Pumpkin pie, Grandmother style

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie has been a Thanksgiving tradition in our family for many years. Our Grandmother made it for the holiday ever since our mom can remember. She taught me how to make it when I was in high school along with her famous, flaky and tender pie crusts. This recipe is a slight variation on the one from The Joy of Cooking, a cookbook that Grandmother swore by through the many years that she made delicious food for her family. I hope that if you try this recipe, you won't get too frustrated, and if you do, just remember that it is worth it.

You need one pie crust in a 9 inch pan. You can buy crust pre-made and bake it for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Pie filling for one 9 inch pie
Soak 1 tablespoon (one packet) of unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold water.

In a large sauce pan combine:
1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (heaping)
3 egg yolks; reserve the whites
1/2 cup white or packed brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Continuously stir mixture over medium/high heat until thickened and gets slightly lighter - this is to cook the egg yolks. Watch out when it starts to boil. It spits. Once cooked, cool mixture to room temperature and add:
Gelatin and 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved.

While pumpkin mixture is cooling, beat egg whites to stiff peaks.

Carefully fold in egg whites until just incorporated.

Pour filling into already cooked pie crust and let set up in the fridge for 4-6 hours.

Cut and serve with whipped cream if you like. Plain is just as good.

Easy biscuits (Mile highs)

Combine in a large bowl:
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening

Mix together:
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

Cut shortening into dry ingredients, then mix in quickly the wet ingredients until just incorporated.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet, evenly spaced.
Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Bread that tastes like BEER

Walter and I made this recipe to eat with home made broccoli/cheese soup

Mix all these dry ingredients in a bowl
1 cup each of whole wheat AND white/all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats (the old fashion kind is best)
2 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Then add
I bottle of whatever beer you like, not stout since it has nitrogen
and mix until all the dry ingredients are just wet.

Put into a greased bread pan and bake for 35-40 min at 400 degrees.
Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes then cool on rack.

Punkin Cookies

Here is an old family favorite for Halloween time.

Preheat oven for 350 degrees

What you need:
Dry ingredients, then mix them all together in one bowl
2 cups flour (I use half wheat, half all purpose)
1 cup oats (quick works best)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp (heaping) cinnamon
dash or 2 of nutmeg (to taste)

Wet ingredients,
1 cup butter (use the real stuff) soft, but not warmer than room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
cream all these together in a different bowl
Alternate mixing the dry ingredients with the butter/sugar mixture with
1 cup canned cooked pumpkin

Add
1 cup chocolate chips at the end

Drop them on a lightly greased cookie sheet and slightly flatten them. You can make them into pumpkin shapes if you're talented enough and remember not to eat the stems separately.... :)

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes depending on cookie size. You know they're done when they poof up and the color is darker orange and soft (not squishy) to the touch.

You can decorate them to look like jack-o-lanterns if you feel adventurous. Last time I just frosted them with cream cheese frosting.

Chopped Stick Tuna

Preheat oven to 375.

Ingredients:
1 can of Cream of Mushroom (you could use cream of celery instead)
1 big can of Chow Mein Noodles
1 or 2 packages/cans of tuna
1/2 can water

Mix together in baking safe container, cover with tin foil, and bake for 25 mins.

Southwestern Bake

Dump the following contents into your favorite baking dish:

1 can corn (drained)
1 can chili chunky tomatoes (undrained)
1 can hominy (drained)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)


Mix these ingredients together (add salsa if you desire) and sprinkle 1 cup of graded cheese over the top.

Preheat oven to 350

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Best if served with Mexican rice.

Marshmallow and Cereal Bars

What you need:
10-ish oz. package of marshmallows
6 cups of the cereal of your choice (something rice and crispy)
3 tablespoons of butter/margerine (if you like the fake stuff)

How to do it:
First grease a 9x13 pan with butter/margerine/cooking spray.

Now, you can either melt the butter in the microwave(in a safe to use container) or on the stove in a pot. After the butter is melted, add in the marshmallows and heat in microwave or on the stove until they are liquid and goey, stirring frequently(otherwise it will burn). If you wish to color your treats, add food coloring in while melting the mallows until you get the shade of your choice.

Then add in your cereal and stir until the marshmallow melt is evenly distributed in the cereal. Dump the mixture into the grease pan and pat it down with heavily buttered hands (or waxed paper). Let the bars cool before cutting them into very large pieces.

Sometimes I spread peanut butter on top if you like that kind of thing.

Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly

This recipe is a Thanksgiving, snack-time favorite. And it's super easy.

1 8oz. Package of Cream Cheese (Phili is the best)
1 Small jar of Green Pepper Jelly (Usually made by Grandfather)
An assortment of crackers for snacking

Put the cream cheese onto the middle of a large plate. Pour at least 1/2 of the pepper jelly jar onto the cream cheese. Arrange crackers artistically around the perimeter of the cheese and pepper jelly mountain. Stick some serving knives along side of the crackers and serve. Instruct people to scoup cheese and jelly onto crackers. Replenish cream cheese and pepper jelly as needed.

For those of you who don't have access to Grandfather's pepper jelly, we'll have to get that recipe on the website too.