A Pinch of Love, A Smidgen of Joy - Pecan Pie

Living in Maine, I miss seeing groves of pecan trees that were so familiar to me down South. Harvest time for pecans is in the fall when the trees shed this beautiful, delicious nut. Thankfully, pecans keep well when shelled and frozen in Ziplock bags, so when I travel home to the South, I can bring pecans back with me and have access to freshly-shelled pecans for recipes.

 

I add pecans to salads, pop them into cookies and cakes, roast and season them for snacking, use them in pumpkin bread, toss them into trail mixes and granolas, and include them inside cinnamon rolls. But my absolute favorite thing to do with pecans is making a homemade pecan pie.

You can search high and low for the best recipe for pecan pie, but I've found that the tastiest and most memorable is on the Karo syrup label! My grandmothers used it and my Momma used it, and it always turned out perfectly sweet, gooey, and nutty. Along with a homemade crust, pecan pie is one of the best pies around! And not just for the fall-time holidays, although Halloween and Thanksgiving tend to see more pecan pies than any other holiday.

First, begin with a homemade crust. I borrowed this recipe from a friend who knows her desserts. It's flaky and perfectly flavored. And it holds up well to the syrupy-goodness of the pecan goo. Give it a try with other pies, and you'll see this is one of the best crust recipes!

Homemade, flaky pie crust
(Will make two pie crusts)

Ingredients:

1 stick of cold butter, cut in cubes
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cold Crisco vegetable shortening
8-10 Tablespoons of ice water
1 Tablespoon of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, mash with pastry cutter the flour, butter, salt and shortening until pea-sized crumbles. Add lemon juice to ice water, and slowly add tablespoons of the liquid to the solid mixture, incorporating until softened but not too sticky. Combine dough in ball. Cut in half, and mash out until flat. Wrap individually in plastic-wrap, and place in freezer. Take out of freezer after about 15 minutes and flatten with rolling pin. Roll until larger than the pie plate that the pie is being baked in. Place the flattened, rolled-out dough inside the pie plate and crimp the edges. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes just before using it, or if not baking immediately, freeze and thaw 30 minutes before baking.

Karo Syrup's Pecan Pie recipe
(will make one pie)

Ingredients:

1 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 - 1/2 cups (6 oz) pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie crust

Directions: Stir the first five ingredients thoroughly using a spoon. Mix in pecans (note, to make a pretty design with the pecans, you can wait and add the pecans on top of the pie, after pouring mixture into crust before baking). Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool for 2 hours. Store pie in refrigerator. (Tip: Pie is done when center reaches 200 degrees F. Tap center surface of pie lightly; it should spring back when done.)

EnJOY!

A Pinch of Love, A Smidgen of Joy - Fall Apples

It’s officially fall, y’all! Fall was Momma’s favorite time of year. It just so happens to be my favorite time of year, too. There's so much to love about fall - the trees changing colors, the cooler weather, the Razorback football games, the candy and desserts, the mums, the farmers market pumpkins, the spooky decorations, the classic decorations, and the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays.

For me, living in New England, fall is even better. Trees change colors so much earlier, and the crisp air wanders through these 17th-century colonial towns, which are all celebrating fall festivals and decked out with quaint harvest pumpkins, mums, Indian corn, and hay stacks. It makes the season so much more authentic. This is my second fall in Maine, and I love it here. Even though I'm far away from "home" in the South, I somehow feel closer to Mom here, because I think she would have loved visiting me in New England.

Fall also means apple-picking season in New England, and what better thing to enjoy than a harvest of apples! I joined an apple CSA and have been getting a variety of heirloom apples every other week. I like to make an assortment of fall-inspired sweet desserts and savory dishes with them. I’ve been searching through cookbooks for apple recipes, and Momma’s cookbook has been a big baking inspiration, of course.

 

 

 

Especially in the fall, Momma would make fried apple pies with fresh apples. Oftentimes I would eat the filling of the fried pies by itself, without the fried pie dough. The pie filling is very reminiscent of homemade apple sauce. This week, I decided to take it a step further and actually use Momma’s recipe for fried apple pies to make apple sauce. And it turned out wonderfully! Here’s my transformation of Momma’s fried apple pie filling, turned into apple sauce.

 

Apple Sauce

(Adapted from “Apple Fried Pies” recipe on pg. 93 in “A Pinch of This, A Smidgen of That” Cookbook by Patricia Rains)

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter

4 large apples (I used my CSA apple varieties: Wealthy, Northwestern Greening, St. Lawrence), peeled, cored, and sliced into small pieces

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ lemon squeezed, seeds discarded

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven. Add the apples and cook until they begin to fall apart. Then, add dry mixture all at once and stir to keep lumps from forming. Add the lemon juice. The sugar will dissolve and “thin” the apples at first, then the corn starch will thicken it as you continue to stir and cook over medium heat until desired thickness is reached. Remove from the heat and add vanilla. Take an immersion blender (or put the cooked apple mixture into a blender), and blend until the mixture is more of a sauce and the apples are cut into smaller pieces. There can still be some pieces of apple visible, if you like it chunky. If you like it saucier, keep blending until preferred consistency is reached. Allow to cool. Refrigerate leftovers. Serving suggestions for apple sauce: with pork chops, a side with roasted pork tenderloin, on potato latkes, on fresh bread, or just by itself! EnJOY!

(See step by step photos below...)

Cut apples into small pieces.

Cook apples in Dutch oven with butter.

Mix dry ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to apples and cook until apples are softer.

Add lemon juice and continue cooking until sauce is thickened.

Add vanilla and stir. Break apart cooked apple mixture with immersion blender.

Apple sauce is all done and ready to store in the refrigerator or serve!

 

Happy fall! :)

 

 

A Pinch of Love, A Smidgen of Joy - Easter and Peanut Butter Cookies

Easter is one of those holidays, much like Christmas, where you don't fully understand its importance until you're an adult. When you're a child, you dress up in your best clothes for Easter Sunday and hear the stories of the resurrection of Christ in church. You also see the non-religious side of things, with the Easter bunny, hiding and seeking eggs, and receiving egg-shaped chocolates and candies in your Easter basket. Your brother and you fight over who gets the Cadbury Chocolate Eggs. Your parents take your family on an Easter picnic lunch of fried chicken and the fixings after Sunday church service. You go about the holiday, enjoying nature and the pretty Spring weather. But, especially when you're a child, it's hard to really take to heart the importance of Easter and what it means at its core.

Not to get too terribly deep (this is a food blog after all), but our family found real importance in these things, like the true meaning of Christian holidays. (See Momma's blog post last year on Easter.) I think as kids, we have this innocent idea of what life and celebrating holidays is about. And when we grow up, we realize that the things our parents taught us and by taking us to church at an early age was one of the best things they could ever do for us. I'm thankful for my Momma and Daddy and their strong faith and respect for the Bible and to follow its teachings. The truth of the matter is, Christ died for us and saved us from a life of sinfulness, and then He rose from the dead. Easter both commemorates and celebrates that truth. Of course that's a lot to swallow as a child. So maybe it's appropriate that you're introduced to these things as kids and only really understand it when you're older. It's about the gravity of what God did for us by sending his Son to die for us. It's both heartbreaking and life saving.

I'm so thankful to understand the true meaning of Easter. The chocolate eggs, the picnics and fried chicken, the bunny rabbits - that's all fun to enjoy. It's because of Christ that we can enjoy those things. Because this is my first Easter without my Momma, the truth of Christ's resurrection has held an even more crucial place in my life. I know that Momma is in Heaven with God. I know that because God sent his Son to die for us, we can be saved from an eternity apart from Him. And I know my Momma believed in her Savior and is with Him today. I know I will see God someday too, and I'll see my Momma again. That gives me so much JOY and reason to celebrate! It is with that hope that I hold on to and can fully experience the wonderful truth of Jesus's death and resurrection. That He lives. And she is with Him. And my heart is at peace knowing that truth.

This truth is reason for celebration, and Momma always said our family celebrates best with food - especially sweet desserts! One of our family's all-time favorite desserts is Peanut Butter Cookies. I can't tell you how many times I've eaten Momma's Peanut Butter Cookies over the years. Baked or raw dough, I love it all. And so does the rest of my family. Peanut Butter Cookies remind me of my Momma, and this Easter I am reminded not only of my Momma but also her presence with our risen Lord. I am so thankful for the hope we are given and the JOYful celebration that commences because of this hope!

Happy Easter, y'all!

Pat’s (Momma's) Peanut Butter Cookies

 

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 sticks butter (1 cup) (Momma suggested 1 stick of Blue Bonnet margarine and 1 stick of salted butter, but I use 2 sticks of unsalted butter, both at room temp)

2 tablespoons Crisco solid (plain)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup moist brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, beaten slightly

1 cup smooth peanut butter (basically half of a regular container)

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Optional: 1 cup M&M candies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, sift flour, soda, salt and baking powder together, and set aside. In another large bowl cream sugars with electric mixer until well-blended. Add softened butter and Crisco and blend well; add eggs, peanut butter and vanilla. Mix thoroughly until smooth and fluffy. Do not use an electric mixer for the remaining steps. Use a spatula to combine flour mixture only long enough to form a smooth dough. (At this point add candies, like M&Ms, if using them) Using a cookie dropper or large tablespoon, dip rounded balls of dough to ungreased cookie sheets. Press cookies in a criss-cross fashion with fork dipped in flour. Bake 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven. You’ll want them to be very lightly golden. Remove and allow to sit on cookie sheet a minute before removing to countertop (aluminum foil or waxed paper lined) to cool completely before storing. Makes about 6-7 dozen, depending on size … “These are so yummy!” Momma says in her cookbook.

(Recipe Courtesy of "A Pinch of This, A Smidgen of That" cookbook by Patricia Rains

Momma's Peanut Butter Cookies, arranged on a lovely Spring platter for Easter.

 

Assemble all of your ingredients for the cookies, making sure your butter is at room temp. (M&Ms are optional and can be added later, after the cookie batter is made.)

Whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl.

 Blend sugars together.

Add butter, and cream sugar and butter together. (Add Crisco now, too, although I added it with the peanut butter, eggs and vanilla)

The mixture should become soft and fluffy.

 

Add the peanut butter, eggs and vanilla to the wet mixture, and blend.

This is what the final wet mixture should look like - basically like peanut butter.

 At this point, stop using the blender, and mix in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula. 

This is what the peanut butter dough will look like once blended thoroughly.

I took part of the batter and added regular M&Ms to give it a fun color.

I scooped out the dough balls using a cookie scoop and placed the cookie dough on a silicone baking sheet.

Using flour and a fork, I made a criss-cross pattern with the cookies. (You can do the criss-cross pattern on the M&M peanut butter cookies, too, but I chose not to on this one.)

 To the regular peanut butter cookies, I also added a sprinkle of sugar on top before baking.

 



The cookies are ready to bake!

 

The finished product - so yummy!

 

EnJOY this Easter!

A Pinch of Love, a Smidgen of Joy - Valentine's Day

Hearts and candy, hugs and kisses, flowers and dinner, dessert and more dessert: what's not to love about Valentine's Day? It was one holiday out of many that Momma would make extra special for her family. She did this because she loved us.

In a Valentine's Day post Momma wrote for the blog in February 2012, she said: One of our greatest needs as human beings is to be loved. We all need love. We need to know that we are important to somebody, that somebody truly cares about us, wants us, and accepts us unconditionally. Knowing the God of love and experiencing the depths of His love helps us grow to be more loving and giving persons. The Bible says in 1 John 4:8, "The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love," and in 1 John 4:16, "And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him."

Momma knew that love was an important part of our lives, and God's love is the ultimate love. She set an amazing example of love, by giving to her family and bringing good food and sweets to the table no matter what time of year it was. But this was especially true on holidays, like Valentine's Day. Cooking was a special way she could tell us that she loved us, and we loved her for it and for so many reasons.

When I was younger, I remember helping Momma make a Valentine's Day dinner at home and decorate the family table. Every year, Dad would bring Momma peach, pink or yellow roses and would give me a rose or two for a smaller vase, all of which we would place on the table as the centerpiece. One year, circa 1994, I helped Momma make homemade tacos, beans and rice, and our family's favorite strawberry cake. We'd have dinner and dessert, and then we'd play a game of Monopoly or watch a fun movie like "The Princess Bride." Then, at some point in the evening, we'd have another piece of strawberry cake.  :)

This strawberry cake is seriously the best and easiest cake ever. Originally my Grandma Casey's (Momma's Mom's) recipe, it's one that our family goes back to year after year. Not only for the memories of making it, but also for how delicious and simple it is to make.

Best strawberry cake! Ever! Momma actually already published this recipe here: Remembering and Honoring Our Mothers. But I think that it deserves some more attention! Especially for a Valentine's Day dessert and to tell someone you love them.

Momma's Fresh Strawberry Cake

(with Momma's edits in parentheses)

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

1 - 3 oz. box strawberry Jello

1 c oil (I cut this back to 1/2 to 3/4 cup, depending on what mood I'm in at the time.)

1/4 c. water (I substitute 1/2 c milk; no offense to my mama, but I think it makes a better cake.)

4 eggs

3/4 c. mashed strawberries (I use 1 c mashed strawberries --not drained) (You can substitute 1 (15-oz.) pkg frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour cake 13 X 9-inch cake pan (or two to three smaller pans for a layered cake).

Combine cake mix and gelatin. Add remaining ingredients and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pan(s). 

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely, then frost.

FROSTING:

Ingredients:

1 pound box of powdered sugar.

1 stick of butter softened.

1/2 tsp. vanilla (and 1/2 tsp. strawberry extract, if you have it)

1/4 c mashed strawberries (I substitute 1/2 cup of mashed strawberries drained.) (Very important that they are drained.) (You can substitute 1 - 10-oz. pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed and pureed)

Blend well and cover cooled cake. If too thick keep adding strawberries until it is the right consistency. Spread evenly over cooled cake. EnJOY!