A Grand Day

Yesterday my friend Jac and had a lovely day! We shopped for fabric at TWO fabric stores ( a 10 for me), we went for a wine tasting, and went to Nunu's Bistro in Colchester, CT. I had the best pasta of my life: Pasta Alla Ruby! It was made with cheese, beats and light cream. It's also my next creation! So delicious!

Over and out!

Rosin

Since I've been radio silent for about a month, I wanted to give you an update about what's keeping me so busy!  Besides May being concert season (I finished my last concert tonight) and many people I know having children or getting married, preparing for grad school and/or working on our van (more information soon!), Mr. Pie Plate and I have been on a Rosin endeavor:

A good deal of people have not grown up in a house where stringed instruments are the norm.  My husband and I are not among those people!  I started playing the violin when I was three and my husband took up the cello in third grade.  I no longer consider myself a violinist, but I will always be a string player at heart! 

This brings us to rosin.  Rosin is the sticky stuff that goes on the bow hairs to create friction between the string and the bow, resulting in sound!  Hooray for sound!  But, rosin usually is boring and looks like this:

While it works, not that exciting to look at.  Here is where Mr. Pie Plate and I come into play!  Around the beginning of this year my husband started to think that we could make our own, really awesome rosin.  I was doubtful as I usually am, and was unsure of the outcome.  It turns out, I should have listened right away because the outcome is awesome!

Here is one example of Rockin' Rosin:

It's creative, fun and it will encourage students to practice!  And don't you worry, we have less scary shapes too!  Check out our website!  AND, even though the shapes are so pretty, they are not edible! 

Over and out!
-Katie

Lilacs and a Spring Wreath

I love spring!  The weather warms up, the flowers come out, and everything is reborn!  My asparagus and herbs look lovely, the lettuce in the garden is growing like crazy, and my lilac tree smells wonderful!  I just brought lilacs into the house and there is nothing like having your favorite flower around.  It just makes me happy! 

Yes, that is a cello mirror in the background!  What else would be in the home of two music teachers?

I also made a really fun Springy wreath!  I had leftover felt lying around and so I made a bunch of felt flowers.  I also had recently cut a letter "J" out of cardboard that had no purpose in life and I was ready to throw it out.  I decided to give it one last chance and I wrapped it in yarn and then attached a flower.  When I brought it all together, it ended up being pretty cute.  I wish I had made the J a little smaller, but it's sweet and it brightens up our front door! 

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Mr. Pie Plate loves my Blueberry Breakfast Cake because it is delicious.  He has nicknamed it "Crack Bread."  I love it because it's really quick to throw together, almost healthy and the day after it is baked, it tastes like a doughnut!  Does life get any better than that?  I usually serve it with a frittata that is loaded with veggies and a fruit salad, making it the perfect brunch sweet!  The recipe is loosely adapted from a "Cinnamon Banana Wake-up Cake" from the cookbook "Keeping Good Company," one of my favorite cookbooks. 

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons of butter, softened
3 Tablespoons of applesauce
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 and 1/4 cups blueberries (I use frozen berries)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Topping:
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon mixed together

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Blend butter and applesauce together.  Then add sugar, eggs and water until it isl well-blended.  Add in all dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Then add in the blueberries and stir until combined.  Pour into a greased Bundt pan or a Demarle Silicone mold like this Sunflower Mold.  I received this from my aunt Lisa and it is my most used "pan" and the cake is so pretty when it comes out of the mold!  Bake for 40-50 minutes depending on your oven.  Mine takes around 50 minutes.  Make sure you let the cake cool in the pan.  Enjoy delicious Blueberry Breakfast Cake!

Canning classes in CT

I love the website Food in Jars.  It's a great canning blog and her other recipes are fantastic as well.  She is having two canning classes in CT that I won't be able to attend, but I wanted to let people know about the classes.  Here's the info:

June 30: Spiced nectarine jam and dilly beans at the Greenwich Historical Society’s Vanderbilt Education Center in Greenwich, CT. 1 – 4 pm. Click here to register.
July 1: Rhubarb chutney canning class at the Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market in Coventry, CT. 2 – 4 pm. Click here to register.

Check them out! 

The last month

The month of March has been busy!  I'm directing the musical at my middle school, so although I've been crafting, canning and cooking, I've had no time to blog.  So here's an quick look into what I've been doing. 


First of all, I've been enjoying needle felting!  And I made these cute Pac Man ghosts:

I also made Mint Jelly for the Easter Lamb!  Mr. Pie Plate decided to add some green food coloring, so it's a very pretty emerald color!



I also made some lavender sachets from leftover quilting scraps for my aunt's birthday.  I used rice and lavender essential oil and just sewed it all up.  They are not perfect, but they smell wonderful and they are pretty cute!

Now I'm on to Easter Baking!  Enjoy your holiday!

My Experimental Apple Pie

Last night we went to dinner with good friends, the Oaks!  They are wonderful and they have two of the cutest kids around!  For Lent, Mrs. Oak has given up processed sugar and I am bringing an apple pie.  An apple pie without sugar?  Challenge accepted!  I am using The Farm Chicks baked pie shell   It's a very flaky recipe, you should try it!
Ingredients:
One baked pie shell
9 small to medium apples (I used Gala and McIntosh because that's what I had)
3 Tablespoons honey
1/4 Teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice (I usually use 2 teaspoons cinnamon, but we were out...) 
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon butter

1. Make the baked pie shell and place the dough in the fridge for one hour.

2. Roll out the dough, place in a pie plate and cook on 250 for 25 minutes.  I use a bake in pie lifter that is the best, but I can't find it anywhere.  Here is one that is similar. 

While the dough is cooking:
3. Slice the apples and combine in a bowl with 1 teaspoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon cloves.
4. Make the oat topping by combining 2 teaspoons honey, the remaining allspice, the oats and 1 tablespoon butter in a bowl.  I use a fork, but clean fingers work as well. 
5. Take the pie shell out and fill with apples.  Use your fingers to sprinkle the oat topping on top of the pie.  bake at 350 for 40 minutes, longer if you want darker crust or more tender apples. 
7. Enjoy your wonderful pie!

The pie turned out to be very delicious and my husband told me I should make all of my apple pies like this one...  Overall, it was a huge success!