Sunday, September 29, 2013

Sugar and spice...

I've been having such a wonderful fall so far. Apple pie, clear crisp skies, and brightly colored leaves.


I like to put raisins in my apple pie and I have a trick which imparts a deep luscious flavor. I put 2 small boxes of raisins in a small sauce cup and cover them with Sugar Maple Liqueur then I bring them to a simmer. As soon as they simmer I turn off the heat and let them soak while I make the crust and pie filling. Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and sugar are all I use otherwise, with a tablespoon of flour. By the time I'm ready to add the raisins to the apples, they've soaked up most of the liqueur.
Here's another little trick that will give your pie a luxurious flavor: put small pats of butter all over the apples before putting the top crust on. Oh, yummmmmm.
Speaking of crust, .5 cup shortening, .25 cup of butter, 2 cups of flour, a small amount of salt and 5-6 Tbls. cold water. Work it as little as possible for a tender crust. It can be harder to lift off the rolling board when so tender but I simply scrape under the rolled out crust with a long metal spatula to release it. Works a charm. I also coat the top of the unbaked crust with a beaten egg and then sprinkle sugar over all.
I think I need to make another pie tomorrow.
The trees above are maples in my yard. So brilliant.
Over the past 24 hours I primed the walls and ceiling of the bird room and put on a coat of paint. I did only one coat of primer and one of paint seeing how it's just the bird room. But I got good coverage with the paint and I'm not sure another coat would improve things all that much. Tomorrow I'll paint the baseboards and go shopping for a piece of vinyl for the floor. I'll cover the vinyl with hay. I have to build some perches, bring in some branches, protect parts of the windows (cut up flashing should work fine) and then the birds can move in. Yippee!

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