Sweet Easy Pie Crust :)

I also love this pie crust recipe. It is also a press it into the pan recipe!

2 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

1 cup brown sugar, packed (I have used successfully 2/3 cup honey and 2 TBS blackstrap molasses)

3/4 cup butter/coconut oil/olive oil etc

1/2 cup quick-cooking oat (I don't own quick-cooking oats, if you are really worried you can blend it in the blender for a few seconds)

You can use part of it as a topping or make more pie crusts. You just mix them together (I use a pastry cutter) and press it in!

Yum yum and easy peasy!

Easy Pie Crust

I do not like to roll things out, it's a mess and I am not great at it. So, I use this press in the pan recipe and love it!

1 stick butter (I have used coconut oil, but it doesn't work quite the same)
1 cup flour (white or whole wheat works great)
2 TBS sugar (honey, sucanut, agave and xylitol all work fantastically!)

Work with hands until dough almost holds together (I use a pastry cutter). Press into pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees about 15 minutes. I have added extra sweetner before, cocoa powder and spices at different times for different things with great success. I never change the butter/flour ratio though.

Pasta e Fagioli

It's soup time! This recipe is similar to Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli. I serve it with some sort of bread and a salad. It takes about 1 hour. I do not add the beef so to round off the flavor I add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Enjoy!

Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 large carrot, julienned

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can red kidney beans (with liquid)

1 15 oz can great northern beans (with liquid)

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

2 12 cans vegetable juice (like V-8 juice)

1 tbs white vinegar (optional)

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp thyme

1 handful small shell pasta

dash of cayenne pepper

1. Brown the ground beef and drain off most of the fat.

2. Add onion, carrot celery and garlic and saute’ for 10 minute

3. Add remaining ingredients except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. About 50 minutes into simmer time, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Serve.

I like this soupier so I add a 46 oz can of V-8 and double the seasonings.

Favorite Salsa Recipe

I have tested this on the teenagers in the neighborhood. They love it! I taste it until it seems hot enough. Sometimes I add more jalepenos.

4 cups tomatoes

2 cups green peppers

½ cup jalapeños(deseeded)

1 anaheim pepper

¾ cup chopped onions

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cilantro

1 ½ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

5 tbps vinegar

Quarter whole tomatoes and coarsely blend in blender 4 cups at a time. Add to pan. Blend onions, peppers, green pepper add to pan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Water bath can 40 minutes for pints. I do not worry too much about how many peppers I have or what kinds, as long as it tastes right before I process it.