MAKING A PIE IS... WELL... AS EASY AS PIE !

     Super simple even a 6 year old can make it.

Here are the step-by-step instructions.

     When my granddaughter Maddy came over I asked her if she wanted to make some cookies.  She said no.  "Then how about a pie?" I asked.  She laughed & said, "I knew you were going to say that".  

     So, I handed her a mixing bowl, a sifter, some measuring spoons, a metal spatula, pastry blender, a fork, a pastry cloth, a rolling pin and a small bowl of flour for dusting. 

     I turned to my flour bin & measured  2 cups of flour and told her to dump that into the sifter that was sitting over the mixing bowl.  Next I got out my mason jar of salt (buying in bulk is less than twenty-four cents a pound!) and told her to measure out 1 teaspoon of salt & level it off with the metal spatula, then sift them together (that was her favorite part & yes, flour was everywhere). 

     Next, I put in 2/3 cup of shortening into her bowl & showed her how to use a pastry blender (above).  I thought she'd give up right away (since it's such a tiring job for a 6 year old), but she didn't.  I told her to keep cutting in the shortening until the flour looked like gravel. 

     Our next step was not so easy for her.  Using about 1/4 cup of ice cold Apple Juice (or ice water) and the fork, I had to help her moisten the flour mixture by adding one tablespoon of the liquid at a time & then gently mixing it with the fork until the entire mixture was moistened, but not wet.  Once the dough became moldable in the palms of her hands, it was ready to be rolled out.  

   Our next step was to roll out the dough.  Since we were making an apple pie, we needed 2 crusts so after the flour looked like gravel (:/)  divided it in half & told her to mold them into balls (2 balls that looked like baseballs).  I flattened the first one into a disk, then had her use the rolling pin (starting at the center) and roll outwards, turn the dough, then roll again.  (It took her a few tries, but she eventually got it).

Soon, we were able to put it into the pie pan & dump in a jar of my Homemade Apple Pie Filling

(apples from Snow-Line Apples)

 Once the top crust was on, I showed Maddy how to make a fluted edge.  She caught on real quick. 

I then handed Maddy a butter knife & her little eyes got as big as saucers knowing that she wasn't old enough to have a knife.  But, I told her that she certainly was old enough to make a pie so she could certainly use a butter knife on the pie.  I showed her exactly where to put 3 slits.  (She got a little carried away & off-center, but, hey, that's okay because all we needed was to let the steam escape while baking & it didn't really matter where the steam escaped from!!)

     Her next step was to use a pastry brush & "paint" the top crust with some milk, then sprinkle cinnamon & sugar on the top.  Maddy's little eyes twinkled, but this little cook was serious about making a pie so she didn't even once lick her fingers or sneak a taste of the cinnamon-sugar mix.
     After baking in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, the pie was done, put on a plate and as soon as it cooled... well... you can see the results!

RECIPE FOR A TWO CRUST PIE

2 cups sifted flour

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening

1/4 cup cold apple juice or ice water

Sift the flour and salt together.  Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender til it resembles small peas.

Dribble in the liquid, one tablespoon at a time, over a small section of dry flour.  Use a fork to distribute the water and it starts to clump up (stick together).  Keep adding the liquid to the dry flour this way while bringing the wet and dry dough together with the fork.  Eventually it will look like a mound of moist dough.  This is good.  Gather it up in your hands pressing lightly to make a nice ball.  Cut it in half.  Pat out one of the sections into a disk & lay on a lightly floured table.  Then using a lightly floured rolling pen, quickly roll out to one inch past the diameter of your pie pan.  Place the rolling pen in the center of the disk and carefully lift up one end of your circle and place it over the top of the rolling pen.  Using both hands lift up the rolling pen with the dough on it and lay it on the center of the pie pan.  Both sides should drop onto the pie pan.  Adjust if necessary to be evenly laid out.  Gently tap in the pie dough so that it is laying inside the pan with about an inch extra dough extending to the outside.  Pour in your filling.  Roll out the 2nd disk and lay it on top of your pie pan as you did the 1st .  Bring the bottom extra dough over the top of the extra dough, pinch together all around the pan and then crimp into whatever design you like.  Place the pie on a cookie sheet (line with foil) and bake about 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.

Whole Wheat Bread

BONNIE’S WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

   

     

This has got to be the all-time BEST and CHEAPEST whole wheat bread – EVER.                            

I got this recipe from my dear friend Bonnie.  She swears it is a recipe EVERY body should have because the 5 ingredients are staples in your Food Storage that have long shelf lives. 

Ingredients:

3 ¼ cups very warm water

2/3 c firmly packed brown sugar

4 tsp salt

8-10 c flour

2 large Tablespoons Yeast

 The 1st thing I do to make this bread even better is to grind my wheat.  Now I'm starting with FRESHLY GROUND WHOLE WHEAT THAT IS HOT AND SMELLS SOOOO GOOD.  

Directions:

·       In 4 cup measuring cup fill with very warm water. 

Sprinkle in yeast.

(I give my yeast a quick ½ stir, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over the top)

·       While you are waiting for the yeast to activate in the water, sift together 4 cups of flour and the salt.  Add the brown sugar and stir til the sugar & flour are combined.

·       If you are using a Kitchen-Aid Mixer, put the dry ingredients into the bowl and turn on lowest setting for 30 seconds.  Turn the mixer to the next level (#2) & slowly and gradually add your yeast water. 

·       Add the next 3 cups of flour very slowly or it will fly out of the bowl.

·       Add the next 2 cups  by eyeballing the dough.  If it looks too wet, add 1 cups at a time.  If it looks too dry don’t add both cups. 

·       After about 10 minutes the dough should be smooth & elastic.

If you are kneading by hand, add all the ingredients together & knead for about 10 minutes.

·       Turn it out into a greased bowl.  Give it a quarter of a turn, then turn it upside down. 

·       Put a sheet of waxed paper over the top & then lay a dishtowel on top of the waxed paper.

When the dough is double in size, give it a good punch in the center.

·       Take it out of the bowl & divide it in half.  Flatten out each half with your palms until you’ve got all the air bubbles out.

·       Shape each half into a greased bread pan. 

·       Using a pastry brush, paint it with melted butter. 

When it has risen to above the top, put it in the oven & bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.  My oven runs hot, so you’ll have to go by how it smells & looks.  If you are in the other room & you suddenly can smell your bread & it is golden brown on the top, it is most likely done. 

Super yummy with a slab of butter & a dollop of honey.  Mmmm. 

SAVING MONEY

     I am starting a new blog.  I think I'm going to call it The Frugal Bugle.  Silly, I know, but it was something my 85 year old mother-in-law thought up.  She told me I was so frugal and when I wrote my family newsletters I should name the newsletters The Frugal Bugle.  For me, I liked The Leavitt Lodge - since I am a Leavitt and my home seems to lodge my kids or grandkids when they want to visit.

     I live, breath and sleep "saving money".  I read blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, The Wisdom Journal, Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey, providentliving.org, homemaking manuels, make-it-from-scratch books, and... the most inspiring...is the voices from those people who have first hand accounts of living as a child through the Great Depression in 1929.
     So, if you are interested you can go on my new blog

                   saveanicklesaveadime.blogspot.com

and learn a trick every single day at how to shave lots of dollars off your budget :)

See you there!!!

I LOVE FALL

     There are many things that I love besides my wonderful husband, children & grandchildren.  I love Pinterest.  I love Facebook.  I love the internet.  I love that I'm a Mormon.  I love writing and I love Fall - even here in Southern California where our high this week is 86 degrees.
     The changing of the season paid no mind that it was 96 degrees when it made it's debut.  In fact, I didn't even know when the 1st day of Fall was, but ironically while Barry & I had our breakfast I could almost smell something different in the air - something that spoke of the few pine trees that still dot this valley.  A few years back construction went crazy building more houses than occupants and many of our tree filled lots disappeared - some hills were leveled.  With them some of our beautiful old, traditional Pine and Eucalyptus trees fell to the ground & became someones firewood.

Eucalyptus and Pine Trees are to me are Gods gifts
        A Eucalyptus tree is on the left.  In the picture on the right are 3 pine trees.  These 3 trees literally cover my my friend, Charlene's house.

     When my children were small, we'd go around town picking up baskets of pine cones for our Fall decorations.  Now my grandkids would be lucky to fill one basket.

A lone pine cone from the tree in Charlene's front yard.

     But, today, I opted to go to JO-ANNs  Fabrics & pay $2.50 for a bag of mini, scented pine cones for my wicker cornucopia - or Horn-of-Plenty - a yard-sale find.

My wicker, Cornucopia stuffed with my mini scented pine cones

                                 
     While out shopping, I stopped at Cardenas Markets for their rock-bottom prices on some of their produce (last month I snagged yellow onions for .10c a pound).  While stocking up on their sale items I saw a mexican squash that resembled a pumpkin.  I paid $5.00 for it.

Calabaza (a mexican squash).  Still don't know what I'm going to do with it, but for now, unopened, it's my most expensive Fall decoration

Hope you find a lot of sales this fall season... hope you pick a lot of pine-cones... hope you have a fun Halloween... hope you find 31 ways to save money!!!
See you soon,
Nancy
   

COOKING AT THE LEAVITT LODGE, or just enjoying a meal

It's been pretty busy these past 3 months.  Most boxes have been unpacked, my "office" is semi-organized, and the guest room nearly completed.  Almost everyday one of the kids or grandkids come over to visit, go swimming and/or spend the night and sometimes go to church with us.  More often than not, when anyone pops in I am usually in the kitchen, behind the counter stirring, mixing, canning, bagging, or something of that nature.   

Silly picture of me.  Just home from church, got my apron on & I'm ready  for dinner

     Although I am not the worlds greatest cook, I do a pretty darn good job at food preparation and storage since we buy in bulk.  When someone comes over they usually meander to the kitchen as well - either cooking, eating or snacking. 
     I've been asked a lot if making most of my own foods saves me more than if I couponed.  Yes, but, its a lot of hard work, yet well worth every minute, for sure.   I really think every thing I know about making from "scratch" I learned from my dear Aunt Florence.  One of the first things she taught me was how to make bread.

      My homemade bread costs me $1.31 for two loaves of bread.  Heres the breakdown: .45c/lb wheat; 3.9 oz @ 1.48/lb dry milk = .36c; 3.2 oz brown sugar @ .61c/lb = .12c; .20c oil; .18c yeast:  TOTAL COST OF HOMEMADE BREAD $1.31.  That's .61c a loaf.  I'd  say that's pretty darned cost effective!!

     And then, there were the bananas on sale.  Well, more than on sale - there were a few that were marked down from the sale.  I asked the produce man if he had any he could mark down & he said, "Come back at noon".  So, we did.  And look at what we got:

72 lbs of bananas for a total of $12.00.  That's .16c a pound (actually almost .17c a pound)

After spending 4+ hours peeling, mashing & vacuum sealing we got this:

64 cups ready for the freezer & 8 lbs ready to eat!

     My step-son Sam & wife Stephanie came to visit for the first time.  Stephanie immediately found her way around my kitchen and taught me how to make the most delicious mouth watering Taco Meat I have ever tasted and the best Spanish Rice EVER.  She said "I don't use measurements.  Just add to taste".  I said, "Well, how much do you know to add to at least taste it?  Half teaspoon?  One teaspoon???"  She said, "Well," then rolled her eyes upwards to give it a thought, inhaled, then matter-of-factly answered, "about a half.  Maybe one teaspoon.  Just depends.  Thats the way my mom taught me and she was taught by her mom".  The formula for most great handed-down recipes.  Then she added her seasonings, stirred, added more here, a little there & finally dinner was served.  

Stephanie making Spanish Rice

     What really stood out about Stephanie is how she said she never buys season packets.  Never has, never will.  Her mother never bought them either.  She said "Garlic powder, cumin, tomato sauce, onion, salt & pepper, oregano.  That's about all you need for Taco Meat & Spanish Rice"  I like that.  And, she said its all freezable!!  I like that even better!

     And my step-daughter Jessie spent 2 weeks with us and let me tell you, she is no stranger to a kitchen.

                                       

                                                                                Jessie making Guacamole

Jessie whipped up a bowl of Guacamole in no time at all & it was oh-my-goodness- GOOD.  Oh my, to say the least.  Not only did we waddle away from the table, I got three GREAT recipes to add  to our Leavitt Lodge Cookbook.                                                      

... and Spice Cake  

    Even the granddaughters love to cook at the Leavitt Lodge 

And, when it's time for dinner we always have someone around to feed.  

Grandpa is having fun.  Happy 4th!!!

     In my kitchen there are no fancy shelves, no expensive cupboads, nothing from Lowels or Home Depot (except the plank I used for my shelf - on the left, painted white). But, what I do have is a nice work space that works just fine for me (heck, my grandma didn't even have running water or gas stove).  The canisters are metal that I picked up at a yard sale for a buck.  The buckets hold my Wheat, Oats, Dry Milk, Dry Potatoes and White Flour.  What you see on the left is my refrigerator decorated in "Grandkid Art".  There was a  freestanding pantry shelf  when we moved in, but the door fell off.  So, I painted it white & nailed some apple print cotton fabric to make it less boring.  On the top shelf is a turntable I picked up for a couple bucks at a yard sale.  The jars hold all my spices (we buy in bulk).  If you look real hard, you can see my rolling pins (on a rack I got for .50c at a yard sale) & hanging on the side of the cupboard are my measuring cups (on the left) and sifter (on the right).

     We're not fancy here at our little Leavitt Lodge.  We are comfortable and we hope everyone who comes is comfortable.  We enjoy our family & they seem to enjoy us.  I tell everyone who enters to make themselves at home, put their feet up & relax because before long, someone will be cooking. :)

 
 
 
   

   

HOMEMADE DISHWASHER DETERGENT

     

     Can you tell which glass was washed with Homemade Dishwasher Detergent?  Washing dishes by hand is our preferred method, but since I now have a dishwasher & have had a lot of company I have taken advantage of the time I save by letting my dishwasher do the work.  However, we have an old dishwasher and very hard water that you can't even drink, & when I ran the dishwasher for the 1st time I looked at my glasses and thought that maybe the old relic needed to be ran a few times to clean it out.  Each time company came I had a sink full of dishes that needed washing - each time they came out dingy or cloudy looking.  I surmised it was my detergent - Palmolive - that was a lot cheaper than Cascade.  We refused to pay $10 bucks for a better detergent so I went to work in search of Homemade Dishwasher Detergent & what-do-you-know -- not only was homemade cheaper, but our glasses came out cleaner.  The proof is in the pudding, we say.  (By-the-way, our Homemade is on the left.  Palmolive is on the right!)

     Lets compare the costs: 

           Cascade Powdered Fresh Scent 75 ounces - $10.75 - 28 loads = .38c per load

           Cascade Gel Lemon Scent 75 ounces - $8.75 - 28 loads = .31c per load

           Palmolive® eco+ gel 75 ounce detergent – $3.79 – 28 loads = .14c per load

           Homemade powder 24 ounce detergent – $2.28 – 48 loads = $0.05 per load

     Now, lets look at the initial cost which is what you are going to have to invest to get you started:

These are the ingredients you'll need:

1 – 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer® Super Washing Soda = $2.19 (or .63c an ounce)

1 – 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team® Borax = $4.29

1 – 48 ounce box of coarse Kosher Salt = $1.99

1 – 5 pound container of food-grade Citric Acid = $19.00   (Online at soap.com)  If you do not use some form of citric acid you may see a cloudy residue.

1 – gallon of White Vinegar = $3.79

I have pictured Baking Soda (at .49c a lb at Winco) because most recipes call for Baking Soda rather than Super Washing Soda.  (I have not tried Baking Soda yet, but will on my next batch because it is cheaper) 

Once you buy all your ingredients (hopefully on sale with a coupon & do not scrimp on brand name with the Borax or Washing Soda - brand is very important here), follow the recipe below for your Dishwasher Detergent.

In a bowl or pail mix:

• 1 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
• 1 cup of Super Washing Soda OR 1 cup of Baking Soda (not both)
• 1/2 cup Citric Acid (I used Fruit Fresh because I had it on hand)
• 1/2 cup Kosher Salt (I used what I had on hand - Sea Salt)

 Mix it all up & pour it into a mason jar or whatever you have on hand.

The finished product with a bottle of vinegar for the rinse

 Use 2 Tablespoons per load.  Fill the rinse compartment with the Vinegar.   

                  

Thats it!  Easy and cheap!!

      

Easter

    Happy Easter to you!  We know this is really a fun time & even we love the Easter Bunny and coloring eggs too - feasting on bunny chocolates and cream Easter eggs and all, but after our children finish up their goodies and smile thinking about how nice it was to have the Easter Bunny come visit, what do we say when they look at us - with the hint of chocolate still on their faces - and ask “why do we celebrate Easter?.  Let us turn to our children and tell them……  Easter was meant to have us remember the resurrection of our Savior, for after three days, his lifeless body laid entombed, after hanging from the cross, in agony, for hours, before giving up his spirit and died. Then administering angels appeared as His spirit was joined to His mortal body, He rose, being no more mortal but Immortal, Eternal, Pure and Divine. This is why we should celebrate Easter, for it is a time of new life and an assurance, that we, one day, like our Savior, will be rejoined with the elements that once were our body and be now made new, perfect in form but no longer mortal but now immortal.

      This Easter weekend, April 6, 7 & 8, turn to mormon.org/easter or  facebook.com/mormon  to find out more about how we, at the Leavitt Lodge, celebrate this special day.  

Happy Easter,

Nancy & Barry Leavitt