Pie Inspiration

So, for some odd reason, I'm having this huge Martha Stewart moment and have been for awhile. I want to do projects around the home, reading Martha Stewart Living and Southern Living magazines for ideas, and bake. This isn't me. Well, I do love to organize and redesign rooms. I like the decorating, but not the crafts and baking. I don't know where this is coming from. It's not even winter!

So, having these cravings, I went out and bought a Paula Deen Pie Pan. I want to bake a pie. I really want to bake one for my husband; he's the cook in our family. I swear, I don't know why. It's crazy.

Now, I have baked a pie before for Thanksgiving. A homemade, made from scratch, apple pie. Now, it's time for a peach pie! Nothing says summer like a peach pie!

Am I this?

Not quite. At all. Hehe. Funny.

Anyway, I've decided on a recipe. I will try it out and report back!

Prep Time: 1 Hour Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes Servings: 8

Ingredients:

10 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions:

1.	Mix flour, sugar and butter into crumb stage.
2.	Place one crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Line the shell with some sliced peaches. Sprinkle some of the butter mixture on top of the peaches, then put more peaches on top of the the crumb mixture. Continue layering until both the peaches and crumbs are gone.
3.	Top with lattice strips of pie crust.
4.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden. Allow pie to cool before slicing. Best when eaten fresh.

Brown Sugar Drops

So, I decided to take my first whack at being a "domestic goddess" since I got married. And by "domestic" I mean the cooking. I have the cleaning nailed! I'm truly blessed to have married a man who loves to cook. This aspect of domestic goes beyond my normal pasta I'm good at making. I decided to bake something...from scratch. Oh, yeah! I made brown sugar drops, and I have the recipe for you!

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 tsp. of vanilla
1/4 cup of water or buttermilk
1 and 3/4 cups of flour (if using a self-rising flour, omit the soda and salt!)
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt

Oven:
Heat to 400 degrees

1. Mix shortening, sugar, vanilla, and eggs thoroughly. Stir in water (or buttermilk. I used water). Measure flour by dipping the measuring cup into flour and leveling off with spatula or straight edge knife.
2. Stir flour, soda, and salt together; blend into sugar mixture. Chill at least an hour.

 

3. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough about 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheet. (I did mine a bit too big the first time around, but I fixed it later.)

4. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly.

 
Makes about 36 cookies.

I'm very pleased with how they turned out! I actually want to cook, now.