Just think…. Jesus left the splendor of Heaven

Wow!

He loved us so much

that He could not bear the thought

of living forever without us,

so, He came to our rescue

by taking the punishment for our sins.

The Bible says that

“the wages of sin is death,

but the free gift of God is eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord”.

Jesus’ birth

was God’s most precious gift,

sweetly wrapped

in a fresh-from-heaven baby,

filled with wondrous love,

goodness, mercy, and grace,

glowing

with the joy Heaven.

Have you received His gift?

Just ask Him and He will freely give it,

and then

the angels will have a party ,

a huge, joyous celebration,

to welcome you to the family of God!

(Luke 15:7 says so!)

Don’t know how? Click here

and then click “How to know God”

and watch the video.

Oh come let us adore Him…

It was the day after Christmas. A pastor of a church in San Fransisco was looking over the front lawn through the window when he noticed that the baby Jesus was missing from the Manger display. He hurried outside and saw a little boy pulling a red wagon down the sidewalk. There, was the baby Jesus, tucked under a quilt. The minister walked up to the boy and said, “Well, where did you get your passenger, my fine friend?”

The little boy replied, “I got Him at church.”

“And why did you take Him?”

The boy explained, “Well, about a week before Christmas, I prayed to the little Lord Jesus, and I told Him if He would bring me a red wagon for Christmas, I would give Him a ride around the block in it.” ~Author unknown

(Oh Honey!!)

***********************************

I thought, since I’ve been talking about heavenly things, I’d like to share with you a recipe that I think the angels must have whipped up….

Dreamy, Creamy,

Brown Sugar Crunch Apple Pie!

Start with :

1 Pie crust in pie plate-crimped and ready to go!

Creamy Filling:

1/4 cup butter (melted over medium heat until lightly browned– then cooled)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

In small bowl beat sugar and egg until fluffy. Stir in flour and vanilla mix well. Beat in butter.

Pour creamy mixture into bottom of crust.

In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, set aside.

• 4 large Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and sliced thin-1/2 inch)
• 2 Braeburn apples (or any other kind –two different kinds of apples will enhance the flavor)
• To the bowl of apples, add sugar and cinnamon mixture, stir until coated.
• Pour sugared, apple slices into crust. Pile higher in the center.

Brown Sugar Crunch Topping:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

Mix the flour, both sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples–press lightly. Dot with butter.

• Cover edge of crust with foil or a pie shield.
• Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Serve with vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream.

I tried Pillsbury Pie Crusts for the first time this week and they are pretty good! So when you are under a time-crunch, they will save you time and make a great pie. I still think homemade crust tastes better, but any way you make your pie, it will give you that “June Cleaver” feeling!

Thanks for stopping by for pie!

Blessings and Hugs!
Ruthann

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There are two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

~Albert Einstein

stomp the ice off your feet

and come in to my warm country kitchen…

The weatherman urged people to stay in their homes, the roads were far too icy and dangerous to travel. Fortunately, we knew an ice-storm was on it’s way, so we stocked up the day before, just in case. So, while the wind whistled a frosty song, I simmered a batch of Chili with all the toppings and trimmings. Fritos Corn Chips, shredded cheddar cheese, French’s French Fried Onions, sour cream dollops, Jalapeno slices, sweet cornbread and butter. Hot Mulled Cider steamed in the crock-pot all day, with mugs standing by waiting to be filled. We sat by the fire and warmed our backs , while our simple meal warmed our tummys.

Checkerboard Cherry Pie

1 double crust (recipe below)

4 tablespoons Minute Tapioca (one tablespoon to layer on bottom of crust)

3 bags (6 cups) frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract

• Place dough in pie plate, crimp, sprinkle Minute Tapioca on bottom of crust
• Mix cherries with sugar, cornstarch, 3 tbls. tapioca, cinnamon, salt, Almond Extract
• Pour cherry mixture into crust
• Roll out other half of dough, cut into squares.
• Place on top of cherries in a checkerboard design
• Brush with milk and sprinkle sugar.
• Cover crust edge with foil to prevent it from burning.
• Place foil lined cookie sheet on bottom rack to catch juices.
• Bake at 375 for one hour or a little longer, until the juices are thick and clear.

Cherry pie is not my favorite, but this is a good pie if you like cherries. Next time I think I’ll make a Checkerboard Blackberry Pie. I love anything “checkerboard” so this is a fun and different design to do….easy too!

Happy Homemaking Tips!

Creating a happy baking atmosphere is important. It opens the door to a more joyful cooking experience. (Girls just wanna have fun, right?)

Little lamps with amber shades really warm up the nooks and crannies. The right lighting makes all the difference. Lamplight is cozier than overhead lighting which can sometimes be glaring.

Mama Gingerbread and her two sugared girls!

Adding a bit of whimsy to your rooms

is a delight to the eyes and warms the heart.

***************************
It’s Pie Time!

Here is my favorite double pie crust recipe:

(Carolyn Weil’s Butter Pie Crust )

1 cup cold butter (2 sticks)

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cold water

Cut the cold butter up in small pieces.

Put in mixer (or you can use a pastry cutter,

it’s just easier in a stand-up mixer.)

Mix on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl.

Form into a round disk and cut in half. If you are making a double crust fruit pie, make one side a little larger than the the other for the bottom half of the crust. Form both again into a disk shape. Wrap one in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until you need it.

Sprinkle the surface with flour and roll the dough, turning the disk a 1/4 turn gathering flour underneath to keep it from sticking. You can roll on top of parchment or wax paper if you want to. If it tears, no biggie, just patch it! Roll it on your rolling pin to transfer it in the pan. Be careful not to stretch the dough to make it fit, patch again if you need to. If you stretch it, it will shrink and become a very sad pie, trust me, I know!

I think the hardest part is rolling the dough and transferring it to the pie plate. I learned by studying an online video. Carolyn Weil at Fine Cooking is amazing at pie making. Google “Carolyn Weil video” to see it. (I tried to link it but it didn’t work)

For juicy pies I always sprinkle Minute Tapioca at the bottom of the crust to prevent it from getting soggy.
My Peach Pie Recipe: Fresh peaches are best, but you can use frozen.

1 double crust
3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
10 fresh peaches (remove skin) or 2 bags frozen, thawed
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
dash of ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Place bottom crust into pan and flute.
• Sprinkle Minute Tapioca on crust bottom.
• In a bowl add peaches, sugar, flour, cornstarch, nutmeg,
• Toss until mixed.
• Pour into pie crust.
• Dot with butter.
• Roll out other half of dough and cut into long strips.
• Lay them in a criss-cross fashion to form a lattice. (you don’t have to weave it)
• Tear off ends and tuck inside next to crimped edge.
• Brush with milk and sprinkle sugar

Bake on middle rack for 1 hour or more, until the juices are bubbling thick and clear. I always cover the edge of my crust. You can use foil or a pie shield. Place a foil lined cookie sheet on bottom rack to catch juices.

Well, thanks for stopping by for pie!

May God bless you this Christmas season!

And I’ve just got to tell you that Jesus is the only way to true joy and happiness, and He loves you to the moon and back…and then a zillion times that! He has wonderful things planned for you that you can’t even begin to imagine! You just need to let Him sit in the driver’s seat…and just wait for the ride of your life!

No eye has seen,

and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared

for those who love Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9

P.S. Thank you girls for all of your kind comments!! Love it, love it, love it! I really wish I could post more often, but the best I can do for now is about once a week. Maybe after Christmas I can get to it more often. I really, really enjoy sharing my thoughts with you all, and it’s even more fun to hear that you like it! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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