It is also PECAN Season...

I have a pecan tree in my backyard and this is only the second year we have gotten any substantial amount of pecans from it.  We also have some local pecan orchards in the area but I love having my own little tree.  It is a lovely tree!

I am a shorter individual but I grow tall children because of my tall husband.  It is nice to recruit the help of long legs and arms to help me get the higher fruit.  This is my middle boy... 6'3"

My husband and youngest got in on the action a little, too.  We gathered about enough to make a pecan pie for the holidays with a few leftover for some oatmeal or a banana bread.

Here is one of the traditional pecan pie recipes I have used over the years.

Pecan Pie

(I have also used walnuts for this one)

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup white corn syrup 

(Karo or the like)

1 rounded TBSP flour 

(or gf flour)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp water

pinch of salt

3 TBSP butter, melted

1 cups pecan halves 

or chopped pecans

1 unbaked pie crust 

(store bought or homemade)

Mix eggs, sugar, syrup, flour, vanilla, water, salt, and butter together.  Pour into unbaked pie crust that has been lined fully with pecan halves or bits.  The pecans will float to the top once it starts to bake.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until set at 350 degrees F.

(from the Yoder Community Recipes, Yoder, Kansas)

Food Memories - My very favorite pie!

I grew up an oil brat.  My Daddy moved us about every 18 months to 3 years until I was in middle school.  We rarely spent big holidays at home.  My Dad's parents had long since passed away but my Mom's parents were still living and made their home in Homer, Louisiana for the duration of my childhood.  We went to my grandparents home on my Mom's side for most of the big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas until my Meemaw passed away when I was 21 years old.  I also spent lots of time in the summers with her in my time off from school. It was a place that acted as an anchor for me in the midst of all the change we had with my father's job.  It was a familiar cozy lovely nourishing place to be for me.   Meemaw rarely shook things up when she cooked for us.  We loved the familiarity of her meals. She always said that she would make something different if we wanted it but we never wanted that.  There was just something very comforting in those same meals each time we went. We had black-eyed peas made with salt pork or bacon and onion with just about every meal.  She would slow cook them all day and the whole house smelled heavenly!  We also had roasted chicken and cornbread dressing for big meals with vegetable sides.  Holiday and Sunday meals were very similar to each other.  We rarely deviated from that tradition.  I don't even think I ate turkey for Thanksgiving until I was in my teens.  My Dad and my Meemaw preferred chicken and no one else minded or complained. She also kept things on hand such as homemade plum jelly that she or a friend would make each summer.  She kept hamburger buns stocked for toasting in the little toaster oven.  She would slather them with butter and pop them in to get a golden crunchy top to them.  There were always homemade biscuits stashed in the freezer.  She would put them on a tray in the oven at a moments notice.  She might do that 3 or 4 times in a morning as we would straggle out of bed one at a time and work our way to the kitchen.  She always had fresh coffee and as a young girl I would have a little of that coffee with my milk and sugar in my own special mug.   Her pantry held things like peanut butter to go with that plum jelly for lunch or a snack.  She kept small single bags of Fritos to go with our sandwiches.  Fritos are still my favorite!  There were little 8 ounce cokes in glass bottles chilling in the refrigerator.  She kept several little snack items on hand but the one I remember most were the Honey Buns.  I loved it all... she never made anything that I did not love.   There was one thing, though, that was and will remain my most favorite thing she ever made.... her BUTTERMILK PIE!  She was a master pie maker and did do many different kinds over the years but that Buttermilk was always the one we asked for first.  It is a pie that many people today don't make anymore.  It is rich and sweet and it does not take much to satisfy the craving.  It is fantastic with a cup of your favorite coffee.   Here is the recipe I pulled from her stacks after she passed away.  I have kept all of her handwritten and clipped recipes but this one gets the most use to this day.  Second most used is probably her cornbread or ice cream recipes.   Meemaw's Buttermilk Pie You need: 1 (9-10 inch) unbaked pie shell 1/2 cup butter or margarine (I only use butter unsalted) 2 cups sugar 3 slightly rounded Tbsp. flour 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup buttermilk 1 tsp. vanilla Cream margarine of butter and sugar. Add flour and eggs; beat well. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350*. Cool completely on wire rack before cutting and serving. Want a list of other pies people don't make much anymore?  Here are some articles I found about Retro Pies 5 Retro Pies Sugar Milk Pie 8 Forgotten Pies We Should Bring Back

New Recipe... Today There is Pie

I acquired a copy of the famous Furr's Millionaire Pie from my Mother-in-law.  Her mother... my husband's grandmother, had purchased it many years ago from the famed cafeteria chain.  This happens to be the pie my husband gets every time he goes into a Furr's.  The Furr's cafeterias in our area have all closed down so he has not had this pie in quite some time.  I recently asked him if there was a dessert that I have never made that he would want me to make for him and he did not even bat an eyelash when he said, "Millionaire Pie."  So, here it is.... the first test run of this pie that seems to make my husband a very happy man.  I just wish he had asked for it sooner.  Here we go...

I started with a homemade pie crust but you could certainly use a store-bought version of a traditional pie crust.

Now, here is where things got a little iffy.  I did the first section for the fluffy bottom filling and it just did not fluff.  I beat it and beat it and beat it and for some crazy reason it never made it to that light fluffy texture.  I continued anyway thinking that maybe being chilled might do the trick and it did not.  I made the top layer and just refrigerated it all overnight in hopes that it got better and it did a little.

   

The finished product looks like it is suppose to for the most part but when it sits at room temperature too long the bottom layer got runny and just did not make for the fluffy light pie I was hoping for.

See the runny bottom layer?  I am thinking this one will need a do-over.  It was the first time I had done it and I will try again with this particular version.  Another version I found uses cream cheese but that is not what the original version at Furr's was.  My husband is not heart broken that I will try it again.  LOL  Both pies were completely consumed no matter the runny bottom layer.

Some things that could have gone wrong...

The recipe calls for bringing the butter to a softened stage.  I did that.  It was soft when I beat it.  I may have added the sugar a little soon...I am not sure.  I could whip the butter longer before adding it and see what happens.  I could have probably whipped the butter and sugar longer before adding the eggs and will try that next time.  I will do both of those steps for longer next time and not rush it at all.  I could have switched over from paddles to whips sooner with the butter/sugar phase to beat more air in. 

I also left the eggs out to get to room temperature but I could try to beat them in when they are cold to see how that changes things.  The recipe was not specific on this matter.  

When I got to the whipping cream step I felt like I could have added more powdered sugar than the recipe called for with this part.  I felt it was a little bland.  I used non-sweetened pineapple in natural juices and strained it well.  I chopped the pecans up fine and that worked well.  It really only needed a little more sweet than the recipe called for.

I think it is good for you to see me fail!  LOL  Not every recipe I try is perfect the first time.  I readjust and go again on many recipes.  My family are real guinea pigs for me and they tell it like it is.  I am grateful they help me in this way and I really do have a thick skin when it comes to their criticism.  We have a lot of family private jokes based on my failures in the kitchen.  LOL They are also very generous with praise when they love something.  

I promise to share this one again next time I try it.  You have the recipe above now and if you make it and want to share how it came out with me feel absolutely free to do so at any time.  I would love to hear how things go!

Baking Pies Once a Week

I have started baking pies again to sell.  I have set aside Thursdays for baking days and as the weather turns cooler I will be adding quick breads, yeast breads and rolls and other things like muffins, granola, scones, etc...  I bake them in my home and sell them locally.  

Right now I am baking seasonal fruit pies... peach, berry, apple, etc. 

This is a gluten free apple and I make traditional apple, too... with crumble or lattice top.

This one is a Paleo Peach.... absolutely no sugar or high carb ingredients outside of the fruit itself.  Made with almond flour, agave and fruit.  This picture is so you can see the fruit under the topping and below is the finished pie with full topping.

This is a traditional peach pie with lattice top... I can also do a crumble topping on this one, too.

This is a mixed fruit one with peach and blueberry.

Some days there's pie and these days that day is Thursday...  

Please place your order by Wednesday to get on the list for the Friday delivery or pick-up.

Thank you for supporting our little local home bakery and our family!

Some Weeks There are TWO Pies...

We had a birthday recently and the request for Snicker Bar Pie came from the now 13 year old.

I have shared that one with you guys before... right here.

(I make my own caramel from this recipe or this recipe)

It is also fruit season... specifically peach and berry season.  This pie was made from peaches picked from a peach tree on our church property.  We pick the peaches and the congregation shares them each year.  I got a lot this year because most of the families chose not to take very many.  I have opted to make a few things and freeze a lot of them.  I will make things for church dinners with them..... cobblers, pies, breads, etc...

So delicious... all that goodness under one crust!

Pizza for Dinner

 It has been some time since I have made a homemade pizza.  The right tools always make it easier so when I got my Pampered Chef kit in the mail I decided to break everything out and test run the new tools.  I am not one to use a lot of single use uni-taskers so I was hoping that these items would serve a multitude of tasks.  To my delight they certainly do...

My new Simple Slicer is fantastic.  I have used Mandolins in culinary school and they are typically quite dangerous.  This particular handheld version is very safe with a guard and holding device.

I chose, this day, to slice some zucchini fresh from the garden.  They turned out uniform and beautiful.  I used them to top our pizza instead of pepperoni.

I was also able to try out my new cutting board and knife and the knife cut through the tomatoes like paper.  

When I make pizza I use a whole wheat crust and this particular one I rolled out and then shaped into the Bar Pan.  I love the stoneware products because they cook evenly and the bottom is cooked through just like the side crusts and so there is never a soggy spot in the dough.

The Bar Pan can simply be seasoned using your favorite oil or cook some bacon on it in the oven.  Once the pan is seasoned you hardly have to wash it... just run it under hot water and get the bits and such off or use a sponge without soap to scrub it down.  If for some reason you have to use a little soap it is easy to re-season it again.

So, I shaped the dough... topped it with a sauce, some cheese and then veggies and baked it.

It turned out beautifully and evenly cooked.  The cleanup was simple, too.

The pizza cutter and small spatula are great multipurpose tools, too.  

For the month of August you get a free pizza cutter with a $60.00 or more purchase and you can choose a Simple Slicer as one of the discounted items this month.  

If you are interested in any of these tools for your kitchen please feel free to contact me or head over to my Pampered Chef page to order your items today.  

LEANN'S PAMPERED CHEF

S'More Pie

Yesterday was deemed National S'More Day and this is the little treat I made but we did not get to enjoy it until today.  Thought you might like to see it... it was DROOL WORTHY indeed!

 This pie is as simple as 

a graham cracker crust

chocolate

&

marshmallow meringue 

I cheated a bit and used a chocolate pudding/pie filling mix instead of a chocolate pastry cream this time but when I make this again there will be pastry cream

Totally a rich and yummy pie for the pallet

Quick Snicker Bar Pie...

I do everything from scratch but if you do not want to here is a quick no bake recipe...

You will need:

A Graham Cracker Crust

A Jar of Caramel Sauce

A Jar of salted or unsalted peanuts... your choice

A family size box of Chocolate Pudding/Pie Filling (Instant... just add milk).  Follow the directions on the box for the pie filling.  Make it ups and have it ready to layer into the pie once the caramel and peanuts are in.

Whipping Cream (if you make your own then you will need powdered sugar and vanilla extract to sweeten as you whip it) or Whipped Topping

A Snicker Bar cut into little bits

 Sprinkle the Snicker bits on top and refrigerate

The longer you let it chill the less gooey it will be when you cut and serve it.  

I am fine with gooey, though...  LOL

It is quick and no bake and can be assembled in just a few minutes once the pudding is made and candy is cut up.

If you want to do it from scratch then it takes a little longer but I love the flavors.

I make a graham cracker crust

homemade caramel sauce without cornsyrup

use unsalted peanuts and make a chocolate pastry cream when I have time.

The whipping cream just takes a few minutes to set up and then you layer and refrigerate for a few hours.

Let me know if you try my pie and how it turns out.  I would love to hear your feedback!  :)

Avocado Pie...

 Homemade Graham Cracker Crust

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (5ounces) graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

 Lemon and Avocado filling

 Finished with whipped cream, lemon peel and toasted almonds.

Want the recipe???  Check out Avocado.org .

Be sure to register for our giveaways for this week!

Civil War Pies...

I am on a mission.  My daughter has been studying the Civil War this semester and they are finishing up the year (and the reading of the book) with a viewing of Gone with the Wind.  

The teacher has requested that the children bring "themed treats" to enjoy during the movie event.  Em and I have decided it needs to be an "authentic" recipe from that time period.  I set out to research pies... since that is totally my passion!  LOL

Here are a few that we are considering...

Maw's Civil War Pie

Oatmeal Pie

Raisin Pie

Pecan Pie

Apple Pie

Mock Apple Pie

A cool history of pie!

I love food history... I love using food to teach history.  When I was a young public school teacher 20 something years ago I brought food in ALL THE TIME to teach history, science, literature, and math.  It was an early sign of my love of all things foodie!  I might have to try several of these and will share pics as I go...

Here is a fun video on the subject.

Food From Our Weekend

 Sunday dinner is a big deal in our house.  We eat at the church once a month and at Dan's parents at least once a month and then we have our meals at home.  When I was a little girl we had traditional Sunday Dinners every week, too.  We were usually one of two places... mostly at my parent's home in east Texas and sometimes at my grandparents home in Louisiana. 

Sunday Dinner has always been a very big meal with a meat entree and lots of veggies, potatoes, rice and it was ALWAYS followed by some kind of dessert.  When I was at my Meemaw's house dessert was most likely pie.  I adore pie!  The pie above is a Rhubarb/Berry Pie.

 We enjoyed another Kale Salad today with avocado and lemon juice.  Dan loves this one and it is SUPER HEALTHY!

 I steamed broccoli today just until it was slightly softened.  I love my veg with a little crunch to it.

 Tilapia is a favorite in our home... and so simply made with a little lemon/olive oil vinaigrette and a bit of salt and pepper.

 Gold Yukon Potatoes were boiled on the stovetop whole and 

then we add a bit of real butter with salt and pepper.

 We got to enjoy the Butter Bread I bought at the Middle Eastern Festival we attended.

It is sweet and so lovely with a little butter spread on top.  

Another use I could see for this particular bread would be in a simple bread pudding or as French toast.

 Here is that pie!  So amazingly fresh with the seasonal ingredients.  

I have a little more Rhubarb but my next project is using apricots from my little "orchard" in the back yard.  Our two trees are LOADED this year with fruit.  I am very excited about this.

I also have apricots already donated to our family by a friend, too.  I will be playing with these first.  They have been washed and refrigerated for some experimenting this week.  I think I want to try my hand at some apricot jam this year.  It has been a long time since I have canned and I have been wanting to do this with some of our garden bounty.