Easter Crack

Remember my recipe for Gooey Chex Mix, i.e. Christmas Crack? (You can find it here.) I decided to jazz up the recipe for Easter by adding some pretty pastel Sixlets...

After cooling, I gently spooned the mix into individual treat bags, using free tags from Smilebox.

I think they turned out kinda cute. 

Happy Easter!

April 2, 2013 is World Autism Awareness Day. Join Autism Speaks in Lighting Up Blue.

Feeling Just a Notch or Two Above Hillbilly and Hooker

My daughter is getting married in May and I have to buy myself a new dress. Most women enjoy shopping for new clothes. I don't. I have been to all of the retail clothing stores in town that have reasonable prices (like JCPenney and Kohl's) and have not found a single thing that I like. The fact that I could stand to lose a few pounds doesn't help, but body weight is not the point I want to make here. This is the problem. I have had to resort to shopping at the more expensive department stores and I have major insecurity issues when I walk through their doors. I feel like there might as well be a big black tattoo on my forehead that says "I don't belong here." You know, kinda like Vivian (Julia Roberts) in the Pretty Woman scene where she is shopping in a boutique on Rodeo Drive in her prostitute garb. Yep. I can totally relate. That is exactly how I feel, only I wear "camping clothes" (jeans and a t-shirt) instead of hooker attire.





This reminds me of a time in the '90s, when Don and I drove a 1985 Chevy Astro Van and decided to buy tickets to the Parade of Homes. For those of you who do not know what the Parade of Homes is, it is an opportunity for the public to tour brand new houses, usually in the $1,000,000 +  range. Seriously, we might as well have been riding in the Clampett contraption from the television series the Beverly Hillbilly's.

Our Sweet Grandbabies...

Another slideshow by Smilebox

Tip to Prevent Pie Crust Edges from Burning and Bonus Turkey Pie Recipe

As I was getting ready to put foil around the edge of a pie I was about to put in the oven, the thought occurred to me to share my tip on how to prevent pie crust edges from browning too fast.

When I was a young cook, I use to cut up long strips of foil and try to arrange them around the pie. This always frustrated me because the foil would either fall off or end up sticking to the crust. I don't remember where I learned the following technique, but it is pure genius... and easy. Basically, if you know how to cut a snowflake out of paper, you can do this.

First you need to tear off a piece of aluminum foil that is approximately the size of your pie.

Then fold the foil in half so it looks like this...

Fold once more into a square.

Take your scissors and cut the folded corner.

Open it up. 

Gently set the foil on top of your pie and carefully turn the edges under. 

Now you are ready to place your pie in the oven. While baking, the crust edges will not burn and the center of the pie will become golden brown. 

Turkey Pie

I have never been one to make pie crust from scratch and I'll tell you why. The first year I was married, I brought a Lemon Meringue Pie made with a Pillsbury crust to Thanksgiving dinner. When my grandma (known for her perfectly flaky pie crusts) tasted my pie, she complimented me saying I had done a wonderful job, especially on the crust. I figured if Pillsbury could fool grandma, why even try making crust from scratch?! I am not ashamed to admit that I've used refrigerated pie crusts ever since. 

Ingredients

2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts (or equivalent store name brand) 

Filling-
2 cups shredded turkey
1 cup shredded potato (I have used frozen hash browns, thawed.)
1 small package frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 eggs
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tea. dried basil
1 tea. garlic powder
1/2 tea. black pepper
1 tea. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Stir until well blended. Spoon into pie crust. Place top crust over filling. Crimp the edge and create air holes (I had already made my pie before I decided to show it on my blog. Hence, the crusts edge is not as pretty as it could have been. (See the short video below for some decorative ideas.) Bake 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with your favorite gravy.