Sunday, October 13, 2013

Catch My Breath Sunday


It is Sunday, and I hope this day finds all of you lovelies resting up from the past week as well as resting up for the week to come. I am not going to start off right away posting about the dull, mundane, chores and tasks I've been doing (that can come later in this post), but I'm gonna go straight to the heart of the fun stuff, "the dessert" so to speak. Here is a glimpse of my 2nd Elise Shawl. I just love the colors, don't you? The first one is still not blocked. I have the 3rd one to make yet and hoping to have that one started by this evening. When I get all 3 completed I will give you the low-down on what I did and the details of where you can find the pattern. In the meantime, if you can't wait, go to my sidebar and click on Mereknits. She has all kinds of info related to this shawl. She also has beautiful photos of the ones she has made from this pattern and the blocked results. You can also find the link to the pattern. I know she'd love it if you stopped by to visit with her.


Sundays don't usually find me doing much of anything. It has become my day of rest, but I stretched it a bit and threw together an apple pie. Look at it, is it not the silliest looking pie crust you have ever seen, for me too. I had about a dozen apples picked from my trees the other day, sitting on the kitchen counter for a good 5 days....gnats! Yep, gnats, this time of year brings them inside and I needed to do something with those apples. I whipped up some apple pie filling yesterday morning and put it in the fridge. Then this morning I got my old stand by deep dish frozen crusts out of the deep freezer and you see it, my masterpiece. It just so happened that I didn't have enough apples to mound them up so that the top crust would stay up. So, I smashed it down and looks like a beret of sorts, lol. I had already crimped the 2 shells together around the edge.

 
And this is for you Teresa, I too have struggled with aluminum foil around the edges, but then I remembered something I bought from Pampered Chef a couple of years ago.....this pie edge shield/guard. I love gadgets, unfortunately sometimes they end up in a drawer or cupboard and I actually forget what I have, just like the apple peeler slicer from Pampered Chef which sat in my cupboard for years before I opened the box. Anyways, this guard is just wonderful. You just place it over the edge of the pie. It works for your basic 9 inch pie and from what I saw it looks like you could use it for a bit bigger pie as well.

Then I put the pie on a pizza pan and into my preheated oven. The pan catches anything that bakes over the edge of the pie. Believe me, it sure saves a lot of time with oven clean up. I don't know who out there likes the job of cleaning the oven, I sure don't. I have a self cleaning one, but you still have to wipe it out a bit and clean around the edges of the door. It is so much easier to wash a pizza pan than be on your hands and knees praying that you didn't have to clean out a dirty oven :)


 See, easy peasy, nothing but simple, simple. I'm sure many of you are saying to yourself, "heck I know to do that". But then there are always the young bakers and cooks who can use little tips.


 The pie didn't turn out as a prize winner, but the kitchen smelled yummy and I'm sure it will be good eating. When I took the shield off the rim it did catch on that flattened area of crust and I tore it a bit. Had I made my own crust it would have been better I'm sure, but I don't spend much time fussing over homemade right now. The shield did keep the edge nice and golden. I like that. It really was worth buying, and I had bought 2 cause during the holidays you hardly just make 1 pie, especially if you have a family to feed. Now all I have to do is to find someone to help me eat it.

Now for the boring stuff, cause I'm sure you are as tired of reading about it as I am about doing it. I took what looked like this and made it tidier and transformed it into this.........


It took me several days because as usual, I have to drop everything and go do something else. I'm not complaining, really, those breaks are often much needed times to clear my head and to think. But I am pleased with the results and that old woodpile is no longer an eye-sore inside my privacy fenced area. I knew there would be more wood than the new rack would hold, but I managed. There is a lot more to do and I will let it wait till next spring and summer. I have some transplanting to look forward to, NOT!


 See him? I almost stepped on him. A walking stick. He remained there 2 days and this morning he was gone. And I leave you with that......I'm gone, for now. Have a wonderful week ♥



7 comments:

  1. A first for me, never seen a pie crust guard before. I have a washable lining in the bottom of my oven which helps. My most unfavourite job, oven cleaning aaarrgh.
    The shawl is a lovely colour, I need to make a shawl!
    Carol xx

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  2. I am loving your second Elise shawl, I hope everyone decides to make one, they are easy and oh so beautiful when they are finished. We use a pie crust guard all the time, they really work and allow the center of the crust to become nice and brown without burning the edges. I bet you house smelled divine and I bet that apple pie tasted very good. Can't wait for the big reveal!!!!!
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

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  3. Your shawl looks lovely. I too have never seen a pie crust guard before. I don't mind if the edges are a bit dark :-) Enjoy the rest of your weekend. x

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  4. I absolutely LOVE the colors in that shawl! I want to find some Christmas colored yarn for a shawl like you and Mere are making. I am wearing my fall colored one now. But I don't want wool. I'm thinking alpaca/silk. I need a pie guard like that.. it was fun to see you post about that for me.. you're such a doll! Your wood pile looks awesome! You should hang a wreath on it. LOL! Have a super week and don't work too hard. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  5. Hi Susanne! I wasn't going to read blogs tonight, because I am so pooped. But I saw you posted, so I had to scoot over. Love the shawl. And I love the ones that Meredith makes too!!! I need to make one! Your wood looks so nice and neat stacked up! And that pie...oh my. How I want a bite!!! I am a gadget gal too. Love Pampered Chef too!! That stick bug is cool. As long as he is outside!!!
    Thanks for your sweet comments on my blanket too!
    xo Kris

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  6. I, too, love those colors in your shawl! That Meredith! She's a shawl master! And as I read this, it's very early Monday morning...but not too early for me to be salivating over that apple pie! Yummmmmm! It looks beautiful to me! Wood pile...I have one of those I still need to tame in the next couple if weeks...before we get the finger numbing cold! I dread that job. Have a good week! Hugs!!!

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  7. Your shawl is so beautiful!! And that pie looks delicious, I'm sure I could smell apple pie when I looked at your photos. I've never seen a pie crust guard, how interesting. It's great your wood pile is sorted out and tidy.

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