pies: phases two + three

pies: phases two + three

phase two: pies lined up on the buffet at my aunt's house.

[from l to r ] chocolate pecan tart, pumpkin, pumpkin chiffon [burned - ugh!], pear ginger, apple - chocolate cream pie was still in the fridge.

the pumpkin and apple pies are just traditional recipes from my mom's 1975 betty crocker cookbook [i found a copy at a yard sale]. the pumpkin chiffon is my grandmother's recipe - it's basically regular pumpkin pie but you beat the egg whites separately into a meringue and then mix them into the pumpkin mixture. the recipe for the chocolate cream pie was from the martha stewart baking handbook. i've never made pudding from scratch before - it is so easy!

and of course phase three is the best...breakfast pie on friday morning!

oh and i totally miscounted the number of crusts i needed to make. turns out i only needed 8 single crusts - not 10.

cornbread stuffing

cornbread stuffing

i made a few recipes from this year's living thanksgiving issue. the first was kale chips that i overcooked and they tasted burned - yuk. definitely chop out the larger stems when making those (note to self!). i also made the cranberry-apple chutney (good but maybe a little vinegery), the farro salad, and the cornbread, bacon, leek and pecan stuffing shown above. trevor's mom handled the rest of the dinner (turkey, beans, potatoes) and rose brought desserts. seemed like such an easy thanksgiving! can't wait to see what you concocted :)

ps, have you seen this blog the bitten word?

wreath

wreath

maybe the easiest project ever. martha stewart's pom-pom berry wreath. i used two grapevine wreaths: 18" and 24" and used tangerine and scarlet rit dyes (i already had the scarlet on hand). finally i have a wreath! everything was from michael's. i had been pondering how i might get some lovely branches to make a wreath, but felt like this would work for a few years. if only that awful front door was painted dark brown back there. too cold to attempt that project!

pies: phase one

pies: phase one

ten batches of pate brisee for thanksgiving pies. i have had a lot of success with this recipe - quick to make in the food processor, easy to roll, and tastes good. 

turkey

turkey

erin's mocha came out looking like this at petite provence today