I remember making homemade pies with my mom when I was a young girl. She would make the big pies cherry with lattice and her special apple pie. I would get to make smaller versions with the extra homemade dough and fillings. So, this year I wanted to make my pies with homemade dough, just like mom used to make.

With a little help from Betty Crocker

Since I was making 2 pumpkin pies I follows the recipe for a two-crust, 9-inch pie.

• 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons shortening
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 to 4 tablespoons cold water

I sifted my flour. This was not a requirement; I just like sifting my flour.

Add flour and salt in bowl. Cut shortening into mixture until pea-size balls form. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl.

Place a cloth over a large cutting board and lightly flour.

Next form 2 balls. Take 1 ball and flatten into a circle on your floured cloth. Using a rolling pin, carefully roll dough until it is roughly 2 inches larger than your pie place when it is inverted. I took my time with this step. Make sure you stop and re-flour your rolling pin often to avoid dough sticking to it.

Using your cloth, fold your dough into quarters to place in pie plate. Of course, I misunderstood this. I ended up rolling my dough. It worked out just fine for me.

Ease your crust into the pie plate and press gently and firmly into bottom and sides.

Repeat.

Remember, it doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfect. No one is going to see the crust once the filling goes in. Besides, mine didn’t even have the nice fluted edges, but you don’t see me crying over it!

Then it was on to the filling

My mother-in-law used to use fresh pumpkin she scooped and prepared herself. Sadly, she didn’t live long enough to pass this on to me. Maybe one day I will attempt it anyway. For today I used Libby’s pumpkin pie filling. The only ingredient: pumpkin. I like that!

Following the directions on the can I was able to comfortably make two pumpkin pies. One for my family and one for the neighbors.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mmm, Mmm, Good: Thanksgiving Edition – Let Them Eat Pie! is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

I think she would have asked where’s the fruit?

******************

A few months ago Dwayne acquired a gelatin/cake mold. It had been shoved in a corner gathering dust while I figured out what I was going to do with this thing. Then, the other day Dwayne had requested some Jello. Okay, truth be told he is always wanting Jello.

A study at Ball State University sponsored by Nabisco, the former parent company of Knox gelatin, found that gelatin supplementation relieved knee joint pain and stiffness in athletes.

-Wikipedia

So, I un-shoved the gelatin/cake mold and washed it with some hot, soapy water. Since it resembled a wreath I chose lime green gelatin (and Dwayne had just so happened to request lime). I used 1 large and 2 smaller packages of gelatin. I boiled 4 cups of water on the stove. I added the hot water to the gelatin and stirred for about 2 minutes. I then poured the mixture into the mold. Next, I added 3 cups cold water to the mold. It was refrigerated overnight (it was ready this morning, but wasn’t unmolded until tonight).

To unmold I filled the sink with warm water and dipped the mold into the water for about 15-20 seconds.

Note: make sure you have something to hold your unmolded gelatin. The mold I used was quite round. I ended up putting aluminum foil over a small pizza pan.

What do you think?

Oh, and just when you lift up and think the Jello isn’t going to un-stick, it will. Fwoop! Make sure you’re close to the center of your plate, cause trying to move your mold isn’t fun (or neat).

Mmm, Mmm, Good: J-E-L-L-O Mold! is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Trying to come up with meals to satisfy everyone can be a daunting task all on its own. Trying to come with healthy meals can be downright intimidating. Yet, somehow we manage.

These are just a few ways we make our favorite foods healthier
without losing any of the deliciousness we love:

Ⅰ. Grow a garden.

The best way to make your favorite foods even healthier is to supply your very own homegrown ingredients. This can be a great money saver, too.

Ⅱ. Buy locally grown.

If you can’t grow it yourself find someone who does. The shorter the distance from harvest to door the healthier it is for you. Find your local farmer’s market and u-pick farms and know what real food is supposed to taste like.

Ⅲ. Coconut oil.

Coconut oil is great for so many reasons. It’s perfect for cooking at high temperatures, thus making it a great alternative to other oils for stir fry. It’s great in a fruit smoothie, too. Try it instead of butter the next time you need a little grease in your pan. A little goes a long way.

Ⅳ. Canning and preserving.

Instead of buying jams, jellies, and even nut butters loaded with preservatives why not can your own. After your trip to the u-pick farm you’ll want to make sure all your hard work is not wasted. Jams are easier to make than jellies and are great for sandwiches, danish, and even homemade donuts. Freezing fruits and veggies picked at their peak will enhance your means all winter long.

Ⅴ. Use butter instead of margarine.

Whether baking or sauteing your foods will love you more if you use real butter over artificial substitutes like margarine. Concerned about fat and cholesterol, try using less butter in the recipe or substituting half for margarine and meet the recipe halfway.

Ⅵ. Venizen instead of beef.

Sure, not too many people are interested in eating deer meat, but it is leaner and healthier than beef and makes a great substitute when it comes to stews, steaks, and even hamburger. I mean, really, have you ever seen a chubby deer?

Ⅶ. Leave out the salt.

Yes, sometimes we need to add a little salt to our food. Most times, we don’t. Read the labels on the ingredients you are using. If salt is a main ingredient, then avoid adding more. Try alternative spices like pepper, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and more. There are so many great seasonings available, don’t limit yourself.

Ⅷ. Go meatless.

Make a stir fry of just veggies. Red, yellow, orange, and green peppers, onions, red cabbage, carrots, celery, garlic, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and more. Add a little wild rice and you have a filling and healthy meal, sans meat.

Ⅸ. Cocoa or dark chocolate.

Cocoa makes a great substitute for regular chocolate in desserts. Dark chocolate has healthy properties and is great for satisfying ones sweet tooth.

Ⅹ. Make it homemade.

We all lead busy lives. yet homemade is not out of our reach. I have a great pizza dough recipe that takes about 10 minutes to make. Make it a fun family night dinner and make individual pizzas for everyone. The dough makes 2 large or 4 small pies.

It’s all good

I always remember ‘everything in moderation’ and use that as my main rule of thumb. So many great foods and so many great ways to prepare them. Don’t limit yourself to just one way or say ‘low fat, salt free doesn’t taste as good’. Just imagine the world of flavor just awaiting you around the corner. Healthy can be tasty and you don’t have to give up your favorite foods to have it all.

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and WeightWatchers SmartOnes blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Ten Ways of Making Your Favorite Foods Healthier is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Note: The online recipe differs slightly from the one I used. I cannot find a date on my cookbook, but estimate it to be from the late 50′s to early 60′s.

Mmm, Mmm Good: Parker House Rolls is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Fine.

I had Amanda find a recipe online and we proceed to make our own homemade tortillas.

Not bad, huh?

The flour tortilla recipe was straightforward, but I would suggest having a marble rolling pin (which is what I used) or a tortilla press (which I will be purchasing).

I always hear the saying ‘never trust a skinny cook’. Not sure I completely agree with that. I mean, Gordon Ramsey isn’t fat. I prefer to say ‘never trust a neat cook’.

But, {yeah, there’s always a but} he prefers corn tortillas over the flour ones. So, tonight I made tacos for Amanda and searched for a different tortilla recipe. I’m fairly sure these were some odd version of corn pancakes. They were edible. They will not be made again. And a huge mess was made. Eh, these things happen.

Oh, you want to know how much it all costs?

Well, the flour was bought on sale for something around $1, but I also inherited an insane amount of flour from my mother when she passed. On average you can get a 5 pound bag of all-purpose flour for around $2. Baking powder is about $1 or so (again, I have several cans in the cupboard). You would think I bake/cook a lot or something. Salt is super cheap and most everyone has this in their house. And water is free! So, for less than 50¢ I made 11 delicious flour tortillas, I know every ingredient, and I saved money. ♫ Love it! ♫

Cooking 101: Homemade Tortillas is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Right now it’s somewhere in the middle which is how I ended up with three cups of coffee sitting in my French Press and no one to drink it. Not wanting it to go down the drain (figuratively and literally) I poured it into containers and in the fridge it went.

It must be fate.

Someone somewhere is trying to tell me something. I have read two posts this past month on the Toddy Cold Brew System. First there was Rachel, who reviews how the cold toddy system works. Seriously, read this before you buy one.

And of course Andrea of Mommy Snacks has a Toddy Cold Brew System giveaway going on right now. Hey, it’s always more fun to win something. {If you’re interested in this you better get to it. The giveaway ends Saturday, July 24th at 9 pm EST.}

Yet, my kitchen real estate will not allow for a traditional coffee maker, a French Press, and the Toddy Cold Brew System. How about you?

But I like my special, ridiculously expensive, I-would-never-pay-this-much-for-anything-else coffee.

Me, too! And now I can have that ridiculously expensive, I-would-never-pay-this-much-for-anything-else coffee without the ridiculous price tag. It’s really simple. I used my Bodum 3-Cup French Press, but you can use a drip coffee maker, percolator, or any other method you choose. Note, you’ll want to have your coffee made and cooled ahead of time.

All right, you’re coffee has been refrigerated and now it’s time to make some yummy cold coffee drink. YaY!

• Put about 6- 8 oz of coffee in a blender
• Add approximately 3 oz of milk (I like soy or almond)
• Toss in a couple ice cubes.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• Add desired flavors. I used a few drops of almond extract and cinnamon, but you can invest in flavored syrups. Just know this is not necessary and you can use what you already have in your cupboard.
• Blend together for about 20-30 seconds or until ice is crushed and drink is desired consistency.
• Pour into your favorite mug or cup (or leave in your little blender and save yourself a dish like I did)
• Garnish with a little spray of whipped cream, shredded chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, or whatever your little heart desires.
• Add a straw and enjoy!

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

Pre-making your coffee

• The first thing you have to figure out is how strong do you like your coffee. I really don’t want to put hair on my chest, but that’s just me. My French Press says to add 5 scoops of coarsely ground coffee. I add about 2 1/2 and it’s just about perfect for me.
• Next, well, maybe this should be first, choose your coffee. I used Maxwell House. We’re so not coffee snobs in this house.
• Follow the directions on your coffee maker. For mine I added my coffee grounds to my press. Then brought water to a boil on the stove using my mini tea kettle. Once the water comes to a boil, I pour it over the coffee grounds in the press and put the lid on (do not press down just yet). Wait approximately 4 minutes, then press.
• Let it cool a bit, then refrigerate for a nice cold coffee drink.

Need a new coffee maker?

Amazon is running a Buy Three Get a Fourth Free deal on their kitchen and dining items. There is so much more than just coffee makers here. It’s also a great way to start buying those holiday gifts instead of waiting until November and the big holiday rush. And if you have SwagBucks to redeem you can make this an even sweeter deal. It only takes 450 SwagBucks to earn a $5 Amazon gift card.

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for writing this post. All opinions are 100% my own. Amazon product links within this post. SwagBucks affiliate link used. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Saving Money 101: Specialty Coffee is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Why cashew butter? Well, I have peanut butter. And I have almond butter. So, it only stands to reason I would want to try cashew butter next. I made mine with 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews and canola oil. And check out this cute jelly jar. It’s about 3/4 full of yummy homemade goodness.

Homemade Cashew Butter is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

This year Stephen didn’t request any special meal for his birthday, but he did request a special dessert. Stephen made this with my mom one summer. I don’t know its origin. If it is you, please let me know so I can give you credit.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie

Cooking time (duration): 120

Number of servings (yield): 8

Meal type: dessert

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating:4 stars: ★★★★☆

Microformatting by hRecipe.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Lately I’ve been working on expanding my cooking knowledge.

First I made homemade noodles and learned I never have to buy egg noodles again!

The best part of homemade noodles [besides the homemade part] – they do not stick together after cooking like store bought noodles.

Last week I made homemade bread, which became garlic bread. I will be sharing all of that next week. I made a lot of homemade bread last year when I first became unemployed.

And two weeks ago I tried my hand at homemade bagels. These were such a hit that I made them again last Sunday for our lovely little breakfast prior to taking Megan back to school.

AND…

I will be making these again, per Amanda’s request.

First things first

Thanks to John D. Lee for posting this recipe over on HubPages.com. Be sure to check it out and see the wonderful images John has posted. He also posted a video on bagel rolling techniques. And if you try this out, make sure you drop him a comment.

«««««««««««««««««

Recipe: Homemade Bagels

Summary: Handrolled homemade water bagels as easy to make as a loaf of bread.

Cooking time (duration): 120

Number of servings (yield): 8

Meal type: breakfast

My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★

Microformatting by hRecipe.

Sesame Wheat Bagels is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Rachel of Shedding It & Getting It and Leah of Your Nutritionista have come up with a way to keep us all on our toes for the next 9 weeks with a little OTBchallenge!

To find the current week’s challenge just click on the week you want below:

Outside the Box Challenge

Starting Monday, March 1 and ending Saturday May 1, Rachel & Leah are going to give us a new “outside the box” task to complete.

[3/1] Week 1 – Frontier Girl [Guy] Test

The challenge: Make something from scratch that you would normally buy [and don't make regularly].

This was so much fun to read and do! I found a bunch of great healthy recipes I just have to try now. And that’s saying a lot for a picky [and I mean don't like eggs, beans, or most of the healthy foods picky] eater like me.

Check out my Sesame Wheat Bagels. Tell me these don’t look store bought. I dare ya. And they were quite tasty, too.

[3/8] Week 2 – The Core Fusion Shock Your Body Test

The challenge: Try a new workout. It can be a new machine at the gym, a new DVD, a class you’ve never tried before, or just a new and different way to do cardio or strength training. To make sure you really shock your body, it should be something you haven’t done for the past three months! [as taken from OTBC]

And to my surprise and delight the Core Fusion Collection is on sale right now at Amazon for $19.49. This was just over $32 the last time I looked. Oh, and with a free trial to Amazon Prime I’ll get this by Wednesday. Sweet!

Update [3/10]: Hard Core! Core Fusion Pilates Plus is five 10 minute workouts that will kick your butt! I made it through the first 2 sessions before crying uncle. I watched the third and thought Oh My Goodness, they want me to do WHAT?!?!?! But I ♥ pilates and core work is right up my alley. I haven’t done the plank in a long time. In my best days I could hold it for a good 2 minutes; today I was so glad it was a short 30 seconds then child’s pose.

[3/15] Week 3 – The Culinista Test

The challenge: prepare a meal ahead of time that you can get at least three meals out of (so the meal on day you make it, and then two more meals). [as taken from OTBC]

At first I was thinking this would be easy for me. I cook all the time and making a meal that will stretch, well, is not a stretch. But, I want to really challenge myself. So, I am going to make something that will transform itself into different meals stemming from its original self. Stay tuned…

Update [3/22] One Chicken, Three Meals [and counting]. It started with a baked chicken on Tuesday. One pot: whole chicken, potatoes, green peppers, & onions seasoned with black pepper, garlic, onion, & parsley. Thursday followed with a chicken stir fry. Using the leftover chicken from Tuesday, I tossed it in my wok with a little black pepper & sesame oil. Then I added carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas, edamame, & bean sprouts + a dash of soy sauce. Lastly, I made an open-faced chicken sandwich with gravy for lunch on Friday.

[3/22] Week 4 – The Stonyfield Know Your Food Test

The challenge: Research one brand you often purchase, whether it’s meat, dairy, or even fruits and vegetables, to find out what the company’s growing practices are. Try to address the following questions as you play detective:

• Are the company’s foodie philosophies and practices in line with your belief system?
• Does the company make an effort to share that sort of info with its consumers?
• Should you reevaluate supporting that company?
• What makes a brand worth buying in the first place? [as taken from OTBC]

Update [3/28] I didn’t track down images, but that is mainly due to me not wanting to become a full-on vegetarian. I know first hand what it’s like to raise, care for, and then kill [we culled 7 of our roosters last summer] your food. It’s trying to say the least. So, I was pleased to hear that Perdue Farms cares about their chickens, too. Although they are not free-range, they are not densely packed in cages either. No hormones or antibiotics and well-trained staff, as well as, being a vertically integrated agribusiness keeps Perdue Farms in the loop every step of the way.

[3/29] Week 5 – The SPRI Fantasy Fitness Test

The challenge: This week’s challenge is a two-parter.

1. Create your ultimate fitness fantasy. Your dream workout. The exercise session of your wildest imagination. Where are you? What are you doing and with who? Do you have a trainer? Who is it? What time of day is it?
2. Make it a reality. At least, partially. Try to incorporate ONE aspect of your fantasy workout into your workout reality this week, and then tell us about it. [as taken from OTBC]

Update [4/2] My ultimate fitness fantasy is quite simple. Lots of fresh fruits, veggies, nature, hiking, yoga, pilates, sweat, and the salt air of the ocean [the only thing I'm missing here in the mountains of Virginia]. This week I chose few words and let pictures do the talking for me. Go check out my fitness fantasy in pictures.

[4/5] Week 6 – The Note Your Nibbles Test

The challenge:

• Write down everything you eat and drink for an entire day or photograph everything you eat for an entire day.
• Also make note of how you felt at the beginning of each meal and the end of each meal. Were you stressed? Happy? Sad? [as taken from OTBC]

Update [4/11] Time is almost up and my nibbles have been noted. By comparison I definitely have much room for improvement. Overall, it was still a very healthy day considering I was gone from 9 am to about 5 pm with the kids [shopping, of course]. My favorite meal was my veggie stir fry. I had been wanting to try bok choy for a while now and finally did with this wonderful mix of fresh veggies. Mmm, veggies! Next thing I want to try is rainbow chard. It looks so pretty. I hope is tastes just as good, too!

[4/12] Week 7 – The Have A Little Herb Test

The challenge: Bring a new herb into your life — one you haven’t enjoyed in the past three months at least. And let us know how it goes! What did you choose and why? How did you use it? What did you think? [as taken from OTBC]

Oh, and there are prizes to be won. Everyone likes a little extra incentive, right? This week there is the book The New Healing Herbs and an amazing prize pack from Amazing Grass! AND, if you have been participating since week 1 you are still in the running for the grand prize. I am sure this will be something phenomenally awesome!

Update [4/18] This was took a bit of time to find. I have been wanting to try a little savory for awhile now. I made a nice little pork roast with a lovely little savory rub. Mmm

[4/19] Week 8 – The Don’t Pour Some Sugar on Me Test

The challenge: to go without added sweetener for a whole day. We’re defining added sweetener as any form of concentrated sweetener, natural or not (this means maple syrup, agave, and honey are all no-nos!). This also includes artificial sweetener. NOTE: this includes added sugar in those processed foods we love so much. [as taken from OTBC]

Now, to go play a little Def Leppard and rock out with my bad self! Oh, 1987, how I miss you and your hair bands. When girls were girls and you had to do a double take with the guys.

Update [4/23] Do you have any idea how much sugar, sweetener, high fructose corn syrup is in the foods we eat? I have come to realize that most of what I eat must just be crap. According to those who have already completed this challenge it was easy. Easy? I found it damn near impossible to find no sugar, sweetener, whatnot in my regular foods, that is, unless I just ate all natural stuff. Not a bad change, I know. I sort of completed this challenge on Tuesday, but I really wanted to partake of the stuffed shells I made, so sugar was consumed. I managed to complete this challenge with little issue on Thursday. Guess it’s time to re-evaluate the foods in my home. How about you?

[4/26] Week 9 – The Reflections Test

The challenge: Which challenge was the hardest, which one was the easiest, and why. [as taken from OTBC]

What a nice way to end a 9 week challenge to your routine. It’s always good to look back on things, assess, and reflect on its impact on you. I’m going to think on this a bit, although I do know which was the hardest test. The easiest test will take a little more time to decide. Patience is a virtue.

Break up with your routine

I’m going to keep a link to this post in my sidebar and update as each weekly challenge is posted then share a link to how I completed each week’s challenge.

Want to join in? Just submit your photo, video, or post about how you completed each week’s challenge. And be sure to check out what everyone else is doing and get inspired!

Oh, and I ♥ comments! Why not leave me one below and tell me what you’re doing to break up [with] your routine. And let me just say THANK YOU in advance.

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the OTB Challenge only. No compensation was received for writing this post. All opinions are 100% my own. Amazon product links within this post. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Break Up Your Routine #OTBchallenge is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010