Mom's "Secret" Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This recipe, for the very best pumpkin pie, is one my mother got from a cookbook in the 1960s. It is legendary in my family and outside of it, and has been shared with many friends and neighbors. Warm wishes and fragrant kitchens for the holidays ahead.

Mom's Famous (Secret) Pumpkin Pie 
(Makes 2 pies)

2 crusts, rolled and chilled
1 Large can pumpkin (or equivalent amount home-roasted and pureed): Libby is best
2 cans sweetened condensed (not evaporated) milk: Borden is best
2 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each ginger and nutmeg
+/- 2 C HOT water

Mix and pour into chilled crusts
Bake at 375 degrees 50-55 minutes until center is still ever so slightly wiggly.

Allow to cool to at least room temperature before serving. The pie will be more dense and solid the next morning after time in the refrigerator. (Irresistible for breakfast!)

The Very Best Pie Crust
(Courtesy of Grandma Landre)

Ingredients
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 c Spectrum shortening
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup ice water

Tools
Food processor or pastry blender
Rolling pin

Method
Place flour, salt, sugar in a food processor, spin to combine. Distribute fats on top of flour, close processor, and pulse until it resembles coarse cornmeal.

Sprinkle about 1/4 c of the water on top of mixture. Pulse a few times to mix evenly, sprinkle a little more water, pulse again. What you are looking for is a mixture that will just hold together when squeezed. You don't need any more water than that.

Scoop out into a bowl or a floured work surface and press together into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk, roll out.

I always roll and shape my crust, then chill it in the refrigerator or freezer while I'm making the filling. Easier to work with that way.

I find this easiest in a food processor, but it can also be done with a fork or pastry blender (that weird D-shaped thing in the back of your kitchen drawer with wires or blades and a handle).

From the Vault: Applesauce Cake

This easy, tasty little cake is from my grandmother's Lily Wallace New American Cook Book, copyright 1946. (This is the cookbook that we feared was missing, which to our great relief, turned up at the bottom of a box of recipe clippings during last month's garage sale.)

Just the right amount of spice and moistness. Grandma's handwritten notes suggested icing it with a powdered sugar/butter/vanilla frosting and adding raisins for a dessert cake. I made it this morning with apple slices arranged on the bottom of the pan for a simple decoration when inverted. Very tasty as a coffee/breakfast cake.

Applesauce Cake

Oven to 350 degrees

1/2 cup shortening (1 stick butter)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup thick applesauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove
1 1/2 to 2 cups flour (I split the difference and used 1 3/4 and it turned out just right.)
1 tsp soda

Cream shortening, sugar and egg together. (It helps if all ingredients are at room temperature.)
Dissolve soda in applesauce and add. Sift salt, cinnamon and clove with part of the flour and add to the first mixture. Add enough more flour to make a fairly stiff batter. Pour into a greased (or buttered) loaf pan (I used a deep 9" round cake pan.) and bake in a moderate oven 50-60 minutes. 1 cup raisins may be added to the batter.

After buttering the pan, I added 2 sliced apples arranged in a circle, to the bottom of the pan, along with a sprinkle of brown sugar, then poured the batter in on top of the apples, spreading it out with a spatula so that the middle was slightly lower than the edges to even the cake out.

Lovely!


The sky on my way home Friday.

Catching Up

Ok, I'm combing back through the now spam-free comments...

I'll start with this one, which is election relevant, though it was made about a different election, from Kate:

"Although there are promises made the candidates may not be able to keep, at least the people I vote for KNOW what I want, and may even attempt to give it to me. What worries me is the other side doesn't even seem to have a CLUE as to what I want, so how will they ever be able to work for my interest? If my president doesn't know I want soda in my drinking fountain, I know I will NEVER get it from him/her."
Original Post

Whether we get what we hope for in 2010 or not, we have to remind ourselves that our country doesn't rest on the shoulders of the reigning political party, but on us, the people who go to the polls, enabling a system to exist that at least strives to keep our country free and fair.

As Jon Stewart said recently in response to being asked whether he was disappointed in politicians (I paraphrase): "No. If I go to the zoo and a monkey throws feces at me, I say, 'What do you expect? It's a monkey.' What disappoints me is when the zookeeper doesn't say, 'Bad monkey.'"

"oh, how cute... do you know what kind they are?" Emily
My little watering-can dwellers were Bewick's Wrens.
Original Post

"I have found your blog by a curios coincidence. My maternal grandmother was born in Long Run, Ohio in 1893. She married a Martin Milosewski , a coal miner, and they lived in Short Creek but divorced him circa 1921. She remarried and divorced several more times before her death in 1947, Lansing, Michigan. I have a photo of her with her name Valeria Waszkiewicz. She also went by the name Lily. Do you think there is any connection? I wouldn't have except for the inclusion of Short Creek Ohio." Georgia

Hello Georgia! I'm guessing you are probably long gone. If it weren't for the fact that my blog was attacked by spammers, I never would have found your comment. I would be happy to compare family history notes with you if you happen to see this follow-up comment.
Original Post

"What a lovely contemplation of the stuff we collect and carry with us. Really lovely!"

Shana, this was over a year ago, but thank you very much for the compliment. It means a lot to me coming from you.
Original Post

Here’s where to find the indispensable silicone spatulas:
Kellers in Modesto
www.kellersgifts.com

and more info from loveblueskies:

“I have the spatula and love it too!! It was a gift purchased at Sur La Table.

After much research, I learned the initials stand for William Bounds. I don't think they make the cookie spatula anymore, but they still make a Sili Jumbo Jack spatula which I must have!

I just found 2 cookie spatulas on sale at Sur La Table. The blue one was item # 520254 for $3.99 and the yellow one was item # 664730 for $1.99. Happy hunting to see if they have any left!”
Thanks, loveblueskies!

"Mmmmmmm, granola. Will you please borrow Abbie in a few years and teach her to make granola? That is exactly the experience an aunt and niece should have. I can picture the day: a slightly drizzly gray sky, Abbie in the apron that my grandmother made for me, standing on a stool next to you looking very serious as you explain why melting is done over low and not high heat. Once again I don't understand why I got a brother instead of a sister. I deserve a sister."

I would be more than happy to make granola with cutie-bootie anytime (cheap flights on Alaska right now!), though I suspect by now you might have beaten me to it!
Original Post

Thanks for the tips about silken tofu (love it!), zapple pie (ditto, though real apple is my pie du jour), pear upside-down cakes and rashguards and other sun-protective clothing in lieu of coral-polluting sunscreens.

Ok, that's it. I've used up this little chunk of time, and I'm going forward from now on, and not back. AND, very important, I'm disabling comments for future posts, to keep the spam-monster at bay.

Right now, with this beautiful, sunny fall weather, I'm in the mood to make these short ribs and some homemade cinnamon bread. Anyone have a good recipe???

Um, I guess you'll have to contact me some other way!

Oh dear!

I just found the "spam comments" folder! My blog had been totally spamified, about 580 different comments, most on different posts, but 125, interestingly, on a post about spamming in comments, which was sort of funny in a way.

So if you commented, said hello, asked a question or offered a suggestion, I apologize for not ever responding.

Here are your answers:
Yes, the Dutch Baby is just as good with thinly sliced apples and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Just slice the apples thinly so they don't weigh down the batter too much. If you do weigh it down, it's still delicious, just not as puffy.

Thanks for the tips about the silicone spatulas. I found more at the wonderful kitchen store in McHenry Village whose name escapes me now. That's a great place to shop for gifts, btw, not a chain and a Valley institution.

I'll answer more as soon as I can!

Pear Upside-Down Cake: Variation on a Favorite for Fall

This is a delicious Fall variation on the Plum Upside-Down Cake from a summer or two ago. Lighter and milder real maple syrup is substituted for most or all of the brown sugar in the topping. (Thanks, Monty!) I recommend experimenting with other types of pears and apples this time of year. Not too sweet, this little cake makes a pretty breakfast or tea cake as well.

Bartlett Pear Upside-Down Cake

For the topping
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1/3- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
(optional- add up to 1/3 cup brown sugar for a sweeter topping)
+/- 2 semi-firm Bartlett Pears

For the cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk

(vanilla ice cream as an accompaniment)

Make the topping:
This time, I melted the butter in a saucepan, then poured it into the cake pan, swirling it around to coat all surfaces. If using brown sugar, sprinkle into buttered pan. Pour in maple syrup. Slice unpeeled pears 1/4 inch thick and arrange in a pretty overlapping circle on top of the butter and sugar/syrup. Set aside.

Make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Into a bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, and the cinnamon.

In another bowl with an electric mixer (or with a stand mixer, whisk, or wooden spoon) cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture alternately in batches with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating well after each addition.

Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly, and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean, the cake is golden on top, and has pulled away from the pan edges a bit.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, run a thin knife around the edge if necessary, and invert the cake onto a plate.

Serve the cake warm (oh yeah) or at room temperature with the whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Litany, by Billy Collins

You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine...
-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

The poem as recited by an enthusiastic three year old.

And by the author on City Arts and Lectures.
This is the same poet who wrote "Taking off Emily Dickinson's Clothes" which you will have to google yourself.

Remember- You’re not managing an inconvenience, you’re raising a human being. (Kittie Frantz)

You know how sometimes you try to make something from a recipe, say, bread, but no matter how many times you try, you just find that it isn't in you to be a good baker? Other people have the touch, the time, the special knack, whatever it is, that it takes to make delicious bread. You like their bread better. They are good at it. Hooray for everyone. They make good bread, you like to eat good bread. We are all happy.

This is how I feel sometimes about children. Not that I want to eat them, of course. Other people are so damn good at making them-- not just the *making* part, but the raising part, I mean. I don't think I have the innate skills that it would have taken to make good ones.

And what is more tragic than preferring other people to the ones you made yourself?

The Power Of The Dog

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie--
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find--it's your own affair--
But...you've given your heart for a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!);
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone--wherever it goes--for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart for the dog to tear.

We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long--
So why in Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

- Rudyard Kipling

Hot Weather Dinner Ideas

Here are some of my favorites this time of year: Cold vegetables with blue cheese dip (substitute as much plain non-fat yogurt or fat-free sour cream for the regular sour cream as you like) or white bean dip; Tuscan Cold Supper; Asian-spiced chopped chicken, or any flavorful meaty mix, in romaine or iceberg leaves; bean salads; and of course hummus. It's almost time for nectarine margaritas, though any fruit will do...strawberry or cherry, anyone? And don't forget cobblers and upside-down cakes for dessert. That should cover it!

The First of July Already?

I received a copy of this book for my birthday. Crawling my way through it and very much enjoying it. Reading it has revived my desire to wander out into the garden just before sundown and shoot some pictures.

Siamese twin crookneck squash!

Betrayed

In the fourth grade, a girl named Mei Lin (or May Lin) pretended to be my friend at recess, and then when the bell rang, she and her friends dragged me way out into the field and then ran back. In the dragging process, I struggled to get away and also very seriously wanted to harm this Mei Lin (Wang? Wing?). I dug my fingernails into her arms and held on. By the time we made it back in, we got in trouble for being so tardy after the bell. Mei Lin suddenly conjured up an elaborate story about how I had held her down out in the field and scratched her arms. She held out her maimed limbs for the teacher to see. There was no question that I had dug in hard, but in my mind, I had been fighting for my life. I was so dumbfounded by the audacity of her lie that I had no response at all. I received the punishment (whatever it was) and she did not. It was the first time I remember someone lying so brazenly and completely to a teacher and getting away with it, but not the last. Also the first time I remember being so openly betrayed.

Poor Forgotten Little Blog

Here are some of the things I've been up to in the last few months:



Vacationed on a distant island.


Had my eyes checked.


Picked some berries.


Drank martinis.


Cooled off.

Shopped for furniture.


Watched the vines grow.


Went to the seashore.

Met some princesses... and some frogs.

And still had time to read a few books.

And Whiskers on Kittens

A brief wet spell in the Napa Valley makes for fun shooting. The gardens and grounds are full of blooms, some I don't remember seeing before. The pink dogwood has come and gone, and the white dogwood is just starting. I've seen irises in an abundance and diversity of colors, including a gorgeous yellow-gold. Tried to shoot that yesterday, but there was just enough of a breeze to thwart the close-up focus.

Today, blue skies are alternating with dishcloth-gray clouds seeping a bone-chilling rain and mist. The calla lilies outside my office window still look starched, fresh and white, but the deep purple irises of my grandfather's that I have in pots in the back have taken a beating. Still beautiful though.

What is spring without rain, asparagus and strawberries? I picked the last shoots of asparagus in the garden a few days ago. So sweet you could eat them raw. There may be a few more reaching edible height soon, but they are consistently available at the store now too.

Have I stressed to you the importance of buying organic strawberries? Strawberries have a soft and vulnerable flesh. Conventional farmers use pesticides and herbicides on them, and these are absorbed into the skin of the strawberry. It is number one on every list I've seen of recommended foods to buy organic vs. conventional. So, from the time organic strawberries are in season in the spring to the time they go out of season (if they do), they are a constant presence in the refrigerator.

To keep them fresh and ready to eat, I rinse the strawberries well when I get them home, then place a dry paper towel on top. Snap the lid closed (or put a rubber band around the basket and paper towel) then flip them over (on a plate for a basket without a lid). The remaining water drips onto the paper towel, preventing rot, and the moist paper keeps the berries from drying out in the refrigerator for the few days it usually takes us to polish off the basket. I call it a "strawberrium". Pics here, in case this doesn't make sense. (Strawberry Rhubarb Pie link here.)

If get a good price at the market at the height of the season and have too many to eat fresh, I hull the berries, cut them into small pieces and place them in a single layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet in the freezer. After they're frozen, I allow the sheet to sit at room temperature for a few minutes, then pop them off into a zippered freezer bag to use for smoothies.

You can also make up a batch of cobbler dough, and cut or pat it roughly into rounds to fit 8 oz ramekins. If you're not going to use it right away, wrap the rounds individually in plastic wrap and place in a zipper bag in the freezer. When you feel like a little cobbler, set out a dough to defrost for an hour (or all day in the fridge), fill a ramekin with berries (frozen raspberries are delicious too), sprinkle with sugar. Top with a defrosted dough round and bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Here's my favorite smoothie at the moment:

Buttermilk Berry Smoothie

2 c buttermilk (less fat and more protein than milk or soy milk)
(You can also substitute 1 c buttermilk and 1 c milk of your choice if buttermilk is too tangy for you, or milk plus 1/2 small container plain yogurt.)
1/2 - 1 c fresh strawberries, cut into small pieces, or any other berry, fresh or frozen
(I love blueberries in this.)
4 level tablespoons hemp powder
1/2 - 1 tablespoon agave syrup, or to taste

This is about 400 calories, so it makes a solid breakfast, with an almost perfect ratio of fats to protein to carbs, and half of the daily recommended amount of fiber. To reduce the calories, you can substitute water or non-fat milk for 1/2 the buttermilk. Buttermilk (be sure to buy organic if you can get it) also has beneficial "probiotic" cultures for your digestive system. You can tinker with the quantities. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of ground flax seed, but mind the fiber if you're not used to it.

Springy watercolors here.

********
Here's another totally unrelated tip that I don't have another place for: next time you use a paper toilet seat cover, turn it perpendicular to the seat instead of trying to line up the opening with the seat. It won't slip in as easily.

Rose Mary Waszkiewicz Landre
June 3, 1923 - March 6, 2009

Chicken Masala and Caramelized Carrots

This was an easy to make, delicious dinner. Also from Bon Appetit. We've had the carrots on their own as a side dish as well.

Easy Chicken Masala

Position racks in the top third and the bottom third of the oven so that the chicken and the Caramelized Cumin-Roasted Carrots can roast together. This dish is part of the Chicken Masala Menu for 4.

6 Servings

Recipe by Maria Helm Sinskey

February 2010

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed
• 1 4- to 4 1/2-pound roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces, backbone removed
• 2 small onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preparation

• Mix yogurt, chopped cilantro, olive oil, garam masala, salt, and garlic in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add chicken to marinade, 1 piece at a time, coating all sides. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.
• Position racks in top third and bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Arrange onions in thin layer on large rimmed baking sheet to form bed for chicken. Top with chicken pieces in single layer, spacing apart for even roasting (chicken will still be coated with marinade). Discard remaining marinade.
• Roast chicken on top rack until cooked through and juices run clear when thickest portion of thigh is pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Serve chicken atop onion slices. Spoon pan juices around.

Caramelized Cumin-Roasted Carrots

Recipe by Maria Helm Sinskey

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 12 medium to large carrots, peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
• Combine carrots and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; toss to coat. Spread in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast carrots until tender and lightly caramelized, turning carrots over once, 35 to 40 minutes.