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I recently had an email asking me how to make the fancy edge on a double-crust pie...so I thought I'd share how I do it!
First, when you make a two-crust pie, put the first crust in the bottom of the pie pan. Take a knife and cut the crust flesh with the edge of the pie pan. Put your filling in.
Second, put your top crust on. I use a knife and cut around the edge of the top crust, leaving about 1/2-3/4 of an inch extra crust beyond the edge of the pan. Now I take the top crust that is hanging over and tuck it underneath the edge of the bottom crust. Work your way around the crust until you have a nice edge..it will just be kind of rounded where the crusts are rolled together. Sometimes I have to squeeze the crust around to parts that are a little thinner. Some places get too fat, so I try to even it out before I make my nice edge.
Lastly, Once the crust is all sealed around, then you can make the nice edging. I had my son take a picture of my hands (below) showing how to pinch the crust (using a piece of paper where the crust will be). 
To make this nice edge, take your left hand and hold your thumb and index finger up as shown above. Take the index finger of your right hand...hold the left hand on one side of the crust edge, and your right hand on the other. Place your fingers on both sides of the crust edge and push together gently. This will make one indented pattern. Take your fingers off and move them over to make the next indented pattern. Continue this on around the crust. If you kind of pinch your thumb and index fingers on your left hand, it makes the pattern a little more defined. But don't pinch too much!
I hope this makes sense. The next time I make some pie I'll take some pictures of this process and add them in here in place of this picture. Have fun!
2 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 cups Sucanat or organic sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with blender for a few minutes until smooth. Pour into the cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool and frost as desired.
FROSTING:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar
Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whip with mixer for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Recipe can be doubled if more frosting is desired. This should be enough to frost one cake.
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust
4 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 cup Sucanat or organic sugar, divided (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine apple slices and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium sized bowl. Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and flour (1/4 cup) in a small bowl; stir well. Sprinkle over the apple mixture and add vanilla; mix well. Place mixture into unbaked pie shell.
Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the 3/4 cup flour in a bowl; stir well. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over apple mixture.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cover edges of pastry with strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake an additional 30 minutes.
2 pounds ground chicken
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
In a medium-sized bowl, soak bread crumbs in milk. Add in the ground chicken, minced onion, eggs, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and thyme. Form into patties. Saute for about 7 minutes on each side in butter and olive oil, or until fully cooked.
Serve on homemade buns and a large green salad for a yummy meal!
In the Bosch bowl using wire whips, blend the following ingredients together:
2 Cups flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Cup shortening
1/4 Teaspoon sugar
Change wire whips to the dough hook. Then add water below and blend.
1/2 Cup water
Note: This dough freezes well, either wrapped in plastic wrap or rolled out in a pie plate and covered.
3 cups ground (cooked) meat, such as ham, chicken, turkey, etc.
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Smart Balance Omega Plus for a healthier version)
1/2 cup dill pickle relish (my homemade!)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Combine everything in a medium-sized bowl and store in refrigerator.
Note: Every so often I get the urge to make up some sandwich spread for our lunches. I buy a whole ham or use some cooked chicken or turkey and grind it up with my meat grinder. I then put 3 cups of meat in freezer bags and store it in the freezer. To make, I let a bag of meat thaw over night in the refrigerator, then pull it out the next day. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and you have some yummy sandwich spread to have on your homemade bread! Enjoy!
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup natural peanut butter (chunky is good!)
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Mix everything together in a medium-sized bowl. Form into small bite-sized balls. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
These are so yummy! Enjoy!
1 cup Sucanat or organic sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3-4 medium)
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom only of loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 OR 9x5x3 inches). Mix sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until blended. Add bananas and water and beat for 30 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients except the nuts just until moistened; stir in nuts. Pour into the pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 55-75 minutes (depending on size of pan). Cool 5 minutes in pan after done baking. Loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove bread. Cool completely before slicing. Store in the refrigerator.
Hint: Banana bread freezes very well! Make a double batch and put one in the freezer for a later breakfast or snack!
This blog is my own cookbook of healthy recipes and I want to share them with you! May the Lord bless you and your family!