Three of My Favorite Christmas Photos

Mike and I with Cesar. It was a gift of God that Cesar Carranza surprised us with a visit for the two days before Christmas. Mike met Cesar in the gym in Quito, led him to the Lord, and Cesar was a vital part of the church in Quito for the year he lived there.

Mike and I on Christmas day. We had the elders from the church and their families over for an Italian feast and time in the pool. It was chaotic, which is the way we like it. We try to stay super-busy to cope with missing all of you.

Johnny is a man in our church with Down's Syndrome and a pigmentation problem. Here we are singing I've Got Peace Like a River during the praise-sing-along-kareoke time after the church supper.

Prisoner of War

The other night, Mike and I watched the movie Rescue Dawn. Much to my surprise the movie was about a story that I know - and know well. It is the story of my friends' brother, Eugene DeBruin. Steve and Doug grew up with Todd DeBruin, Eugene's nephew. Eugene was a cargo "kicker" for the CIA's airline, Air America. They were delivering rice and buffalo meat to the Laotians when their plane went down and they were taken captive by the Pathet Lao.

The movie twists what really happened and makes a hero of one of the men and makes Eugene look like a selfish, spaced-out person, contrary to reality.

His brother, Jerry DeBruin - who is my friend, has done everything he can to get his brother out of Laos all these many years later. There is compelling evidence that Eugene was still a prisoner 20 years after being taken captive and the family has some hope that he is still alive 44 years after he was shot down.

What really hit me though, is that we also have family members who are prisoners of war. Satan has taken them captive. And this movie has motivated me to stop feeling hopeless and to do everything I can - as Jerry has done - to secure freedom for them. I am motivated to battle in prayer. Will you pray with me?

New Book

Christmas vacation has me starting a new book - an expanded version of the book No Fear I made for you guys last Christmas. I love to write and I love to study God's Word, so it's a great combination for me.

Today I was studying one of my favorite Scriptures: Matt 11:28-30 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The first time the word "rest" is used it means to rest, to recreate, to refresh. For me, it brings up visions of strolling in the mountains. For you, perhaps lying by the ocean or even taking a long hot shower without being bothered.

The second time the word "rest" is used it means to be tranquil in the midst of your activities. It's the difference between singing while you cook dinner and slamming around irritably. He promises this rest if we: 1) Come to Him, 2) Take his yoke upon us, and 3) Learn from Him.

Christmas Morning Egg Casserole

This is the casserole that Steve cooked for his family their first Christmas and put in too much salt. It's also the casserole that I made every Christmas morning. I usually doubled it and put it in a larger pan.

7 slices white bread
2 packages (4 oz. each) shredded Cheddar cheese
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 strips bacon, cut in half (although I think I usually cut them up more and used more bacon)

Mix cheese and crumbled up bread in bottom of greased 7 1/2 inch x 12 inch baking dish. Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together and pour over bread and cheese mixture. Lay bacon on top. Refrigerate covered overnight. Next morning, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. Serve right away.

And Receiving the Best Easy Breakfast Award...

From Real Simple magazine, our new favorite Sunday breakfast: Red Pepper Frittata Squares. I made this on Sunday and served it for breakfast with a fruit salad with fresh basil snipped on top, and served it for lunch with sliced tomatoes. We loved it and so did our company.

Heat oven to 400 - make in oven proof nonstick skillet. (I chanced it with mine and it didn't melt.)
Chop 1 onion.
Chop 2 red or green peppers.
Saute in 2 T olive oil until soft.
Whisk 10 eggs, salt and pepper, pour over top of vegetables and stir once
Crumble 4 oz goat cheese on top.
Transfer to oven and bake until the center is set 18 to 20 minutes.
Can be served hot, warm, or room temperature.

Thai Chicken Soup

This is soooo absolutely delicious. We like serving this for company or eating it day after day until we're almost sick of it. Once you get used to making it, you can throw it together in 15 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 stalks lemon grass , tough outer leaves removed, bottom 5 inches halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (or a dash of lemon juice)
3 large shallots , chopped
8 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves , chopped coarse
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
4 cups chicken broth
2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk, well-shaken
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 pound white mushrooms , cleaned, stems trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 pound boneless, skinkess chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and sliced on bias into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 2 to 3 limes (or lime or lemon juice)
2 teaspoons red curry paste (Thai)

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until just shimmering. Add lemon grass, shallots, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce; cook, stirring frequently, until just softened, 2 to 5 minutes (vegetables should not brown). Stir in chicken broth and 1 can coconut milk; bring to simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until flavors have blended, 10 minutes. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer and discard solids in strainer. Rinse saucepan and return broth mixture to pan.
2. Return pan to medium-high heat. Stir remaining can coconut milk and sugar into broth mixture and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms, and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove soup from heat.
3. Combine lime juice, curry paste, and remaining 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce in small bowl; stir into soup.

Aren't you glad God doesn't give report cards?

In a few minutes I'm running over to my school to work on report cards. That's how I'll be spending my weekend. (My self-pity runneth over, can you tell?)

But it got me to thinking, aren't you glad God doesn't give report cards? At least not the kind I have to give where I have a record of every badly done assignment, every missing one, as well as the well-done work.

Reread Romans 4 when you have a minute and remind yourself that what God keeps track of is everytime we act in faith. He operates with us through grace and so our report card with him is all A's. All the time. God is FOR us.

The Perfect Recipe When Craving Something Healthy During the Holidays

OK. This is the super-fastest, healthiest recipe ever. When I am low on time and high on sugar, I dump this together in a bowl and eat it the next three days for lunch. It's adapted from an Italian Bread Salad, so you can feel perfectly justified to throw some hunks of bread in the bowl to sop up the liquid.

1 large can diced tomatoes
chopped onion to taste
1 jar roasted peppers drained (can be left out) or chop up green or red peppers
garlic if desired
1 jar olives drained - I like green olives for this and if I'm in a hurry, I throw them in whole.

Dressing
2 T vinegar - I like balsamic
3 - 4 T oil - olive oil is best
pepper and some dried oregano or Italian seasoning

And there you are!

Thankful

I'm so thankful for you:

• Melissa for her joy and sense of occasion. (Who else would decorate her house with Christmas lights so I could open Christmas gifts in October with my brother and sister?)
• Canaan for her tender heart and hospitality. (Who else would so deeply understand how much I miss all of you and go out of her way to minister to me?)
• Hannah for her honesty and hospitality. (Who else would let me hang out with her on all her errands?)
• Kate for being my friend as well as my niece. (Who else even knows the depths of my heart?)
• Olivia for being my writing buddy. (Who else would reveal that deep part of themselves to their aunt?)
• My many nieces on Mike's side. . . too numerous to name.
• Mostly, of course, I'm thankful for the way you love our sons, our grandchildren, and us.

Take Every Thought Captive II

I think I made the point in the first devotional in this series that our thoughts lead to our emotions which lead to our attitudes which lead to our actions. So we need to think about our thinking and learn to think well.

Before we get into that, let's look at how our brains work. This is going to be vastly simplified, and comes from a variety of sources:

1. Our thoughts come in the "doorway," the thalamus, and send a message to the cerebral cortex that a message is coming through. It kind of searches for related memories.
2. Then they go to the hypothalamus, the brain of our endocrine system, which shoots out a chemical message in response to the thought or our 5 senses. The hypothalamus produces hormones which control: body temperature, hunger, moods, emotions, release of hormones from many glands, sex drive, sleep, and thirst.
3. Then they go to the amygdala, which is kind of a large library full of the emotional perceptions we have stored.

What we can do, to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) is: 1) not react immediately when the emotion shoots through our body; 2) take the "book" off the "shelf" and acknowledge what we're feeling; 3) and if the thought is toxic, we simply replace the book on the shelf.

In practice it looks like this: The other day, I was doing a zillion and one things to prepare for Saturday at church. I was teaching three classes in the afternoon and was pleasantly buzzed as I got ready for them. When it was five minutes away from time to leave, I had 15 minutes of things to do. I knew Mike would be tapping his watch and defensive anger shot through me. I took the "book off the shelf" and said to myself, "Ok, self, you're angry because you had so much to do and Mike didn't have so much to do. Well, that's your own fault - you agreed to teach those classes." Then I put the book back, the anger dissipated quickly, and the day wasn't ruined by my bad attitude.

Does this remind anyone else of Kayden or am I crazy?

Light, space, zest -- that's God!

This is the beginning of Psalm 27 from the Message Bible and it fills my heart with joy:

Light, space, zest --

that's God!

So with him on my side I'm fearless,

afraid of no one and nothing.

Stay alert!

I love the Message Bible! I was reading the passage about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the other day. Remember how the disciples kept falling asleep when he asked them to watch and pray with him? In the Message Bible Jesus says to them, "There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."

Oh my gosh, I love that! Doesn't that just describe us PERFECTLY. Part on fire for him; part lazy dog in front of the fire. Sometimes we beat ourselves up for being spiritually lazy. But God knows how we are. He tells us (in Matthew 26:40-41) to "Stay alert; be in prayer so you don't wander into temptation without even knowing that you are in danger."

Just like the lazy dog gets up, stretches, and shakes the laziness off, we can do the same thing and start talking with him. Our talks don't have to be long - or emotional - although they can be. I think I've told you that my biggest prayer lately is, "What do I say? What do I do?"

This recipe is from Kate

This looks like a bit of work, but I'd make it in a second if I could get the ingredients (i.e., sweet potatoes) Kate wrote:
"I think about this meal that I had in Asheville all of the time... went on their website and lo-and-behold! The recipe!
Here is the link: www.tupelohoneycafe.com/recipe.html (If you make this, do not skip out on making the peach butter or spiced pecans... trust me.) "
Sweet Potato Pancakes with Spiced Pecans and Peach Butter Recipe as featured on Food Network's "$40 a Day" with Rachel Ray

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large sweet potato, roasted and cooled
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Spiced Pecans, recipe follows
Peach Butter, recipe follows

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter, and then add this to the dry mixture. Peel and mash the sweet potato, place it in a bowl, and then add the honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix it well. Add this mixture into the pancake batter. Let the batter stand for 1 hour (or you can make it a day ahead of time). Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add batter by the ladleful and cook the pancakes, in batches, until golden brown on each side. Serve immediately with Spiced Pecans and Peach Butter.

Spiced Pecans:
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon tupelo honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add all the ingredients and cook until the pecans are lightly brown and caramelized, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and store in an airtight container. Yield: about 1 cup

Peach Butter:
1/2 cup peaches, peeled and diced
1/2 pound butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch sea salt
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Walking Stick...a "crutch"?

I've been using Grandma Tommy's walking stick from Ireland for the last week; I've been pretty dizzy since our trip to Quito. Once the gyroscope in my brain gets rotating, it's difficult to slow it down.

I'm so embarrassed to be using it, though. I'm afraid people will think I'm trying to get attention. The thought has even crossed my mind that they'll think I'm too old to teach.

It dawned on me when I was obsessing about it that we tend to have difficulties accepting help. I know all you gals are MORE than willing to help others, but how good are you at accepting help? Daddy Mike is always telling me that we don't want to rob people of their blessing!

Oatmeal Muffins

These are healthy and delicious. Good for lowering cholesterol. DM and I can eat a plate full at a setting. Our guests like them too.

Mix together dry ingredients:
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup roasted, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, or sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together liquid ingredients:
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup corn oil
1 egg - beaten
1/2 cup maple syrup

Combine dry and liquid ingredients.
Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden.

Taking Every Thought Captive I

I think run-away thoughts are one of the biggest problems that most of us have. I've started teaching a series on this to the women at our church. Here's the first installment.

Our thoughts lead to our emotions which lead to our attitudes which lead to our actions. So, in order to control anything, we need to take control of our thoughts. When our thoughts are faith-filled, this is good. I'm not talking about some great amount of faith that we muster up on our own, but about where we direct our faith - toward God.

Negative or toxic thoughts affect us. Aren't the most negative people you know also the most miserable? And remember, our thoughts don't just come from us, or from what we receive through our five senses, but we have a very real enemy and we need protection. Our protection is the armor of God. (Eph. 6:16-18) We need:

Faith in God - our dependence upon Him is protection.
Salvation - receiving the work that Christ has done for us.
Word of God - His Word is truth.
Prayer - our relationship with God.

The word of God gives instruction about our thinking in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5:

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Demolish comes from the Greek word kathairesis which means demolition or the destruction of a fortress. We have toxic thoughts that have become strongholds. Sometimes we don't even know they're strongholds. The word stronghold is used to talk about any strong points or arguments in which one trusts. A stronghold is ANYTHING that we hold on to that ends up holding us. Sometimes we swat at them like we swat at mosquitos, but only God has the divine dynamite to destroy them.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Sounds impossible, doesn't it? And it is - apart from God. "Arguments" is used of thoughts that precede and determine our actions. These arguments are our excuses and rationalizations for doing what we want to do instead of surrendering to Christ's authority. "Pretension" is something that we elevate. It seems to mean pride in this context. Interestingly enough, "sets itself up" is a word that in Greek means to hoist up as a sail...to lift up ones eyes. Satan wants us to worship Him, but is content if he can get our eyes off of God. The direction of our worship can be determined by the focus of our eyes. "We take every thought captive" is kind of obvious. The verb tense it is written in means that we need to do it repeatedly and continuously. All of us have a battleground in our minds.

To make our thoughts obedient to Christ means they are submitted to Him - that we want to do what He wants us to do. We need to become conscious of our thinking.

Swiss Steak

At least here, Swiss steak is cheap. I hope it is where you are too! This is a great autumn dish and reminds me of something Grandma Tommy would have made. It's a Sunday afternoon dish for us cause it has to cook for a while. Nice in front of a football game, even if we are sweating here in the tropics.

2 pounds Swiss steak
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil or bacon drippings
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped (I usually use more)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth
Noodles
Cut the meat into 1/2 inch thick pieces and season with salt, pepper, and then dredge in the flour. Brown steaks on each side in a Dutch oven (large covered pan), remove steaks, add more oil and vegetables and saute for a few minutes. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, and rest of ingredients. Return meat to pot and cook over low heat, adding water as necessary for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until meat is tender and falling apart. Serve over noodles.

Pan-fried Onion Dip

Can't get enough of this. I could eat it with a spoon. I have to admit, I use it as a spread on bagels - yum!

2 large yellow onions (cut in half and slice)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonaise

Heat butter and oil over medium heat in large saute pan. Saute for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook stirring occasionally for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and carmelized. Allow the onions to cool.
Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo with mixer until smooth. Add onions and mix well.

Scrumptious Oven-Fried Chicken

This is super-easy to throw in the refrigerator the night or morning before. I just toss together the buttermilk stuff in a ziplock bag, put the chicken in and then all I have to do is whirl the topping in the food processor when I get home from work.

2 cups buttermilk (or milk with a little vinegar or lemon juice)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauces

Whisk together and put in 8 split bone-in chicken breasts with skin removed
Marinate 1 hour to overnight.

Mix:
3/4 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (Don't forget this!)

Roll chicken in coating mixture. Place chicken on rack over a pan. If you don't want to have to work hard afterwards - cover the pan with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until chicken registers 160 degrees.

PS One of the best purchases I've made is a thermometer to check my meat with - no more dried out chicken, just trying to make sure that it's cooked.

My Favorite Greek Tomato Salad

I make this and then lunch on it for a week.

Dressing:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar (wine vinegar is best)
2 tablespoons oil (olive oil is best)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
Mix all together and pour over salad

Salad:
Dice about 6 tomatoes
Dice a red or green pepper
Chop up a can of pitted black olives (discard juice)
One container of feta cheese, crumbled

Girl Scout Samoa Cookies

I found this in an on-line cookbook that Susie Russell sent me. DM says they're the best cookies ever!

6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 of 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups toasted coconut
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Over medium low heat, combine butter, sugar and corn syrup. Heat to a full boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Boil 3 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly poor in sweetened condensed milk, still stirring constantly. Continue cooking until candy thermometer reachers 220 - 228 degrees. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Beat until creamy. Immediately stir in toasted coconut and mix well. Spoon mixture by teaspoonfulls onto buttered wzxed paper. Cool completely. Melt chocolate chips and drizzle thinly in stripes over cookies and let chocolate harden at room temperature.

Intimacy

Mike's sermon really hit me last Sunday. Just the idea that God is continually ministering to us in a non-condemning manner, motivates me to want to be more intimate with Him!

Read 1 Kings 19:1-15

During our Christian lives we have different levels of intimacy with God - it can even fluctuate within the same day. Elijah was the same. After a great spiritual victory in chapter 18, Elijah fell apart. He thought he was the ONLY one left who followed the true God. He was a victim of spiritual pride and it cut him down.

Do we have divine communion with God or a human relationship? A human relationship is affected by circumstances. But God is the same - always. If we have EVER had divine communion with Him, we can have it right now.

After defeating the prophets of Baal, Elijah ran off to escape Jezebel, and laid down under a tree wanting to die. Sometimes we are deceived, like Elijah, and can't discern God's will nor His provision. Sometimes God even allows this discouragement so that we return to divine communion with Him.

Divine communion gives us the ability to live without fear, without confusion, and without deception. We are connected to the vine with His divine life flowing through us. What a privilege we have! But sometimes we live more like atheists than believers in an all-powerful God.

But what did God do in 1 Kings 19? He sent a messenger who touched Elijah, who spoke to Elijah, and who left something (food and water) for his head. That is our need, too. Something fresh from God. Does Elijah jump up and shout hallelulah? No, he doesn't respond. And so God sends a messenger again, to touch him, to speak to him, to give him provision for his long journey. He does the same for us. He motivates without reprimand.

What can we do?

1. Don't live in spiritual pride, but rather live in dependence.
2. Don't stop in the cave and think we can't go on.
3. Eat and receive from God and his messengers: Grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and of His unconditional love.
4. Enjoy divine communion and not a human relationship with the Trinity.

Oven French Toast with Nut Topping

This recipe is from Uncle Pete and Aunt Robin's Bed and Breakfast in Tacoma, Washington: http://www.plumduff.com/ I made it for the first time when Travis was visiting here a few weeks ago and we all liked it. Good for company or family too.

Bread:
1 loaf French bread torn into pieces
8 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mace or allspice if you have it

Topping (Mix and plop on top)
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark corn syryp
1 1/3 coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Heavily butter 13 inch x 9 inch x 2 inch baking pan.
Fill pan with bread pieces.
Mix rest of ingredients and pour over bread.
Mix topping and plop on top
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes until puffed and golden

Weekend in Quito

We went to Quito this weekend - how wonderful! We went to Peguche and visited our indigenous "family". Then spent the day with our church in Quito. Monday, I got my hair done at my favorite salon (although we did have a bit of sticker shock there - forgetting to ask the price first was NOT a good idea.) Although not restful, it was wonderful. Here's a photo of me helping our indigenous family make holiday bread in a community oven.

Never-Fail Pie Crust

This is the absolutely best pie crust I've ever made. It freezes well too! And, of course, you can double it and have a 2 crust pie crust.
For one 9-inch Single-Crust Pie. Published November 1, 2007. From Cook's Illustrated.
Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor—do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup).
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 2 pieces
2 tablespoons vodka , cold
2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
1. Process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
4. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Flute dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against rim of pie plate. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp.

Welcome

I think about you so much...wanting to write you and the grandchildren - not to mention the sons. I find a new recipe and want to share it with you. I find a cute photo and want to share it with you. Something funny happens and I want to tell you. So here is the place where I can do all that and more. And you can comment! I hope you enjoy it.