and make yourself and family this great recipe:

Sour Cream Apple Pie
Topping
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
Filling
1 1/3 c. sour cream
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 or 5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Pie crust (you can make your own, or use a pre-made one from the refrigerator section of the grocery store — I always do) fitted into a deep-dish 9" or 10" pie plate and chilled

To make the topping, in a bowl blend the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and flour until the mixture is combined well. Cover and chill the topping.

To make the filling, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and flour until the mixture is smooth. Add the peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples and stir the filling and apples together.

Spoon the filling into the chilled shell and crumble the topping evenly over it. Bake the pie on a baking sheet in the middle of a pre-heated 350-degree oven, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (You might need to put a bit of tinfoil on top of the pie during the last 15 minutes to prevent the top from burning.) Transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely.

This is my pie.  So dang proud ot it.

Enjoy yours.

Alice




Friday, June 22, 2012

How To Navigate Change

Maybe I'm boring some of you with these links to some awesome, insightful (at least to me)   reading,  but you never know when someone  needs to read the exact thing.

Lately my reading blogs have changed so dramatically, which is usually for me a sign of growth, onto a new area of  experiences..which is a great thing.
A few of these blogs I have been reading lately are related in one way or another..and frequently they share each other's writings. 

I just read this  today and it touched on some really practical processes for navigating through change.   We can certainly relate to that.   So here is Married With Luggage.


Be in touch soon,

Alice

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Terra 2


This is Terra.   The first one I made was  so awesome I wanted to make another one in the same yarn, and in this colour.   This a pattern by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed, first time doing a shawl of his.   Will definitely be checking out more of his designs.   Great patterns to follow.

I began knitting shawls for gifts for my family on May 21, and it will be exactly one month tomorrow.  I started working on shawl # 6 yesterday, the last one.   I was aiming to have them completed for Father's Day weekend,   as per this post,  but  I have had my time extended to completing them till the first weekend in July.    I'm so close to finishing them, that I don't want to start anything for  myself till they are all done.    It's been a very rewarding experience to challenge myself to this, I didn't expect to achieve as much as I have.

As far as this picture, I have to say it was totally (sort of) spontaneous.   I had not planned on taking a picture of myself with it, as I have never modeled my own shawls.   But after dinner I looked out in the front lawn and had a flash of this pose.   Sitting on the lawn barefoot with jeans and the shawl wrapped around like that.  I didn't even think of the fact that I needed to do my hair or  makeup, I just went as I was.

Of course I could see it  in my head what I wanted, now that trick was to get my husband to cooperate with the camera.    We took 6 pictures and I was so pleased at how well a couple of them turned.  It was rather fun.


It was tricky capturing the lace.  It's a very simple pattern, but even in this picture it looks flimsy and it's not. 




I know this picture has shadows in it but that's why I liked it so much.


Till next time.

Alice xox






Thursday, June 14, 2012

Impress Yourself

Hello friends, hope all is well in your life.

I have turned into a knitting machine in the last couple of weeks.   I am knitting gifts (shawls) for   my family overseas.   I have an uncle going there in July and he will take them for me.   I thought I had plenty of time till I found out he's  coming to visit his daughter in town for father's day and that was a great opportunity to give it to him personally instead of mailing it out of town.  So I have been aiming for 6 shawls in total..but I think I can only do 4-5 realistically.

One thing I have learned is self-disciplined through all of this. I keep telling myself " Alice get knitting !! "  I have discovered an  appreciation of hard work.    Knitting is a craft that takes a lot hours and dedication to do good work.  

I can show you one of the completed I just finished.  As well I wanted to share this really excellent article I just read. You are not impressing me.

These pictures are of Thunderstorm Cladonia.  Love this one..I'll have to make for myself.




I will share more when  I have more time and everything is finished.

See you soon,

Alice xox

Monday, June 4, 2012

Gaslighting

I found this blog through a link I followed and took me by total surprise how I felt upon reading it.      This article was originally written by a man.

So get yourself comfortable, maybe grab  a cup of tea and start reading Gaslighting.

Let me know what you think.

Be well,

Alice