Mittagsruhe

Walking home from dinner last night, I realized I had not blogged yet about a very, VERY important element of German life: mittagsruhe.

Loosely translated, it means midday peace & quiet.  It’s a blessing and a curse.

As a mama of two boys who still nap (thank you, God), I’m extremely happy about two hours of quiet time in the afternoon.

The problem comes when said children decide they aren’t napping according to German rules (usually 1pm-3pm) but according to their own (say 2pm-4pm).  Neighbors protest, arguments ensue, and complaints are filed.  Not that I would know anything about that…

Other than children screaming at the top of their lungs, other outlawed activities include laughing, partying, drilling, hammering, marching, lawn mowing, drumming, shooting, bass thumping, snoring, and the like.

Should you happen to know in advance that you might not be quiet during the mittagsruhe (shocker!), it’s to your benefit to ask and/or warn your neighbors.  You still might get an earful, but at least you have the opportunity to offer chocolate cake in an attempt to pacify their protests.

If you happen to find mittagsruhe a bit extreme, I should warn you that Sundays are a full day of peace and quiet: Sonntagsruhe.  Ahh, Germany, what would you be without your quirks?

p.s. – Construction crews and the weather get a free pass and somehow get out of abiding by mittagsruhe rules.

Simple Pleasures: Sweet Potato Fries

Germans have the potato thing down.  Potato salad, potatoes au gratin, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, baked potatoes, potato pancakes, fried potatoes, French! fried potatoes, etc.

But one thing they either don’t know about or choose to obviously ignore (or snub?) is the SWEET potato.

It’s a shame really.  Not that there’s anything wrong with potatoes, but why discriminate?  Sweet potatoes have so much going for them.

Luckily, I have found a store that regularly carries sweet potatoes, but they are always imported – often, ironically from the US – with a hefty price tag to boot.

But whatever.  Sometimes you just fork over the euros, go home, and make yourself some sweet potato fries because Alexia just isn’t available.

These are as crunchy as oven-fried sweet potato fries get.  They’re also ridiculously delicious and a smidge sassy.  The way I see it, that’s how fries should be.

Below is my own recipe for homemade sweet potato fries.  Hold onto your hats though fellas and ladies, I must warn you that it’s not at all exact.  I may be OCD in some things, but I have issues following directions or sticking to precise quantities in recipes (for better or for worse).

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato

a few tablespoons of olive oil

a few tablespoons of corn meal

a dash or two of seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder

a pinch or two of Cajun seasoning (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425F (or 220C).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Or don’t, if you happen to be one of those crazy people who love washing dishes.

Wash your sweet potato thoroughly – you will be eating the skin!  Don’t get all skittish on me – it’s full of nutrients, and you won’t taste it through the spicy smoke screen.

Cut the sweet potato into sticks (carefully!) resembling french fries.  The skinnier you make the sweet potato fries, the faster they cook and the crispier they get.  Don’t make them matchstick size though – you’ll end up with a baking sheet of burnt twigs if you’re not careful.

Put the sweet potato fries in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the cornmeal, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.   If you like a little heat with your fries, sprinkle in the Cajun seasoning.  (No, you totally cannot buy that in Germany.)

Toss to coat.  For the aforementioned lazy folks, use the same spatula to stir the sweet potato sticks with the seasonings that you will to flip the fries later.  Make sure all sticks have a decent coating, adding a bit more oil if necessary.

Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Flip/stir/shake at 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 25 minutes, always making sure to rearrange fries again in a single layer.

If you feel so inclined, add a tray of chicken nuggets to the oven after your first flip.  Oh and make a salad while you’re waiting to indulge.  Extra healthy is the way to go, right?  After all, that’s why you’re eating sweet potato fries and not just any ol’ run-of-the-mill French fries.

When sufficiently crispy, remove from oven, cool slightly, and serve with ketchup.  YUM!

Frohe Weihnachten!

Oh my goodness, is Christmas over yet?  I’ve had enough parties and gingerbread to last me until next winter.

But no, we still have plenty of festivities left, at least in Germany.

Though the Americans have ripped off plenty of traditions from the Germans, there are still many differences.  It’s my second Christmas in Deutschland, and I’m still not used to everything yet.  Here’s a quick rundown of the German way…

• Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas.  Advent calendars start December 1.  Don’t confuse the two!
• Many families set up an Advent wreath, laid flat on a table with four candles.  One candle is lit for each week of Advent.
• Germans are crazy about baking Christmas cookies.  However, their cookies are not usually decorated as elaborately as in the US (probably due to the lack of available items!).
• Christmas trees are not put up until Christmas Eve, usually while the family (children) are at church.  When everyone returns home, voila!, the tree is lit and presents are stacked underneath or tied on the tree.  In some regions, the doors are locked to the room where the Christmas tree stands.  Children must wait outside until a bell rings.
• Some families still use REAL candles on their Christmas trees.
• Stores often close by 2pm on Christmas Eve and do not reopen until December 27.
• Presents are opened on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day (and stockings are another day all together).
• The Christkindl, or Christ child, brings the presents, not Santa Claus!
• In some parts of Germany, the Weihnachtsmann (like Santa Claus) delivers the presents –  in person.  He doesn’t have a sleigh or reindeer.
• Germans have Christmas Day #1 and Christmas Day #2 (called Boxing Day in the UK).
• Sometimes the Christmas Eve meal is simple, followed by elaborate Christmas dinners on the first Christmas Day.
• Goose, duck, rabbit, lamb, fondue, and pork (of course) are typical centerpieces of the Christmas meal.
• Trees are often left up until the second week of January (after Three Kings Day – more on that to come!)

Of course not every German celebrates Christmas exactly like this and traditions vary by region.  By and large, though, these are quite typical of German Christmas festivities.  Did you find any traditions on the list that your family also observes?

Frohe Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas!)

Make It Yourself: Colored Sugar

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this… because ya know I have to be so thrifty and all… but, have you ever considered that it costs about the same amount to buy one small bottle of colored sugar as it does to buy a 2lb bag?  Sheesh.  I never did.

Never even thought twice about it.

And then I got invited to a cookie decorating party.  In Germany.  Where you have to bring your own cookies and decorating items.  (I guess the host provides the drinks?)

I baked my cookies and then realized I didn’t have anything with which to decorate the fated biscuits.  So, as any smart woman does, I googled, “make your own colored sugar.”  And sho’ nuff, you can!

Several recipes and numerous variations in technique exist; I happened to pick this one as a starter.  And, I say starter because things just never really go the way I think they will.

First, you will need something to put your colored sugar in once it’s done.  A ziploc bag will do if you don’t happen to have two boys in your current possession who will be decorating said cookies.

I bought a small set of salt/pepper shakers at the 1 euro store thinking I would just do red and green.  But then I realized an advantage to making your own colored sugar is that you can mix the colors to make any combination that tickles your fancy.

Turquoise and Purple.  Those two tickle my fancy.

Waiting to dye.

I dug up old spice jars (waiting forever in the corner of my kitchen to be taken down to the recycling bin…), washed and dried them.   I filled them 2/3 full of white, granulated sugar and hunted down my gel food coloring tubes.

Just as an FYI: apparently you can also color brown natural sugar.  I didn’t have time to try it.  If you do, leave a comment and a link so we can see!

Since the original recipe says you should put a few drops of food coloring in a jar with the sugar and shake, I tried that first.  Not so good.  The color didn’t distribute very much at all.  This could be due to the fact that my food coloring is gel, not liquid, or that I didn’t use enough.

The glob before dilution.

Next, I tried putting a few drops of the gel in a medicine cup and diluting a bit with water.  This worked okay, but I ended up with a large glob of colored sugar and a large pile of uncolored sugar.

The squirty-blob-on-a-pile method works best.

In the end, the best method is to put the sugar in your spice jar so you know the amount you want.  Then dump it on a plate or parchment paper.  I chose parchment paper in a moment of clarity when I realized I don’t have a funnel to get the sugar back in the jars.

My first attempt at mashing red; I later added more color to avoid the Princess Pink look.

Squirt some food coloring on the sugar pile, and use a fork to mash the color into the sugar.  It does take a few minutes to get all the color worked in, but don’t give up.  Also, you should know that when mixing two or more colors, it tends to take longer to fork mash.

Ready to decorate Easter eggs.. er, I mean Christmas cookies.

When finished forcing your sugar to take on its new identity, spread the sugar out on the surface to dry.  Leave for 1 or more hours.  When dry, break up any clumps, put back in the spice jars, and admire the pretty rainbow of inexpensive colored sugar you just made.

Pretty, pretty.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I am really enjoying my homemade advent calendar.  In fact, I’m thinking of doing an entire year advent calendar.  I love how it forces me to do things with my kids.

You see, I am one of those people who can’t remember (or do) anything not “on the list.”  By peppering the advent calendar with candy, the boys remember each night to open the little box.

Last Saturday, they didn’t find chocolate.  Instead, they found an invitation to find and decorate a Christmas tree.

I know there are tree markets around; I just don’t know exactly where.  But, IKEA always has trees.  And, they have a website where I can check prices.  I seriously love that Big Blue Box.

For the first time since we’ve been married, Doc Sci and I have a real tree in our house.  The first years, we didn’t have space (or money) for a real tree.  We set up a small fake one and called it a day.

Once T-Rex came on the scene and started moving around, I decided the best thing for everyone’s sanity was to make a paper one and tape it to the wall.   Classy, I know.

This year, both boys are old enough to obey the rules (at least the possibility exists, right?).  We don’t, however, have a lot of room for a large tree.  So, we picked out an itty bitty one in a pot at the IKEA tree lot.  It’s crooked, it’s dirty, but it’s a REAL tree.

The boys stuffed it in a blue IKEA bag and took it for a ride on a bus and a tram before giving it a new home in our living room.  That’s how everyone gets their Christmas trees home, right?

We made a few ornaments and purchased a few from the euro store.  Unfortunately, lights are rather expensive here, so we’ll just have to do without them. 

I suppose we could always do the German thing and put real candles on the tree.  I’d like to think my boys listen as well as possible for 2 and 4 years-old, but I’d rather not put that to the test when it would involve dialing the German 112 emergency number for the first time.  Ever.

We’ll just light the candles at a safe distance from the tree and enjoy the glow of the sparkly ornaments.  No one gets third-degree burns that way.

I know our Weinachtsbaum isn’t going to scream Martha Stewart! to anyone, but I’m thankful for a real tree this year.

Make It Yourself: Classic Gingerbread with Caramel Glaze

Whoa, Nelly.  This is a GREAT recipe.  I love gingerbread, and I’ve been craving it this Christmas season.  In Germany, we have lebkuchen.  Though it is described as the German gingerbread, it is not AT ALL the same.

Eons ago, when I was first married, I made a recipe entitled, “Classic Gingerbread” that I found in a library cookbook.  Yuck.  It was spicy and not in a good way.  No one liked it, so I never tried it again.

So, honestly, I find it rather strange that this particular recipe made its way to Germany with me.  I decided to give it a go again, making some adjustments to the spices this time.  I also found a ridiculous caramel glaze that literally is the icing on the cake.

Watch out – you might find yourself whipping up a batch of the glaze to eat all by itself while glued to It’s a Wonderful Life.

Classic Gingerbread

2 1/2 cups flour

3 t baking soda

1/2 t ground ginger

3/4 T cinnamon

1/2 t cloves

1/2 t nutmeg

1/4 t mace (optional – I didn’t have this on hand)

1/4 t salt

9 T butter – room temperature

3/4 c dark brown sugar

3/4 c molasses *

2 large eggs

1 c boiling water

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a bundt pan.  Combine flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy (about 3 mins).  Add molasses and slowly blend.  Add eggs and beat for 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture in 3 portions, alternating with the boiling water and mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.  Beat gently just until the ingredients are evenly incorporated, only about 1 minute.  Do not overmix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and tape the pan on the counter to smooth the top.  Bake in the center of the oven until the top springs back and toothpick comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan 20 minutes; finish cooling on a rack.  Cool to room temperature or chill before adding the glaze.

* It’s quite a headache trying to figure out what to substitute for molasses in Germany.  I’ve heard there is something called melasse, though I get the impression it’s quite strong and not at all sweet.  I settled for Golden Sirup aus Zuckerrübensirup, a form of sugar beet syrup that looks similar and tastes delicious.

Source: Some random dessert book from the library.  I have made modifications to it, so it’s my adaption but not my original.

Caramel Glaze

¼ cup butter

½ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

If you don’t want drooling piles of glaze at the base of your cake, place a piece of foil or paper under the cooling rack to catch any drips and make clean-up easier.  (I glazed mine right on the base of my cake carrier since I knew I was taking it to a party.)

Cut the butter into cubes and place in a saucepan with the brown sugar, cream and salt.  After everything melts together, bring to a full, rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  When it reaches that boil, count to 60 Mississippi, then pull it off the heat.  Leave the pan to cool for about 5 minutes, then vigorously beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.

Immediately pour the glaze over the cake, but do so slowly and evenly to cover as much surface as possible.  Leave the glaze to set, then slice and enjoy.

Source: The Runaway Spoon, though I saw it first here.

My apologies for not having any step-by-step pictures.  I never thought this cake would be edible, let alone amazing.  Enjoy!

St. Nikolaus – Not Your Average Santa

Last year, I told you all about St. Nikolaus coming to visit, scheduled and on time.  But, I thought you might be interested to see what St. Nikolaus brings to children, and a little bit more about the bearded man in red.

I’m not sure if this is what all parents/kindergartens do, but I’d suspect it’s pretty close.  Our kindergarten does not do a boot/stocking/sock.  Rather, they just have reusable red sacks that must be returned by the end of the week.  Don’t ever let anyone tell you that Santa doesn’t recycle.

What’s in the bag?  A big chocolate St. Nikolaus, of course.

But then there is always fruit (an apple and an orange), nuts (I guess they expect everyone to have a nutcracker at home?!), a bit more chocolate, and a bread man.  You read that right: a bread man, not a gingerbread man.  This is what’s left after a T-Rex hunger attack.

P.s. – I’m sure the sack had more chocolate in it before making its way home.

And while I could do a standout job summarizing the difference between St. Nikolaus and Santa Claus, I came across a Q&A from The Local that just can’t be beat.

Is Nikolaus the same as Santa Claus?

Though they have similar outfits, Nikolaus is not to be confused with Santa Claus, who Germans call the Weihnachtsmann, or Father Christmas. They are two different people. In fact, many religious families try to focus more on Nikolaus earlier in December to ensure that Christmas is actually about Jesus’ birth, and not presents from an Americanised and commercialised Santa.

Who is Nikolaus, then?

Each year on December 6, Germans remember the death of Nicholas of Myra (now the Anatolia region of modern Turkey), who died on that day in 346. He was a Greek Christian bishop known for miracles and giving gifts secretly, and is now the patron saint of little children, sailors, merchants and students. Known as Nicholas the Wonderworker for his miracles, he is also identified with Santa Claus. Beliefs and traditions about Nikolaus were probably combined with German mythology, particularly regarding stories about the bearded pagan god Odin, who also had a beard and a bag to capture naughty children.

Why do children set their shoes out on the night of December 5th? Doesn’t he have any?

Of course Nikolaus has shoes. The custom began because the historical St. Nicholas had a reputation for leaving secret gifts, such as coins, in people’s shoes overnight. Kids traditionally put out their boots, though shoes or stockings will suffice for those without boots.

And the boots have to be polished first?

Definitely. Dirty boots are unacceptable. Children polish their boots to show they’ve been good. They usually place just one boot outside their door so they don’t appear too greedy, though.

One polished boot: Check! What happens next?

According to the legend, Nikolaus comes in the middle of the night on a donkey or a horse and leaves little treats – like coins, chocolate, oranges and toys – for good children.

What do naughty children get?

This depends on different family traditions. Sometimes Nikolaus only leaves a switch in the boot, ostensibly for spankings, to show that the child doesn’t deserve a treat. In other families, a man disguised as St. Nicholas will visit the family or the child’s school alone or with his with his sinister-looking alter ego Knecht Ruprecht to question the children about their behaviour.

What does his outfit look like?

He is usually pictured with a long white beard, a bishop’s mitre and a red cloak, sometimes with a sack over his shoulder and a rod in his hand.

Does Nikolaus come again on Christmas Eve then?

No. Santa Claus, or the Weihnachtsmann, usually comes to German homes – often in person – on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

Frohen Nikolaus!

For the full article and a great group picture of Nikolaus dresser-uppers, click here.

Favorite Finds

The holidays are here which means money is flying out of my bank account and into the voracious jaws of the grocery giants.  So much for a food budget, eh?

BUT, I’ve come across some finds and some deals lately which have me pretty stoked.  This is what I get excited about when I’m not traveling.  Sad, I know.

First, Kaufland!  I saw the storefront on one of my many training runs around town, but I thought it was a home improvement store.  A friend recently mentioned it, and I found out it was a big box store like Real.

(If you want to know all the ins and outs of your city streets, train for a marathon.  I know where everything is now!)

A few Saturdays ago, I hopped on my bike and cruised past the hospital, cemetery, and the warehouse district to Kaufland.  Pleasant route, right?

My Kaufland haul. Not pictured - tahini!! And the turkey lunch meat at the bottom, well, you can get that at Aldi or Lidl - oops!

It’s two levels (!) with one of those neat-o grocery cart escalators.  Boy was I shocked at what I found at Kaufland!  I could not believe my eyes at all the products I didn’t think existed in German grocery stores (at least not in my small-ish city).   I’ll definitely be adding a Kaufland trip into my grocery store rotation.

Second, the Lidl warehouse sale!  This is a CRAZY sporting event.  Basically, every once in a while the Lidl warehouse will post a sign on the front of the building announcing the next sale (about every 2-3 months or so).

The sales are Friday and Saturday starting at 8am, and the items are overstocks from all of Lidl’s “special” sales (dry goods and non-food items such as furniture, clothing, office supplies, kitchen supplies, electronics, etc.).  I never know what they will have, but I’m always bound to find something interesting (and cheap).

The best things sell out FAST, so I decided I would go this time at 8am on Friday.  I know these sales are nutty, but I was not expecting gobs of people trying to shove their way in the front door.  I was there at 8am, and by the time I got in the front door, all of the “best” things were gone (area rugs, laundry drying racks, Coca Cola, ha!).

Screech went with me, and trying to maneuver a pram was more than frustrating.  People pushed me with their carts, and I tripped up other shoppers more than I want to remember.  At least Mr. Screech was content to sit and shove cheerios in his face in the midst of the madness.

My Lidl warehouse sale (food) haul!

I ended up with a cart (pram) full of Mexican food!  I am not sure what the fajita and burrito seasoning will taste like, but I purchased the kits for less than the tortillas themselves cost.  I also scored five boxes of taco shells for half price, and ten bags of whole-grain spaghetti for 30 cents each.  I found a few other miscellaneous items like a canvas print for the wall, socks for Doc Sci, a luggage strap, and plastic party forks.

Even though I can’t coupon in Germany, I can take advantage of every-once-in-a-while deals and use that money to pay full price for other (rare) things I enjoy.

What deals have you found lately?  Have you ever been to a Lidl warehouse sale?

 

 

Thanksgiving Recap

I seem to always be giving you yesterday’s (er, last week’s) news.  I know today is December 1.  You should totally make an advent calendar if you aren’t in possession of one already.

However, I keep getting questions about my Thanksgiving, so here’s the skinny.  The dinner, fabulous.  The weekend, insane.

I cooked my turkey (and almost everything else) on Thursday.  I was on my feet something stupid like 8am to midnight.

And speaking of stupid, I invited a handful of Muslim friends and put bacon in the green bean casserole.  Doh!  At least I remembered to tell them; and they were gracious enough not to be offended.

Making the turkey a day ahead was genius.  Not only did it free up my oven on Friday (the day of our dinner) and ensure the turkey was super moist, but it also avoided a potential crisis.

Monsieur Jacques: brined, buttered, roasted... about to be hacked to pieces.

I cooked a BIG (by German standards) bird.  As such, I could barely fit Monsieur Jacques in a borrowed roasting pan.  I put foil up the sides and tented the top.  But when this dude was done, the juices started a-flowin’.  I ended up with a river of melted butter and turkey fat on the bottom of my oven that burned black and stunk to high heaven.

We tried to let it burn off, but the smoke detector wasn’t having it.  At least the turkey was done, so I could turn off the oven.  After scrubbing the cooled black bits with baking soda + water, I was back in business.

We had guests from Israel, Morocco, Germany, Russia, New York, and Wisconsin (practically countries in themselves if you’re from FL).  And, even though the kids almost outnumbered the adults, the munchkins got along.  Conversation NOT involving who-smacked-whom-upside-the-head took place.  Unexpected, for sure.

Since we had some Thanksgiving newbies again this year, I decided to write little explanations on the table cloth next to the dishes so I didn’t have to repeat 50 times what in the world that brown nasty-looking stuff (ing) was.  No one touched the cranberries though – just like at home.

Table tattoo.

My pumpkin pie was amazing.  The spekulatius cookie crust made all the difference in the world.  I’m going to include the recipe below since I’ve had a few requests for it.

Pumpkin Pie #1 of the weekend.

Since I had some time on my hands Friday morning (because I pre-cooked the bird), I busted out the markers and drew a thankful tree I found on Pinterest.  I am not addicted, really.

This year's thankful tree.

We also introduced everyone to the wishbone cracking tradition.  We chose the two oldest children to compete.  The parents had to help us translate what to do, and the first time neither one pulled hard enough to break it.  It was boy vs girl, and the boy won!

Muscles vs beauty.

After our Friday fête, I went to a baby shower, a wedding, and a Christmas event (Adventskaffee) at the kindergarten on Saturday.  If that wasn’t enough, we were invited to a Texan’s Thanksgiving on Sunday that lasted half of the day.  Sheesh.  After a MAJOR cheat weekend, we are back on track with the Abs Diet, eating our protein and greens.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Pumpkin Pie.. from a Pumpkin

The pumpkin pie recipe is really easy.  I got it from this website, but here’s the recipe with my notes.

For the filling:
1 c sugar (I used about 3/4 c)
4 t pumpkin pie spice (or 1 1/2 t cinnamon + 1/2 t nutmeg + 1/2 t cloves + 1/2 t ginger)
dash of salt
3 eggs
3 c fresh pumpkin puree *
12-18 oz evaporated milk (I used 4% kondensmilch) **

Blend all ingredients together using a mixer.  When sufficiently soup-ified, pour into crust.  Put two sheets of foil (criss cross them like an X) underneath a springform pan and fold up around the sides because the butter from the crust leaks!  If using a flour/butter pie crust instead of the cookie crust below, cover edges of crust in foil.

Bake at 210C for 15 mins, then turn down oven to 175C and bake for an additional 45-60 mins (I did 60 mins).  You want to be able to jiggle the pan and the middle move only slightly.  It doesn’t have to be 100% set in the middle since it will still cook from the outside inward while on a cooling rack.  You just want to make sure it doesn’t still look like soup in the middle.

Cool to room temp and then refrigerate.

*for this pie, I used two very small hokkaido kurbis that I bought at Aldi on sale for 29c ea.  You could use a medium-sized one instead of two small.  Wash the outside (you will be eating the rind), cut in half, scoop out seeds, cut off the stem and any weird-looking parts of the skin, place on a baking sheet cut side down, and roast at 200C covered in foil for about 30 mins or until a fork or sharp knife glides through the skin and flesh as smooth as butter.  Let cool and then puree in a food processor or with a handheld stab mixer.  You don’t have to get the 3 cups exact.  Eye-balling is totally allowed.

**If your pumpkin is wet like it looks from the can, you only need 12oz of the kondensmilch.  If it’s dry, you’ll probably need the 18oz.

For the crust:
I used this recipe.
1 1/2 c finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c white sugar
6 T butter, melted

I used spekulatius cookies, and I ground them in a food processor.  Since we don’t have pie pans here (only springform and they are BIG), I used more like 1 3/4+ cups of the crumbs, which is about the capacity of my food processor.  If I make this again, I will decrease the melted butter to 4 or 5 T.  I don’t think it needs this much butter, and a lot leaks out the bottom of my springform pan.

Mix the crumbs, sugar, and butter together in a bowl.  Then dump a little at a time in the bottom of the springform pan and press down with your fingers until completely covered (if you want to transfer your pie to a serving dish, line the bottom of the springform with parchment paper and then put down the crust).

Then, make little piles all around the edge of the pan so that you will somewhat evenly cover the sides.  Press the crumbs up onto the sides.  They’re very fragile, so just do what you can to hold them there until the pie filling gets poured in.  After filling the crust, I pressed the edges down because they just ended up falling down anyway, and this way they are baked into the pie and don’t look weird.