Pie Day Friday

                                Welcome to Pie Day Friday!!!!!!!!!!!


Our lovely little hens are delivering eggs almost every day...we love to make and eat homemade pie and Pie Day rhymes with Friday...so... here is a new blog feature for 2014.  Now I'm not saying this will happen every Friday.  Even we can't guarantee being able to bake & eat pies every week, but we do love them for our breakfasts and actually, for the most part, home made pies can be pretty healthy.  This one, for instance is made with fresh eggs...

                       These are the photo's I was telling you about, Jan!


Whole Wheat flour, 2% or fat free milk, oatmeal and our homegrown  Sweet Potatoes...

We're almost out of our homies and getting ready to start the new ones for this year.

I started out with the same recipe for the pie crust as for the Blackberry Pie that is in the Blog archives for 2013, Reaching the Destination.  Just check that post out where you will find the recipe or use one of your own special pie crust recipes.  Here is a picture of the crust (and berries) before they were baked)

As usual in my life...the filling recipe has a history of which I will only tell you a little of so I can share this post with you while it is still Friday!  It was originally made with Butternut Squash, white sugar and whole milk.  When we moved to Frogville, Oklahoma, we lived off the grid with literally NO electricity or running water.  We had a tiny range top with stove for a camper that we used small bottles of propane to do our cooking.  Since there was no refrigeration, we used powdered milk and retrieved our drinking water from a pure spring.  That 6 years is loaded with many stories that will get shared from time to time!
Now that we live a little more civilized... just a little more :), I've re-vamped the recipe.

Custard Filling:

2 Cups Sweet Potatoes...steamed and smashed
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Ginger
1 teaspoon Cloves
3 Beautiful Eggs from Joyous Hens
1 1/2 Cups Milk...whole, 2%,powdered,rice, whatever is your choice

Mix all of the above together stirring and beating as smooth as you desire.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Pour the Sweet Potato Custard into the Pie Crust
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes depending on your own ovens temperament (yes I said temperament NOT temperature).

It will be Puffy when you get ready to take it out

Your pie will settle in a little as it cools but this is to be expected.

You'll probably want to let it cool at least an hour to set the filling, but it is great still warm and Awesome for breakfast tomorrow.

Please join Daniel and myself for our afternoon...Friday Pie Day!!!!

Thanks for stopping in and visiting this afternoon, we'll see Y'all the next time you come around!

Joy & Love!
Diane

Winter Holidays...Santa Claus...Dixie Peanut Brittle!

Just thought I'd share a little of our "beginning of Winter Holidays" in our magical place that we live.  I'm a big fan of being outdoors, so when the weather gets too cold...too rainy...too cold & breezy, I tend to spend too much time indoors.  Especially when Winter Solstice is coming and we're about to experience the "Longest Night"!  No matter how early I get up...there is never enuff time to take care of all of the children.  You know, the furry, hairy, feathery, muddy, hungry, wet, cold ones.  I spend too much time inside because it is dark outside...so I try to make it as comfortable as I can.  I've decorated the living room with Christmas collections and handmade items.  I love vintage & antique & I'm always crafting some art thing too.

Just for a little clarification....the baby on the left may be the only photo you ever see of me...I was much cuter then and prefer to remain that way.  The people on the right are my mom and her husband ( I called him Papa...my Daddy died when I was young and Mama remarried after I grew up and moved away from home).  That photo is also from quite a few years ago.

This next photo I have titled:
              "The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimney With Care"
                

  They didn't get all dry hanging outside with the rest of the laundry and it was the best place to make sure that I had dry socks in the morning!!!

So...You're saying OK...we've covered Winter Holidays, Santa Claus, but Hey!!! What about the Dixie Peanut Brittle?

I'll just grab a piece and munch on it while I give you the recipe!  I wish Y'all could come and visit and we could make it together...what a good time we could have.  For now this will have to do...Here Goes...

You will need:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
4 cups raw peanuts with the skins on
2 Tblsp butter
2 tsp baking soda

Lightly butter a cookie sheet:

Heat sugar, syrup & water in a large saucepan to a rolling boil. 
Add peanuts and reduce heat to medium, medium low and stir.

And Stir...and stir.  You don't have to keep a constant stir on...but don't leave it alone for too long at a time.  It's going to take from 1 hour to 1 hour & 15 minutes to reach it's high temp of 290 degrees... so have a beer, cup of tea...and stir every so often.

As it cooks and you stir...you'll notice that it is getting thicker and darker and smelling cooked and brown.  Have patience until you reach 290 degrees.
When your candy has cooked enuff...turn off the burner and take the pot off the heat.
Add your butter and then the baking soda and beat with the wooden spoon!

Pour as best you can...it will be thick as it cools...onto the cookie sheet and try to spread it evenly.  Be careful!!! the cookie sheet will get hot!!

Cool until brittle and cold...break into pieces...give some to your postal delivery person... put a little out, out of the dog & cat reaches...and hide the rest to be doled out!

Enjoy...enjoy...enjoy!!!

Merry Christmas!!
Diane

A FEW AUTUMN PLEASURES

The season that I love the most!  When the dry, hot, late summer days are leaving and the cooler, damper beginnings of autumn are here.

 

I love to heat up the chilly early hours with the oven and something wonderful baking in it.  The Sweet Potatoes are just about ready to dig up here in Tennessee, so I share this wonderful recipe that will have your mouth watering!

These are the beautiful plants that you can start from a sweet potato in your own home.  I remembered doing this in school as a child.  Have any of you done it?

After the vines were growing well, I broke them off or cut the potato and buried them into the ground to root.  Be careful not to do this too early, your sweet potatoes do not like it too chilly!  Not only will you have Sweet Potatoes to eat, but beautiful vines with gorgeous flowers (you may also eat the flowers and leaves in a salad...they are part of the morning glory family, NOT nightshade like white potatoes!)

Now, if you so desire...just shop at your local store and pick some up from the people that grow Sweets for a living!

          Here is a preview of what you will be enjoying in the morning!

                               SPICY SWEET POTATO MUFFINS

Your sweets have to be cooked and mashed before you add them to the rest of the ingredients.  I usually use about 3 to 4 good sized taters and simmer them in a pot covering the potatoes with water.  I simmer them for about 20 to 30 min., then gently poke them with a meat fork.  You want them soft, but not falling apart.  When done, remove them from the water and allow them to cool just long enuff so you don't burn yourself while holding them to peel.  Cook first and the peels almost fall off!  Sometimes I will cook the sweets a day ahead...just one less thing to do in the morning :)!

Ingredients:
1.     2 cups whole wheat flour
2.     1/2 cup packed brown sugar (dark brown is best)
3.     1 Tablespoon baking powder
4.     1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5.     2 teaspoons cinnamon
6.     1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
7.     1/2 teaspoon cloves
8.     1/2 teaspoon ginger
9.     1/2 cup raisins (optional)
10.   1/4 cup walnuts / sunnies (optional)
11.   1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed yams
12.   3/4 cup milk
13.   1 egg...beaten

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees & oil muffin pans ( I use 2 mini muffin pans, great for snacks & small hands)

In a medium large bowl, combine ingredients 1 thru 10 and toss with a fork.
Add ll thru 13, and stir until mixed.  Your batter will be thick almost like drop cookie dough.

Fill the cups until all the batter is gone.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops bounce back when lightly pressed.  Your house will be filled with the wonderful fragrance of the spices and mouths will be watering!

After they come out of the oven, they'll be easier to release from their pans if you let them sit about 10 to 15 minutes.

Have the butter & milk standing by so the first ones are still warm for discovery!
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOD!!! I CAN SMELL THEM WHILE I'M SITTING UP HERE IN MY ART STUDIO!!!  MY MOUTH IS WATERING !!!  GOTTA GO MAKE SOME NOW!!!  

 

Reaching the Destination

If you can't make your pie in the same day that you picked your Blackberries....keep them in a cool dry place.  They will be fine for a couple of days and do better than in the fridge.  Don't wash them either, until you are ready to eat them.

I just add some fresh water to the container and kind of stir them with my hand.  The sticks and leaves just kind of float to the top.  Then....into the colander they go to drain.
Here is the filling recipe:
You will see the word "about"  because I am not hardline about anything :)
Feel free to substitute your favorite ingredients!

About 6 cups freshly washed Blackberries
About 1 cup white sugar ( I prefer brown, but white makes better juice)
Gently mix these together and let sit for about 10 min. while you assemble the Pie Crust ingredients.
You can preheat your oven at any time now to about 425 degrees.

The Pie Crust has its own story.......which you will now get to read:
     Many, many years ago I used to cry when I tried to make a pie crust because I could not get it to roll out well and it would fall apart before I got it into the plate.  Makes you NOT want to make pies.  However, I persevered and became a competent pie maker.  Later I discovered that I have an allergy to soy...which seems to be in everything.  Shortening is soy.  I'm not big on lard....so what to do?  I asked my mom and she had a simple oil pie dough recipe that you "mash" into the pan....really easy.
     I had changed the oil that I was using and started using Sunflower Oil.  If you like sunflower nuts, this oil gives a wonderful flavor to your pie crust.  I rearranged some of the other ingredients and here is the recipe for the crust:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats (oatmeal)
1  tablespoon dark brown sugar (packed and heaping)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil
3 Tablespoons milk

Mix it all together with a small spoon...put into your 10" pie plate and press the dough on the bottom and up the sides to make the crust.

Now to finish the filling:
Stir the Blackberries, they should be juicy by now.
Add 3 Tablespoons of Whole Wheat Flour one at a time and gently stir it in.  This will thicken up the berries, so all the juice doesn't leak out into the pie plate.

Spoon the berries into the crust and as soon as your oven is up to temp., pop it in for about 40 minutes or until it smells and looks like it is ready to come out!

We had some peach ice cream....it was delicious!

Bon Appetite!

Enjoy!