Texas has lost its mind.  I promise. The entire area of North Texas has decided to skip October entirely and get on with November. It is total insanity.
Nah…it’s just Texas weather.
So I spent the week shopping with my girls. I need to still get the boys outfitted for winter but that is usually a little easier. Both girls are hard to fit. Shiloh is nearly 14, tall and long legged so it would be hard enough without the hooker-wear all the stores seem to be carrying. Trying to find a simple dress for church that is not so low cut …read more

Marc loves strawberry rhubarb pie. I like it…but it isn’t a passion for me the way it is for him. We get along well, have done for nearly 30 years and this is why. I like to cook but I don’t like to eat – he likes to eat but doesn’t like to cook.
It is, by all counts, a match made in Heaven.

He has been taking me shopping because I am still not up to my usual energy level. This is good in that it allows us some time together uninterrupted but it is bad for the same reasons I …read more

Of you are looking for cheap desserts, Depression style rice tart can fit the pie pan.
Seriously, I am looking through my vintage cookbooks more and more these days, especially those published around the time of the Depression through World War II. Those women had to feed their families on limited funds and limited ingredients. More and more, as grocery prices seem to swing out of control I find that these old recipes work great for me.

I was skeptical about this rice tart. It seemed a little weird to me but I had several cups of left-over rice that needed to …read more

 
When I was growing up we did not have President’s Day.  We had two separate holidays, one for Lincoln and one for Washington, usually giving us two four day school weeks in the middle of February.  You ate cherry pie on Washington’s Birthday, and a rolled chocolate cake made to look like a log on Lincoln’s Birthday.  Life was good.
I love the vintage cookbooks.  This recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens 1959 Holiday Cookbook, which is to my left,  falling apart, even as we speak.  The pictures in it are fantastic.   Not because the food looks so mouthwateringly good, …read more

This months challenge was Lemon Meringue Pie. YUM!
Lemon Meringue is one of Marc’s favorites. This was a fun challenge and because it was a challenge I took the extra time to pipe the meringue. Sorry to say that by the time I realized MOST of my pictures were blurry the pie was LONG gone.
One of the things I normally do differently is to bake the meringue separately from the pie and add it on before cutting and serving. This keeps the meringue crispy and keeps the filling from weeping under the meringue, you know that watery layer …read more

You know how sometimes you have an awesome recipe..but the picture really looks AWFUL? Well that is the case with this pie.
I love this pie. It is one of the best I have…creamy, rich and perfect. BUT it rarely cuts well and often just looks bad once plated.

However, one spoonful and you’re hooked. It is truly, the Ugly Betty of pies.

I bet if you never heard of this you made a face when you read the title. Vinegar pie is an old recipe, created back in the days where you used everything possible to create edible and filling meals, remember Ma Ingalls’ green pumpkin apple pie? Well Ma Ingalls wasn’t the only one…My grandma was pretty handy with creating food as well, from what I have heard. She was gone long before I came on the scene but her cooking ability was a family treasure, so much so that family members spoke in quiet awe of foods …read more

Key limes are tiny little limes that grow on Key West , Florida.  The juice is really nothing like a lime..it is tarter somehow, but with a uniqueness that you can’t explain.
  You can’t often find key limes in the produce section but the juice is available. It is usually right by the lemon juice on the shelves.  If not, I did check Amazon and they have several types available. Do not substitute lime juice here, it just won’t work.
1 baked crust or,
1 graham cracker crust or, my favorite,
1 gingersnap crumb crust
2 cans eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
1 …read more

UPDATED! HERE is the picture..and we had a great time taking care of the *example pie*!
I looked through my files..thought I had a picture of this and didn’t…aww…gee, I suppose that means that I am going to have to actually force myself to make it so I can get a picture in the next few days..I know, it’s tough, but someone has to do it, right?
  This is an absolutely delightful blend of flavors. A layer of buttery rich praline coats the flakey crust and then a thick layer of coconut cream, all snugly covered with a thick whipped cream.
 Coconut praline …read more