cherry pie...from scratch...bucketed.

at the beginning of the summer, i wrote a little bucket list to keep the adventures 

coming and to make sure i didn't waste these glorious days.

one of my goals was to make a cherry pie from scratch, and on tuesday, i did it! 

the amazing jenny found this recipe and invited me over to bake in the a.c. 

{because i don't believe sweat is an ingredient in cherry pie.}

our friend mary joined in the goodness too. 

because, really, baking is a team effort.

we pitted, we mixed, we worked our muscles rolling out the dough, we talked about life 

{like the good, real stuff} we learned how to make a lattice {the easy way}, 

and we took waaaaaaay too many photos.

it was pretty much the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon.

when this little baby came out of the oven, looking beautiful and like an actual, real life pie, 

i was overjoyed.

you know i don't always have the best luck in the kitchen.

so this was like big. 

really big.

if truth be told, this pie quickly turned into my little baby.

i was admiring it and taking too many pictures of it and found myself 

staring longingly into its lattice strips.

too much? 

i'm sorry, i couldn't help myself.

i made a freakin' pie. 

from scratch.

and i was proud.

none of this would have been possible without this lovely lady.

and she even had to transport our pride and joy to our friends house, 

all the while, pie juice spilling all over her pants.

she's the real deal, folks.

from my kitchen {ok, not exactly my kitchen but that's beside the point} to yours.

keep your eye out for this face to be on the cover of a 

southern living magazine at a checkout counter near you! 

today i...

{via}

-woke up this morning after a traumatic nightmare that i needed a heart transplant. and the heart looked shockingly similar to a chicken breast. you better believe i was asking for a second opinion.

-took my morning class to hear a bona fide sci-fi author present in the library. his first book was inspired by a 6th grade writing assignment. bravo to that english teacher.
{bonus tidbit- said author also owns a tae kwon do studio. awesome.}

-listened to a student respond to the writing prompt "i will never..." with "i will never become a teacher." he basically said that teachers are awesome and kids kinda suck. i tried to say the rewards outweigh the challenges, but i don't think i was very convincing. 

-survived a surprise fire drill.

-caught a spit wad thrower red handed! victory is mine.

-sat back and listened to my morning class have great conversations about their literature circle books.
hey kid, maybe being a teacher isn't so bad! 

-caught three kids in the middle of a lie and got their parents on the phone asap! victory is mine part II.

-watched my afternoon class avoid reading their literature circle books at all costs, and it was painful.
"hi, my name is hannah, and i'm a professional babysitter."

kid, you were right after all! don't be a teacher! 

-spent the afternoon with some great teachers who make me laugh. laughter is key.

-put on my sweatpants approximately 4.2 seconds after getting home.

-caught up with my favorite college girlie, chels. check out her blog for some bomb recipes. 

-read the bible to sir winston while sitting with him on the bathroom floor. i take my mothering responsibilities very seriously.

-made this for dinner, using the broiler, and i didn't even set anything on fire! insert leo d.'s "i'm the king of the world" here. {remember that time my sister set my apple crisp on fire using the broiler? good times.}

-watched the voice. i mean, duh.

-whipped up some chocolate chip cookies for mr. lesley. am i a domestic goddess or what? 

-decided to blog about my uber exciting day while watching the red wings dominate. domestic and interested in sports? i'm pretty much the whole package. 

fingers are crossed that tomorrow will be equally as mind blowing.

night all.

{thanks for the inspiration flower patch farm girl.}

   

if the lights go out during the super bowl...

try to light your kitchen on fire instead.

because a light anywhere is a light somewhere.

right?

right.

confused? 

ok, let me explain.

a little back story may be necessary.

i was assigned the task of bringing a dessert to my sister's house for the super bowl. 

i really wanted to make it good, considering i had brought this for christmas and it should have been named "snot in a pan" instead of "sex in a pan." 

needless to say, i really had to make this dessert count.

i will never claim to be domestic, but i can at least follow a recipe, right? 

after a little research, i decided to make this apple crisp that my friend krista had made for book club because it was super delicious.

apple crisp couldn't be that hard and paired with vanilla ice cream it was a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

i spent the better half of sunday afternoon getting carpel tunnel from peeling and chopping apples and gathered the rest of the ingredients to make the topping once i got to my sister's house.

midway through the game (when it was a major snooze fest), i put everything together and stuck that baby in the oven. 

about 40 minutes into baking, this conversation took place...

calley: how much longer on the apple crisp?

me: maybe 15 or 20 minutes. although, the top isn't really browning like i thought it would.

calley: oh, maybe we could put it on broil.

conversation ends and picks up about 6 minutes later.

me: did you end up putting it on broil? 

calley: OHHHHHH NOOOOOOO!

{yelled while running into the kitchen}

and in a matter of seconds pure pandemonium struck.

there was screaming and panic and all the sudden the oven was on fire and my brother in law was getting a crash course in using the fire extinguisher {which may have not actually been necessary, but that's beside the point}

the house started filling up with smoke, ash was flying all over the kitchen, and the smell of burnt butter filled our noses within seconds.

{we might as well have covered the crisp with aqua net, the way that butter burst into flames.}

but fear not...the fire was put out stat! thanks to aaron's cat like reflexes and ability to spray down the stove and countertops within seconds.

but after the smoke had somewhat cleared and the burnt smell only partially lingered...

my poor apple crisp didn't make it.

i actually considered scraping off the top and eating the apples but last time i checked it wasn't exactly safe to eat fire extinguisher ashes.

and instead of being in a bowl with ice cream, my beloved "crisp" {and crisp it was} 

spent the evening cooling off on the back porch.

sigh.

don't worry though, we all learned some valuable lessons last night.

#1 broiling is no joke.

#2 almost lighting your house on fire sure will make the evening interesting.

#3 it's better to be safe than sorry. a.k.a. you have a fire extinguisher for a reason, so don't be afraid to use it.

and, last but not least, 

#4 i'm never making dessert again.

a taste of all that is glorious and wonderful and divine.

i made these cookies for mr. lesley this weekend and...wow.

i've tasted a lot of cookies in my day, and these are some of the best.

i found the recipe here and you should drop everything and bake them...

 if you know what's good for you.

p.s. when the directions say to only bake them for 8-10 minutes, you should really do that.

it makes for some soft, chewy, not hard as a rock cookies.

enjoy.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature 

2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter 

1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar 

1 cup granulated sugar 

2 large eggs 

1 ½ tablespoons milk 

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

½ teaspoon salt 

2 cups chocolate chips (or a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips) 

 DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the butter and peanut butter and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy (you can do this with a hand mixer or with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the brown and white sugars and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix just briefly. While there are still large spots of flour, add the chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or both) and mix until the flour is completely mixed in and the mixture is well combined. Let the cookie dough sit for 15 minutes before scooping onto the baking sheets. It will firm up as it sits. When ready to bake, scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets leaving about 1 to 2 inches in between the cookies to allow for spreading as they bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes, taking care not to overbake in the slightest! Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes after baking before removing them to a cooling rack. This will help them set up and be firm enough to transfer without having them overbake in the oven. The cookies may look slightly underbaked but they will firm up as they cool. Resist the urge to eat them warm as they taste much better cooled. I pop baked and cooled cookies into the freezer (in a large tupperware or freezer-safe ziploc bag) and they taste great out of the freezer, especially if they are left to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.

"did you cut those carrots all by yourself?"

last night i made dinner.

like start to finish (we won't count the onion i couldn't cut without sobbing. i had to call in reinforcement for that one). 

i think i've emphasized how much i struggle in the cooking department, but last night my stir fry hit it out of the park. 

now for most of you, stir fry is no bigs. 

but for me, it's a milestone in my journey to become a wifey. 

and i think i can officially add it to the 4 things i can now make as a meal.

(pasta with red sauce and turkey, chicken salad, tacos, and the ever faithful breakfast for dinner).

baby steps, right? 

mr. lesley and i enjoyed the rest of our date night with some hot chocolate and a couple episodes of dawson's creek. 

and i stayed awake for most of it:) 

watch out world....this girl is well on her way to making a meal and staying awake for a whole movie.

post easter zert!

(via)

although i'm not the biggest peep fan...

(i may or may not have suffered an overdose at the age of 9)

this is pure GENIUS.

and will be the featured dessert at date night tonight:)

watch hannah cook.

confession: i've never really cooked a meal

(well, until this past saturday that is).

i know, i know.

i just lost woman points.

my head is hung in shame as i type.

i mean...i help out.

and i'm good at cleaning up.

but i get anxious when thinking about cooking.

it's so...much...pressure.

but out of love for mr. lesley i decided it was time i got into the kitchen and gave it a shot.

i tried hard to concentrate on the task at hand, so i didn't get many pics.

although, i think the ones i did get will give you an accurate picture of my experience.

for some reason, chicken cordon bleu and brussel sprouts sounded good, so i looked up the recipes and went for it.

first thing: meat of any kind scares me (as you can probably tell by my face).

and one time i cut my finger when opening a bag of salsa at applebees, so i'm not too fond of knives either (i even have the scar to prove it)...

so slicing the chicken in half wasn't the best way to start off this fiasco.

fortunately, mr. lesley swooped in and cut the chicken for me.

hooray!

sidenote- isn't this apron ADORABLE?

anthropologie aprons are the BEST!

next, the directions said to stuff the chicken and fold them in half.

why aren't directions more specific?

they should have said "fold the chicken hot dog, not hamburger, style."

it took me a long time to figure out i was doing something wrong.

after an emergency trip to the grocery store for tooth picks (thanks again mr. lesley)...

and post realizing what "fold" meant...

and after cutting off all the extra ham and swiss...

the real cooking began...

then it was time for the sprouts...

(i know, who likes brussel sprouts? but actually if you're a hater, you should give them another shot...they're actually quite delicious).

and what's a good vegetable without adding a half stick of butter, multiple spices, brown sugar, and walnuts to it:)

so that's exactly what i did.

although there were WAY too many walnuts. whoops.

everyone likes roasted nuts, right?

:)

now presenting...

the final meal!

a little wine cream sauce on the chicken and buttered bread...

and you've got yourself a pretty good dinner.

if i do say so myself.

and mr. lesley went back for seconds and thirds...

so i take that as a good sign as well:)

who knows...maybe i'll cook another meal in the near future:)

i can't put a time frame on it folks.

it's gotta be organic.

:)

xoxo

the recipe calls for crisco, so there's that.

when i was in china, my friend chrissy sent me these cookies.
they were so good, i hoarded them from the other teachers and ate them only in secret.
yes, they are that delicious.

you should basically stop whatever you're doing and go make them.
they taste like autumn.
you won't be disappointed, i promise.

So here's the info...

Cream well with a mixer:
2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine
1/2 cup crisco
2 eggs (well beaten)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can pumpkin

Sift together:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all the creamed ingredients with the sifted ingredients. Add 2 cups chocolate chips, and 1 cup finely chopped pecans. Mix well. Bake at 350 for 12-15 min.


calley and i made them last night and i've already eaten 3 of them so far today.

oh, and if you wear a super cute apron while you make them, they taste better.

happy baking from our kitchen to yours!


xoxo

the luck of the irish.

I get really into American holidays since living here in China. I guess it makes me feel like I'm not soooo far away after all. Today I made sure all the other American teachers were wearing green, and I threatened to pinch all my students (although I'm not sure they really understood, which is usually the case with most of my jokes:)

Well, here's how we celebrated St. Patrick's Day here in the far east...

I made green banana bread last night so it would be ready to eat this morning, which I realize looks a little disgusting in the picture, but I can assure you that it was insanely delicious.

These girlies came over after dinner and watched us bake. They kept doing this cute sigh and saying things like "I had a dream about this, and it is coming true." They are cute freshman who miss their moms and liked being in a kitchen, although I'm still not sure if they understood exactly what we were doing.

Ta-Da!
Here's the finished product.
It looks strangely similar to mint chocolate chip ice cream.
(Sidenote: I like how these baking posts make me look domestic.)

Tonight at dinner I explained to my student/Chinese teacher, Tian Wei, how we celebrate St. Patrick's Day in America (mostly drinking beer and wearing green). So as to be expected, he insisted we split a beer to celebrate. And since the cafeteria didn't have any cups, of course we just pulled out a couple of plastic bowls. It's not everyday you get to drink beer out of a bowl in a Chinese college cafeteria to celebrate an Irish holiday.

Gan bei!

These girls, Kendra (on the left) and Cynthia (on the right), also joined us for dinner tonight. My favorite part of the dinner (after toasting with Tian Wei of course) was when Cynthia looked at me as I was eating and said, "You don't seem to care about getting fat" (aparently because I was eating "sweet snacks" as she called them, and she was sure they would make her fat). Now, I'm choosing to take this as a compliment. She could have said "You don't seem to care that you're fat." I guess I'll think twice the next time I pop some "sweet snacks" into my mouth.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from China-land.

Make green banana bread, toast to your friends, and don't reach for that sweet food without considering whether or not it will make you fat.

domestic living.

So I'm pretty sure today was one of the girliest days of my life. It all began with watching "The Bachelor" season finale and "After the Rose Part 1&2" (thanks Tim) with Evie and Kara, complete with yelling at the TV and laughing hysterically at the ridiculousness of it all (even though we loved every minute), while painting our nails (of course). After the 3-hour marathon was over, we popped in Riding in Cars with Boys and made mugs of cake in the microwave! Yes people, in the microwave. I thought I'd really take the girliness to the extreme and post the recipe online (I guess that's what domestic people post on their blogs these days). So here it is with photos for your viewing pleasure.

Step #1- Get a mug. Christmas mugs are suggested.

Step #2. Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of milk

(Chinese milk with shooting cows is vital.)

4 tablespoons of oil

1 egg

4 tablespoons of flour

4 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder for that chocolately goodness

Step #3

Stir vigorously with chopsticks.

(You will feel cool and Chinese. I promise.)

Step #4
Pop the mug in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Step #5

Don't burn yourself when taking it out of the microwave.

Poor Kara.

Step #6

Marvel at the wonderment of making cake in the microwave.

Step #7

Top with peanut butter.

Step #8

Remind yourself that you don't need it to look perfect.

Step #9

Top with chocolate ice cream.

Step #10

Pretend you are on a cooking show and videotape yourself.

Step #11

Enjoy!