Thanksgiving is for pie!..... Perfect Pumpkin Pie filling....

When someone tells me they don't know how to make pie I tell them it's really easy!  You just have to remember; it's food, don't be afraid of it!  It should be afraid of YOU because YOU are going to EAT it!

I have been mass producing pumpkin pies since I was thirteen and my Mom needed help in the kitchen.  I come from a large family, and there was never enough time or space for Mom to take care of all the little things.  Quite frankly, she wasn't especially keen on cooking large meals.  She had her moments, but all in all she was always happy that someone else take up that chore.  I used to pore over her old cook books to search out methods or techniques, but we always went back to the "old favorites", and you will too!

Who remembers the old "Royal City Pumpkin" tins?  My original recipe came from the back of one of those cans, and I have tweaked it over the years until it is simple and always delicious!

So, lets start!  First, make your "rough puff pastry" (I use the lard version because the family requests it, but you can use the butter one if you wish).  Roll the crust to line your pie shell, pressing the dough into the bottom of the pan to prevent shrinking during the cooking process.  Now make your filling!  In a large bowl, combine one fourteen ounce can of good quality pumpkin - NOT pie filling! - with three quarters of a cup of Demarera Sugar, one teaspoon of cinnamon, three quarters of a teaspoon of ginger and just a PINCH of ground cloves. 

Carefully stir the spices and sugar into the pumpkin until no streaks of spice remain.  In a measuring cup gently beat three eggs with a fork until loose, then add to your pumpkin mix.  Open a fourteen ounce tin of evaporated milk - not sweetened condensed milk - and add to the pumpkin mix.  Whisk everything together until it is smooth. 
Now place your filling into the crust, scraping the bowl so you don't waste any of the filling, and place the pie in a preheated HOT oven.  I start my pies at my favorite 425 degrees Fahrenheit, but you know your oven and will use your favorite hot setting... then, immediately turn your oven DOWN to about 325 degrees.... you want to flash the edges so they don't slip during baking, but you want the filling to cook low and slow for a smoother finish.  And now the "magic" made easy!  The reason I use canned milk instead of cream or fresh milk is simple.  Canned milk has already been processed and contains changed proteins that will not cause the filling to split or weep after cooking.  It gives the perfect custard texture and makes for a better final product.
Bake your pie until the center puff up and the custard is firm but not hard in the center.  If your edges begin to brown too quickly you can make a "tent" with foil over the whole pie, but remember to add a hole in the center so the custard gets some colour. 

Serve this either warm or fully chilled, with ice cream, or whipped cream, or just the way it is!  Mmmmm.....  And enjoy!

Good for what ails you.... Country Style Chicken Soup with Brown Rice and Hot Peppers....

The first cold of the season has me whining like a baby.  I ache, my nose is stuffy, I'm having trouble sleeping, and I am soooo tired...  so I decided to make myself a batch of soup to help make me feel better.

Making soup helps to calm my soul.  I adore soup in all it's delicious forms.  If I can use some refrigerator "orphans" or utilize an amazing deal from the store I'm even more thrilled!  After all, isn't home cooking about doing well with what you have?

Start with a good stock;  I got lucky at the market the other day and picked up four roasted chicken halves on for half price!  I paid only a third of the price of two fresh chickens for the same amount of food, and I didn't have to cook it!  After stripping the meat from the bones I tossed all the remainder - skin, fat, bones and what have you - into a large stock pot.  I added enough water to cover the bones really well and let it simmer for an hour.  Once it smelled amazing I turned off the heat and placed the pot in the sink in about three inches of cold water to help cool it, then put it in the fridge for later....  it gelled to perfection and had amazing colour.... and was basically the same price as buying two packages of premade chicken stock and I still have the cooked chicken to utilize!

Today I pulled out my collection of fresh vegetables and prepared them to become soup.  I started with one carrot, peeled and sliced thinly.  I chopped some onion, celery and leeks  as well - using about the same amount of each as I had of carrots.  I crushed two whole cloves of garlic and heated my favorite pan over the flame, coating the bottom of the pan with about two tablespoons of good olive oil.

First I added the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, then the leeks.  When the onions were smelling delicious I added the carrots and tossed everything together to coat it with the olive oil and blend the flavours.  Last came the celery, then I added about half a cup of raw brown rice and stirred it into the vegetables.  I carefully toasted the rice until it began to brown and smell like toasted nuts... totally wonderful!  Then   I also had about two cups of loose beet greens and wanted to add a few slices of Anaheim peppers, but I kept those back until the rice had cooked completely.


When the carrots were brightly coloured I started to add the preheated chicken stock, one ladle at a time, to my rice mix.  I used about eight cups of stock.  You can use more or less, depending on how thick you like your soup.  I gave the soup a good stir, brought it to a steady simmer and placed the lid on the pan.  Then I walked away for about twenty minutes to give the rice a chance to cook through. 

The cooked rice should be tender to the bite, slightly translucent and not sticky.  It has a wonderful, nutty taste that I find satisfying, especially in the fall!

 Now the seasoning;  I crumbled about one quarter of a teaspoon of dried thyme into the soup, and seasoned the broth with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.  A quick taste was all I needed to correct the amount of salt in the broth, as I had not used any at this point.  Also, this is the best time to add those other ingredients that don't require a long cooking time!  I sprinkled my fresh beet greens over the top of the simmering soup, and allowed them to steam lightly before stirring through the vegetables.  You could also use fresh chard, baby spinach or any other dark leafy green... so healthy and so tasty!  The earthiness of the beet greens really compliments the other flavours.  I also added five thin slices of fresh hot pepper - but you can add them to your personal taste! 


 I had reserved the meat from half a chicken when making my stock.  I chopped it loosely and stirred it into the soup to heat it through.....  DONE!

I buttered some lovely bread and grilled it lightly in a non stick skillet to serve with my soup....   

And of course, my favorite critic demanded to taste the final product, but she had to wait until it cooled....

So, soup for my soul, good for what ails you, done (well, except for the stock that I made ahead of time) in about an hour.  Enough for four healthy appetites, or for a family of six on a cold fall afternoon... served with your favorite bread or a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich. 

And don't forget to share with your best friend!