This trip to Barcelona wasn’t my first. I had spent a few days there just after college when I was working in London. However, I only spent two nights and...
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This is so cute. There are many variations on Pinterest. I think the original idea came from the Free People blog which is worth looking at. I had these animals...
Last fall when I heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge I claimed to have felt bullied into donating since I didn’t want to make a spectacle of myself on Facebook....
We braced ourselves for the start of kinder this year. After all, we knew how pre-school had gone two years prior. She only cried every day for 1.5 years of...
It’s getting HOT and making pasta every night is killing me. I’ve been trying to branch out to more salads now that it’s summer. This is a really tasty dish...
Until recently I always bought the pre-made pie crusts. After hearing how easy it is to make a pie crust, I tried it. It IS easy!
Try it this Thanksgiving. It will add about 10-20 minutes to your pie making (depending how lackadaisically you go about these things…) and is sure to impress.
At first I was slightly worried because all the recipes I found suggested using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. But then I thought about Ma on Little House in the Prairie and wondered how she used her Kitchen Aid with no outlets in her kitchen. I realized it IS possible to make a pie crust w/out a $300+ kitchen tool. Thanks, Ma!
All you need:
1-1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 TBSP cold water
NOTE: This will make enough dough for ONE bottom crust. If you’re making a pie that needs a top crust, double this recipe.
Whisk together the flour, salt & sugar.
If you have a stand mixer, use your paddle attachment to combine the butter with the dry ingredients.
Here’s what your butter should look like:
I used this pastry cutter that my dear friend Nina gave me:
(She gave me that about 10 years ago and didn’t know what it was until I started cooking recently. Thanks, Neen!)
Keep cutting the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.
LOVE that shadow across the ingredients! Of course the one day my kids were out was DARK & rainy. Perfect for food pix.
Now drizzle in the water while kneading.
If your dough is “dry” and/or not coming together, add a little more water but go very sparingly on that. I added about another 1/2 TBSP
If you have the stand mixer, you can use your paddle attachment and mix until dough JUST comes together. I simply kneaded with my hands (which explains the lack of pictures). Then form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Quick & easy pie crust containing NO Crisco! Impress your guests! Impress your hosts! Impress yourself!
Ingredients
1-1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 TBSP sugar
¼ tsp salt
8 TBSP, cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 TBSP cold water
Instructions
Whisk together flour, sugar & salt in either your stand mixer bowl or just a large bowl if you don’t have a stand mixer.
Add cold butter pieces & cut them into the dry ingredients either with your paddle attachment on your mixer or with a pastry cutter.
Drizzle water in and combine or knead until dough JUST comes together.
Form dough into a ball & cover in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.
Properly wrapped, dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Notes
This makes enough dough for ONE bottom crust. If your pie also needs a top crust, double this recipe.
2.2.8
Placed in a freezer Zip-loc, pie dough can be stored in the freezer for 2 months. If you need it that week, you can make it a day or two ahead and keep in the refrigerator. Make sure it is wrapped properly so it doesn’t dry out.
Tomorrow: how to make a pecan pie with this dough!
Thank you!! Thank you!! I DO feel about 5 years younger! I AM well-rested!! No, it doesn’t hurt at all! The recovery has been amazing.
Wait a minute: I didn’t get a facelift – my BLOG got a facelift. Many thanks to my darling G, who worked late nights gittin’ ‘er done, Shane Zalvin for drawing the caricature in his non-existent free time, Serena Reid for painting the drawing with a minute’s notice, friends for giving me recipe & crafty ideas and the kids for providing endless material.
Since realizing I’m a Real Housewife of Santa Monica my goal is to share anything I find out along the way: things to do with kids, where to get a cocktail with your partner & kids (they get water), any good deals I hear about, a fun find, a local business I know you’d love. Once in a while I throw in a random rhapsodizing over the fragility of life, the beauty & the pain of it. But that will be kept to a minimum. All of the old recipes are here as well as some new entries I posted while we worked.
G is still working on the Recipes menu bar to make it more easily searched. The new sections (Kid Fun, Happy Hour & DIY) will get meatier as time goes on. If you notice any other odds & ends that need tweaking, please comment or email me at [email protected].
This was a painless & non-surgical facelift. Hope my next facelift is the same.
When I can I buy things in glass instead of plastic. Glass is more easily recycled than most plastics and usually better for the environment. You can also re-use the glass sometimes…
For example, I’m sure you’ve seen these preserves at your grocery store:
[Pic from the Bonne Mamman website.]
In the past I tossed the lids and used the jar as juice glasses. They’re really cute and I’ve never been one to have matching glasses (or dishes or coffee mugs for that matter.)
However, I’ve seen another mama out there bringing her children’s smoothies to the park in these (with the lid). This wouldn’t work for a certain 2 year old I know but it got me thinking about other uses.
Yesterday I made roasted brussel sprouts with a balsamic reduction and cranberries for my husband’s work Thanksgiving lunch. (Recipe coming!!) I gave him the hot reduction in the jar with the lid tightly screwed on. That way he could remove the lid and heat up in the microwave if needed.
I also store salad dressings in these!
Another jar I like is the Trader Joe’s Maple Syrup jar.
[Pic from images.fatsecret.com]
I use them as vases.
Saves me some Rubbermaid containers and provides really cute, original vases!
You can’t tell from this post but I’ve been distracted/obsessed with the storm that has devastated (and continues devastating) the east coast. Not only do I have loved ones there (my sis & niece as well as dear friends & extended family) but I worry for the future of my children. We are starting to have 100 year storms every 2 years now?? Can we do anything to lessen the intensity? Or do we just build stronger infrastructure and carry on as usual?
Regardless, I’m posting this as I wrote most of it last week and want to support this special local business that has a ton of heart!
***
It’s so easy to order gifts for people online with Amazon. But all the packaging that comes with it drives me nuts. I am such a cluttery person that I think it’s best for me to make the effort to actually go out & buy presents in person. Not only does it make me buy less, but I also save on all the wrapping & shipping.
The other nice thing about shopping locally is that you are supporting a person instead of a huge corporation. I definitely like seeing tiny unique shops in my neighborhood and the only way they’ll stay is if we actually SHOP there.
So I’ve started getting cute gifts here at Baby Daze lately.
Baby Daze is a resale shop for childrens’ clothing but they also carry brand new toys & books. A lot of the toys are Melissa & Doug (just to give you an idea of what’s there) but there are loads of other things like fancy bassinets
bouncy seats, barely used Bjorns, strollers (jogging strollers, Snap N Go’s and Graco travel systems).
Besides toys/gifts I’ve gotten some excellent deals at Baby Daze since it opened including a ski suit for my daughter for $17.99. It looks brand new. You know how ski suits go in Southern California – you use them 1-2x and the season’s over. That must be the story with this one.
Next year, Bea!
Also found a really cute pair of Tea Collection pants for her
and a Gap jumper.
Angela, the owner, also had (and I’m SORRY to post AFTER-Halloween!! Aggh – sorry Angela!!) Halloween costumes for $7.99.
She has hand-knitted caps right by the door as well as new baby gifts made locally. She also has loads of leg warmers (NEW) which make great baby gifts. If you have had a baby in the past few years you probably used them – great way to keep baby legs warm while making diaper changing easier! I was not able to get pix of everything as M was trying on shoes with abandon as well as packing a Melissa & Doug shopping cart with every baby toy she could find and strolling around and I got busy nagging her to put everything back.
Angela also does special events. On Nov. 17th at Baby Daze someone will be there making these adorable handprint ornaments. [Photo from Baby Daze Facebook page.]
$19 each OR Free with $50 purchase! Call now to reserve your space! (310)692-9650 or visit the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/babydazeboutique
[Besides Baby Daze, there is a special little jewelry store just a few doors down - called "Artful Things." Most of the jewelry is made by local artists and is just beautiful but there are other special gifts as well. Also, Twist is around the corner on 17th and has an eclectic mix of gifts including baby Havaianas, Christmas onesies, adult costume jewelry & trendy clothes/shoes, lip balms, jewelry boxes etc. Finally Bob's Market, one of the last small town grocery stores, is on the corner with a coin-operated horsey outside. I'll be writing about more local businesses in the near future & linking to this post.]
Have a big box of old baby/kid clothing? At Baby Daze you can “exchange” clothes for store credit:
[From her website:]
It’s Not Consignment It’s Better!
No need to wait and wonder when you will see the money.
I give Credit of 30% of my retail price per item. Cash will only be given with 3T-6T on request. Also at this time, I ask that you only use half your credit that day and return to use the other half another day.
My credit is good on anything in the store and never expires : )
We accept gently used clothes. No holes, stains, broken zippers or missing buttons. Freshly laundered. No cat hair etc.
Please bring clothes in a bag or box labeled with your name and number. I hope to get through them within a week and call you with your credit amount and leftovers for you to pick up.
People who know me know I hate driving. The more you don’t drive, the less you want to drive. Also, I think my eyesight is going and I’m dreading that puff-of-air-on-the-eyeball test at the optometrist. Regardless of my first world (non)issues, I heard about the Noah’s Ark Exhibit at the Skirball Center from loads of people and decided that, since M might be in school full time next year, I’d better get her over there while I still could.
You need to make a reservation ahead of time. This can be done online and is great as it keeps it from being too crowded.
Thursdays are free but since Thursday didn’t work out for us that week, we went on Friday after M’s Spanish class.
I was worried about braving the 405 only to find a crowded, hot & sweaty indoor playground covered with whatever the kids had for lunch. I also dreaded the parking situation which is a rational fear when you live in LA. All my fears were for naught!
It was a Friday afternoon around 12:45PM. When we pulled up, ours was the only car. There were plenty of parking spots. Parking is FREE!!! Parking is easy. You won’t lose your car here!
We shared a quick sandwich on the patio.
M is wearing her Aunt Charlotte’s vintage dress. How cute is that?
What is Noah’s Ark, you ask? Just what it sounds like – a massive wooden ark in the basement of the Skirball Center. It’s amazing!
Kids can rotate, slide, turn, pull levers, gears, wheels and stuffed animals (though not necessarily in that order!)
There’s a mini ark inside the big ark!
Comfy walrus chairs to rest on.
On the other side of the ark, children can make crafts. Today they were weaving.
Sometimes the animals …ahem…poop.
They have little brooms & dustpans to clean it up.
You can climb the ladder to the second floor.
And head back down on the walkway.
The tickets are for 2 hours. Which is perfect.
Noah’s Ark Exhibit
Skirball Cultural Center
$10 General
$7 Seniors
$5 Children 2-12
Free to all visitors on Thursdays
(Be sure to read the website for more info – for example: tickets much be purchased ahead of time online for Thursdays and other days.)
There’s a cafe and sandwich/salad cart. Parking is free!!
[Pic from images.fatsecret.com]
