Pastry - single crust for Key Lime filling

Roll the pastry on floured parchment; roll it larger than your pie plate (include the height of the side and a large overhang)

Trim any of the larger pieces off. Don't worry about the cracked pieces. You can use water to join them together.

Be careful not to stretch the pastry.  I drop mine onto the plate from the parchment. Tuck the overhanging pastry in until it matches the edge of the pie plate.

crimp the edge of the pastry.

I weight the pastry down with a matching pie plate instead of using pie weights when I bake the shell.

The shell did shrink in one spot.

What went wrong?  I used a recipe for key lime pie which said 9" pie plate. It will take alot of whip cream to hide this mistake.

I used a 9" pie plate with a higher rim!!!  These 2 pie plates are the same size......

Roast Beef - easy Sunday meal

I seasoned a top sirloin roast. added chopped turnip, whole brussel sprouts, whole small carrots, onion wedges and small, whole coloured potatoes.  I did add water o the bottom of the pan for gravy.  I use parchment paper so I don't have to scrub the pan!

Spinach salad - orange segments and praline pecans

Quick fix. Pre-washed box of spinach leaves, drained tin of orange wedges and praline pecans. Choice of Peach White
Balsamic OR Raspberry vinaigrette. 

Toss the leaves with dressing. place in bowl and top spinach with pecans and oranges. You could add slivers of red onion.

Poached eggs - silicone cup

Spray the cup

Place the egg into the cup (before placing cup in the boiling water). Cover the pot with a lid.  

Lift out the cups when your egg is cooked to your liking.

Finished ......

lemon meringue pies - my brother requested these for his 70th Birthday party.

home made pastry - Canadian Living sour cream pie crust (lard & butter). The pastry shrunk on this shell.  I forgot to weigh it down using a pie plate, like in the photo.

Fresh squeezed lemon taste!! from Safeway 

I used extra liquid egg white to create a high meringue top, 2 whites were not enough.

I used the box mix to make 4 pies (quick and easy). A friend suggested I add lemon juice for the initial 80 mL water
perfect, tart lemon flavour.

I used my hand mixer for the egg white. Beat until foamy, slowly add sugar.

I use my HUGE glass measure to make the filling in the microwave; instructions are on the box.  

Connect the dots of meringue so you do not pull on the hot filling.  I did not worry about the pastry pulling away from the pan. IT was covered with meringue.

I made 3 pastry shells and one graham wafer.  

I use my toaster oven for everything.

graham wafer crust

so many egg shells......

I labelled the really tart pie. The bottom left was the graham crust.  I bought 4 matching glass pie plates at the local hospice store.

Turtle shaped cake (cupcakes on Betty Crocker cake site)

Duncan Hines cake mix - vanilla flavour tinted pink

Use a dab of icing on the bottom of the cupcake liner to help it stay on the cake board

I use Wilton colour paste for clear colours. Do not contaminate the colour with  the icing

once glued down and arranged, put blobs of icing on the cupcakes, then connect the dots of icing.

Smooth the icing over the cupcakes, remember to do the sides (I used and offset spatula)

Green  icing for the turtle head and feet.

I put a zip loc bag into a cup and filled it with green icing for the outline.  The 3 year old requested a pink turtle.....

Squeeze the icing into to zip loc bag (I used a bench scraper), then cut the corner to make an outline)

I cut the bag a little too big!  Follow the instructions on the video to create a shell. M & M eyes with black gel, mouth is a red vine, peeled.

My icing roses from canned icing melted so I used royal icing ones that I stored.

A pink turtle cake with strawberries!!

Pan fried small, white potato wedges

small potato, cut in wedges, fried in Olive oil. I brown them, stir, put the lid on low heat.

the lid helps them steam until tender.

Before removing them from the pan, I sprinkle with this Costco favourite.