Caramel Pecan-Pumpkin Pie – 'nough said.

There is a common theme on radio I have been hearing lately – it is the theme of thanks. For instance, this afternoon I was driving around, picking up things I need for the long weekend (yes – wine), I heard Sook-Yin on CBC”s DNTO (Definitely not the Opera) interviewing people after she had held the door open for them somewhere in busy downtown Toronto. The idea here was that she was interested in the response of people to the good deed of a stranger. Whether or not these people said ” thanks” or ” thank you” after she had held the door open for them made her question them – why did they.. or why, sadly did they choose not to? The point of the story was that we are now forgetting our thank-yous here and there and well, everywhere. While there are some of us out there that are still thanking everyone as much as we can – we are now losing the meaning behind those small words – thank you. Here we are, second weekend of October and it is already Thanksgiving weekend. As I promised you in my last entry, I have found a way to incorporate those Savannah Pecans (not local!) into something local and delicious. So here it is.. my very first attempt at a homemade pie completely from scratch. There is a post here on apple pies that I made with my friends last year, but I had no hand in the pastry making at that time. This time.. its all me.. and the verdict will be dealt tomorrow – where I will offer up this pie as thanks to my mum for making us a big dinner. Thank you. I really mean this one – Thank You for reading. It is always a surprise to me to see comments or even have people talk to me about what they read on my blog. It makes me feel connected to everyone in a completely new, different and truly satisfying way! Yes, very web-nerdy of me, but happy all the same. Happy Thanksgiving! Credit where credit is due – This recipe can be found in: Better Home and Gardens New Cookbook (Breast Cancer Prevention Special Edition) Single-Crust Pastry 1 1/4 cup flour (Arva Flour Mills is a great place to get this!)1/4 teaspoon salt1/3 cup shortening 4 to 5 tablespoons Cold water In medium bowl,stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until pieces are pea-sized. Sprinkle in cold water by the tablespoon,working in with a fork until all the flour is moistened. Form dough into a ball. On a floured surface, roll out your dough so that it is about 12 inches in diameter, roll it onto rolling pin and place it into your baking pie dish. Try not to stretch. Trim pastry. Fold in edges. Go to next part! Caramel-Pecan Pumpkin Pie 2 slightly beaten eggsAbout one cup and half of FRESH LOCAL pumpkin (peeled, cooked and pureed).1/4 cup half and half cream3/4 cup sugar1 tbsp flour1 tsp grated lemon peel1/2 tsp real vanilla1/4 tsp salt1/4 tsp cinnamon1/4 tsp nutmeg1/8 tsp all spice1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 cup pecans2 tbsp butter, softened In large bowl combine eggs, pumpkin and half and half cream. Stir in sugar, flour, lemon peel, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Pour mixture into your pie crust. To prevent over browning place tin foil along edges of pie crust. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. While pie is baking get the pecans ready:In medium bowl, combine pecans, butter, brown sugar. When 25 minutes is up, remove pie from oven, remove foil, place pecan mixture on top of pie. Place pie back in oven for a further 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.  Read More

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Sometimes I do wonder what happens in my garden at night! You go out there in the morning and some vegetables seem to have tripled in size – overnight. I also get to imagining..are there perhaps secret growth battles amongst the good tomatoes and the evil eggplants? I am in Savannah, Georgia. For those of you still trying to connect the book to this post.. apparently it was filmed here, the above photo is the book cover that the film was inspired by. I just wanted to give a shout out to my faithful readers and let you know I have not abandoned the blog.. I am merely off on a little work trip until Thursday is all.. sigh… in Savannah. ;,,) I promise to bring back pecans and put them into a local dish or dessert of sorts to make you drool!  Read More