Blueberry Pie!

Today I made my very first blueberry pie!  kevin bought blueberries and he forgot to get tarts so I said don't worry about it, I want to try to make my own pie crust.  I must say I was nervous that it woudn't turn out but man it turned out awesome!

I prepared the crust 2 days ago, I wasn't sure exactly when i would make the pie, I just knew it would be closer to the weekend.  Making the dough for the pie crust made me nervous.  I followed the directions but it just didn't seem like it was coming together very well.  I just kept at it and smushed in a ball as best as I could, rapped it up and let it set in the fridge like the directions said.

I decided to go ahead and make the pie today and I took the dough out of the fridge and started to roll it out.  It was might hard to roll but once it warmed up a bit it went easier.  I was amazed that it wasn't cracking and falling apart like it was 2 days ago.  I rolled out bigger than my pie plate and put it in...super easy!  I made the filling next and then went on to roll my second ball of dough out for the top of the crust...again super easy...feeling really good about this pie now.  I felt so good that when i had the top on I took it off and used a star cookie cutter and cut shapes out...super crafty lol!

Once that was all done I egg washed the top, sprinkled with sugar and put it in the oven.  It smelt so good, looked awesome and came out amazing...and dam it tasted good!  I gave my hubby a peice and he literally ate it in 5 seconds...ok...maybe 5.5 cause he had to stop and tell me it was good lol!

Here's the recipe for Blueberry Pie

Ingredients for Pie Crust:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 cup unsalted butter
5 tablespoons ice cold water
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
optional - 3 tablespoons sugar for sweeter dough

Prep:

Use a stand mixer or a food processor to mix the dough.

Pour water into a measuring cup and add egg yolks and lemon juice. Beat with a fork. Add salt and sugar, if using. Drop in an ice cube to chill the mixture while you prep your flour.

Sift flour into the bowl of a stand mixer and add butter cubes. Use the paddle attachment and beat for about a minute until butter and flour are partially smeared together. It’s okay to have some lumps.


With the mixer on ‘Stir’, slowly drizzle the egg and water liquid into the flour and butter. Mix for another 60 seconds until the dough starts to come together. Stop the mixer, remove paddle, and using your hands, gather the dough together into a ball.

Remove pie dough from mixing bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Divide dough into two and flatten each piece slightly. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap. Don’t worry if dough is slightly crumbly, it will come together in the chilling process.

Chill dough for at least four hours and overnight if possible. Your pie dough is now ready to be used!

Dough discs may be frozen for up to five weeks.








Filling:

6 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 all purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Top of Pie:

1 egg
2 teaspoons sugar


Prep:
 
 In large bowl, combine blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon zest and lemon juice; set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry to generous 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness; fit into 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Trim to leave 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Poor in filling

Roll out remaining pastry. Whisk egg yolk with 2 tsp water; brush some over pastry rim. Fit pastry over filling; trim to leave 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Fold overhang under bottom pastry rim; seal and flute edge. Brush top with remaining egg wash; sprinkle with sugar. Cut steam vents in top.

Bake on baking sheet in bottom third of 425°F oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F bake until bottom is golden and filling is bubbly, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool on rack.

Serve and enjoy with icecream!!!

  •  






  •  * Just a note, make sure your pie crust is thinner than what you see here.  This was my first one and it was a bit too thick, it should be nice and thin....it was still yummy though :) *

Crap!

Tonight for dinner I made crap!  My sister in law made up the recipie or got it from somewhere and she calls it "crap" because you just throw a bunch of ingredients together.  This is great if you need to feed a lot of people, great for camping trips or even parties.  This recipe can feed 3 adults and 2 kids and you still have lots left over!  We still have half of the casserole dish left over for lunch tomorrow :)  If you need a lot more or want to freeze some just double the recipe :)

Crap

2 boxes extra creamy Kraft Dinner
1 can of mushroom soup
chilli powder
hot sauce
pepper
1/2 cup of water
1/2 - 1 cup chedder cheese
1 package of bacon

Cook kraft dinner as instructed on the box.
While Kraft dinner is cooking cook the pack of  bacon.
After kraft dinner is cooked and prepared add the can of mushroom soup and add half a cup of water and mix all together. 
Add hot sauce chilli powder and pepper to taste.  This will depend on how hot you want it to be.  I use franks red hot sauce and probably put in 2-3 teaspoons,  about half a teaspoon of chilli powder and half a teaspoon of pepper.
After your bacon is cooked chop in up into small pieces and use 3/4 of it in the mixture, mix all together. 
Pour into a cassarole dish and sprinkle chedder cheese and the rest of the bacon on top.
Back at 350 for about 15-20 minutes!

And yum.... Crap! :)

If you try it, let me know what you think! 




Update!

Well, I thought I had made an update but nope.  I guess I forgot.  Anyways we've been in our new place for 20 days now.  It's been a long 20 days or unpacking, organizing, keeping the boys entertained, fixing things and getting rid of a lot of stuff.  How can we have soooo much stuff?!  I didn't think we had a lot but apparently I was wrong.  So far I must have gotten rid of 10 boxes of stuff and have more to go through and get rid of.  Things are slowly coming a long.

Had a scary day about a week after we moved in.  I was sweeping under the stairs and started having trouble breathing.  I went and sat down and tried to catch my breath.  I was weasing and my chest felt heavy.  I sat for a bit more trying to decide if I should wake the boys from there nap and head to the clinic or just rest and wait it out.  I stood up and though no, I should go...so I went upstairs and that was it for me.  I got worse and was having a very hard time catching my breath.  I started to panic which made it worse so I went back downstairs and called my mother in law and told her to come over and she told me to call 911.  I called 911 and it was pretty hard for me to talk, each breath was hard and trying to give all my into felt like forever to give.  After about 5 min of waiting the fire truch showed up first and the ambulance right after....must have looked so good to the neighbors lol.  Anyways they checked me out and gave me oxygen and said it most likely had to do with my allergies and that i have severe seasonal allergies.  We waited for my inlaws to arrived and then off to the hospital I went.  I waited about 2.5 hours or so to see the Dr and he told me that my i have severe seasonal allergies and that he doesn't even know how i'm able to breathe.  He said that my nasal passages are overlapping.  He told me that any over the counter stuff i've tried i'm probably already immune to so I was given a perscription for a allergy steriod and a neti pot type thing.  So far those things have helped. 

Hmm, what else...oh ya, Ryan did his level 3 swimming but didn't pass this time.  He's still a bit afraid and won't let go and try things on his own.  I took him swimming about a week later and put a life jacket on him and he did everything by his self.  I hope with more practice before his next set of lessons he will be more confident and do things on his own, but with out a life jacket.

I've been keeping the boys busy on summer days taking them to different parks....love summer and sun, i'm never home when it's sunny!  I love that it's light out longer and that it stays warm at night.

I think that's all I have to update for now....time to unpack and get rid of some more stuff....wish i would have done more of that before moving lol!


Quick Post

This is just a quick post...since I haven't posted in probably a month and need to update before I get too far behind.

Lots of things have been going on.

1. We are moving in 5 days!
2. Packing, packing and more packing.
3. Cleaning...and more packing.
4. Keeping the boys busy inbetween the packing.
5. Ryan passed level 2 preschool swimming and now will start level 3 July 2nd.  We very proud of him!
6. Took pictures of the boys..i've been slacking :(
7. Alex is still my crazy wild child and having a blast with everything.
8. New dishwasher bought for new place.
9. Should have packed...but was sunny so played out in the sun :p
10. Last day of preschool was today.

Picture time! 







So Proud!

So proud of my little man!  Ryan passed his preschool level 1 swimming class!! 

I took the boys swimming early and helped Ryan practice his back float before his lesson.  The teacher said he needed to relax a bit more and put his ears in the water while he was doing his back float.  We did it a few times and he nailed it.  He did 10 times better than Monday when we went and practiced.  I watched him do his lesson and he nailed everything.  I was one proud momma :D 

After his class he said "i'll be right back mom I have to go and get my reward"  How cute!!  He received his little swimming report card with his first badge on it!  He was one happy kid :)

Swimming

I forgot to post Ryans swimming videos.  I'm so proud of him, he's come a long way since he started just a few weeks ago.  He didn't have a lesson on Monday as it was a holiday but I took him swimming anyway so we could practice and be ready for his last session tomorrow.  I'm so excited for him to pass and move up a level! :)

I took these videos last week.  I wish I could take pics and videos of both my boys in the pool but that just isn't going to happen.

Ryan jumps in!


Ryan floats on his back!


Ryan hi 5's and oops falls in.  - That wasn't suppose to happen lol, you ccan see the look of shock on his face :p


So proud of my little man :)

Keeping Busy

I didn't realize I hadn't posted in a while.  I've been so busy with the boys and looking for a new place to live that I forgot about the blog :/  oppps. 

Ryan is doing really good in swimming.  He's come a long way in just a few sessions.  He went from being scared to blow bubbles in the water to putting his whole face in and he's getting better at relaxing on his back.  If all goes well on Wednesdays last session he should be able to move to the next! 

I love having time with Alex in the pool while Ryan has his lesson.  He's such a water baby and jumps on my back while I float around. 

I've been searching for a new place for us to move as Alex needs his own room so Kevin and I can have ours back for a little while.  With my mother in laws help I was able to view a townhouse and just got a call to view another townhouse and am waiting for both to call back.  I hope the 2nd calls back first so we can view it and then I can decide which I like better.  I might choose the first only because we do gain a garage and a play room and as far as I can tell from pictures the 2nd doesn't have either.  The more space the better.  I explain to Ryan that eventually we will be moving and he came to view the first one with me and got all excited and already choose his room.  Of course it was the master bedroom lol and I told him no no no, that's mommy and daddy's room...you get one of those small ones :p  He choose one of the others and luckily it was the one I had in mind for him.  I hope the transition for both boys will be easy.  They don't know any different as they've been in the place we are at now since birth. I think it will be a bit hard in the begining, especially at night but we'll get through it as it happends.

I'm slowly starting to get rid of stuff  I haven't worn or used...I don't want to pack it all.  I'm already feeling very overwhelmed at the thought of packing and moving...oh ya and then there is un packing.  ick lol!

Anyways, not sure what else to update on besides being busy and it being 12;07 am and can't think of anything else to write lol...so on to adorable pics of my boys :)







Super Good

About a week ago I went to the leisure center to get a family pass.  Kevin didn't make that much last year so we got a family pass that usually costs 900 bucks for the year for only $12.75!!!  How sweet is that!  We are so taking advantage this year and going swimming, skating, working out and what ever they offer! 
I've been wanting to sign Ryan up for swimming lessons for a while and now that summer is upon us...(i hope)  I felt that now is the time.  So today I decided to take the boys swimming at a pool I used to go to since it's one of the nicest in my area.  As soon as we got inside the boys were super excited (I didn't tell them where we were going :p ).  I needed to get our passes since the other rec centers printers were down and so I asked about signing Ryan up and the lady told me the dates and times.  I choose Mondays and Wednesdays at 1030.  Luckily we were just in time for his first lesson!  I asked how much is was going to be and because we have the "low income" pass - thanks to hubby for making crap last year lol...we got him in lessons for only $12.50!!!  Usually the lessons are $57.00 for 8 sessions.  Totally scored again!  We arrived just before 10 so we had a bit of time in the pool before his lesson started then Ryan was off and Alex and I had our time in the pool together.  This is going to work out really well because Ryan will have his lessons with a swim teacher and Alex will be with just me so I can focus on just him...so in a way they both get lessons at the same time aaaaand since the lessons are in the same pool I can also watch Ryan from time to time, while I play with Alex!

Cell phone pics of the boys...Always super happy :D


Busy

So it's been a while since I posted last.  My last post was of our cat Rex, I posted and couldn't come back....I couldn't see the post of his sweet face and be reminded that he's not here anymore.  Here's what happend since I never did explain.  The morning of April 2nd Kevin went to check on Rex cause he hadn't seen him the day before and he went to the den to say hi, he picked him up gave him some pets and put him down.  Rex just fell to the floor and meowed.  He tried to get up but couldn't, when he tried he just fell down.  We've known for a while that his time was coming, he was sick a few months earlier and became very skinny then all the sudden he gained all his weight back.  Plus he ws 12 years old...he was a little old man.  Anyways after a few tries of getting Rex to walk and failing Kevin woke me up...and again I hate to hear the words that something was wrong with one of our cats.  I got up and went ot Rex, picked him up gave him some hugs and put him down and again he fell to the ground.  My heart was hurting...this wasn't good.  I picked him up again and just held him and told him I was sorry and that I loved him.  Kevin suggested that we finally put him down, we couldn't let him suffer any longer.  It was a hard and easy decission at the same time.  I got a box...and a towel....put Rex in the box and said my last goodbyes....he tried to get out of the box but his back legs wouldn't let him.  I knew he was scared and didn't want to go...be we had no choice.  Then Kevin took him and he was gone. 

Kevin texted me before Rex was put down, he texted 2 pictures of him...he looked so tired but ready to go..it was his time.  Kevin said the doctor said that he had a huge tumor that was blocking his bowel and paralized his back legs so that is why he couldn't walk.  He said that Rex probably hadn't eaten in 10 days or so and that was why again he had lost so much weight.  We never did find out why our first cat Mutant died but we are sure she had cancer as well as she had a huge lump in her belly.  CANCER SUCKS!!
Rex was the sweetest cat ever, he was such a big furry kitty bear that would never hurt a fly, would never swat at anyone and loved being pet.  He really is missed and is going to be missed for a very long time.

Anyways on happier notes...Kevin is doing well at his job...still not doing exactly what he wants but he will soon.  He got one of the highest raises in the company so he was pretty happy about that.

I've been busy with the boys and getting a lot of sewing done...plus I take care of my friends boys once a week.  The boys are doing good...growing fast, testing me and testing eachother and just being boys!






RIP REX

<3  Miss You


Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Tonight I tried another recipie off of Pinterest.  I made Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo, it was pretty good but I felt it was missing something.  Hubby bought fat free chicken broth so that was probably the problem.  I added salt to mine and it helped.  When hubby got home and fixed his plate together he added bacon and salt....I just starred and thought omg why didn't I think of adding bacon!  He said it was really good.  So, that's it, next time i'm adding bacon! :)

Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
2 cups roasted broccoli florets
8 ounces fettuccine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch ground nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
Whisk in the flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, Greek yogurt, milk, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring gently, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan.
Add cooked chicken and broccoli to sauce mixture, followed by the cooked pasta. Toss to combine and serve with more Parmesan, if desired.

Prep Time
10 minutes

Cook Time
15 minutes

Servings
4

Give Away!

Do you like freebies?  I do!  I'm having a give away on my facebook page Moms Make the Darndest Things.  Come and "Like" my page and once we reach 200 likes I will choose someone to win a FREE Door Sshhhlamer!!

What's a Door Sshhhlamer you ask.  A Door Sshhhlamer wraps around your doors handles covering the door jam so it makes it quieter while checking on your sleeping baby/kids.  (you can see pics and video on my page of how it works)  I use one for my sons room and what a difference, I'm not waking him up anymore when I check on him.

If you aren't a winner when the winner is choosen you can purchase the Door Sshhhlamers from me.  Buy 3 and get the 4th FREE!

I also make tons of other stuff, such as baby blankets, pacifier clips, taggie blankets, baby wipe cases, crayon rolls and more!

I hope to see you there, and please share the love and pass my page around! :)

Thanks!

Click link below!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Moms-Make-The-Darndest-Things/164716646899773

I baked... a lot today!

This morning when I got up I had an urge to bake...I wanted anything and everything so I made what I could with the ingredients I had.  I made Lemon Bread again...gosh that stuff is soooo good!  The most amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies i've ever had and peanut butter cookies...just cause I could!

I've made Lemon Bread before and if you want the recipie you can find it here: http://myworldmylife365.blogspot.ca/2012/02/lemon-breadloaf.html

Here's my chocolate chip cookies...a friend gave me this recipie and i'll never use another again!

and now for the ingredients :)

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 chopped walnuts optional
1.  preheat oven to 375
2.  combine flour, baking soda, salt in mixing bowl
3.  cream butter and sugars in another bowl, add eggs vanilla and beat until smooth, put in fridge for  8-10 minutes
4.  drop batter onto ungreased tray
5.  cook for about 10 minutes ( this is pretty exact )


I like peanut butter cookies but hubby likes them the best.  As soon as he was done dinner he was right into them just as I knew he would be.



These are the easiest cookies to make, and anyone can do it!  Here's what you need.

1 cup Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter
1/2 cupsugar
1 egg
 
Seriously, that's it.
 
Mix all ingredients until well blended, roll into small balls or use a small scoop, place on ungreased cookie sheet , flatten with a fork and bake at 325 for about 8-10 minutes!



Party Time!!!

It's party day!!  We are having a joint birthday party with my friends boys.  Quentin turned 2 on the 8th and Harpers birthday turns 4 on the 19th.  We thought it would be easier just to get the all done at once.  It actually went pretty well and the time went by so fast!  I still can't believe my baby is 2..I wish they could stay little forever....without the random tantrums lol!

I made the cakes for the party.  I choose a Monster theme since all 3 are little monsters lol!  I stayed up until 1:30 am finishing the cakes and thanks to my lovely hubby for helping with one of the cakes which near cake time wasn't surviving very well.  I guess it was too warm and the icing was too soft and it was litterally melting away.  We got some good pics before the mishap so i'm happy about that!

Here are the 3 cakes I did for the boys.




Aren't they adorable!  Everyone loved them!


I also made these goody bags...love them! :)


The party went pretty good, I felt it went a bit fast...I wanted it to last all day.  I did end up staying with my boys and a friend for about an hour longer after everyone left to let the boys play...they love it there.   All the kids had a great time!

I took a few pics of the set up...nothing special..just kind of thrown together lol!  You can't really do much when it's not at your own home...but it still looked good :)




Ryan...so happy it's Alex's birthday!


Having a ball!



<3


kids!

Cake time! 





lol, I love the look on Quentins face here!


Thanks to everyone who came out for Alex's party, and to those who joined Laurie and I to celebrate our boys birthdays together.  I hope everyone had a great time :)