Sewing: Love is a Green Frog Pillow

While my sone was away at scout camp, I took the opportunity to help my daughter finish this summer's sewing project. Was it frustrating? Yes. Was there unpicking involved? Yes (repeatedly). Did it take about 3 times as long as it would have for me to make it alone? Yes. But was it worth the extra time, effort and stress to teach my daughter how to sew? Yes! 
Hopefully a few lessons in:

• applique
• sewing on fabric with nap
• reading pattern instructions
• not sewing faster than you can control the machine
• and hand stitching with the ladder stitch 

Will she have forgotten a lot of it by the next sewing project? Probably, but little by little we'll be making sewing-skill progress and building confidence.

Civility: the Lost Art of Finishing School

So, while my son has been at scout camp this week, I had a belated idea.  What better time to train my daughter in civility, and gracious manners than when her older brother is a couple hours away.  Unfortunately, this year the idea struck me too late to implement, but I am starting to let the idea percolate for next summer.  What do you think I should include in my 3 or 4 day mini finishing school that I do for my 10 year old daughter?  I know it sounds a bit outdated, but I truly think that society is lacking in a lot of the finer points of gracious living that used to be consciously cultivated.  So, if you've got any brilliant me your ideas let me know, and next summer I'll give it a whirl.

Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?

I grew up singing that song about Billy Boy's quandry of whether his future wife could bake a cherry pie or not. . . odd song, but a tasty lesson there. Folks are generally wowed by a lattice topped pie, but they needn't be, it is rather simple and actually quite fun to express a little edible artistry in my all time favorite dessert.

Cherry Pie

Filling:

2 cans tart pie cherries (I can my own and use a quart, that provides leftover juice perfect for cherry lemonade)

Drain cherries and reserve juice. You will want 3 to 3 1/2 cups of cherries and 1 cup of cherry juice.

In medium sauce pan mix together:

3/4 c – 1 c sugar

1/3 c flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Add:

1 cup cherry juice

Whisk until sugar and flour mixture is well dissolved. Cook on medium high heat stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat.

Stir in:

3 1/2 c drained cherries

Pour cherry filling into prepared pie crust (recipe to follow) and dot the top with 1 tsp. butter

Add top crust. For lattice – cut 1/2 inch wide strips of pie crust, and then starting with the center strips, weave together just like you would to make placemats in kindergarten. 

Seal crust pieces down by wetting slightly with water. Use leftover lattice strips to cover the edge of the crust, then crimp edge. 

Place pie on a cooking rack that is placed on top of a cookie sheet lined with foil. My pies inevitably boil over and this saves me the grief of having to clean the oven afterward. 

Bake at 375º F for 1 hour. Cool and serve warm or cold. 

Pie Crust:

1 ¼ cup flour

¼ tsp. salt

Mix together, then add:

1/3 cup shortening

Cut together with flour mixture until pea-sized lumps remain.

In a separate bowl:

1 egg white

1 tsp. white vinegar

2 Tbsp. cold water

Whisk together, then stir into flour-shortening mixture just until moistened. Do not over mix, or it will toughen the crust. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.