Tie Die Nails


Kenzie and I had tons of fun creating patterns for our nails. It was cool to watch it stick though clean up was kind of a pain. Kenzie used blue, green and white. I used pink, white and grey. If you know of an easy way to keep you fingers clean let me know!




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Pumpkin Pie

 I love this pudding!!! It's the Pumpkin Spice Pudding but it's only seasonal.
It is so good!
I just mixed it up like the instructions say and then I dumped it into my crust and just refrigerated it.


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Classic Crisco Pie Crust


This was a really good flaky crust!!!
Printable Recipe Download
Classic Crisco Pie Crust
Ingredients:
·        1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
·        ½ tsp. salt
·        ½ Crisco stick or ½ cup Crisco all-vegetable shortening
·        3 tbsp. cold water
Directions:
1.    BLEND flour and salt in medium mixing bowl.
2.   CUT chilled shortening into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut in chilled shortening cubes into flour mixture, using a pastry blender, in an up and down chopping motion, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea-sized pieces remaining.
3.   SPRINKLE half the maximum recommended amount of ice cold water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl to the top, distributing moisture evenly into flour. Press chunks down to bottom of bowl with fork. Add more water by the tablespoon, until dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed together.
TIP: Test dough for proper moistness by squeezing a marble-sized ball of dough in your hand. If it holds together firmly, do not add any additional water. If the dough crumbles, add more water by the tablespoonful, until dough is moist enough to form a smooth ball when pressed together.
4.  SHAPE dough into a ball for single pie crust. Divide dough in two for double crust or double deep dish crust, one ball slightly larger than the other. Flatten ball(s) into 1/2-inch thick round disk(s).
TIP: For ease in rolling, wrap dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
5.  ROLL dough (larger ball of dough for double crust pie) from center outward with steady pressure on a lightly floured work surface (or between two sheets of wax or parchment paper) into a circle 2-inches wider than pie plate for the bottom crust. Transfer dough to pie plate by loosely rolling around rolling pin. Center the rolling pin over the pie plate, and then unroll, easing dough into pie plate.
6.  For a SINGLE pie crust, trim edges of dough leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold edge under. Flute dough as desired. Bake according to specific recipe directions.
7.  For a DOUBLE pie crust, roll larger disk for bottom crust, trimming edges of dough even with outer edge of pie plate. Fill unbaked pie crust according to recipe directions. Roll out smaller dough disk. Transfer dough carefully onto filled pie. Trim edges of dough leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold top edge under bottom crust. Press edges together to seal and flute as desired. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to vent steam. Bake according to specific recipe directions.
Two Methods for Pre-baking Pie Crusts (Cream Pies)
1.    Pre-baking without weights: Thoroughly prick bottom and sides of unbaked pie dough with fork (50 times) to prevent it from blistering or rising. Bake crust in lower third of oven, at 425°F, 10-12 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.
2.   Pre-baking with weights: Thoroughly prick bottom and sides of unbaked pie dough with fork (50 times) to prevent it from blistering or rising. Chill or freeze for 30 minutes. Line pie dough snugly with foil or parchment paper. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Reduce oven to 350°F. Bake 5-10 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.

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Spicy Pork Chili

For Mom and Dad's anniversary I cooked dinner. It turned out really good!!! It's from the Best of Country Slow Cooker Recipes Vol. 2. 
Printable Recipe.


Spicy Pork Chili
2 lbs. boneless pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup beef broth
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Shredded cheddar cheese, optional

In a large skillet, cook pork in oil over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes or until browned. Transfer pork and drippings to a 5-qt. slow cooker.
Stir in the tomatoes, corn, beans, onion, broth, chilies, chili powder, garlic, salt. cayenne and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until pork is tender. Stir in cilantro. Serve with cheese if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: Instead of crushed tomatoes I used diced tomatoes. I season the meat with chili powder and also add the tablespoon to the base. I didn't use any of the cayenne pepper or the cilantro. The minced garlic is Gourmet Garden.

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Hunted By: Clair M. Poulson

This book was amazing. We listened to it on a trip and hated having to stop since that meant the book had to be paused. The story line is very easy to follow but has just enough suspense to keep you going. It has room for you to make predictions that are conceivable.

Zach Barlow, a young returned missionary, didn’t want Caden Pendleton to join his group of friends on a hunting trip to the High Uintahs. But the newcomer’s offer to help pay expenses changed Zach’s mind, despite his misgivings. Yet when Caden’s temper stirs up trouble in camp, Zach’s misgivings turn to regrets. And when Caden is found dead in the woods, shot with a hunter’s rifle, those regrets turn to raw panic. Zach’s hunting camp has become a murder scene, and the murder weapon’s owner—a young woman named Bria—is nowhere to be found. 
As Sheriff Lee Rutger and his deputies confront the mystery of the dead man and the missing girl, more disappearances follow. Can the sheriff stop the relentless hunter before he himself becomes the hunted?
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