It's a....

GIRL!!!

Yeah! Markus and I found out yesterday that we are going to be having a little girl. And let me tell you, there is no room for doubt that it is a little girl! As soon as the doctor put the ultrasound thingee on my stomach, she flashed us the goods. It was REALLY clear!

So, now I'm off to Regensburg for the English speakers' Brunch and Books...or is it Books and Brunch? Whichever. All I know is afterward I'm off to buy a cute little girl outfit! Yay!!!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie...finished

I just took it out of the oven and oh my goodness...does it look (and smell) amazing! I can't wait for this 15 minute wait time to be over. On a side note: As I said, it runs over, and boy did it. I tried some of the run over, and man, it is so freaking good.

So, without further ado, the finished pie...yum...


And a picture of the runoff...just so you know I'm not lying :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie...continuted

Alrighty, so the pie is in the oven. I shall continue where we left off...First though, preheat your oven to 425 F or for us on the metric system, 220-ish C.

Take the crust out of the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface. With the recipe that I gave in the last post, it makes 2-nine inch pie crusts...or in my case, a top and a bottom crust (with some left over).

You've got the pie crust all rolled out, so place it nicely in the pan...What I do is I fold it in half then place the fold in roughly the middle of the pan and then fold it out. I just find it easier, but be careful, because the crust has a tendency to tear...I just put a bit of crust over the tear, especially since it's the bottom layer, and no one will see it. :)

I cut off the excess crust, you know, the stuff hanging over the sides...but that's just me, you can do your crust how you please.
Spoon the filling into the crust. At this point, you can do one of two things. You can either roll out the top crust and place it over, making a few slits for steam to escape, or you can make a lattice top. I'm quite partial to the lattice top myself, so that is what I do. It's a bit more work, but I've got time on my hands :).


After you cover the pie with whatever crust topping method you choose, brush an egg wash over it. It makes the crust pretty. What I also do is sprinkle some sugar on top since I always liked having that extra crunchy sugary goodness.


So, now you're ready to go. Be sure that you have a cookie tray in the oven because this sucker like to run over sometimes.

Put your pie in the preheated 425 F (220-ish C) oven. You'll want to bake it at this heat for 15 minutes, then turn it down to 375 F (190-ish C) and bake for another 50-60 minutes. Seriously, it takes this long! If the crust starts to burn, just cover those parts with foil.

Let it stand for about 15 - 20 minutes before devouring it! Trust me...you'll burn your tongue if you don't. Enjoy it with whipped cream or ice cream or both. Personally, I like it plain. It is just so good.

Spring is in the air!

WOOHOO!! Finally! Spring is here! We had a lovely weekend of being in the sun! Charlie enjoyed it too, meaning he jumped into every body of water, no matter the size. He was one happy pup!

Another way to tell that Spring is here, strawberries are on sale! Yes! And, what's more, the store had some very good looking rhubarb too. You know what that means! Yup, the first strawberry rhubarb pie of the season is currently being made in my kitchen. I know, I should be in there right now, but I have to let things sit a bit before I can put the pieces together. Basically, that means, I have to let the crust cool enough before I can roll it out. This will be a two part, maybe even a three part post, simply because I'm so excited about this pie! It is my absolute favorite pie! Oh, and it is Markus' favorite too :).

For the crust:

(notice the Jif dad!)

Since I can't just run out to the store and buy a ready made pie crust, I must make them myself. However, luckily, I have the pie crust making gene. My mother always told me that it takes a certain gene to be able to make a pie crust. Either you can make one, or you can't. Trust me, I can. Before I got my lovely food processor, I sat here cutting the damn butter into the flour, then the shortening into the butter...such a hassle, but it always came out lovely. Now that I have the food processor, it cuts the time tremendously.

I use a recipe out of Joy of Cooking, "Delux Butter Flaky Crust" or something like that. It's pretty easy.

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of sugar

into that cut 1/2 pound (2 sticks) of butter until it has pea size looking things. Very exact, I know :).

Then cut in 1/4 cup shortening.

Lastly, mix in 1/3 cup plus a couple of teaspoons of ice-cold water until smooth-ish. IT MUST BE REALLY COLD WATER! However, on a side note, I don't usually use all the water. I just eyeball it.

Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour or so.



Obviously, this isn't the exact recipe from Joy of Cooking, but I've made it so many times, that this is what I use and these are my directions :).

Now, on to the filling....my favorite.


This is everything you'll need:
3 cups of rhubarb
3 cups of strawberries
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs vanilla bean paste (optional, but it makes it REALLY good)
1 tea cinnamon


So cut up the strawberries and rhubarb (I also like to peel my rhubarb, but I don't think you have to. Oh, and NEVER eat the leaves or the roots of rhubarb as they are poisonous. There, that's my public service announcement.). Put them in a large bowl and then add everything else for the filling and mix it all together.


Alrighty, so now I must get back into the kitchen since I believe my crust is ready to be rolled out. I'll get the rest of the recipe to you in the next post...ha...what a cliffhanger!

Charlie and his cuteness

As you know, I love my dog Charlie. He is such a good muse for pictures. This time, we were on a lovely walk with Markus. It was wonderful, especially since it wasn't raining. Today was gorgeous and I would have loved to have taken him on a walk today, but he is in Hirschau for the week. Franz wanted to go to the forest, and Charlie LOVES the forest, so I left him in Hirschau. Plus, Marianne was missing him, which is understandable :).

What Charlie likes to do on walks, when we don't have his Frisbee, is to find the longest stick possible, and one that has as many little twigs on it as possible. I had my camera with me this time...especially after the bulldozer/backhoe incident, I can't leave home without it! So, let the cuteness begin...

The first photo is Charlie doing what he loves with sticks...biting off all the little twigs.

The second is just adorable :).

Running to get in front of Markus and I with his stick. He gets about 50 meters in front of us, then chews on the stick until we catch up to him. He a smart little puppy.

And, finally, Charlie in a field...look, it's turning GREEN! Spring is coming!

Correction

I have been told by both my mother and father that the thing that got stuck in the river was in fact a backhoe, NOT a bulldozer. This is what I get for growing up in a city... :) Whatever...it was a big machine stuck in the river. But this one is for mom and dad :).

BULLDOZER:

BACKHOE:


Now you too know the difference :)

Update on the bulldozer

Charlie and I were on our morning walk and walked again past where the bulldozer incident took place. Well, it is out of the water! I have no idea how, they probably got a tractor over there to pull it out, but nonetheless, it is out. I chatted with the guy for a bit, and he said that after just an oil change, it should be in working order again. I was shocked! I thought for sure that thing was headed for the scrap yard! Those things are solid! I made a joke asking if he was going to leave it in park while running. He said, "Well, hindsight is 20/20" (but in German). Pretty funny. However, I am still in shock that thing will still run! Wow!