Fall in Love with Pecan Pies

I had to share this recipe and blog because I love love love pecan pie and I am going to try this recipe for Thanksgiving this year but also and most importantly because the author's description of her grandmother,her pies and all they meant to her and her family are beautiful !

Visit the blog,make pecan pie and send love to grandmothers everywhere ....

http://www.bakerella.com/mamas-pecan-pies/

Native American Pumpkin Pie

Oh how I adore Pumpkin Pie ...

 “What kind of Thanksgiving dinner is this? Where’s the turkey, Chuck? Don’t you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Where’s the mashed potatoes? Where’s the cranberry sauce? Where’s the pumpkin pie?” ~ Peppermint Patty

Fresh pumpkin roasting in the oven in preparation for a scrumptious pie just screams Autumn to me

Here is my favorite recipe :

 

Native American Pumpkin Pie

Bake a three-pound seeded pumpkin in a preheated 325° oven for 1 ½ hours. Scoop out pumpkin and puree in a blender.

 

Pumpkin Filling

 

1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk   

This is my favorite pie crust recipe :

 

Vodka Pie Crust

Author: Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients

• 2½ cups (12.5 oz) all purpose flour
• 1 tsp table salt
• 2 Tb sugar
• 12 Tb (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ½ cup cold shortening, cut into ¼” slices
• ¼ cup vodka, cold
• ¼ cup water, cold

Instructions

1. Process 1½ cups flour, salt, sugar in food processer until combined, about two 1 second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just startes to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around food processor blade.
2. Add remaining cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
3. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4″ disc. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

 

Assemble your pie :

In a large bowl, stir the pumpkin puree, eggs, salt,
granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and
evaporated milk. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until set.


Top your pie with roasted walnuts,pecans or chestnuts !!
Serve cold with fresh whipped cream

“Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom sponsored by Whirlpool and enter to win a new Whirlpool Range”

 

 

Its almost Thanksgiving ..right about this time in the month of November,I would be telling my Ma "Why don't we just order dinner this year,it will be easier,you wont have to cook" and she would always say "I am not an old lady ,I can still cook" and every year she still cooked and insisted on being the one to do the cooking.

I know now that her spirit,is what keeps me feeling alive.She lived every moment until the last with that same stubborn enthusiasm,she cooked until the end.

I will always cook on Thanksgiving because of her,taking the easy way out seems well too easy.It is the struggles that keep us strong.

Currently listening to Willie Nelson,Angel flying too close to the ground  :

http://youtu.be/2vi__gd84XI