Unlike Fraulein Maria, whiskers on kittens (ah-choo!) and wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings (geese are super mean) are not a few of my favorite things.  But here, listed as I come up with each category, are a few things that are:

1. Favorite lip balm: Burt’s Bees

2. Favorite fruit: Blueberries

3. Favorite month: October

4. Favorite pie crust recipe: listed below

5. Favorite Harry Potter book: The Order of the Phoenix

6. Favorite flower: Black-eyed-susan

7. Favorite word: Gemini

8. Favorite coffee cake: recipe listed below

9. Favorite auto insurance commercials: Geico

10. Favorite TV character: Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock

11. Favorite poet: Gerard Manley Hopkins

12. Favorite punctuation: semi-colon

13. Favorite non-fiction author: Bill Bryson

14. Favorite fiction author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

15. Favorite pizza topping: banana peppers

Pie Crust recipe (from 1983 Martins Mennonite Church cookbook)

(this makes 2 crusts)

2 cups flour*

2 tsp sugar

1 1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup oil

2 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp white vinegar

Using a fork, mix all ingredients in a pie pan.  Set aside half of the dough for second pie crust.  By hand, press dough in and around sides of pie pan.  Add filling.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or according to pie filling directions.

Option: roll our crust between two sheets of wax paper.

*I usually do about 1 1/2 cups white flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.

Grandma’s Coffee Cake recipe (also from 1983 Martins Mennonite Church cookbook)

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups brown sugar

4 cups flour*

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups sour milk

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup frozen blueberries**

cinnamon

Combine butter, sugar and flour in mixing bowl.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumbs for topping.  Dissolve baking soda in sour milk and add to remaining crumbs.  Add blueberries and mix well.  Add eggs and vanilla; stir only until blended.  Pour into 9 x 13 baking pan; sprinkle with cinnamon and reserved crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-50 minutes.

*I sometimes substitute a little whole wheat flour for some of the white, so that I can convince myself that this is a health food. :)

**Can use other frozen fruits as well.

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