Honestly I Dont Know

More mabon goodies!!! This is something I devised while looking at various recipes and having a apples that needed to be used up. I think it turned out fairly well.

7 apples - fertility/abundance

4 cans of pillsbury crescent rolls

1tspVanilla extract- beauty/self love

2tbs Ground nutmeg-prosperity/luck

1tbs Ground cloves-prosperity/good relationships

3tbs Cinnamon-happiness/wealth

1/2 Crushed Walnuts-protection/empowerment

2/3 cup butter ( used vegan butter but dairy works fine) -tenacity/nurturing

1 cup sugar (preferably brown but white works fine)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Dice apples into bite size peices

then add apples, nutmeg, sugar, cloves, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract into pan

Keep them on medium until apples are soft.

(My stove was right between 4-3. And

it took 5-10 minutes till they were soft)

Open up the pillyberry dough and take out a single triangle from each one

(This will be used to patch up while we’re the apples break through if your like me and over stuff them)

Take the remaining dough and roll them into four separate balls

Roll out the balls into basically dough lines

Load up each line with the soft apples

Then pull on the sides to fill and create long dough filled apple things

Repeat for each ball of dough using the dough you pulled out to patch wholes along the way

Put non stick stuff into your pan (I just brush mine with olive oil)

Twist two lines of dough into a braid like thing

And repeat with the other two

Then brush over both twists with left over goop from the apples

Sprinkle on the crushed walnuts and bake for 30-35 minutes

Blackberry, Apple, and Whisky Pie to celebrate the Autumn Equinox or Mabon

The Autumnal equinox is here! It’s the day where light and darkness are equal, a perfect balance. We are now entering the dark part of the year. It’s time to celebrate the second harvest sabbat. Personally it’s one of my favourite because we can see the shift in Nature. Summer is fading away but there is still lots of green leaves. The air is getting colder but the sun is still hot. I am now preparing my home for the winter to come. I decluttered all my closets and donated every thing I didn’t needed anymore. There is still plenty of fruits to make jams and preserves as well

On this day of celebrations, I am giving you this amazing Apple Pie recipe. It requires a bit of work but it is totally worth it, I promise! Funny story, it’s the first time I am baking a pie, I’ve never had pies before, it not really custom where I grew up. I was curious so I decided toggle it a go. I had to do it 3 times with small adjustments every time and now I am really satisfied of the result, and now I am really convinced that it is one of my favourite fruit desserts!

Time

Preparation: 30 min the day before (the dough) + 1h30 (making the pie)

Cooking: 1h

Cooling down: 45min

Ingredients

Pie dough

If you want to just a single crust pire, you’ll have to divide the quantities by 2.

330g all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

3tbsp sugar

230g butter (must be very cold) cut into 1cm cubes

120mL iced water approximately

Filling

4 apples peeled, cored and cut into thin strips

200g blackberries, lightly crushed

2tbsp whisky (I recommend a sweet one, not too smoky for a light flavour. I used Glenmorangie)

3tbsp light brown sugar

1tbsp grounded cinnamon

1tsp all spices

1/2tsp clove

1/2 tsp nutmeg

40g flour

3tbsp Salted Maple Caramel (I used this recipe here https://bromabakery.com/salted-maple-caramel-recipe/ ) If you don’t want to do this recipe, any caramel spread will do.

1 egg beaten for the egg wash

Preparation

Pie dough

Make the day before

In a large bowl combine sugar, salt and flour

Add the butter. Mix to cover the butter cubes with flour (it keeps them cold longer). Rub butter into flour until it is the size of walnut halves.

Make a well in the center and add the water a few tablespoons at a time and mix lightly until the dough comes together (don’t over do it)

Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for the night. This step is really important because a very cold dough will be extra flaky!

Filling

In a large bowl, mix together apples, blackberries, whisky, sugar, cinnamon, all spices, clove, and nutmeg.

Let it rest during the next step.

Making the pie.

Pre heat your oven 190°C / 375°F

Lightly grease your pie pan with butter then dust it with flour (your pie will not stick to the pan in this case)

Divide the dough in 2 balls.

Put one ball back in the fridge

Roll out the other ball in a disk. It has to be large enough that it will recover your pan and drape over the edges of it. Gently fit the disk onto your pie plate by patting the edges of the pan.

With a fork make some holes in the dough

Filter your filling through a colander to separate as much as juice than you can. Now add the caramel, and the flour, mix well. The fruits have to be coated by the flour and the caramel.

Don’t throw away the juice, it is delicious to drink with black tea

Pour the filling into the pie pan.

Let the pie rest in the fridge while you are doing the next step.

Decorating the pie

Roll out the second ball of dough, then cut thin strips about 1 cm wide.

Use them to create a lattice pattern on the top of your prepared filling.

You can make braids and lie them around the edges of the pie. You can also use cookie cutter to add fun shapes, let your creativity guide you!

There is tons of amazing inspirations on Pinterest and Instagram if you need it!

When your design is done, brush the pie with the egg wash.

Bake for an hour at 190°C / 375°F.

vt

even if you get along great with your family you will get along even better with them after moving out 

generic is almost always just as good as name brand. But there are some things you never buy generic, including: peanut butter, ketchup, liquid NyQuil, Chips-Ahoy chewy chocolate chip cookies

just imagine the person on the other end of the phone hates talking on the phone as much as you do. Even a receptionist. I worked as one and I hate talking on the phone

at least once in your life you will go to Wal-mart to buy something under $20 like an ironing board or something and your debit card will get rejected. No one will judge. Everyone at some point in their lives has had $2.98 in their bank account. 

thrift stores

everyone else is too busy panicking about everyone else noticing every tiny thing that could possibly be wrong about them to notice any tiny thing that could possibly be wrong about you

you will screw up. a lot. you live and you learn. and when you start to think too hard about that embarrassing thing that happened and how you wish you could change it, just tell yourself that what’s done is done. There’s no changing it, so just forget it and move on. It’s the only way to stay sane.

do the dishes before the sink grows its own ecosystem

you can’t put Dawn dishsoap in the dishwasher. 

if you are the only one in the aisle at the grocery store, and you need to get from one end to the other without even looking at anything in that aisle, then you should totally cart-surf down the aisle. Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. Hold on to the little things. They make all the difference.

never try to make cake from scratch at 3am. You end up with a topographical map of Middle Earth.

15% tip. 

the best way to get money for food is to tell your grandparents about how you basically live on microwaved mac and cheese. Their horror may result in twenty bucks and orders to go out and get yourself “a real dinner”.

sometimes life sucks, and knowing that it might get better doesn’t always make it suck any less, but you’ll never get to the non-sucky days without enduring the suckiness. 

no seriously, NEVER put Dawn in your dishwasher

Always check the type of light bulb that goes in lamps. A 60w is not interchangeable with a 40w.

Rice, pasta, flour, sugar, cheese, eggs, milk, a pack of chicken, a pack of frozen veggies and a well stocked spice cabinet go a long way food-wise. Splurge and get the biggest container of rice you can. You don’t have to go back and buy it again anytime soon and it makes a TON of meals in the meantime.

Rice can be cooked on the stove. You don’t need a fancy rice cooker. Two parts water to every one part rice (two cups water for one cup of rice for example). Get your water boiling, add rice, put a plate or lid on it, put it on low for 20 minutes. It should be done.

Keep a calendar on your pc of bill due dates. If your bills are set up at inconvenient times, like all of the services started on the first or something, then call up the company and find out if you can get your billing date switched to something more manageable. A lot of places do try to work with you.

There is no shame in calling a company and asking for an extension on a bill. Let them know what you can pay, pay that amount, and they arrange when the rest of the payment is required. This can stop you from having services shut off man. It shows responsibility on your part.

Take time to eat, even when you don’t feel like eating. Your body needs energy to live.

Wash or rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. It prevents gross caked on junk.

“The Works” is an excellent cheap toilet cleaner.

MAGIC. FUCKING. ERASERS. THEY WORK ON EVERYTHING JUST DON’T SCRUB HARD. I took the ring out of our bathtub with one. Also generic ones work just as well.

Keep some bleach around but if you use it for cleaning? Dillute it. There’s rarely ever a case where you need to pout straight bleach on anything. A cap full or two in a bucket of water works just fine.

DO NOT MIX CLEANERS. Chemical reactions are can be very dangerous. Here’s a good list. (Note that vinegar and baking soda can actually be a good combo for removing smells from things but it’s not very good at actually -cleaning-.)

If you drink? Don’t take meds at the same time it’s just not good.

Make sure you check the dosages on your pill bottles. No one wants to accidentally overdose on cough syrup or ibuprofen.

If you have a uterus make sure you have a heating pad and ibuprofen on hand for the pain. Hot baths also generally help and Ginger Tea is excellent for any nausea.

Buy a first aid kit. It’s worth it in the long run.

You can often do your taxes online at places like TurboTax.

Here’s some good sex ed resources because I had to explain what a yeast infection was recently. 

Petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) is good for chapped lips and you can get a decent sized tube or tub of it (generic brand version) for cheaper/same price as Chapstick.

KEEP TRIPLE ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT IN YOUR HOUSE FOR CUTS AND SCRAPES AND SORES. 

~~Medications~~

Over the counter medications (stuff you can buy right off the shelf no prescription needed) have a name brand and a generic name. ALWAYS buy generic if it’s available it is literally the same thing and way cheaper usually.

Some names to remember when you’re looking for meds!

Acetaminophen = Tylenol

Used to treat pain and reduce fever. Do not take with Ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen = Advil, Midol, Motrin

Used for pain and fever, is an anti-inflammtory. Is good for period cramps because it is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug).

Naproxen = Aleve, Naprosyn

Treats fever, pain, arthritis pain, gout, period cramps, tendinitis, headache, backache, and toothache. Is also an NSAID.

Acetaminophen + Asprin + Caffeine = Excedrin

Usually marketed as “Migraine Relief” as a generic.

Asprin = Bayer

Use for pain, fever, arthritis, and inflammation. Makes you bleed easily so should not be used for periods. Might reduce risk of heart attacks.\

Triple Antibiotic Ointment = Neosporin

Used on cuts, sores, and scrapes to reduce risk of infection and promote healing.

if you live off ramen, add stuff to it! add veggies you like, don’t use the whole flavor packet to cut down on sodium and msg or don’t use it at all and add your own spices.

if you’re making something with potatoes in it (beans, stew) potatoes are done when you can easily stab a fork through them.

you can microwave a hotdog as long as you put it in a microwave safe container of water. microwaves work by making water molecules vibrate. also, when reheating rice leftovers, add a small amount of water, like maybe a spoonfull, so it doesn’t get hard and crunchy.

the rice cooking advice above is for long grain rice. if you’re making short or medium grain rice, a 1:1 ratio (one cup water for one cup rice) is better, so the rice doesn’t come out too mushy.

buy a few cans of chicken. wholesale club stores like sam’s, costco, or bj’s tend to carry multipacks for a good price. they’re incredibly useful for when you forget to defrost meat.

buy meat on sale and put it in the freezer. buy vegetables on sale, and put them in the freezer. frozen veggies are often as flavorful and good as fresh ones, keep longer, and often come in microwaveable bags or with microwave directions.

soak ink stains in milk to help get them out or at least lighten them.

soak blood stains in water as soon as possible, with a bit of detergent or stain remover. scrub at them. use cold water, heat binds proteins to fabric. tbh, there’s no real need to change the washer from cold-cold setting unless the thing you’re washing says to wash in warm water.

-coolant or water if your car overheats (coolant is preferable cause it won’t hurt the engine in the long run but hey i know money is tight) 

-flashlight in case you break down at night and need to check under the hood and your phone is dead

-SPARE TIRE. 

-jumper cables.you will at some point leave your lights on. you just will. 

Don’t be afraid to go to your local food bank. They are there for a reason.

1. Buy a roll of parchment paper from the cooking shit aisle. A big roll will last you for-fucking-ever. Pretty much any time you’re using a baking pan you can line it with that stuff and save yourself A: food sticking to the pan and B: it’s a quick rinse and it’s clean.

2. Bread can get fucking expensive, so make your own. A bigass bag of flour and a bag of active dry yeast (store it in the friiiiidge!!!) works out a FUCK of a lot cheaper than buying bread at the store, and you can do so much more with it. Bread, pizza, rolls, cinnibuns, homemade pizza pockets. It seems intimidating but it’s stupid easy.

Seriously. It’s stupid simple to make, and most of the “3 hours” to make it is sitting around surfing the internet or doing whatever the fuck you want while the dough rises. If you have an afternoon free once a week to sit and play video games or surf the net, you have the time to make your own bread on the cheap. Here’s my simple-as-fuck recipe:

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (You can buy a bag of this stuff CHEAP in bulk stores, the little packets are hella stupid priced) 1 cup warm water (think a hot bath) 1 ½ teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons oil (any kind works for the most part) 2 ¼ cups flour 1 teaspoon salt

1. Stir the yeast, water, sugar, and oil up in a bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. It will foam up VERY high, this is the yeast getting happy! If it doesn’t get all foamy, the water may have been too hot or not hot enough. Remember, Yeast is alive! Treat it like a nice girlfriend!

2. Mix your flour, salt, and the yeast concoction up in a bowl.

3. Knead that shit for about 5 minutes. It will start sticky as heck, but will come together into a nice dough. If it’s still super sticky, toss in a bit more flour. Here’s how to knead it: 

4. Put your dough in a covered, lightly oiled bowl and leave it someplace warmish for an hour. At that point it will have roughly doubled in size, give it a gentle punch to release the gasses that have built up inside. Cover it again and let it sit for a bit longer.

Boom. You have bread dough. Here are some baking times and uses for ya:

Optional egg-wash: Just crack an egg into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and mix the bejeebus out of it with a fork. Brush (or if you’re like me, goop it on with said fork) that shit thinly on bread before baking for a nice crust.

Pizza: Stretch it on a pan, stab the fucker all over with a fork, add toppings, bake 425*F 15-20 minutes. 

Bread Sticks: Make snake-shapes, let rest on pan 10-ish minutes, bake 400*F 10-20 minutes.

Dinner rolls: Make ball-sized (yes those balls) balls. Place on greased pan, let rest 10-20 minutes to rise. Egg-wash and bake 375*F 25 minutes.

Bread: Lightly score (cut) the top, let sit for 20-ish minutes on/in whatever you’re using to bake it, egg-wash, bake at 375*F for 20-ish minutes. It’s done when it sounds hollow if you knock on the bottom.

You bet your ass you can deep-fry this shit for cheapie yeast doughnuts. Roll that shit in sugar or dip it in whatever, it’s fucking tasty.

Bagels: YES. YOU. CAN. Form bagel-shapes out of the dough and boil them in salty water for about 2 minutes. Egg-wash them and bake them at 400*F for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls: Roll that shit out into a rectangle. Brush it with a mix of butter, cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt (no exact amounts here, do it to your taste). Roll it up into a log, and cut it into discs. Let them sit 20 minutes in a pan and then bake at 375*F 15-17 minutes.

You can add whatever you want to the dough for some variety, just if it’s dried spices remember you really only need 1-ish tablespoons. I personally like making bread with about 1 tablespoon of dill in the dough. Roll it out flat, sprinkle it with cheddar, roll it into a log, squeeze the ends shut, and bake it like a regular loaf of bread. Cheesy dill bread OMNOMNOM.

*ahem* That got a bit long. But yeah. Bread’s expensive, yo. Save your wallet.

What a ho ho horrible year