Today I entered my very first photograph contest. The contest was through the blog http://thepioneerwoman.com/ She has contests fairly often and I've been inspired to enter!
This is the photo I entered. I took this shot in February the morning after we got 18 inches of snow!! It was truly a winter wonderland! When I looked at the photos that were submitted so far today, I was awestruck! I was so proud of my photo...and still am, but geez!!! I don't think I stand a chance! But that's ok, it's just fun to be a part of it! When I last checked, there were over 60,000 entries!!

A Perfect Gift

There is nothing more satisfying than peeking into the hen house and finding a beautiful, perfect, pastel colored egg. I am especially thrilled when the egg is still warm. What a perfect little comfort. What a perfect little gift from nature.
Sometimes, if the egg is still warm, I can't resist touching it to my cheek just ever so slightly. Some may think "eww" but the egg is perfectly clean, and I haven't died yet! I am in awe of animals that produce food. If you look to the earth and all it's plants, animals and water, you will find everything you need to sustain your body.

Yummy Strawberry Raspberry Pie Recipe!

As promised, here is the recipe for the strawberry raspberry pie I made for Easter. As you can see on the recipe card, this is a recipe for strawberry pie, which...you can use to make several delicious creations by just adding a large handful of raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries. I have noted in the directions at what point you should add the berries. Click here for my double crust pie recipe. crust-pie-recipe.html This is a tried and true recipe that always gives me great results! Once you've mastered a homemade crust, you will never go back to store bought again!! Also, you've got bragging rights when your pie is 100% homemade, from scratch, the real deal, the way it was made in the olden days. Also, check out my "tips" for making a pie. Definitely helpful!! One last note: If you're new to pie making, don't be afraid...pies are fairly forgiving...with a combination of fruit and sugar and yummy crust, how can you possibly go wrong. No matter what it may LOOK like, in the end, it will be, by far, the most delicious thing you've ever pulled out of your oven! Your family will come running!

Here's some tips for ya!
1) when adding tablespoons of ice water to flour mixture, you MUST use ICE water for best results... just "cool" water won't do the trick. I find putting ice cubes in a coffee mug full of cold water and spooning tablespoons from that works best!
2) work quickly with the dough, the less time your warm hands touch the dough, the better...dough will become too soft to roll, become sticky, and you will find yourself adding more flour, and that is NOT what you want..too much flour means too crumbly and the dough won't hold together.
3) cover edges of pie with strips of foil before baking. This will prevent your lovely crimping pattern from burning and looking horrible! Remove foil strips during last 10 minutes of baking to allow edges to brown slightly.
4) place pie pan on baking sheet to prevent any bubbling over "goopiness" from dripping down into your perfectly clean oven.
5) before baking, brush pie crust with milk or half n half and sprinkle with white sugar. Don't be shy with that sugar!
6) if you don't own a pastry brush, make the $2.00 investment and pick one up on your next trip to the grocery store. It will make your life so much easier while brushing milk onto your pie crust. (wadded up paper towels dunked into milk serving as a brush don't work as well as one would think) hee hee!
7) Relax, and enjoy the whole process, after all, it's JUST a pie! and you can do it!!

It's All About..

This is a blog about doing things the old fashioned way...from baking a pie from scratch to growing your own food. Anything that tickles my fancy will show up on this blog. Anything that I am passionate about... quilting, gardening, sewing, baking, and cooking ...will show up on this blog. I am a beginner blogger, so bare with me. I am in the learning process and will be making improvements as I go. Stay tuned...who knows what adventures will show up here! I can't wait! I have been inspired by so many wonderful blogs, maybe I can inspire you too. Here's a pic of a pie I made for Easter this year. It was strawberry, raspberry...and it was oh so yummy! I will be posting the recipes for every bit of food I feature on this blog, but being as this is my first post, I just wanted to introduce myself and give you a little taste of what I am all about. The full recipe for this pie will be posted very soon!