Door Decor

By no means am a DYI enthusiast, but I love some good arts and crafts. I made one of my first banners for halloween and fell in love with the process so I decided I’d start a new tradition (does it count when you’ve only done a tradition once?) and start decorating my door for holidays. I was able to find all this at Hobby Lobby, it’s my go-to store for arts and crafts because they have a wide selection with unique finds. One trick with Hobby Lobby that I’ve learned over the years, they rotate the products that are 50% off every week; One week half the store will be 50% off and next week the other half of the store will be 50% off.

 | Red Stripe Fabric | Blue Star Fabric| Burlap Triangles | Letters |  

Mini Apple Pies

One of my favorite deserts is apple pie. Luckily I can get away with making apple pies for multiple holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, 4th of July etc.). Unfortunately, I hate having to mess with pie crust, it’s a pain to make and it’s a pain to roll out. Of course, I know home make pie crust is better than store bought, but it really does take way from my pie-making experience when I have to make he pie dough. So, I like to cut corners when I make pie and use the pre-made Pillsbury Pie crust, it’s not as flakey as homemade crust, but it’s good enough for me to makeup for the hassle. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Pillsbury pie crust
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 small white egg beaten
• 1 12 count cupcake pan

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Peel, core and chop apples and set aside.
3. Pour water into saucepan and heat on medium until boiling. Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the saucepan and stir until incorporated, leave on heat. Once mixture is thickened, add in apples and bring the mixture to a boil. Leave on heat for 15 minutes then set aside.
4. Roll out the first pie crust and cut into circles (however big your cupcake tins are). For the 12 count large cupcake tins, I typically use the tops of the red plastic cups. Place each disk into each of the muffin tin cavities. Make sure you press them to the bottom so they can get crispy. Fill each with apple pie filling all the way to the top. Keep in mind that the filling will sink as it cooks.
5. Unroll the second pie crust and cut into 1/2″ strips and create a lattice pattern. Cut the lattice pattern so it fits on the top of the muffin tins and transfer on top.
6. Brush the tops of the apple pies with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes.

Blueberry Cookies

Over the years, I feel like I’ve perfected the art of cookies. I use to make them all the time as a poor college student. So now it’s time to experiment, and the first step in experiment is adding fruit. Since it’s the 4th of July , I decided to add blueberries… and it was definitely the right choice! When I cut the blueberries in half they were able to dry up, and not ooze juice, and still keep the flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of blueberries
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 pack of red colored sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Combine cookie mix, egg, butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.
3. Rinse blueberries and cut them in half.
4. Using a small spoon, roll the mixture into 2″ balls and flatten softly with the palm of your hand.
5. Set half the cookies to the side. Using your index finger, puncture small holes into the dough and place the halved blueberries inside.
6. Using a small plate, pour out the red sugar so it coats the bottom. Take the other half of the cookies and dip the tops in the red sugar. Lay the dough, red side up, on the cookie sheet.
7. Put cookies in oven and bake for 12 minutes.

Thanks for reading, I hope you had a happy 4th of July!!