Category Archives: Homemade

Homemade Peppermint Bark

Posted on December 22, 2011 | 1 Comment

At Christmas I love homemade goodies!  And they make such a wonderful and thoughtful gift as well.

Chocolate and Vanilla Peppermint Bark

I thought that I would share a very simple and fun recipe to make peppermint bark. This is a general recipe that can be adjusted so that you can make as much or little of as you would like. All you need is the following:

vanilla and/or chocolate bark

mint extract

peppermint candy (you can use candy canes, such as I did, or the mint candies)

microwave proof bowl

spatula for stirring and scraping

Place your  candy bark into your microwavable bowl.  Microwave the bark on high for about 30 seconds.  Remove the bowl and stir.  Keep repeating this until all of the candy bark is melted.  Next, add the mint extract, just a couple of drops at a time, stir it in.  Depending upon how much bark you are making at a time, and how strong you want the candy to be you may use more or less. Remember that you will be adding crushed candy in as well, so you may want to make the strength a little less than what you want it to be when it is done.

After you have reached the desired flavoring, crush your candy (I place my candy in a plastic ziploc style bag to do this).  Mix some of the crushed candy into the bark until you have as much as you need to make sure it is distributed throughout the mixture.  Make sure thatyou save some of the crushed candy for the topping.

Place some wax paper on a cookie sheet and spread the candy bark mixture evenly on top.  I usually spread it to about 1/4″ in thickness. Then sprinkle the remaining crushed candy on the top, making sure you have some pieces of candy that are a little larger.  It just makes it look a little more festive! Let the candy sit until it hardens.  Then break it into pieces. You can store it in a plastic bag, or wrap it up in plastic wrap until you are ready to eat (or give it away!).

Vanilla Peppermint Bark

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Now you have a festive treat to use for your holiday gatherings or to package up and give for a gift!

Thanks for coming by!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Christmas, Food, Frugality, Gifts, Holidays, Homemade

Tagged , , ,

Easy Pie Crust!

Posted on November 23, 2009 | 1 Comment

Why purchase pre-made pie crust, or pie crust dough when homemade tastes so much better, and is so inexpensive to make?  I have been making this pie crust for about 35 years.  It was passed on to me by my mother, and it’s the only one I use.  I have tried others, but this one always comes out so flaky, it’s pretty much no fail!  There is vinegar in this crust, but don’t let that throw you, you cannot taste the vinegar when the crust is baked!

This recipe makes 2 – 9″ single pie crusts, or 1 double pie crust.

2 c. all-purpose unbleached flour

1 c. shortening (regular or butter flavor works)

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. vinegar (I use white vinegar)

4 tbsp. water

1 large egg

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or a fork until the flour mixture is crumbly.  Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the egg, the vinegar and the water.  Mix together until all of the flour is mixed in.  This pie crust is very moist.

On a well-floured board, roll out 1/2 of the dough into a circle.

Place the rolling pin on the edge of the dough closest to you, and roll the dough onto the rolling pin,

Place your pie plate next to the rolling pin and dough.  Place the rolled dough on the edge of the pie plate and unroll the dough,

When the crust is entirely unrolled, trim and fold under the edges.  You can finish off the edges with a fluted edge (such as in my picture) or use a fork to leave lines around, cut out little leaves, whatever suites the pie you are doing.

If you are going to do a pie where you need the crust to be bake first, you will need to poke holes into the entire crust with a fork.  You can also place pie weights on the bottom.  Place into an oven heated to 425°, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

If you are making a pie with two crusts, after preparing the lower crust, pour in the filling you are using, and roll out the top crust in the same manner as the bottom crust.  You can also roll up the crust on the rolling pin, and unroll it across the top in the same manner as the lower crust.

If you are going to make another filling where you are cooking the crust and filling together,  pour in the filling and cook as directed in your pie recipe.

These pie crusts freeze well.  I place it into the freezer in the pie plate, freeze them, and then after they are frozen, I wrap the entire pie plate and crust in plastic wrap, then freezer wrap.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Food, Holidays, Homemade

Tagged , , ,