Making My Dad's Favorite: Pecan Pie

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DSCN0415 Thanksgiving is all about tradition, whether it be old or new. And while I was planning on starting a new tradition at my house (one that included delicious pumpkin pie because there is literally nothing better in this entire world), I was overruled by a standing pie tradition: Southern-style Pecan Pie.

Apparently it's been a staple at our table since I was born, but I never noticed because my grandmothers have been making stellar sweet potato pies, and caramel pies with homemade icings for as long as I can remember. But this year, I spent Thanksgiving with just my immediate family in Wisconsin, and there could only be room for one dessert. And while I was hoping that dessert would be delicious, fall-appropriate pumpkin pie, a dad that only periodically ventured into the kitchen (probably to stay out of the crossfire of my mother and I both being in the kitchen), had other plans. But it's fine, because  when you love to bake, it doesn't always really matter what it is.

DSCN0424And anyway, I was just happy that I:

1) Finally got to contribute to the Thanksgiving Meal

2) Got to practice my pie-making skills!

Fact: a homemade pie crust always tastes better. It just does. Store-bought pie crusts are okay, but there is just no comparison when you taste the love (and butter!!!) that goes into a crust made especially for that pie, completely from scratch. And I have to say: for this being only the third time that I've made the pie crust, things went pretty smoothly.

Joy the Baker first taught me how to make a pie crust (and my first pie). Instead of rolling out the dough, she uses a "press-in" technique where she presses the dough into the pie plate. It's incredibly easy, and eliminates a few steps. But in the rest of my pie cookbooks, it's essential that you roll out the dough, then use the rolling pin as a tool to get it into the pie plate. And you know, the people on Food Network always make it look so insanely easy. Like, the dough always perfectly rolls up onto the rolling pin, and they simply and gracefully place the delicate crust into the plate. Well, I'm here to tell you that it's not that easy, I dropped the pie crust into the plate very ungracefully, and I actually had to flip a section of it that refused to stay on its side of the plate. But I made it without having to take it out and re-roll it, and all was well in the kitchen.

DSCN0427This time around, I even got to take a stab at decorating the crust, something I hadn't tried before. And I loved it! Sure, the balls were all different sizes, and I left fingerprints in the dough, but isn't that what makes homemade crusts charming? Store-bought crusts lack a certain something, and I think that something is charm and character. Maybe even a little personality. That pie crust is totally unique, and I never, ever, will buy a store-bought crust again.

Okay, apparently this post has turned into a love letter for homemade pie crusts...sorry, I'm not sorry.DSCN0430

Pecan Pie is actually really easy to make. You just mix the butter and the sugar together, then literally throw the rest of the ingredients in the mixing bowl, and you're done.

And this pie was a big hit, if I do say so myself.

PECAN PIE:

What You'll Need:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon  flour
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust (Preferably homemade!)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

-Cream sugar and butter

-Add remaining ingredients

-Bake for 40 minutes

Each recipe serves 6-8 people

SOURCE: Recipes from Miss Daisy's

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday, and that you're recovering from your food comas well!!

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Making it My Own: Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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DSCN0308 The story really began on Sunday, when my friend Grace and I decided to hit up the neighborhood bakery, after completely stuffing ourselves at brunch. No regrets, the weekends are the days that I feast. My neighborhood has the CUTEST bakery with tons of handwritten signs everywhere, and a really great pastry selection. What I had in mind for a post-brunch treat was a cannoli because hey, if you're going to have dessert after essentially having dessert, you have to go all out. But these days, I leave cannolis to the experts in the North End, and no where else. Instead, I locked eyes on (well, eye to baked good) a pumpkin raisin cookie. It just so happens that a few days before, I'd heard talk of a pumpkin aatmeal raisin cookie, and I'd been dying to try one ever since. But when I asked the salesperson if the cookie had oats, she shook her head "no," and sort of looked at me quizzically. Well, whatever, there was nothing else in the bakery I wanted more than that cookie, so I paid, and we left. And, I have to say it: I was super disappointed. I mean, I ate the whole thing obviously, but every bite was a reminder that I may have chosen the wrong thing at the bakery. It was missing one very important element: oats.

Honestly, think about it: had there been no pumpkin, it would have just been a raisin cookie. WHO EATS PLAIN RAISIN COOKIES? It's oatmeal raisin, or nothing. So as I took my last bite, I looked over at Grace and said, "I think I'm going to remake this cookie."

So I did.

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I started my baking adventure like I always do: running furiously to the store in search of ingredients that I definetly should have collected before I decided to start baking. And I often embarrass myself once I get there. This particular time, after going up and down two aisles twice looking for raisins, I finally found someone that worked there, who told me to go to Produce. And after looking in Produce for .2 seconds, I decided to ask for help. Now, let me just preface this by saying that my trip to the store yesterday was the first time I'd been out all day, so I was still adjusting to being around other people, and also speaking out loud. Here was my interaction with the (pretty cute, by the way) salesperson in Produce:

Me: Excuse me, could you tell me where the grapes are?

SP: Grapes? Sure they're just------

Me:  OH NOPE. SORRY, I meant raisins! Ha, y'know like OLD GRAPES? HAHA

SP: ...Um. Okay, yeah, they're over here. Follow me...

Me: Yep. okay then...

So yeah, THAT happened. Nevertheless, I got my raisins. And I set to work!

DSCN0316A few hours later, I had warm, chewy, Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin cookies. And better than the bakery's cookies by a mile, if I do say so myself.

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DSCN0340I'm taking these little pieces of Fall goodness to work with me so that my Official Recipe Tasters (aka my co-workers and roommates) can give me the final word. I'm going to share this recipe, I promise!

HAPPY THURSDAY, GUYS! The weekend's almost here!

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Loving Linguine

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My family has never been into pasta. I, on the other hand, have always been into pasta. Pasta and I have a long, beautiful history filled with different kinds of sauces, a ton of cheese (I am from the Midwest after all), and every kind of dipping bread imaginable on the side. But as much as I've always loved it, I've only just started making it for myself. And I must admit: preparing a good bowl of pasta takes time, and a lot of perfecting.I'm not totally there yet, but at least I've learned that once you've got the water boiling, you TURN DOWN THE STOVE. (I learned that the hard way, and how fast it takes for water to boil up, and then OVER a pot.) Last night, after two hours (when I thought it would only take maybe one, tops) I enjoyed my third attempt at a complicated pasta dish. The first two were both Pasta Carbonara. The first try I had help, the second, I accomplished all on my own. Both successes, and last night, I can proudly say, was another great and delicious...SUCCESS.

The audience I had the pleasure of cooking for (i.e. my parents) requested meat with their linguine; something that wasn't included in the recipe. So I bought a few pieces of chicken breast, cubed them, seasoned them, then sauteed them on the stove for 15 minutes total. Meat covered.

Then onto the main dish...

linguine lemonTHIS, ladies and gentleman, is the most fragrant bowl of pasta to date. Lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, FRESHLY GRATED parmesan cheese, a dash or two of heavy whipping cream, and a few fresh sprigs of basil. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top, grate some more cheese (HONESTLY, IS THERE EVER ENOUGH CHEESE? The answer is "no."), and you've got yourself a yummy pasta dish!

Not a tummy was empty last night, and I WILL be making this again.

What You'll Need:

  • 1 pound spaghetti or linguine
  • Salt
  • 3 lemons
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus additional for serving
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus additional for serving
  • Ground black pepper
  • Small handful fresh basil or arugula (what I used, deliciously, in a pinch) leaves, shredded

Find the recipe here!

 

HAPPY COOKING!

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Chicken Parm!

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I am, it must be said, a baker by nature. BUT I"M TRYING TO CHANGE! I'm trying to become more versatile, I'm trying to become...the ultimate home chef... And I need some practice yet, but I'm getting there you guys, I'm getting there.

This week has been all about cooking, and it's going well so far! The one thing I've always loved about break: more time to do the things you wish you could, but you choose sleep over instead.  This Monday, I made DELICIOUS (Not to toot my own horn but...) Chicken Parmesan with lemon on the side!

Before bake

I hate meat. Don't get me wrong, it's not in the way that you think; I just really hate handling raw meat. One day, I'll be smart enough to remember to buy gloves so that handling raw food isn't an issue. But until that day comes, handling meat will be considered the worst.

It is absolutely INSANE how easy it is to make these tasty little cutlets! The recipe called for three small chicken breasts, but we couldn't find any. instead, we bought breast strips and I gotta tell ya: it worked so much better! It was easier to dip these in the individual ingredients, and  the cooking time was cut in half! Something interesting to note about this recipe: it called for Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), which added a little extra crunchiness.Cooking time including preparation was probably about an hour total, and it was SO GOOD.

Chicken Parm

These parmesan chicken cutlets were PERFECT for a quick dinner, and so easy to make. And if you're like me, you'll appreciate that these babies can be breaded up to 3 months in advance.

What You'll Need:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon mustard powder
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 4 small skinless, boneless chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
  • 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 lemon, halved

Find the recipe here!

HAPPY COOKING!

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The Time I Tried (AND MADE) Sweet Potato Pie

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DSCN0070 RIght, so we all know that my relationship with yams thus far in my cooking career has been rocky at best.  But, I had some leftover from the weekend before and when life gives you yams...

Never mind.

So for starters I would just like to note that not only is that a homemade crust, but it was no-roll, and it took me thirty minutes. THIRTY MINUTES. And it was all thanks to Joy The Baker!

This time around I boiled those potatoes for 40 minutes, and then cooked them some more! If you can stick a sharp knife straight down the middle of one of those jokers with absolutely no resistance whatsoever, you've done your job spectacularly, my friend.

From there it was totally smooth sailing. 50 minutes later and...

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Voila! A pie that spilled a little in transit from the counter to the oven, but that tasted AMAZING!  (And was completely gone after two days.) Not too shabby for my first try at pie, wouldn't you say?

I'll tell you something: it made me immediately forget all about the nightmare that was the weekend before.

I, Sydney, blogger and home cook, will never fear the yam again.

Progress!

What You'll Need:

  • 2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • 2- 5oz cans evaporated milk (1 1/4 cups evaporated milk)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla

Get the recipe here!

Happy baking!

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My Date With Oatmeal Raisin

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Ah, oatmeal raisin cookies: a staple of my childhood. I am a big fan of a crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, cookie. Too much crunch and you've lost me. Too chewy, and it's probably time to stick it back in the oven. But when done just right, you've got me right where you want me.

I am a HUGE (honestly, that might be an understatement) fan of The Smitten Kitchen, and just found the best recipe for the thick, chewy, oatmeal raisin cookie. (That sort of rhymes if you read it a certain way.)

This is how I spent my Saturday:

DSCN0046 DSCN0045 DSCN0048

 

DSCN0049For this post, there are no "after" pictures because as soon as they were done, most of them were eaten by me and my housemates. Nonetheless, my experience was great.

What I Learned:

1. This recipe was an adaption of the one found on the back of the Quaker Oats box. (I know, not really that important, but I found it interesting, so here you go.)

2. Oatmeal Raisin dough is fun to work with.

3. Chill your dough before you bake it. I chilled mine for 30 minutes, and I promise, it totally helped with the thickness.

4. Parchment paper is my new best friend and cleanup was a breeze. (My beloved cookie sheet is permanently stained with the shapes of 12+ Christmas trees from a baking adventure long ago. I didn't butter as well as I thought, and now I'll always be reminded. Side note within this side note: those christmas tree cookies were DELICIOUS.)

What You'll Need:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, or 115 grams) butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup (125 grams) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt (I often use a half teaspoon, but I like more salt in my baked goods)
  • 1 1/2 cups (120 grams) rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup (120 grams) raisins
  • 1/2 cup walnuts (65 grams), chopped (optional)

Check out the recipe here!

Happy baking!

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