Super Easy To Make Pie

I have to admit that no matter on what diet I would be on and how badly I would try to loose weight, my day is not complete without dessert... even if in small portions.

I am not an amazing cook but I'm always on the look for good recipes. Although baking is the hardest, in my opinion, as so many things could go wrong, I'm always excited about it.

Anyway, so today I've made a peach-strawberry pie.





Here's the recipe, in case you'll want to try to make something really easy, yet tasty.

PIE PASTRY:
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Crisco (or a vegetable shortening of your choice... I can't recommend butter or margarine as I've never tried them for this recipe)
1/2 ice cold water

First, add the shortening to the flour and salt. To mix it up you can use a pastry cutter, if you have one, if you don't use a fork or a potato masher. The mixture should have a crumbly appearance. Then, pour the cold water over the mixture and, using your hand, mix it all up. The batter should all come together. Put this mixture into the fridge and make your filling. You can buy pie filling but I feel that making your own is so much better. No chemicals added and you can come up with a zillion flavors.

I've made my PIE FILLING up so the following quantities are approximations.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
5 peaches peeled, sliced
10 strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional - if your mixture is too runny, the cornstarch will thicken it)

I put the butter in a pan over medium heat and when it melted I added the fruit slices. After about 5 minutes, when the fruits lost their crunch, I added the sugar and cooked it for about 5 more minutes. When I saw my mixture was too wet, I added the cornstarch and mixed it in fast and in about 10 seconds, I had a ticker consistency.

Now, the pastry can come out of the fridge. Take half of it and lay it over a lightly floured surface and roll it into an approximate circle bigger in circumference than that of the pie pan ( you need the pastry to dress the walls of the pan, not just the bottom). After placing the pie pastry into the pan, add the filling and then roll out the rest of the pastry dough into a lid for your pie. I've done a lattice top but you can just do a simple plain top with a hole in the middle. Attach your lid to the pie.

Bake it in a preheated oven at 425 Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes or until your top has become golden brown. ... and remember, don't open the over for the first 30 minutes! The making of the pie took me less than 30 minutes.

Have fun with it if you try it!

My Two Little Treasures

!!! HEAVY ON PICS !!!


I love my dogs. As a matter of fact, I can say I adore them. It's quite funny but I see them as my little kids.

Their names are Napoleon and Berri. They are two "gigantic" Yorkshires, one of which is chocolate in colour. That's a defect in the gene that gives the pigmentation... just like in humans we have albino people. Yorkshires are supposed to have black and brown fur but my little Napoleon is brown-orange-gray... with brown eyes, paws and nose instead of black.

Although he's the wrong colour, he's such a smart dog. Sometimes I'm even lead to think he might have been human in a previous life. Napoleon was my first dog...ever. My family didn't have dogs nor cats. I had a couple beta fish but they died - as they only live about a year. My parents were strict on cleanisiness and found a pet to be too much trouble. When I finally moved out, I got Napoleon. He was 5 months at the time and since he already had a name that fit his fisty, yet intelligent personality, we decided to carry on with the name given by the breeder.

Here are some pictures of him:

As a baby at 3 months


At 5 months:


Eating some stake:


... and having a sip of tea:



Showing some love:



After the shower:

Now, at one some months:

When Napolen was about 7 months old we decided to get him a friend; part so that he doesn't feel lonely when we're gone, part so that he stops bugging us to play with him all the time and part because we wanted another puppy. We then found Berri, who is such a sweetie. He's the more calm, sensitive dog. He gets easily scared and intimidated and unless you get him pumped, he'll never bother you. Napoleon on the other hand, knows how to press our buttons with his evergy and stubborn personality. Berri has an amazing sense of smell and he's crazy over toys. He's probably not as intelligent as Napoleon, as this orange dog is one of a kind, but Berri is the perfect family dog.

At first, when we got him, he looked like a little alien and was SO different from how Napoleon looked as a puppy. Berri has a big head, HUGE eyes, big ears and very thick, dense fur. That green paper on his ear was to keep his ear upwards. He had it for about a month or so.


His milk teeth:





His first winter:




I love them both and I couldn't pick a favourite. Napoleon and I have a special connecition as he was my first dog but Berri has such a kind heart and I am thankful to have them both.