What Is Your Favorite Fall Activity?

[PerfectEmpire]

I always enjoyed raking up a big pile of leaves and jumping into them. Then taking the leaves and putting them into those Halloween trash bags that look like pumpkins. The smell of the dried leaves is my favorite part of fall. It varies depending on where you are, but where I grew up it was intoxicating.

 

[Iam]

Believe it or not....I love chopping and stacking the firewood in preparation for winter!

 

[intothelight]

Hi Iam,

I thought I was a little off for liking to split and stack wood. But I just love the wood burning stove and fires in the fireplace.

ITL

 

[anni]

Sleeping with the windows open until it's 35 or so outside, which drives my poor husband out of his mind. We live quite near a river where the Canadian Geese summer, so this time of year if you sleep with the windows open, they wake you up when flying south again.I didn't know they flew at night like that! I know it's silly but like waking up and hearing them over the house.

 

[James B.]

Geese sound nice, out here it's the Cactus Wren with it's variety pack of rapid-fire "chuck-chuck-chuck" calls. Love waking up to this. Time to break out the winter quilt so I can keep the windows open, too. :smile:

 

[Sammy]

Ah yes, geese migrating at night! I love that sound! Warm blankets and windows open, colored leaves raining down in the breeze, sweatshirts and jeans, squirrels chasing around the oak trees gathering the acorns, chipmunks with their cheeks full, farmer stands full of the fall fare. Fresh picked Cortland apples. Fire in the wood stove and not turning on the boiler. Waiting for the first snowfall.

 

[anni]

Hee yes! SO hard to pick one. It's why I didn't click on this thread for days and days. So many! Then when I did saw Iam's pie which drove me crazy because apple-pie making is one of 'them'. Mine taste good but look like a bizarre patchwork quilt-can't get the dratted dough right. Iam's LOOKS like an ad in an autumn article in a magazine. I don't suppose Iams, you's share the pastry recipe plus technique, and further add to the beauty of this season by ending ugly pies in Pennsylvania?

My husband grumbled a little, but the windows were open last night and the geese came over! James, I'm going to look up the cactus wren-I'm a little soft on wrens as it is, they always seem to me like tidy little plump housewives poking around.

 

[Iam]

HAHA!!!! Of course I will share the crust receipe (it comes straight out of my Betty Crocker cook book) ;o) There is story behind me and pie crusts. When I was growing up my mother would never let me make the crust when we'd bake. She told me that it was too hard and that I could never do a good job at it. When I was in my late 20's our oldest son told me how much he loved my friend Bobbi. "Bobbi knows how to shop and she knows how to bake everything...cakes and pies". Well let me tell you something I was so freakin jealous that I determined to learn how to bake more than just toll house cookies! That last photo you mentioned was of a pie I baked to take to my sons (they all share a house in a neighboring town.) My oldest son Facebooked me saying...the pie was delicious with a fantastic crust! BTW the photo was of a berry pie though not apple. Today however...... my friend and I baked 3 apple pies with granny smith apples from my tree. Oh my GOSH soooo good! We played cards while the pies baked. Fun ;o)

The geese migrate over us too. I love the sound. There is a refuge a couple of miles away, in the spring and fall there are thousands of them on the ground around the slough. I haven't really noticed the fall migration yet, but I'll take a picture and post it for you guys when I do.

 

[anni]

Now dammit I think I've tried that recipe. It's the one which has you slowly adding water and sort of fluffing the whole thing with a fork? If you have time, do send it, since successful pastry is one of those things which drives me insane and HEE, do I recognize the jealousy thing! This is NOT nice of me, but my step daughter kep talking about this home made pot-pie with home made noodles her mother makes, or used to before she fell into a bottle. ( not a snotty statement, just what happened ). WELL! I Googled the bejeesus out of home-made noodles and now have noodles which would make an Amish housewife annoyed, please excuse the pat on the culinary back! Not being Pennsylvania Dutch ( Scottish ) had NO idea what the whole thing was all about but it is pretty good, if awfully fattening!!

I am going to make a pretty pie if it kills me. Yours does look so lovely, you know! Wish me luck!

The geese here fly quite low, the river being so close so they do wake me up. Last night I had this dream agin, it's been recurring so started to think what on earth might be behind it. Whereever I am in this dream, a BEAR shows up, growling until I leave. Every night! Last night the dam bear showed up down at our creek, growling, and in my dream I headed back to the house. The geese flew over making alot of noise, and my head incorporated that into the dream for awhile. The geese yelling finally woke me up ( I love that, actually) and was able to solve the whole growling bear dream thing! Nothing Freudian there- laying next to me, apparently with vastly blocked and malfunctioning adnoids, was my snoring, snuffling, 'growling' husband. Hee!!! Those geese waking me up saved the T an awful lot of time- that dream was starting to freak me out!

 

[Iam]

Haha.....your dream interpretation cracks me up Anni. Nothing like having a bear of a husband snoring beside you in bed! Good to cuddle up to on a chilly autumn morning!

Yes you are right...water and fluffing with a fork. Three secrets, use ice cold water (I put water and ice cubes in a bowl) and AS LITTLE OF IT AS POSSIBLE. When rolling the crust out, start from the center and roll outwards. You want to handle the dough as little as possible and roll it as little as possible. When placing it in the pan or on top of the filling, roll the dough part way on the rolling pin and lift carefully so you don't stretch the dough.

Double crust

2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 C shortening
6-7 Tblsp ice cold water

Mix the flour and salt in a nice big bowl. Cut in the shortening using two knives or a pastry cutter until the shortening is in pea size chunks. Add water one tablespoon at a time. Again if you can do it with 5 TBLS all the better, you want it just moist enough to hold together. Divide in half and roll out. Bake as filling recipe requires.

Have fun!!!!

 

[Iam]

Oh I almost forgot to tell you how to make the beautiful golden color. Brush egg white on the top crust and sprinkle with sugar. Make sure to cover the edges LOOSELY with foil during the first 20 minutes of baking, then remove to finish off. That will keep the edges from getting too dried out or burning. I like to use mini cookie cutters to cut out designs to put on the middle of the top crust. Cut the edge of the bottom crust to the edge of the pan. The top crust should be slightly larger by maybe a 1/4 of an inch. Fold the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and flute the edges using the index finger of your right handnto push the edge towards the center and thumb and index finger to pinch the crust around the first finger. This makes a pretty fluted edge. Don't forget to cut a couple of small vent holes for the steam to escape!

 

[Sammy]

I never could make a pie crust. I tried and tried because my Mom always had perfect crusts. I remember eating the left overs - she'd bake them in thin little strips with sugar and cinnamon. To me, it one of the "my mom loved me" me things so I kept trying to make a good crust. Finally, I asked her how she did it. She got this evil grin on her face and said she had been using the Pillsbury, pre-made ones for years. I wanted to beat her! No wonder she had the grin... I know she made the crust when I was little but I guess she decided the other ones were easier and just never told us. Years of compliments on the crusts and many, many failed attempts on my part! One day I will try again but I kind of decided, if my Mom could use them(who's pies were legendary) , so could I.