Prepping The Beds For Spring Planting
God bless my sister! She has turned over all my vegetable beds and cleaned all the debris out of the walkways of my garden †So soon her and I will be starting some seedlings! đ
The Garden Beds
If you happen to be wondering…..Spring planting does start in February in the city of Redding đ
I have wracked my brain over the last week or so on the perfect topic to post on to no avail…Then today I find myself once again overtired, overstressed, and overworked, and fighting for what seems like the millionth time with my 2 1/2 year old, realizing that I can’t find the perfect topic because my life is nothing like perfect.
Having two kids both in the pre-preschool age, a husband who is just now starting to discover who he wants to be (which so it happens might not be the person I planned a life out with), a dog who hasn’t seemed to notice what I needed out of a four-legged companion, and an entire other family of four, with their own expectations, needs, and wants trying to make life happen for themselves while living in the same house. Well lets just say this is not a recipe for relaxation and calm.
I find myself losing control too often đŠ and to top everything off the one thing that is bringing me some sense of self is draining my energy even more. Now, now…I don’t want to hear any crap on how I should feel blessed, and children are the joy of life or some other non-sense like that. I love my children. I love my Husband. I even love my needy, rat-like dog. I just wonder at what point in life do you stop feeling guilty over wanting a little of yourself back?? And when is it ok to admit that sometimes playing house just isn’t what you imagined when you were five? Because let’s face it “playing house” and playing house are two totally different things.
Honestly I love cooking, I love crafting, I even (use to) love doing laundry. I really like keeping house..Its just so hard to find that balance between responsibility and enjoyment. All these things I loved doing when I had a nine to five and dreamed of a life of homemaking. Boy did I not have any idea what I was asking for when I tried to force my 17 Â year old boyfriend into playing house with me!
That fact remains though that I can’t change this. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I must stay home with my girls, and I must have patience with my husband while he finds himself out there, and I must take care of the dog I so desperately thought I needed.  “This too shall pass,” as my Grammy always says to me â€
All I’m asking for today is that maybe just maybe my youngest could trust me when I tell her that the baby dress is too small for her carebear and that’s why it won’t button…because I love her, not because I’m trying to ruin her life.
Tomorrow will be a better today đ
*quick edit*
As I sat here writing this post my eldest was busy in my studio cutting up a project I had underway to sell in my shop đŠ
So Last year I purchased the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook and have thoroughly enjoyed every single recipe I have taken from it. I’m sure that you will be seeing many recipes taken and adapted from this cookbook along the way. For those of you who are not aware of what the unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook is, it is a a collection of mostly old time English recipes researched and put together by Dinah Bucholz. You can view the book here: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unofficial-harry-potter-cookbook-dinah-bucholz/1102042151. She has taken these recipes and attached them to particular incidents in the 7 books of Harry Potter. On top of that she has added little tidbits about the origins of the recipes. So to wrap this up not only are the recipes in this book absolutely delicious, it is also a ton of fun to use. Especially if you have children….And yes, yes…I am a bit of a dork over Harry Potter.
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
The recipe we are making today is a Classic Meat and Potato Pie found on page 44 under Four Classically British Pies. I have altered a few things in the original recipe for added nutrition and flavor. I will put the original ingredient in parenthesis next to the altered one. Give yourself at least three hours to make this (if you happen to have two toddlers running around) otherwise you might be able to pull it off quicker.
We are going to need:
Gathering my ingredients
For the Pie Crust;
For the Meat and Potato Filling;
Now the original recipe calls for mixing your pie crust in a food processor, however I don’t own one nor actually need one đ I have been making pastry crusts since I was little and just prefer to do it how I have always done, with a pastry cutter or fork.
Measured Flour and Salt
First you need to measure out your whole wheat pastry flour (I use whole wheat flour for its nutritional value and flavor), When measuring flour for baking it is best to spoon your flour into the measuring cup making sure as not to pack it down. Then add your salt and stir:
Then you need to cut your butter and vegetable shortening. It is important to keep both cold  for your crust to have a delicious flakiness to it đ Dump your cut up butter in with the flour:
A Fine Crumb
Use your pastry cutter, fork, or food processor to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles a fine crumb like so:
Next you add your ice water one tablespoon at a time while mixing your crumb with a spatula. You only want to add just enough to get all the dough sticking together. I often add just a smidgen extra because it makes for a more delicate crust but it is often hard to work with:
Once you feel your dough is at a good constinency plop it out onto a flourered surface and  pat into a ball. Take a butter knife and cut it into two. I always make one half slightly larger for extra room to work with on the bottom of the crust. Take your two halves and form into round disks, cover with seran wrap, and refrigerate while you prepare your filling:
Now we will move onto the filling. It makes things a whole lot easier if you prepare and cut your ingredients ahead of time….Something I’m still trying to get the hang of. 
I use cast iron (honestly, because it makes me feel like some settled pioneer women) and I suppose it makes a nice thick sauce or soup.It does have nice even heating….. Anyways!
Brown your meat on all sides then remove. Add your oil, onions, and garlic. Stir around until you start to smell the onions and garlic and then dump your meat back in. At this point your going to sprinkle all purpose flour over everything and dredge your meat around in it:
It should look something like this.
Then add your chicken broth. This is the first time I have actually used chicken broth where the recipe called for it but I think that I will stick to beef next time. The chicken was yummy, don’t get me wrong but I missed that extra beefy flavor. The filling is going to simmer for about an 1 1/2 hours. Add your sage, chopped carrots, chopped potatoes and simmer for another 1/2 hour. Watch the clock because in the last 10-20 min or so your going to prepare you pie crust for the filling.
You should end up with something like this đ
While you waiting for your filling to finish your going to preheat your oven to 350 degrees and then pull your dough out of the fridge and roll it out onto a floured surface. I use waxed paper or a pastry board. You can do it the old fashioned way and roll the dough onto your rolling pin but it so much easier to pick up your pastry board and flip it over onto your pie dish.
Rolled Out Dough
Bottom crust
Meat and Potato Pie
Pile your filling in and flop the top crust on and pinch the edges. Brush the top with the egg and water mixture and cut several slits in top. Bake for 1 hour or until your crust is golden and your filling is bubbling through the slits. When it comes out it should look something like this đ The original recipe calls for individual pies but really, who has time for that??
Sit down to dinner and enjoy all your hard work! I sure did đ
Yum, yum!
Hope you enjoyed…don’t worry I’ll get the knack of adding these photos in đ Please feel free to comment or ask questions!
I enjoy cooking. That’s a simple fact. I love the art of it. The process of cutting, chopping, mixing, squishing, stirring, smelling, and tasting. I love watching people ooh and ah over it. I love the challenge of it. I love the therapeutic nature of it. But most of all I love eating it.
I grew up on mostly classic american meals and Italian cuisine until we moved from Upstate New York to Northern California and my mother discovered Asian and Mexican cooking. I fancied my mother a bit of a chef and I don’t think I ever heard a person eat my mother’s cooking and not exclaim on how delicious it was. Most of our family holidays and gatherings were based around preparing and eating food together. It only makes sense that now I enjoy cooking and eating elaborate meals with my family and friends.
Most of my cooking comes from altered recipes…I’m not so creative as to come up with entirely new recipes but I usually never follow something to the “T”. Most often I find a base recipe as my inspiration and then tweak it to my personal taste. Â I enjoy cooking almost anything from fish tacos to panang curry much to my husbands delight :). Sometimes though you can’t beat a good old fashioned meatloaf much to my husband’s dismay :(. So I will try to always bring you a wide range of dishes and meals when time allows.
Please feel free to give me any feedback on my posts and recipes.
Hi! Welcome to A Less Than Perfect Homemaker đ A blog about two sisters trying to make the best out of life. I am very new to the blogging world and this blog is currently under construction so don’t lose faith. Hopefully we will soon be bringing you interesting posts on everyday life with toddlers, husbands, new recipes( and some old faithful ones), gardening tips, natural living, DIY projects, crafting, and well just some real honesty about being a modern day homemaker. So please come back to visit. In the mean time feel free to get to know me at http://www.facebook.com/samantha.sawtelle.
A Less Than Perfect Homemaker 