tradition

This is one of my traditional seasonal favorites. I only make this one between October and December. It doesn't feel right eating it in any other time of year. I'm sure the reason I love this rich nuttiness so much, is because it makes my DNA tingle. Yadda-yadda, you say. What doesn't make my DNA tingle? The pecan has been used in our cooking since the Colonists met the Native Americans.  Not only was my maternal great-great grandmother was full blood Cherokee, but my paternal ancestors had, and their descendants still own, a pecan orchard on the Gulf Coast.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp four
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp bourbon
1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter
1 3/4 cups pecans

Roll out your favorite pie crust and fill a 9 inch pie pan, crimping the edges.

Combine sugar, syrup, salt, flour, and eggs and mix on medium speed until well blended.  Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into shell.   Bake 350 for one hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick tester comes clean.

You're using coconuts!

Just in case you were wondering about that coconut pie I made
last week...it is really a simple and elegant dessert. I like to make
this one for guests because you can throw it together so quickly and
it is still very impressive. If you're a fan of coconut, you are going to
love this rich, old fashioned pie. It tastes just like something your
great grandmother might have made.

Willow's Coconut Pie

2 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp flour
1 stick butter, melted
6 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
2 cups coconut
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix thoroughly and pour into an unbaked pie crust, 10 inch pan.
Bake 325 for 50-55 minutes, until firm in center.

And speaking of coconuts...

“'What? Ridden on a horse?'

'Yes'

'You're using coconuts!'

'What?'

You've got two empty halves of coconuts and you're
banging them together!'

'So?'”

easy as pie

Is it cheating to use ready made pie crust? Shh!! Don't tell. Of course
it's not. You can throw together a scrumptious homemade pie in
minutes and no one will know you didn't spend all day in the kitchen.
Heavens to murgatroyd it's good! And so easy peasy.

Mixed Berry Glazed Pie

1 box of Pillsbury ready made roll out pie crusts
3 16 oz. bags frozen mixed berries
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp cream or orange juice

Line a 10 inch pie plate with the bottom crust. Mix sugar and flour
together and pour over berries. Add to pie crust. Dot with butter.
Add top crust and crimp edges. Bake one hour at 350 until bubbly
in center.

Mix powdered sugar and cream or juice and glaze hot pie.

(I cover the edges, before baking, with aluminum foil.)

vintage plate Brookline by Woods Burslem

Pie is King

Cakes and other desserts are fine, but in my book, pie is king!
I love all kinds of pie. So, when I saw this old family recipe over at
Julie King Art, I had to give it a whirl. It was just as I imagined. It
took me back to a different time, a different day. If you like old
fashioned comfort food, as I do, you will love, love, love this recipe.
Thanks, Julie, for sharing!

Grandma J's Butterscotch Pie

1 firmly packed, heaping cup of light brown sugar
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 eggs
2 cups of milk (at least 2%)
1 baked pie shell
2 T of water
handful of granulated sugar

Separate 2 eggs by putting the whites into a medium mixing bowl.
Place the yolks into a 2 cup glass measuring cup. Fill the
measuring cup up with milk (slightly less than 2 cups) and beat the
yolks into the milk with a fork. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan or preferably an iron skillet, melt the 2 T
of butter. Add the brown sugar and cook on medium/high until
the mixture begins to bubble and caramelize. The color will turn
to a darker brown. Take off the heat and stir in the 2 T of flour.
Slowly, a little bit at a time, add the milk/egg yolk mixture.
Immediately put back on the stove and cook on medium
until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
Pour into the pre-baked pie crust.

Add 2 T of water to the egg whites in the medium mixing bowl.
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium/high until
peaks form. Add a handful of sugar and beat until well mixed.
Use a plastic spatula to spoon the meringue onto the top of the
pudding in the pie crust. Make peaks on top of the pie so it looks
nice. Bake at 350 degrees until the top of the meringue is a nice
golden brown. (about six minutes) Let pie cool before cutting so
the pudding has a chance to set up.

I increased the recipe by 1/3 for a 10 inch pie.