Oatmeal Crust Apple Pie

Hey you,
Ok so... I really have no vision to make this a food blog (unless it involves coffee) but I love takeing recipes and making them my own and today in my frustration I some how cobbled together something so amazingly delicious I surprised myself.  Since I want to remember what I did for future reference and I'd be happy to share it with you i figured I'd document it.  I took two recipes and blended them together and tweaked them based on reviews and my own tastes. The crust and topping came from THE SPICE HOUSE http://www.thespicehouse.com/recipes/apple-pie-with-oatmeal-crust-recipe (that website looked really cool, i wonder if they carry Haitian vanilla?)and the filling was more inspired by Betty Crocker... because Betty Crocker can do no wrong.  I don't know if its a pie or a strudel or a cobbler or what but its worth repeating, so without further adieu:

Oatmeal Crust:
1 cup oats
3/4 cup flour
1/4 ground flax seed
1/4 tightly packed brown sugar
a dash of sea salt
a stick of melted butter
a tablespoon of honey (because it needed more liquid)
and some water maybe a bit over a table spoon... I wasn't paying attention, it was just a healthy splash alright?

Topping:
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
cinnamon and allspice to taste, perhaps a teaspoon each
a handful of chopped pecans, optional but highly recommended, these things taste so good when you toast em like this!!!

Filling: 
4 or so apples cored and thinly sliced (firm green apples of coarse! peel em if you want but I left the skins on, I think skinning them is pretty unnecessary)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ground flax
a few dashes of cinnamon
a few dashes of allspice
3 tablespoons butter (not melted)

Preheat oven to 425 (Fahrenheit)

Whisk together the dry ingredients for the crust. Add in melted butter whisk a bit more then add in water and honey.  Make sure all ingredients are just incorporated. I guess over mixing pastries is a sin of some sort.  Pat into a crust shape in your pie pan forget the rolling pin, that never does me any good, your fingers like getting all sugary and buttery anyways.

For the Filling: Stir together brown sugar, flax and spices pour over apples and make sure they are well coated.  dump into pie pan.... um if its not making a mound over your crust you don't have enough apples.  just sayin, those babies cook down.shave your butter with your all important butter knife and spread the shavings all over the top of the pie.  This is called dotting.  I think.

Ok make the topping first mix the dry ingredients, add melted butter, pecans mix well spread evenly over apples. You know the drill, look at you go, you pro cheffy you. 

Put it in the oven, like a boss. for 40-50 min. I checked on mine after 20 min and found the crumbs to be dark brown which is excellent because that's how I like LOVE my pecans... toasted well.  but I did cover it with foil for the last 20 and kick the temp down to 400 degrees.

It was pretty good I feel like the crust I modified came out perfectly... its not "pretty" but its so darn tasty I don't see why you'd care. It did brake a little but that's not something I worry about I'd rather it be delicious than serve nicely.  

Oh yeah let your pie cool before you cut it. Then put it in your mouth and enjoy it because that's where it belongs.  And feel good because you got your healthy fiber full and amino acid rich flax for the day.

Feel free to say hi in the comments because, you are beautifull and significant.

Peace be with you.

siC,
laura

I'm as Free as My Hair

Hey You,
As you may or may not know I have been taking Kelly Rae Roberts creative business class.  Last week she started by addressing our fears and personal hang ups.  One of the ways she recommended overcoming them was to begin with doing something you didn't think you could do.
For me an easy thing that I've never done that I have always wanted to do is dye my hair a funky colour.  I know its odd and probably wont have a direct effect on my art but its something I wanted to do for a while.  I'm really in to self expression.  I feel like getting dressed and putting makeup on is an art and should reflect what I want to feel.  If I've had a terrible day doing my make up can make me feel better. If I'm going to an interview it helps me pull myself together because in the process of choosing colours and applying the makeup I decide how I'm going to be.  Its a good way to refresh my brain. Hair is an extension of that.
As a commitment to be fearless in my creativity and art I bought some red passion manic panic hair dye, made an appt. with my bestie that's a cosmetologist and committed to hot pink low-lights in my hairs.  (I must say its really nice having a bff that went to beauty school.  I love her for who she is but seriously I've got good connections for occasions such as these, and yes, I did manage to get through high school  without ever dyeing my hair while she was in beauty school and beginning her career in hair design.  Strange, but true)
I guess I always put it off because I wanted to maintain the cleanest image possible so I could be hired and then when I did get a job I was afraid it would make my employers like me less. Well. I'm 22. I'm committed to being a stay at home mom.  Who am I trying to impress now? Other moms at bible study?   They're sweet but I'm the obnoxious one by a long shot any ways.   Might as well cement that.  My hubby thinks its cute that I want to play with my hair (yay!!) so why not?  So yesterday, in honer of being braver, more creative and true to myself, I got a portion of my hair dyed "red passion".

"I'm as free am my hair." Lady Ga Ga

On that note, I started another painting last night.  I have two in mind but i finished the first one today.  It was inspired by my mom's living room, a bible verse my mom gave, a suggestion from Sam and that propelled my into a birch tree forest. enjoy :)

So wile I won't claim to be in the easiest place in life, Lord knows what kindof insanity's going on down here. I am about staying positive, being myself, being creative and allowing myself to be brave :)
You are beautiful and significant and I'd love to hear from you.  Till next time, peace be with you :)

Greetings & Salutations!

Hey You,
I have been wanting to start a blog for some time and I've been having a hard time coming up with a concrete topic or theme.  I want to write about lots of things! Art, coffee, my favorite places, my favorite artists, my favorite places to get coffee. I'd love to showcase my new and captivating art that I keep finding on the net. I want to goof off and be myself.  I want to share recipes, thoughts, make up ideas, perhaps teach some art techniques... organizing my thoughts is like herding cats! Good.  Stinkin.  Luck. 
I've noticed a common thread and I think I've got the theme finally (drum roll please!)
Inspiration. or more specifically, things that have inspired me and things I have been inspired to make or do. 
I'll try to come up with a schedule and make sure I have re-occurring themes so there's some form of consistency.  I've got a mountain of ideas and a cute baby in my lap to distract me... hello handsome, did you wake up?

I suppose I should properly introduce myself.
My name is Laura Carpenter.  I am 22 years old.  I am a wife and mother.  I am a christian and I am addicted to art and coffee. And we can be friends because you are a beautiful and significant person!  Feel free to say hi in the comments :)

siC 
laura