**HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!**
I’ve had such a productive week. It feels so damn good to get things done and handled. My to do list is never ending so this week has taken a nice chunk off my shoulders. Check this out.
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All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel
**HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!**
I’ve had such a productive week. It feels so damn good to get things done and handled. My to do list is never ending so this week has taken a nice chunk off my shoulders. Check this out.
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Oh, I am so glad it’s Friday!!!
It has been such a busy week, but such a great week.
On Monday I went to dinner with my friend Allie, who also had a baby last year. On Christmas to be exact! It was such a good night with dinner, drinks, and lots of catching up. It’s always so good to be able to share news, ideas, and funny stories to the point where you have tears in your eyes.
Allie is the kind of person who you feel you’ve known for decades but have only know each other a short period of time. She is wrapping up her degree to be in social work. I think she’ll he really successful as she has this great charm about her, which will help her communicate with her clients.
We’re both heading back to our guys’ hometown for the 4th of July so I’m sure we’ll get to hang there. And probably have some wine. And laugh until we cry again.
Oh, how is it already the end of June?!?! The month has breezed by! This just means that this is the last of my chess pies for the month of June!
So every week Price asked me what Chess Pie was and I’d say “I dunno, but it sure is sugary!” Super helpful, no?
Well, a little wiki later and ta-da! I know what a Chess Pie is! It’s a sugary custard pie that has it’s roots in England but has now become a Southern thing. And when you read the recipe and think ‘cornmeal, really?’ you’ll now know that it’s no mistake, there is cornmeal in the filling. But I swear you wouldn’t even know it.
All of the Chess Pies that I made were sweet but this was swaaaa-eeeaaattt! Got it? I’d say that you should skip the 8 slice cutting, and just go to 12-16 slices. Because gang, sugar. But it’s so good that you can get over the cavity you’ll have after eating it.
The brown sugar gives it a nice caramel flavor that isn’t over the top. It’s subtle so you know it’s there but it’s not all up in your face. I think it’s nice that it sets it apart from the other pies for that reason.
Makes a 9″ pie
Ingredients
Process
Sourced from Twirl and Taste
Yesterday was such a great busy day.
I worked from home in the morning. Then Autumn had a Physical Therapy follow-up appointment at Children’s Hospital for her Torticollis that flares up when she is not feeling great (a cold, teething, etc.) Then we drove out to Newton to do a big drop off at Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast. (I’ve now donated just over 1,300 oz (10+gallon) to help out premies!) A quick trip to the grocery store and then we head off to watch The Big G’s softball game. While I don’t play, Price plays along with my office as his office doesn’t have a team.
Autumn loved hanging out on our picnic blanket with a fresh juicy peach for a snack while everyone fawned over her blue eyes. And overall cuteness. 🙂
The game was a success! The team forged a comeback and ended up winning 16-17! We all went a little nuts as everyone was proud of the come back win. Plus, our team has had a bit of a history with the other team. They beat us pretty much beat us every time, but the worst is that they beat us 2 years ago in the championship game so this was such a sweet win!
Ah, it all makes me just love summer so much.
Perfect for summer is this Lemon Chess Pie!
The color and flavor is jsut to bright and happy to me. I would love to serve this at a BBQ or picnic with some fresh berries and whipped cream.
The pie is very light and very lemony. While it’s tart it’s still pretty sweet so there is a nice balance there. The whole thing takes about 5-10 minutes to mix up and then just 40ish minutes to bake. I do suggest that you give it several hours to cool and set up. I know it’s hard to resist the wait but you’ll get a perfectly set, creamy pie then.
Enjoy!
Make 1 9″ Pie, 12-16 servings
Ingredients
Process
Slightly Adapted from The Spiffy Cookie
ZOMG!
Price and I are getting married a year from today! Woo hoo!
9 years (10 yrs by then). 2 apartments together. 1 house purchase. 1 new car. 5ish years of college together. countless vacations and adventures. 13 miles in NYC 1 day. 1 super bowl parade. 2 NASCAR races. 1 sunrise on top of Mt Washington. 2 rabbits. 1 dog. 1 delicious baby.
I saved the best for last.
We have the place picked out but that’s about it. Well, we know colors. But still might change our minds. I picked up a dress for Autumn to wear. It’s super cute! I called like 7 stores to find and then reserve the sizes (I got 2 sizes since I’m not sure what she’ll actually be). I thought I knew what I’d wear but now I’m not too sure. I think we’re gonna make jam for the favor. Music should be fun. Yeah… smart. ugh.
There is plenty to plan but we’re not that stressed since there is plenty of time. We like the DIY approach so I’m sure we’ll do a lot ourselves too. So that will mean I’ll have some cool stuff to share on the blog too. Fun.
Anyway, this pie is just de-lite-ful. That’s how you spell that right?
This Chocolate Chess Pie is really rich but because the crust is pretty neutral in flavor it’s a nice balance. The chocolate is sweet but not too sweet. It’s a nice intense flavor as the filling uses unsweetened cocoa powder as opposed to a semi sweet chocolate, like I’ve used in other recipes.
The top of the pie has a crisp texture so expect some cracking but that just gives it some style. Right?!? Once you crack through it you’ll get to experience the ooziest, creamest, dreamiest chocolate filling. It’s like experiencing creme brulee. There is just the tiniest hint of coffee flavor from the espresso powder you use in the filling. It goes so well with the chocolate.
This crust was so good. I think it’s the shortening. It gives it great texture without that much flavor, unlike butter. If you like a sweet crust then add a tablespoon to the dough. This is pretty neutral so it would be great to even use for a quiche.
The original instructions called for the crust to be made by hand by cutting the butter and shortening into the flour and then using a wooden spoon to bring the rest together when adding the water. I opted to just use my food processor instead to mix the dough together, but if you don’t have one then use a pastry cutter or 2 forks. Either way, you’ll end up with a great flaky crust.
While this Chocolate Chess Pie is rich it is not as rich and BUTTERY like the Buttermilk Chess Pie that I shared last week. I commented on how I’d expect to get 12-16 slices out of that pie (I cut 16), but I’d plan on 8 slices with this bub.
Makes a 9″ Pie
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Process
To make the crust
To make the pie
Crust sourced from Add a Pinch, filling slightly adapted from Add a Pinch
Florida here we come!
Autumn and I are heading down to Florida today to visit my mom and grandmother. This will be Autumn’s first flight. I’m up for the challenge but I’m really hoping that it goes well. She typically takes a nap mid morning and that is when we are flying so I’m hoping she will get snuggily and sleep. But you never know how it goes until you’re just stuck at 35,000 ft with a screaming baby. She is teething now (her 2nd tooth broken through yesterday morning) so she had a fever last night. At least now I can really drug her for the flight and it would be legitimate! ha!
This will also be my grandmother’s first time meeting Autumn. It will be a lot of fun for them to meet. I’ll be sure to get a lot of photos of them together. Plus have someone take a picture of all 4 generations. awww!
Since I’m heading to thee South I’ve made a Southern Classic to share today!
I’ve always wanted to try a Chess Pie so I’ve decided this is going to be a month of Chess Pies. I picked Buttermilk Chess Pie to kick things off. It was a good decision!
I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been lazy about making pie crust dough (with the exception of graham cracker/cookie crusts) but this was so easy that I’ve become a convert. Soo easy. and it felt so satisfying to make the whole thing myself. Believe them I am all about convenience but this didn’t take much effort so I will be making more pie crusts from now on.
This pie is super rich! I typically cut 8 slices in a pie but I think 12-16 slices would be fine since it’s so sweet and buttery. Oh the butter!! There are 2 sticks of butter in this pie between the crust and filling. So yeah, this is Southern!
I hope you enjoy a slice this weekend while I soak up the sun. Oh, I can’t wait!!
Makes a 9″ Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust
For the Filling
Process
To make the crust
To make the pie
Crust sourced from A Spicy Perspective, Filling Sourced from A Cook and Her Books
Oh, what a week it has been!
Our poor pup starting throwing up on Monday night and has been sick since. We had hoped his stomach issues would clear up on their own but no luck. As Price was hand feeding him rice on Wednesday night we decided he would go to the vet as soon as the opened on Thursday morning. So Kemper spent the day at the vet getting tests run to figure out what was wrong with him. Thankfully, he tested negative for giardia but he definitely has a stomach bug.
I’m hoping that his pill, powder for his food, and his prescription food help him feel better quickly. Especially since I stepped in some poo this morning before I put the lights on. It’s not like him to have accidents so I know he is sick so I can’t get mad but man, what a way to start a Friday morning.
But it’s Friday, so that means it’s time for pie!!!
I had been thinking of making a pie with a pretzel crust for a bit now. I’ve done the graham cracker crust. And the chocolate cookie crust. So I wanted to try something different and I just love the sweet and salty combo of things.
This Chocolate Ganache Topped Crunchifed Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie will leave you weak in the knees. It’s really rich. It’s the perfect triple threat of pretzels, peanut butter, and chocolate.
I highly recommend pulling out your food processor to make this crust. I’m sure that you can crunch up the pretzels in the ziplock bag using a rolling pin but I just don’t think you’ll get the pieces small enough for the crust to hold together well.
The peanut butter filling is really light and crunchy. Using crunchy peanut butter adds a little extra crunch to the pie. If you don’t have crunchy peanut butter on hand then just use creamy. Don’t hold off on making this pie just for that.
But the chocolate ganache that tops off the pie is the finishing touch! It’s silky, rich, and chocolately. And then jazzed up some more with the chopped up peanuts and pretzels that are sprinkled on top.
Plan ahead when making this pie. This is not a last minute project as it needs to chill for a few hours. I suggest making it the morning that you want to serve it. Or even the night before so it sets up really well.
Thankfully, I am kicking it out of my house before I eat it all. Five slices will be on their merry way out the door today when our dog walker comes for Kemper today. She is the best but her flexibility this month has been incredible. There have been so many last minute changes from the typical M-Th schedule with extra vet appointments for Kemper to have a cracked molar extracted, to days I’ve worked from home because of appointments for Autumn, and now this latest adventure. I just hope they enjoy it for dessert tonight as much as we did! 🙂
Makes a 9″ Pie
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Ganache Topping
Garnish
Process
Inspired by Baking the Goods
I’m so excited for the weekend!!
We have so much to do but it should be fun to enjoy the weekend and get a bunch of stuff done. Fingers cross on us actually tackling the to do list.
Plus, it’s going to be nice weather. Well, it might rain Saturday but it’s supposed to be warm so I can work with that. But Sunday is supposed to be even better. Also, it’s my first Mother’s Day, so that should be fun.
Price has agreed to help Autumn whip up breakfast for Mother’s Day while we lounge around in the morning. She was babbling to him that it might be hard to make waffles considering she can’t yet sit up, so he agreed to do the heavy lifting, but as long as she watched to learn how to make on of my favorite breakfast treats.
Man, I love waffles. I swear I could eat waffles every weekend. That and Eggs Benedict. Oh yeah, maybe I’m have some pie too. Okay, okay, I’m behave…
Every week I ask Price what pie I should make for my weekly pie post. Sometimes I offer him a few choices between things and other times he comes up with the idea completely. This week I threw some ideas at him, he veto’d them (for now), did some googling and found this pie. And this is how this pie came to be.
It reminds me of a mega coconut macaroon. It’s sweet, custardy, and very coconuty. I enjoyed it just like that but I think a chocolate drizzle would be amazing on it as well.
Makes a 9″ pie
Ingredients
Process
Sourced from All Recipes
I am just itching to go on vacation.
At the very least planning one would cool my wanderlust urges. I just love adventures and times to relax in a new setting. I love to discover new places and try new things.
Price and I are looking into cruises for next January as a way to celebrate my 30th. I think a week in the Caribbean is just the best idea to break up the cold winter up here. Plus I think turning 30 while sipping a daiquiri as I soak up the sun is they best way to spend a milestone birthday
As well, I’m waiting for Jet Blue to release more dates next year so that Emily and I can have a girl’s weekend. I can’t wait to check out Seattle and have her show me all around. Everything she has been telling me about the PNW sounds awesome. I think it will be such a fantastic time. yay!
Anyway, let’s check out this awesome pie for Pieday Friday!
This banana cream pie should be illegal.
It’s that good. Really really good.
The flavor is so good. The silky smooth pudding filling is a great companion to the fresh bananas.
Price came back from work and I basically shoved a spoonful of the pudding into his mouth the moment he walked in. I don’t think he minded though. Well, maybe it was a tease because he had to wait for it to set up. ha!
I suggest that you make the pie well in advance of serving it. You can let it chill for an hour but I think that the longer the better. Then you garnish it right before serving so the bananas don’t brown. And I think that some whipped cream is great for a garnish as well. yum!!
What pies should I make next? I’m taking suggestions!!
Makes a 9″ Pie
Ingredients
Process
Sourced from All Recipes
I had really planned on sharing a pie post last week. So bummed I missed sharing a great pie but I’ll be sharing it next week instead so not is all lost!
It’s just that the week got away from me. Such a busy week for work and stuff going on with Autumn. Price took Autumn to the Dr on Wednesday for her 4th month check up so it gave me the chance to stay really late to catch up on hours at work. Which, of course, put things behind for me for blogging.
Then I worked from home on Friday since she then had 2 appointments at Boston Children’s Hospital. But those came with good news as they cleared her from having to use her hip brace! Horray!!
Anyway, she’s still our little bean. When Price took her to the Dr’s they said she’s 50 percentile for length and head circumference but 5 percentile for weight. She weighs a whopping 11lbs 2oz. I think I’ve eatten bigger burritos than her (I kid!). So the 0-3 month (8-12 lb) stuff still fits just fine and she’s 4 1/2 months.
I think she needs a slice of pie to help her gain some weight! ha!
Anyway, this Caramel Pie is LEGIT.
Tomorrow is National Caramel Day so I had to make a caramel pie. Obviously. And let me tell you that this pie is awesome. Really sweet but really awesome. If you are the kind of person that doesn’t like sweets then just cut a smaller slice since you might find this too sweet but you should not pass it up.
Plus, it’s super easy. It takes time to prepare but it’s so easy.
The caramel is made by putting cans of sweetened condensed milk into a pot of water and simmering it for 3 hours. Yes, that takes a l-o-n-g time but that’s it. You just have to make sure that water is always covering the cans, but that’s it. Then the rest is just about baking a pie crust and thawing up some prepared whipped topping prior to assembling it all together. Sure, you can make your own pie crust and whipped cream but I’m all about ease at this point. You do what works for you.
In fact, I prepared the caramel filling the night before I assembled the pie because that is what fit into my buys schedule. The filling was chilled and therefore denser than if it was still a bit warm so I just ended up scooping it out of the cans and putting it in the still warm pie shell. That helped soften it up to be able to smooth things out.
Whip up this pie and you’ll be in love with every bite!
Makes 1 9″ deep dish pie
Ingredients
Process
1. Place the unopened cans of condensed milk in a large pot. Add enough water to completely cover cans. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 3 hours, adding water as necessary to keep cans covered. Carefully remove from water and then set aside to cool enough to handle.
2. Meanwhile, bake your pie shell according to directions; set aside to cool. As well, thaw the whipped cream topping just prior to assembly.
3. To assemle, open the cans and pour the caramel into the pie crust. Even out the top of the caramel prior to spreading whipped topping over the filling. Top with the chocolate and then chill for 1 hour or overnight.
Sourced from Culinary Covers
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