Pumpkin Cookies (ok, it's not pie)

So, as much as Ben likes pie, it's not like we can eat it ALL the time.  I took some time out to make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and MMM...so good :)

It's actually quite remarkable how many great recipes you can find by just searching online.  I have found the most success with the AllRecipes.com website.  Their recipes typically use ingredients that are not too difficult to find.  Once you stock up on the "necessities" like white sugar, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, flour, baking powder/soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter sticks and eggs, then it's not too difficult to pick up a few "extras" like a can of pumpkin or a pack of chocolate chips.  When I first began doing a lot of baking, I thought that it cost wayyyy too much, but now that I am fully stocked, it only costs me a few dollars to get the "extras."

Here's the great pumpkin cookie recipe I found...my co-workers really loved them!  Ben isn't a huge fan of pumpkin but I still think he appreciated the effort ;)  Enjoy!

I got this recipe from this website: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-iii/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Love and Pie

I never thought when I was in school or practicing gymnastics, earning black belts or teaching full time while getting a credential and a master's at night that the things most people in life are grateful for are the little things.  I mean, I guess if I thought about it seriously, I would have realized that what endears me to Ben more than anything is when he takes out my trash telling me I shouldn't have to do that or when he installs a dishwasher or takes me out for ice cream or dinner.  All of these "little" things are really what make life so special. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when, at a party this weekend (2 parties actually), I heard Ben boast about how I make him a pie just about once a week.  It's such a small thing, really, but in so many ways it's so much more important than anything else I could do.  When did we, as a culture, decide that big accomplishments, events, and "stuff" were more important than the little daily reminders of our love to one another?  I know that the best moments are when the family gets together on Thanksgiving and shares a delicious meal, or when I was a kid and my dad and I would watch episodes of Sherlock Holmes together.  Just hearing the music from the theme song reminds me of the times we shared when we still lived at the Camellia house my dad grew up on.  Or when my mom hosts tea parties--the time and thoughtfulness she puts into them to make the experience so enjoyable for our friends and family.  These are the things people will remember us by. 

I have a feeling that when I am old, Ben will look back on our life together and remember the fact that I baked him a pie once a week.  Not that I earned a black belt or got a full scholarship to college, or paraglided off the Swiss Alps, or became a teacher at age 22.  We will remember the quiet evenings alone together (and maybe the not so quiet ones we'll have if we ever have children).  We'll remember the nights we danced in our living room to our favorite love songs, the cool evenings on the river fishing, the hikes we took in the blaze of a summer day, the laughter and the tears we will have shared.  We'll remember the conversations which brought us closer together.  And we'll remember pie.

Blackberry Pie

Probably my favorite fruit is the blackberry.  But let's face it...they cost way too much money to buy them every time I go to the grocery store.  On Monday I decided to make a blackberry pie and it came out delicious!  I still think raspberry is my favorite but I would highly recommend making this pie if you are a berry fan!

Here's the recipe that I used:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/blackberry-pie-i/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Combine 3 1/2 cups berries with the sugar and flour. Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup berries on top of the sweetened berries, and cover with the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges. Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
2. Bake at 425 degree F (220 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.

The one thing that makes this pie unique is the sugar that's added to the top crust.  Ben noticed (and liked!) the difference.  And don't forget that in order for it to taste yummy you need to actually make the crust from scratch.

St. Ynez Trail: Topanga Cyn. state park

The St. Ynez trail can be found in Topanga Cyn state park.  If you take Topanga Canyon towards the ocean and turn left onto Entrada Rd., you will find a parking lot with an entrance to the park. I would strongly suggest you park just down the road, since parking is $10.  There are maps for sale for $2 at the entrance which are well worth the money. 

Once inside the park, you will see a Nature Center.  Not too far from that is a path which takes you to the St. Ynez trail.  You will see a sign that points you in the right direction of the trail.  From there all you need to do is stay on the trail till you get to the bottom of the canyon.  Once you reach the bottom, however, it's helpful to have the map to guide you if you want to attempt to find the St. Ynez waterfall.  During the summertime there is very little to no water, so you will not have much luck finding a waterfall.

The hike is about 4.5 miles long.  The first half of the hike is almost completely downhill while the second half is obviously uphill as you make your trek back to the top.  On a hot day make sure you have plenty of water with you!  Overall, the hike is quite pretty and you will definately see deer along your path.  I think it would be a much nicer, hike, however in the fall or winter when it's not so hot.  I prefer hikes with a lot more shade during the summer months and until you get to the bottom of the canyon there's not much shade available along the trail. 

I would rate this hike as "moderate" in terms of difficulty.  If it were a longer hike I would probably rate it "hard" only because of the steepness of the trail at certain points.  If you have the time, it is possible to hike to the ocean from the state park, but it's about 7 miles one way, so make sure to be prepared with plenty of food and water.  OR:  park a 2nd car at the beach and drive back so you only have to go one way.

Although I didn't see them, others have said they spotted mountain lions on this trail (usually on weekdays when there are fewer hikers out). 

Here is a link with comments from other hikers who have been to the Topanga State Park.  Happy Hiking!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/topanga-state-park-topanga

Raspberry Pie

Okay, so let's get down to the nitty gritty.  How do you make a raspberry pie?  Well, I found an awesome recipe at Allrecipes.com.  Here's the link but I will give you the ingredients and directions in this post:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Raspberry-Pie-II/Detail.aspx  I've changed a couple things about the recipe but if you want the original recipe please go to the link! 

Ingredients:

Pie crust (see my post entitled "The Importance of Crust"
2 1/2 cups of raspberries (to save money buy them frozen but allow them to thaw for about 30 minutes)
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of butter
1 egg white

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C)
Line a 9 inch pie plate with crust and brush with egg white.  Arrange the berries in the crust.
Combine sugar and cornstarch and sprinkle the mixture over the berries.  Dot the mixture with the butter.
Cover with the upper crust (I prefer to cover in strips of criss-crossed dough not a full, flat crust). 
Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees and then reduce heat to 400 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!

Hiking according to Megan

Notice the beautiful gold field...this leads up to the woodland trail

Hiking for me is about finding and exploring new, beautiful sights--sights that are untouched by man's desire to concretize everything he sees.  Sights that are just the way (or close to the way) God created them.  So when I say I love hiking I do mean that I enjoy scaling mountains, but it's much more than that.  I love being outdoors in nature whether I'm actually climbing something, fishing a stream, or relaxing by a creek bed.  I love being outside.

My "hiking" posts, therefore, are dedicated to providing you with some great outdoor ideas.  Places to go, things to do, and sites to see.  My local adventures are in Southern California, but I will also suggest some of my favorite "far away" places, for those Californians who actually like to get out of our smog ridden state (well, at least Southern California, that is). 

The first spot I'd like to share with you is a place called Cambria.  Cambria is a small coastal town along the Central coast of California.  From the San Fernando Valley and LA area it should take you about 4 hours by car (which is the only way you'll get there since there is not local airport in Cambria).  I've been visiting to this beach town since I was 3 years old, and have enjoyed yearly visits ever since.  

In my last trip in May of this year, I discovered a beautiful little hiking spot which starts along the coast and ebbs backward into a forest.  If you are staying on Moonstone Beach, simply drive towards the town, but instead of making a left into town keep going straight until you reach the local neighborhoods.  You can park in the neighborhood and walk out towards the shore from there.  Between the ocean and the woods is a beautiful golden field.  I'd recommend taking the path, however, since the little "sticky" things will get stuck in your socks and scratch your legs if you try walking through the brush (I say this from experience!).  Once in the forest you can hike for quite a ways but it's fairly easy to get back--just go towards the ocean! 

In addition to this lovely little spot, the beaches in Cambria are unlike most in Southern California.  Instead of sandy they are rocky.  You can climb along the rocks and see the tide pools.  It's almost always cool year-round, so it's more of a walking/sight-seeing beach than a beach where you lie down or go swimming.  The little town of Cambria also has a lot to offer.  Although the town consists of just two small sections (West Cambria and East Cambria) there is a lot to see!  If you enjoy antiquing, there are at least 3 antique stores you can visit--the biggest and best one is at the very end of East Cambria next to the pizza shop. 

View from the boardwalk

Cambria also has a variety of dining opportunities.  The Grill is the most casual restaurant. They serve burgers, hot dogs, salads, ice cream, veggie burgers, and just about any side you can think of.  Their clam chowder is also excellent.  My favorite "nice" restaurant has to be The Sow's Ear.  I went here for my birthday dinner with my boyfriend this year and we had the most delicious meal I've ever tasted.  Brie cheese soaked in honey for our appetizer, braised beef with veggies and mashed potatoes for our main course, a delcious bread bowl in a flower pot, and the best Cabernet Savignon I've ever tasted!  The service was excellent and we left with a serious food coma! 

If you are looking for night-life there isn't much at Cambria.  It's about as far away from a Vegas-like experience as you'll get.  There's one bar in East Cambria that stays open late and sometimes has live bands but the ambiance and the music definately suits an "older" crowd.  My boyfriend and I are a bit quirky, however, so we kind of enjoyed the band that was playing, but it was a bit dull since there were hardly any young people there. 

All-in-all Cambria is one of the best kept secrets in California.  You can enjoy beautiful views, gorgeous hikes (or walks), and the quaint shops and restaurants you'll find in town.  If you have any questions, let me know.  I've been visiting Cambria for 23 years, so I can probably answer almost all your questions!

The importance of crust

My boyfriend's 30th birthday was the inspiration for my first home-made pie.  Even though I had a made a few pies with my younger sister in the past, I had never once made crust from scratch.  I always thought that the crust was the least important part of the pie and that I could get away with not having one that was entirely homemade. Boy was I wrong.

For my 26th birthday my sister had bought me the cookbook Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys.  In the back there were some dessert recipes, and the very first recipe was for pie crust.  I read it over and it didn't seem that complicated, so I decided to test it out and make a pie one week before my boyfriend's birthday.  I didn't want to risk a disaster pie on his actual birthday, so I set to work getting together all the ingredients.

Ben & Me

Here is the recipe I used and some helpful tips I've discovered as I've made my pie crusts.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of butter
1/4 cup cold milk

Directions:

Add the flour and salt together.  Then cut in the 2 sticks of butter.  To do this, unwrap the 2 sticks and slice them very thinly.  Do not melt the butter at all.  It should be right out of the fridge.  Add the slices of butter to the flour/salt mixture and use your hands to mix.  Keep mixing till you have a crumbly consistency.  Then add the 1/4 cup of cold milk and continue to mix until the dough sticks together in a ball. 

Separate the dough into two circular disks and wrap them in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes.  I prefer to make the dough the day before I plan on making a pie.  It breaks up the amount of time you spend working on it and the dough tends to taste better if it's been refrigerated a little longer.  However, do not use the dough if it has been sitting in the fridge for more than 3 days.

When you are ready to use the dough, take out some flour and a rolling pin. Flour the cutting board and rolling pin and roll out one of the disks.  Once it is rolled out to the size of your pie pan, place it in the pan and press the dough firmly against the sides.  Try to make sure there is an even consistency of dough through out the pan.  Before adding the filling to the crust, brush an egg white on the bottom of the crust.  This will keep the filling from sticking or burning. 

After you add the filling to the bottom crust, roll out the second disk of dough.  Cut the dough into strips and criss cross it over the top of the filling.  I prefer to criss cross the dough instead of lie it all flat on top.  Not only does this allow for more ventilation, but it makes the pie more pleasing to the eye.  You can see the filling inside and that makes everyone want to eat it!