December | 2014 | Betty's Tips

Old-Fashioned Apple Pie 1/2 Recipe (marth stewarts)

Apple Pie – 1/2 Recipe (double it for a full pie)

“Apple pie conjures warmth, aroma, taste, and togetherness. This one is filled with Granny Smith apples and is tucked into a buttery crust.” – Martha Stewart

photo from marthastewart.com — photo from www.marthastewart.com

Ingredients:

Pate Brisee (Pie Dough)

Flour for rolling out Pie Dough

12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

3/4 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup of Honey)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For Pie Top:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter – for dotting apple mix

1 large egg, beaten – to brush on top of crust

Sugar – sprinkle over top of crust after brushing with egg

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pate brisee into two 1/8-inch-thick circles to a diameter slightly larger than that of an 11-inch plate. Press one pastry circle into the pie plate. Place the other circle on waxed paper, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill all pastry until firm, about 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pastry circle. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges as desired. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.
Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Recipe by Martha Stewart

Holiday Gift Giving Ideas

This tip was sent in by one of my site followers.

Christmas can be a stressful time and lots of people don’t have extra money for gifts. Some people don’t like to wrap gifts either so below are some ideas that were sent to me for easy gift giving ideas.

Send souvenirs from your home town such as: pinecones, dried flowers, prairie grass, photographs of the area in which you live.
Buy small gift certificates and mail them early. Or send e-gift cards by Email.
Buy books or magazines for people and mail them early by the mail book rate.
Write a poem or short story.
Buy calendars, cards, stationery, light weight paper items & create your own gift idea and then mail them early.
Buy socks and enclose a $1 in each sock….

Last note is: it is easy to overspend when buying gift certificate because $5, 10, might not seem like much. Be cleaver and find wicked good buys on items before the Christmas season. I dig in the recycle bins at the post office and pick out extra Bed Bath and Beyond coupons since they don’t mind if you more than one at the same purchase.

Rice Krispie X-mas Trees

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal
2 Boxes of Candy Canes
White frosting (a tube works best)
Bag of baby M&Ms

OTHER SUPPLIES:
Parchment Paper
Cello Bags or Syran Wrap
Pretty Ribbon

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula evenly press mixture onto a Cookie Sheet lined with parchment paper (You can also press into a buttered pan but a cookie sheet makes it easier to cut the krispie treats).

4. Cool Slightly then cut into triangles to form the shape of a tree. Or use a cookie cutter for a different shape such as an ornament.

5. While still warm poke a candy cane through the bottom of the tree.

6. Let fully cool down (I put mine outside for an hour) then apply some white frosting and stick mini m&ms onto the frosting to create tree decorations or use your own creative ideas.

7. Once frosting is dried and candy cane is set inside of tree then you can package them individually into clear cello bags or syran wrap. Tie a festive bow on the bottom of the candy cane. Or tie a bow on top of the tree around the cello bag.

Cute Candle Gift

I made these for Thanksgiving Gifts last year. Super easy and very cute!

Purchase small mason jars – the 4 oz. jars give the best glow for putting candles inside of them.

Fill the jar 1/4 full of coffee beans or colored rocks

Add a small votive candle to it – I used vanilla ones,

Or better yet use the battery operated candles.

Create a cute label for the top of the candle.

If you are shipping these as gifts or wrapping them you might want to put some tissue paper on top so that the coffee beans/rocks don’t get mixed up but be sure to put a note on top “remove paper before lighting”.

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie (1/2 Recipe)

This is a modified half recipe for Kraft’s Double Layer Pumpkin Pie (double it for a full recipe)

2 oz. (¼ of 8-oz.pkg) Philadelphia
Cream Cheese Softened

½ TBSP Milk

½ TBSP Sugar (I use Honey instead)

MIX in Large Bowl until well blended: Cream Cheese, ½ TBSP Milk & Sugar (or honey)

½ Tub (4 oz.) COOL WHIP, thawed, divided in half

Gently STIR in half of the Cool Whip. Spread onto bottom of crust(s).

½ cup Milk

½ Can of Pumpkin Puree (7.5 oz)

1 Pkg. (4 serving size each) Jello Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

¼ tsp. Ground Ginger (or fresh)

1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves

POUR ½ cup Milk into large bowl.

ADD: Pumpkin, Pudding & Spices

BEAT with Wire Whisk 2 min. or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick).

Spread over cream cheese layer.

REFRIGERATE 4 Hours or until set.

Dollop with remaining Whipped Cream

½ Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust 3 oz. Or several tiny graham crusts

Makes 5 Servings

Betty's Tips

Month: December 2014