Pecan Pie

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, I am posting early this week.  If you are looking for an alternative to pumpkin pie, pecan pie is a wonderful choice.

This recipe uses a shortbread crust, adding a little extra buttery-richness.  if you prefer a standard pie crust try the one used here.

According to my husband there is only one thing to say about this pecan pie, "Delicious!"  In fact he asks for it for his birthday every year instead of cake, and is a holiday staple at our house.

Wishing you a simply good Thanksgiving!


Pecan Pie

Prep Time: 1 hour     Serves: 8

  

For Crust:

• 2 cups Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 14 Tablespoons Butter, cut into pieces
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 2 Tablespoons Ice Water

For Filling:

• 3 Eggs
• 2/3 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Light Corn Syrup
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
• 1 cup Pecans
• 3 Tablespoons Butter, cut into pieces

Crust:

In bowl of food processor combine flour, salt and sugar; pulse to combine.

Add butter to food processor and pulse until pea sized crumbs form.

Add egg yolk and water and pulse just until in holds together when squeezed.

Turn dough out onto plastic wrap, wrap, shape into ball and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out crust and place in 9 inch pie plate.

Filling:

In mixing bowl beat eggs until light and foamy.

Add sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and vinegar; beat until combined.

Stir in pecans.

Pour filling into unbaked crust.

Dot top of pie with pieces of butter.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until center of pie "jiggles" when shaken.

Buttermilk Biscuits

This recipe is an adaptation of one Alton Brown does on his show Good Eats (original recipe).  It is simple, fast, easy and reliably delicious.   I have been using it as my only biscuit recipe for over 5 years.  I have successfully made it substituting milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice for the buttermilk.


These biscuits are a great holiday side, but also are great with fried chicken or with butter and jam.  The secret is to not over mix them, ensuring that they come out tall and fluffy.  In the spirit of Alton Brown, I wish you "good eats" this holiday season.  


Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep Time: 30 min     Makes: 12


2 cups Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
Pinch of Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter, cut into cubes
2 Tablespoons Shortening, cut into cubes
1 cup Buttermilk
1-2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted






In bowl of food processor combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter and shortening.


Pulse until dough has the consistency of large crumbs


With food processor running add buttermilk mixing until just combined.


Turn dough out onto well floured surface and pat out by hand to a thickness of 1/2-1 inch.


Cut out biscuits and place on cookie sheet with the sides just touching.


Continue to pat out dough and cut biscuits until dough is used up, working dough as little as possible


Gently press your thumb into the center of each biscuit.


Brush melted butter over the top of biscuits.


Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

This is a very pretty, simpler, cleaner version of the traditional sweet-potato casserole with the marshmallows on top.  The cranberries balance the sweetness of the syrup and the potatoes to make for a more grown-up holiday dish that tastes as good as it looks.


This recipe has been a holiday staple for my family ever since I first tried it several years ago.  The dish would feel at home for a family feast or a holiday party.  Enjoy.


Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes
Prep Time: 30 min     Serves: 6-10


3-4 lbs Sweet Potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
3/4 cup Pancake Syrup
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 1/2 cups Fresh Cranberries








Boil whole sweet potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes.  Drain off water and allow potatoes to cool.


In small saucepan combine maple syrup and pancake syrup and heat on medium-low until reduced by half.


Add butter and cranberries to syrups, simmer for about 5 minutes, until the cranberries begin to pop open.


Slice cooled sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch rounds, and arrange in ceramic tart dish or casserole.


Pour cranberry glaze over sweet potatoes.


Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.


Linking Up With:
Ultimate Recipe Swap @ Life As Mom

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cookies

For my husband, there is only one kind of cookie worth eating: warm chocolate chip cookies.  So any time I try to suggest making a new cookie recipe he suggests that I make my normal chocolate chip cookies.  The first time I made these was a few years ago.  I made over 100 cookies for my sister's baby shower, and my husband must have eaten 50 of them.  


Reminiscent of pumpkin cheesecake, these cookies are moist, sweet, and packed with pumpkin flavor.  Even though they are a little extra work, they are definitely worth the effort.  


If you are making a lot of cookies you can use the squares of parchment several times.


I hope your family has as much fun eating these cookies as they do making them.


Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Filling
Total Time: 2 hours     Makes: 24-30 sandwiches


For Cookies:
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin Puree
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Pinch of Ground Cloves
Pinch of Nutmeg


For Filling:
1 stick Butter
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 pound Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla


Cookies:
In large mixing bowl combine: brown sugar, sugar, oil and pumpkin.  Mix until well blended.


Add eggs one at a time.  Stir in vanilla.


In medium bowl add: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  Whisk together with fork.


Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.


Pipe batter in spirals onto 2 inch squares of parchment paper.


Bake at 400 for 11 minutes.


Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool.


Filling:
Beat butter until fluffy.


Add cream cheese to butter and beat together.


Slowly add powdered sugar until incorporated.


Stir in vanilla.


If frosting is too thick add cream or milk a few drops at a time until they are the correct consistency.


Spread frosting on bottom of cookie and top with another cookie.




Linking Up With:


Three Weeks of Thanks @ The Artsy Girl Connection
Ultimate Recipe Swap @ Life As Mom

Artisan Bread

I developed my interest in baking bread while living in a house that was so cold I baked bread to get warm.  Our house was so cold that bread would not rise on the counter so I had to turn the oven on low and then turn it off with the bread inside in order for the bread to rise.  


I got a book for Christmas called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  It took a little while to work out a system that I liked, and I had to practice a while before the bread was really good, but now it warms both my home and my tummy.  


This is the easiest way I have ever seen to make bread.  There is no kneading, and it only takes a few minutes to get ready.  The only down side is that you really have to start this bread at least 10 hours before you want to eat it.  On the good side, you CAN make it two whole weeks before you want to eat it, so, if you like bread frequently you can make a week worth of dough and have fresh bread with relatively little planning.


This bread is soft but dense with a moist crumb, a hard crust, and a very wonderful taste.  


Happy baking and happy eating.


Recipe and method are adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.


Artisan Bread
Prep Time: 30 min     Makes: 4 small loaves

• 3 cups hot tap Water
• 4 1/2 teaspoons Salt
• 4 1/2 teaspoons dry active Yeast
• 6 1/2 cups Flour
• Cornmeal, for pan

Add salt and yeast to water and stir to combine.


Place flour in the bowl of a food processor*, with food processor running add water and yeast mixture.  Mix until combined, about 30 seconds.


Place dough in a large bowl or container (5 quarts or larger) and leave to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until dough had doubled in size.


Place dough in refrigerator over night and for up to 2 weeks.


Take out 1/4 of the dough and place on floured surface, or in a bowl of flour.  Lightly coat dough in flour.


Form loaf by pulling the dough down and tucking the "corners" underneath.


With a lightly floured knife cut a few slashes into the dough.


Place loaf on a cornmeal coated cookie sheet, and allow to rise for 40 minutes.  (preheat oven about 20 minutes into rising time)


Bake at 450 for 30 minutes.






* If you don't have a food processor this can be done in a stand mixer with the flat beater attachment or by hand but is quite labor intensive.  I would not recommend a hand mixer as the dough will be much to thick for most hand mixers.


Linking Up With:

Chili

Chili - is anything else this healthy so fulfilling and delicious?  Beans are high in protein and fiber, and together with tomatoes, onions, and lean ground beef, they make for a nutritious meal.  The trick is that the meal has all the right components to fill you up - and keep you full for a long time: fiber, protein, and a little bit of fat.  


Nutrition aside, this meal is also really inexpensive.  I often make it with dry beans which has the added advantage of letting you try a few of many different beans.  Where I like to buy my groceries you can buy about 10 different varieties in bulk, I like to get a little bit of 3 or 4 different kinds, just to make the chili look more diverse.  If you use dry beans, the whole recipe can be made for about $4.  That's right $4 to feed 6 adults.


Now, I know most people don't look at a blog and think to themselves "mmm, that recipe looks so cheap and healthy; I bet my family would love it" but, I get excited, so, sorry if I went in too deep.  You can be sure that even if this chili was expensive and terrible for you, I would still make it, it is just that good.  My husband adds about 1 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes to this recipe to make it hot enough for himself.  I hope you and your family enjoy and be sure to come back next week for my bread which makes a great side for this dish.


Chili
Total Time: 1 hour     Serves: 6

• 1-2 Tablespoons Vegatable Oil
• 1/2 pound Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 can Diced Tomato
• 1 can Beef Broth
• 2 cans Chili Beans
• 4 cans Kidney Beans, drained
• 2 teaspoons Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1-2 Tablespoons Paprika
• Pinch of Cayenne
• Pinch of Salt
• Pepper

To hot pot add oil and beef, cook until beef is browned.


Add onion, and cook until translucent and soft, about 3 minutes.


Add beef broth, tomatoes, beans, oregano, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.


Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

This bonus post is in celebration of a visit from our local newspaper, which wrote a piece about our show. To see the article, click here.


When it gets cold outside I love to indulge in hot drinks. Whether it is a nice hot cup of tea, or a Pumpkin Spice Steamed Milk, something about a hot drink on a cold day just makes everything better than it was before. The syrup from this recipe can be used with coffee or steamed milk.


The syrup recipe can be easily multiplied and kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  To use refrigerated syrup simply shake and add hot drink straight from the fridge. I hope this recipe warms your fall and protects your wallet.


Pumpkin Spice Latte
Total Time: 30 min     Serves: about 5

Pumpkin Spice Syrup:

• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1 whole Clove
• 1/4 inch slice of fresh Ginger, peeled
• 2 Tablespoons canned Pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup Sugar

Latte:

• 3/4 cup (6 oz) Strong Coffee (1.5 times the package directions) or Espresso
• 3/4 cup Milk (6 oz)
• Whipped Cream and Ground Cinnamon (optional)

For Syrup:


Place nutmeg in a coffee filter in tie into a pouch with butcher's twine or other food safe string.


In a small sauce pot with lid combine: water, nutmeg pouch, cinnamon stick, clove and ginger.


Bring to a boil.


Stir in pumpkin, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.


Remove spices from pot.


Stir in sugar, keeping over low heat until sugar has completely dissolved.


For Latte:


Heat milk in microwave for about 1 minute or until hot.


Froth milk if desired.


Add coffee.


Stir in 1-2 Tablespoons of syrup and top with whipped cream and ground cinnamon if desired.


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