How to Bake a Pie

I totally hate cutting out the circle of foil to put around the pie to keep the edges of the crust from burning (it's close to fingernails on the blackboard, or rubbing styrofoam together... makes my teeth hurt!) and today I figured out an easy multipurpose way to do it!! I didn't want to get apple pie overflow all over my new oven, so I put the pie on a cookie sheet. Then I realized that I also didn't want apple pie overflow all over my cookie sheet either, so I got a piece of tin foil out to go over the cookie sheet and under the pie. Then I folded it up over the edges!

After baking it for 40 minutes, I folded it down to continue protecting my cookie sheet and allow the edges to brown. Unfortunately, that was the end of my brilliance. After the allotted time, my pie was still pale and raw looking and hadn't bubbled up at all, so I figured the foil and cookie sheet were blocking the heat. I removed them and cranked up the heat for an additional 10 minutes of cooking. It overflowed all over my oven. Sigh. But it's pretty!

 So I got to clean my oven for the first time... another not so brilliant move. I'm having a dinner party tonight for 6 and needed to slow cook the ham. Once the oven is locked, it's not opening till IT says it is. Good thing I made an appetizer, as we're not eating before 7 (which is fine by me, and probably my cousin and his fiancee from Calgary, but my poor parents like to eat early). 


I had to buy another meat thermometer the other day as I left my old one in the last roast I cooked. I forgot it was an instant read thermometer and leaving it in the oven caused the plastic cover to melt off the face. I probably won't forget that again, but you'd think they'd have a big reminder right on the thermometer, wouldn't you?