The Last Peaches and Flowers of Summer

Don't you just love peaches?

These are a variety called Loring and are asking to be a pie.
I had a few sweet cherries in a bowl so I added them to the mix.


Everything in the shell and the butter at the ready to dot on the top.

Like I said before, my pies look very homemade but that doesn't stop me from making them.

I cut a few leaves from the scraps to decorate the top. In honor of the falling leaves that will soon litter the ground here. Already the trees are beginning to turn yellow and orange. Seems a little early, doesn't it?

Be sure to bake your pies on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. They sure do make a mess.

Why is it that everytime I begin a project around here help finds it's way to me. Do you see the ears? That's my helper. Actually he eats my flower arrangements so I have to be careful what I bring into the house.

This sweet little pitcher is a recent flea market find. The flowers are a fall blooming clematis that is just full of flowers this year. Tiny little white ones and I added a few red geraniums. Red and white makes my heart sing. How about you? What colors do it for you?

The new kittens have been named~ ~ ~Caramel and Licorice. Can you guess which is which? Licorice says, I really really love my sister but this flower pot is getting smaller and smaller. I don't think we can do this for much longer. Can you believe I found both of them in this 8" round pot. Must be like being in the womb.

Caramel needed a good stretch after her nap.

Caramel and Licorice are my two favorite candies and these little guys are so sweet!

The winner of the Girard's Salad Dressing Giveaway is Mary from Very Merry Vintage Style. Mary Hosts the blog party called Share The Love every Wednesday. If you haven't been to visit her yet you may want to take a minute and see all the wonderful links this week.
Please stop by and visit these wonderful blog parties too.

Show and Tell - My Romantic Home

Foodie Friday - Designs By Gollum

Thrifty Things Friday - Thrifty Groove

Vintage Inspiration Friday - Debras Vintage Designs

Thanks to all of you for stopping by. I love it when you leave a comment, you make my day. Make it a wonderful weekend.

~ ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~ ~

Pie Dough and Opera?

Hello Friends~ ~ ~I think the two go perfectly together. I love making pie dough, how about you? I put on some opera music and get out my canister of flour. It's therapeutic for me rubbing all that butter into a humble bowl of flour and ending up with light, flaky pie dough.

If you haven't used Pandora you may want to check it out. All the music you like, that's it, period! I love them. I searched for opera and was given a few choices. I chose romantic opera and boom they play one after the other. Try it you'll love it!

Ok, so you are set with your flour and your music. I use Martha's recipe for Pate Brisee for my pies and I think it's the best. The shortening makes the crust flaky and the butter gives it flavor.

~ ~Pate Brisee~ ~

5 cups flour

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

1 cup crisco shortening

2 sticks butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

3/4-1 cup ice water

Put dry ingredients in a big bowl and stir to blend. Add the shortening and pieces of butter and rub the shortening and butter into the flour with your finger tips till it looks like the picture below. . .but Don't stop here. . .


Keep rubbing till it looks like the next picture. Smaller, finer pieces. Imagine the music playing and the feel of the butter between your fingers. Don't you feel the stress leaving your body already?

Now add the ice water maybe half of it and continue rubbing and mixing. Add more water as needed. Yesterday I used the whole 1 cup of water but that depends on the flour and the weather. Be sure to get all the dry flour from the bottom of the bowl mixed in. Dump the mix onto your counter and form it into a rough ball, then a big log like this.

Don't get all nuts about mixing it together perfectly. A little ragged is OK. See? This recipe makes 2 double crust pies. Cut your log into 4 equal pieces and flatted them into a big disk. The bigger the easier it is to roll the dough. Wrap each piece into it's own piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Sorry but no pictures of the rolling procedure. it's difficult to take pictures when your hands are so messy.

Here is my finished pie. It's a Pennsylvania Dutch Corn Pie for last nights main course and it was delish. I made 2 of them. My pies always look so homemade because I'm not to good at making a pretty edge and for this that's OK. Sometimes I cut out little leaves of dough for the edge to make it look nice.

Look at that flaky crust. You can do it too.

We serve our Corn Pie with a thick white sauce over it. My Mom always just heated milk with butter for her sauce.

My corn pie recipe was posted some time ago and the link for it is here if you want to try it.

Be sure to check out my current GIVEAWAY. I think you will like it.

I just had to show you the two newest members of the family. Looks like Ying and Yang doesn't it? The orange one is female and the dark one is male. No names yet, any ideas?

Their Momma showed up here a few months ago with her brother. I guess someone dropped them off. Turns out she was pregnant and these two little ones are the result. We are thrilled and will be keeping all 4. How can you not love these bundles of fluff?

I am linking to these wonderful gals this week:

Foodie Friday

Share The Love Wednesday

Whats On The Menu Wednesday

Show and Tell Friday

House in the Roses

Make It A Wonderful Day

~ ~Ahrisha~ ~