Garden Friday

Have you been inundated with seed catalogs?

It's getting close to seed starting here in North Carolina,

so I'm thinking about what I want to grow.

This year, I am again using the tool provided by

Gardener's Supply Company

to plan my spring and summer gardens.

This free, interactive tool, is a fabulous way 

to figure out the best layout for the veggies and herbs you'll be growing.

Here's an example of what one of my summer beds will look like:

 

 Summer Garden Bed 1

It's easy to use with a list of common crops to choose from

as well as being able to customize the size of your beds.

This planner works for raised beds, raised rows,

traditional row growing, and container gardening.

After you create the layout of your dreams,

the website also provides planting information for each crop.

It's a great resource for beginning gardeners as well as

those with more experience.

It takes just minutes to plan your spring,

summer or fall garden.

Give it a go and let me know how you like it!

Homemade Pot Pie Crust

Sometimes being the only cook in the house isn't easy.

I tend to get into ruts and make the same thing over and over,

just because I don't always feel ambitious in the kitchen.

I cook not because I love it,

but because if I didn't, 

everyone in my house would starve.

That being said,

scratch cooking is the only way I do it.

It had been a while since I made pot pie,

so I mustered up the gumption to make it this week.

What a treat!

The crust is so easy to do in the food processor,

and the other components go together in no time.

We had leftover rotisserie chicken meat to use up,

so I made a chicken version for Big K,

a gluten-free chicken version for C,

and a tuna version for me (I don't eat chicken).

Hmmmm, I'm thinking I may need to make this at least once a month.

After all, with this simple recipe,

I really have no excuse!

 A recipe starting out with a stick of butter can only be good,

am I right?

Using cold butter makes it easier to cube it before placing it in the food processor.

The butter and the flour are pulsed in the processor

just until they form a ball.

Over working the dough is a no-no.

 You should still see bits of butter in the dough.

Form it into a disc, wrap it, and place it in the fridge for at least an hour.

You could easily do this the night before,

just take it out about 15 minutes before you are ready to cover the pie.

When it has rested at room temperature,

just roll it out to about 1/4" thick and lay it atop the filled casserole dish.

Pierce a few holes in the top to let the steam escape

and bake.

I even made a gluten-free, dairy-free version for C.

The method is the same, 

but it can easily be done in a bowl instead of a processor.

I used gluten-free flour mix and olive oil instead of butter.

The same technique is used, refrigerating it for an hour or overnight.

Homemade Pot Pie Crust

(Martha Stewart)

we adjusted it to our liking

1 1/4 C flour (we use unbleached)

1/4 t fine salt

1/2 C unsalted butter

1 t sugar

3-5 t cold water

In a processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt.

Add cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle with 3 t of water and pulse.

If dough doesn't come together, add 1 t at a time more until

the dough forms a ball.

Don't overmix!

Shape dough into a disc, cover,

and refrigerate for at least an hour.

When ready to bake,

let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Then roll out to 1/4" thickness,

place on your filled casserole,

pierce holes in the top with a knife,

and bake at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes.

Enjoy!