The Well Dressed Kitchen

Tips

10 Tips To Help You Find A Healthy Balance Through COVID-19

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Are you struggling being outside of your daily routine and schedule!? You’re NOT alone and I am here to help❤️It’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose perspective during this time of uncertainty, but taking care of the mental and physical wellbeing of yourself and loved ones is critical 🙌🏼

Here are 🔟 tips to help you find a healthy balance over the coming days…

1️⃣The information you consume and who you spend your time with will dominate your perspective. Be mindful of how much time you’re spending on social media and watching the news. Pick up a book, get lost in a great show, capture your thoughts in a journal or send a letter to a friend you haven’t seen in a while.
2️⃣Keep Moving!!! For at home workout inspiration follow @getfitwitgayle @karas_fit_squad @popsugarfitness
3️⃣Working from home? Schedule a walking meeting or exchange your commute time for a home workout or treadmill session. Go outside and take in the fresh air. Even a short, 30-minute walk can do wonders for your headspace. Relocate your workspace to a different room of the house each day.
4️⃣Schedule virtual lunches or “happy hours” with family and friends!
5️⃣Feeling sad or stressed – reach out to a friend or family member and ask to talk. You’ll be amazed what a relief you feel just by saying your fears out loud.
6️⃣Offer to help others! Go to the store for elderly family members and neighbors.
7️⃣Cook healthy meals!! For recipes follow @cleanfoodcrush_rachel
8️⃣Use an app to meditate and breathe!! I like @calm or @headspace or try Yoga with @adrienelouise
9️⃣Create a new routine, especially a morning routine… make your bed in morning, walk your dog daily at same time, go to bed at same time and get 8 hours of sleep! Read about The Power Of Intentions!
🔟Continue to smile!!

Looking for Health Recipes, try my Homemade Healthy Granola or No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites

 

Get In The Well Dressed Kitchen with Cooking Workshops by Rebecca Rosati

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Many times we hold ourselves back from our dreams because we are scared of failure, we talk ourselves down… we aren’t smart enough, people won’t like our work, we don’t feel ready enough. It’s been a long time coming, but the time is finally here… I am introducing my new cooking workshops. Learn how to cook healthier meals that are still delicious, along with tips on how to make cooking quicker and easier. 

Cooking Workshops by Rebecca Rosati

My Self Deprecation: I am allowing my fear to deteriorate my potential! With all the social media outlets these days, it’s next to impossible not to compare yourself to others. If only I could have a diluted self-confidence to go for exactly what I want. The more I compare, the more inadequate I feel. But if they can do it, I can do it too, right!!

It’s hard to take risks in life. I used to be afraid of failure because failure is all too often portrayed as a bad thing. Therefore, taking risks wasn’t an option for me. Looking back on certain parts of my life there is no telling what I missed out on because I was too afraid to try something new or because I easily gave up when something was outside of my comfort zone.

Starting The Well Dressed Kitchen is one of the scariest things I have ever done. To put my recipes, photography, and thoughts out there for the whole world to see and criticize wasn’t an easy task for me, to say the least.

Some of the fears running through my head:

“I am not an expert, people probably already know what I have to share”

“Why would people want to learn from me?”

“Why would people trust what I have to say?”

“I look and sound stupid on camera”

Easy Egg Muffin Omelete

It was my thoughts that needed to change.

If I fail or people don’t like what I put out there… I can always get right back up and try again. It was then I started to shift my thoughts and believe that facing diversity head on was an opportunity to learn and be a better, stronger person. Once I was more aware of my own limiting beliefs, I started to move through them and focus on the positive… that people will learn from me, I will influence people to eat better, and I will help people live a healthier lifestyle… I felt more confident to step outside of my comfort zone and go for it. And now there is no more sitting back down. My fear is now my motivation.

Food Prep with Rebecca Rosati

This is the Deal:

I am not a professional chef and I don’t even claim to be a spectacular cook… in reality, I’m not.  I’m just a busy, working dog mom who loves to cook (when I have the time). Granted, I am constantly learning and getting better! While, I consider myself a decent cook, I have always been really good at throwing together simple meals that are healthy and delicious and I love sharing my tips and tricks.

I am also not trying to achieve perfection in the kitchen. If I were it would really defeat the purpose. Whether you stumbled across my blog because you are completely new in the kitchen or you want to add a few new healthy recipes to your collection of meals, my hope is you are inspired beyond my love of food and photography to discover a healthier lifestyle of your own.

So what does all of this mean and what exactly will my healthy cooking workshops offer:

  1. I will host cooking workshops led by me where I will teach a new recipe, techniques, and tricks to help you get a healthy meal on the table.
  2. Post videos and short cooking demonstrations on my Instagram @thewelldressedkitchen
  3. Use Pampered Chef products among many of my favorite products to help people learn how to use tools to get quicker meals on the table, and make cooking, overall, easier and more enjoyable.
  4. The sky is the limit – I am excited for us to learn together and continue to evolve.

From the beginning of the launch of The Well Dressed Kitchen my mission was to inspire you to make healthier decisions in the kitchen and appreciate nutritious food can be delicious. While pictures can be inspirational, I know my message will reach so many more people if you have the chance to either in person or virtually cook In The Well Dressed Kitchen.

Follow my stories on Instagram @thewelldressedkitchen

Tips On How To Bake The Perfect Pie Crust

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When it comes to Pie Recipes, the crust is just as important as the filling. Perfecting the skill of baking Pie Crust can take some time, but with my step-by-step instructions and tips you will be an expert in no time. Get ready to impress all your relatives this Holiday Season!!

Perfect Pie Crust

Here are a few things you need to know that will make baking pie crust a lot easier:

What you need: Pie dough (click here for Tips On How to Make and Freeze Pie Dough), rolling-pin, pie plate, flour.

How To Roll Out Dough:  Lightly flour a work surface, place dough disk on flour surface. Using a rolling-pin apply even pressure into dough, rolling away from you and back. This Marble Rolling Pin with Wooden Handle works great and is non-stick! Lift the dough and rotate the disk as you go, flipping it over occasionally. This will give you an even circle. If the dough starts to feel sticky, lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling-pin with more flour. The dough should be roughly 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. You can check that your dough is large enough by placing your pie plate in the center of the dough. You want a few extra inches because you will be covering the entire plate with dough and you want enough dough to fold edges in for a thicker border.

Perfect Pie Crust

Transfer dough into Pie Plate: Cover the entire plate with dough. It might be easier to fold the dough in half and gently set it down to cover half the plate, then open it up to cover the whole plate. Using your fingers, gently push the dough into the bottom and sides of the plate.

Trim the edges: I use a knife to trim the edges of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Then fold the edge of the dough underneath itself to create a thicker border.

Crimp the edges: Create a patterned edge on the outside of the pie plate by gently pressing your thumb of one hand against the edge of the dough while pressing your other thumb from the inside.  Complete the crimped pattern around the whole pie plate, rotating until done.

Pre-bake your Pie Dough: Pre-heat oven at 375 degree F. Poke wholes in bottom of crust using your fork. Bake for roughly 25 to 30 minutes or until edges start to brown and crisp. Poking holds in the bottom of the crust allows for steam to escape during the baking process.

Perfect Pie Crust

Why Should You Pre-bake?

Pre-baking keeps the rising steam from puffing up the layers of crust during baking resulting in a flaky pie crust. Pre-baking ensures that the crust doesn’t end up soggy and prevents an undercooked crust or filling. This step is essential for pie recipes that have a wet center.

Resist The Urge to Open The Oven Door
I know it’s so tempting to open that oven door to sneak a peek and enjoy that savory smell, but don’t do it!!! When you open the oven door you release a lot of heat resulting in a much longer cooking time and it can affect the shape and flakiness of your pie crust.

Start prepping for the Holidays NOW!! Click here for Tips on How to Make Pie Dough ahead of time and freeze.

Basic Homemade Pie Dough
 
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This dough is a basic recipe that requires minimal ingredients but results in a flaky crust that will impress everyone!
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
  • 3 Tbsp. cold water
Instructions
  1. In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl.
  2. Add the cold, cubed butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture.
  3. Mix on medium-low speed until the butter pieces are no larger than small peas, the texture should resemble coarse cornmeal.
  4. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.
  5. Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk.
  6. *Makes enough dough for one 9-inch single-crust pie*
  7. If freezing for later use: Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use (dough will last up to 2 months in freezer).
  8. If pre-baking pie crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Flour your rolling surface and rolling pin. Place chilled dough disk onto a floured surface. Roll out the dough, rotating the dough as you go. Transfer the dough into the pie plate. Press the dough into the pie plate. Trim the edges. Crimp the edges using your fingers. Prick the bottom of pastry all over with a fork. Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust begins to color around the edges.

How To Make Pie Dough

TO MAKE THIS PIE DOUGH, I USE MY KITCHEN AID STAND MIXER, TRULY EVERY WELL DRESSED KITCHEN NEEDS ONE SO I HAVE LINKED BELOW.

For the Apple Pie Recipe I am making this Thanksgiving, click here!

I got this recipe on Audrey’s Apron Food Blog. She calls it the Best Apple Pie Ever and I agree! I have made this Apple Pie Recipe a handful of times and I just love it, the sauce smells amazing and tastes even better, it’s hard not to eat all of the filling before you have even have a chance to fill the pie crust!

DO YOU FIND THESE TIPS HELPFUL!?

Please let me know by leaving a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thewelldressedkitchen.

THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING ALONG! XOXO, BECCA @ THE WELL DRESSED KITCHEN! 💗

How To Make Pie Dough