Cut my pie into four pieces.

I don't make pumpkin pies. I go to enough people's homes that serve them and/or have them at functions and work that I don't really every feel like having it at home.

This year, there was a noticeably LACK of pumpkin in my life. My Best Friend brought one for dinner in October, and we have a yummy pumpkin delight cupcake sort of this at our Thanksgiving celebration, but other than that...nada.

So I ended up making one this year. Having never made one at home prior, I was at a loss of where to start. I have several recipes from my Grandma so I looked over those and then looked a bit online and, of course, Pinterest.

As my SOP goes, I looked at the ingredients and figured that I would go with the recipe I had to buy the LEAST amount of new ingredients.

I still had an extra pie crust as I got the two pack for the Kahlua Pecan Pie for our Thanksgiving dinner so the only thing I had to buy was the cream cheese.

Now I know that there has been quite a bit of negative media about Paula Deen as of late. I hope you all have done your research about the matter and know that the way Paula isbeing painted by the media is completely off base. Also, that all the charges have been dismissed by a sound and honorable judge.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/23/paula-deen-lawsuit-dismissed_n_3806580.html

That being said, here is her most delectable of pies (only slightly altered by me):
Paula Deen's (and a little bit me) Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
2 cans pumpkin, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 premade pie crust
Whipped cream, for garnish
Method:
Beat cream cheese with hand mixer.
Add pumpkin and beat until well combined
Add Sugar and salt and beat until well combined
Add eggs mixed with yolks, half and half, and melted butter, and beat until well combined.
Finally add vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger and beat until incorporated.
Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 50 minutes.
Place pie on wire rack and cool to room temperature, cut into slices and top each with whipped cream.

Until the next meal...

**Today's title comes from Yogi Berra. The full quote is as follows: Cut my pie into four pieces, I don't think I could eat eight.**

BFMH: Crepes

So I followed my mother's advice and, when at a loss for what to make, make it French.

Viola! Crepes!

Crepe Recipe

Ingredients

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup flour

3 tablespoons melted butter

Butter, for coating the pan

Method

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Pulse for 10 seconds.

Place crepe batter in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

This allows the bubbles to subside so that the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking!

The batter will keep 48 hours. I made mine the night before.

Heat a small (6 inch) nonstick pan. Add butter to coat. (I used cooking spray)

Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread batter. If the pan is not hot enough, it won't swirl nicely.

Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. 

Lay them out flat so they can cool. 

Continue until the batter is gone. 

It should be about 10 crepes in a 6 inch pan if you aren't making them too thick. 

After they have cooled, you can stack them and store them in a seal-able plastic bag in the fridge for several days, or the freezer for up to 2 months.

When using frozen crepes, allow them to thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

For a savory variation, add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach, or sun-dried tomato into egg mixture.

These were delicious. Plus, I have a couple frozen now for dinner or breakfast!

I stuffed our crepes with apples and cheese then drizzled a little honey over it. In hindsight, I think that I will make a sauce to go over it next time. Still, they were light and filling at the same time and I look forward to making them specifically for lunch or dinner. Husband liked it so that is always a good thing! Hope you try these as they aren't as hard as you would think!

I'll be outside for the season.

Husband and I have decked out halls this week!

For my first time ever, we went to "a choose and cut your own" Christmas Tree farm. I grew up with a REALLY nice fake tree so the idea of taking care of live tree kind of intimidates me.

Here we are in front of our tree before we killed it:

And now here it is, mounted in all it's glory in our home:

We thought it looked a bit dull so we added a few more things to it:

Yes, I know, we need a tree topper. You can't see it, but there is a star ornament on the top of the tree. I am working on making a tree topper for next year. I might just make a construction paper topper of Mickey Ears though on Saturday.

I saw a really cool Advent Calendar at Pottery Barn (for $75!!) which I decided to recreate with a Dollar Store Garland, some Dollar Store Mini Stockings, and a splash of paint. Total cost: $7! Now I just need to get the chocolates/toys to go into them. Note how high it is hung. This simply means that Husband gets to eat the majority of the candies once it gets loaded up.

We decided to be like his parents and have a small tree in the front window with the larger tree with presents further back in the house so we use my mini tree from college (Thank you, Auntie). Unfortunately, it is not lit so you can't see it in all it's true beauty.

I got some good looking wrapping paper, glued it on to some card stock, then drew and painted the little Mickey with the Santa hat to make a Disney themed holiday piece. I will probably be making a Doctor Who themed piece for the other picture frame.

And, of course, our entrance way...

Complete with fresh wreath (again, Thank you, Auntie!)

So those are the highlights of our home for this season. Hope it helps to get y'all into the Christmas Spirit!


**Today's title comes Husband's favorite Holiday movie, National Lampoon: Christmas Vacation with the complete quote reading: Well, I'm gonna park the cars and get the luggage, and well, I'll be outside for the season. **

The edges are sharp enough to shave with.

So, as MANY of you (I am sure) have noticed, I have been posting in post quite a bit this last week or so. I have been late/slow for one simple reason. I have not been able to type very fast.

I managed to cut my finger pretty badly with a steak knife while preparing dinner. I was making a simple dish of stuffed chicken and quinoa for Husband and I got myself real good. Good like thought about going to get stitches.

Here is how dinner turned out:

The chicken was stuffed with left over balsamic onion cheesy deliciousness from my stuffed mushrooms and the quinoa was left over from the meal earlier that week.

This is what happen a week and half ago...LOOK AWAY IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH::

This is how it looked when I wanted to shower:

And this is how it looks now!

Almost all better. Primarily, I am no longer in a splint to keep the bits of flesh pulled together so typing has become a much easier task this last day or so. I will strive to catch up on my posts and get you all more tried and true recipes.


Until the next boo boo...

**Today's title is from A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin with the dialogue running like so:
John: Be careful you don't cut yourself. The edges are sharp enough to shave with.
Arya: Girls don't shave.
John: Maybe they should. Have you ever seen the septa's legs? **

Facts must be faced.

As mentioned in a prior post, you will be seeing a lot of soups up on the blog from here until Easter probably. Today's gift is from my MiL's excellent arsenal of delish recipes.

Last year, Husband (then Fiance) asked me to make soup from the turkey carcass. I willing obliged as long as he asked his mother for a recipe he knew he liked. She sent us the Turkey Broth Recipe and this little gem: Garden Soup.

When I first made this soup, I was inclined to think I was not going to like it. I don't really enjoy tomato soups (I have slight allergy) as well as I don't care for Lima beans or (cooked) carrots. How wrong I was. I love this veggie filled soup. I have no problem enjoying this soup despite the fact that I still eat around the carrots (it's a texture thing, not flavor).

This year, we changed it up this year and decided the put in some green beans which turned out VERY good. I have dropped a bit of spinach in my personal bowl as well as Husband this spinach wilted in a soup is a bit odd. I think some form of peas wouldn't go amiss as well as maybe some asparagus. Pretty much add or take out any veggie that suites your tastes.

Garden Soup
Ingredient's
2 cans (29 oz total) of chicken broth (or 4 cups of homemade turkey broth)
2 cans (24 oz total) of tomato juice
1.5 cups of chopped chicken (or the turkey you salvaged from when you made the broth)
1 (12 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (10 oz) package frozen Lima beans, thawed
2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1.5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Method:
Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Bring to a boil.
Cover and reduce heat.
When it have come down to a simmer, add the bird meat.
Simmer for 1 hour, covered (stirring occasionally)
Remove bay leaf and enjoy.

**Today's title comes from Peg Bracken from The Compleat I Hate to Cook Book with the full quote reading: Facts must be faced. Vegetables simply don't taste as good as most other things do.**

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

What happens when your Thanksgiving dinner is all done?

Make leftover sandwiches?

Start planning Christmas Dinner?

Figure out how to repurpose all the leftover turkey?

Simmer the bird carcass in water with some veggies and make 24 cups of broth?

That's what Husband and I did! Yes, be impressed. Soup is a staple in our home at this point. With Husband working funky hours and needing easily reheated food while I need food that will fill my up, but I won't be binging on, SOUPS are the best answer for our style of life.

Now for most soups you need a starter broth. I can't tell you how many times I have purchased Chicken/Beef/Veggie Stock/Broth. Last year, MiL sent us instructions on how to make a very good TURKEY broth from the bones and stubborn meat on our now mostly devoured bird.

So now I will share it with you: The Turkey Broth Project
Put carcass in a large pot (you can break the carcass if necessary)
Put in enough water to nearly cover the carcass.
If you have them, throw in the following:
an onion or two, peeled and quartered
some carrots, cut into chunks
some celery, cut into chunks
Bring water to a boil then cover pot and turn heat down to a simmer for about 2 - 3 hours.
Remove the bulk of the carcass.
Chill broth over night and then skim off what fat congeals on the top the next day.
Strain the broth of any bones and veggies while salvaging what meat has come way from the bones in a separate container. (you can use this meat in soups or casseroles later.)
Then, using the really good double barrier ziplock bags, measure out 1 or 2 cup batches into the bag. Don't forget to write how much of what is in the bag with a permanent marker.
*Seriously, use the best kind you can find. I had a broth puddle this year from the store name brand kind we normally use.*
Put into the freezer and put out one or two baggies at a time as needed for the recipe you are making.


Until the next Thanksgiving meal....

**Today's title comes from Joan Aiken from the mouth of the most legendary of ladies, Jane Austen, from Ms Aiken's story: Emma Watson: The Watsons Completed **

...about as wholesome and straightforward as you could get.

I love Irish food. No questions about it. I really wish I had a least a speck of Irish blood that I could point at and say "See! SEE!?! I told you it was in my blood!"

Alas, a lack, this will never be the case for me. What I can say in truth is that the Spirit of Eire has embedded itself in the deepest parts of my heart. Probably because of my Aunties being so incredibly Irish.

Moving on to the point, Irish food, I love it. So a couple weeks ago, Husband and I threw a little Harry Potter Party. To keep it in the world of Potter I ended up calling it "Quidditch Player's Pie" as it seems to show up before the matches in the Great Hall, but most everyone know is at Shepherd's Pie.

TECHNICALLY: I made Cottage Pie. Shepherd's Pie has lamb in it. My pie only contained minced beef, therefore, it should be known that I made Cottage Pie.

Now my version of Cottage Pie is incredibly easy and great use of the leftovers from a Sunday Roast.

Cottage Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
Enough meat to cover the bottom of your pan (about a 1 - 2 pounds depending on your pan of choice size)
Half an onion, diced (or roughly chopped cooked onions from the pot roast pan)
2 cloves garlic, minced
A few shakes of the old Worcestershire Sauce
Rosemary
1 - 2 cups beef broth, roast drippings, or bouillon
1 small fab of frozen peas, or left over from a meal prior
1 - 2 cups chopped carrots,or left over from a meal prior
2 -3 cups mashed potatoes, dear God, don't use instant
Method
If starting with raw meat: Cook up meat with onions and garlic with a few shakes of Worcestershire Sauce and dash of dried rosemary or 2 sprigs of fresh.
When nearly done cooking, cover with broth, drippings, or bouillon and let simmer for 5 minutes to allow the yumminess to soak into the meat.
Pour meat, onions, and garlic into a baking pan.
Remove rosemary (if you used fresh) before pouring into pan.
Cover with peas and carrots (if frozen, not need to precook)
Cover with mashed potatoes over everything.
If desired, grate a bit of cheddar cheese over the top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 400 degrees oven.

Cook's note: If you like the a thicker sort of gravy  with the meat, add a bit less broth and substitute a can of tomato paste.

I made a Low Carb version with no carrots or peas and used mashed cauliflower on top. It was pretty decent, though not as pretty or as complex a flavor as the regular type of Cottage pie.

Until the next meal....



**Today's title comes from Alexis Hall wit the full quote reading: The cottage pie was about as wholesome and straightforward as you can get. It was food for the winter evenings and happy days. **