How to Make an Easy Delicious Pumpkin or Squash Pie

My Grandma Summers Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This recipe holds special meaning to me.  It was my Grandma Summer's Pumpkin Pie Recipe written in her hand and well used over the decades. It is a cherished possession.

The funny thing is, what my family called "Pumpkin Pie" was not Pumpkin Pie at all.  It was "Green Striped Cushaw Squash" Pie.  Whenever I ate Pumpkin Pie at someone else's house, I thought it was just terrible...heavy, thick, overly spiced and not sweet enough. It wasn't until I was almost an adult that I finally learned what I had been eating all those years was not pumpkin pie, but squash pie. My reaction was probably similar to how most people react when they learn Santa is not real...shock, initial disbelief and a little anger. The only difference was I was about 16, not 6.

Grandma called it simply "Crookneck Squash" and I have since learned Green Striped Cushaw is indeed one variety of crookneck squash. You cannot buy canned Green Striped Cushaw Squash. You must buy the whole squash and work it up (see my previous post on working up squash). 

Working up your own squash, pumpkin or sweet potato (basically the all the same process) and making your own crust (see my previous post on how to make pie crust) is really what makes a good pie. It's the same difference as buying hard preservative laden store bought cookies versus soft, warm made from scratch sugar cookies straight from the oven. Or using sweet, melt in your mouth butter over the plastic concoction commonly referred to as margarine. It's the difference between  sun ripened berries you personally plucked over a rubbery processed fruit roll up.

Yes, buying a frozen Mrs. Smith pie is easier but is it really worth it? When was the last time someone praised you extensively for going the extra mile by wheeling your grocery cart over to the bakery section of the grocery store and hefting a pie into your cart? 

"Oh my goodness, Marge!  Did you push that cart by yourself? And picked up the pie off the shelf, too? I wish I had your ability!" 

Here is my Grandma's no fail pie recipe:

My Grandma always made this pie in her blender. I use my food processor.  Begin by adding 2 cups squash (or pumpkin or sweet potato if you insist). 

Add 1 cup sugar. 

Add 3/4 cup milk.

Add the following:

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon flour

Ready to mix.

It's never too early to teach the fine art of cooking. 

Once blended, the pie filling will look like this.  It is not thick.

Pour into a prepared unbaked pie crust. Bake at 425 degrees for about 50 minutes to an hour.  Pie is done when a knife inserted into middle comes out clean.

You can buy a fancy pie crust shield for about $5. I have no idea why I never have done so. I am cheap but usually not that cheap.  So, I always put aluminum foil around the edge of the pie to keep the exposed crust from burning. By this point in my life, I have probably used about $200 in aluminum foil for this purpose instead of investing $5 for a shield. Sometimes being too cheap costs you. 

The finished product was delicious. Add a dollop of whipped cream. This pie is worth the effort!

How to Make Easy, Simple Dog Biscuits

My dog, Wiley the Wonder Dog, loves treats. Who doesn't? Here is a simple recipe to make your own canine cookies. It's a fun, easy project for kids. 



 

 

Measure 3 cups flour into a bowl.  I used a whole wheat flour to give the biscuits a nice color.

 

Dogs have a very underdeveloped sense of taste. While humans have about 9,000 taste buds, dogs only have 1,700 and cats even fewer at around 470. As a result, most dogs like strong flavors.

 

Interestingly, dogs and cats have taste buds at the tips of their tongues that taste water.  While humans can taste things added to water such as chlorine or impurities, dogs and cats can actually taste the flavor of water.  This is probably why my cat prefers to only drink running water directly from the faucet and refuses to drink any lukewarm water.

 

The next ingredient is garlic.  I usually add about 2 crushed cloves. If you don't have fresh garlic, you can use about 2 teaspoons garlic powder.

 

Onions are not good for dogs and garlic is in the onion family.  Some people do not feel comfortable feeding their pets anything with garlic. My research seems to indicate small amounts of garlic are safe for dogs but if you don't feel comfortable using it, then certainly feel free to leave it out.

 

 

Next, add about a cup of cheese and 1-2 eggs. (If your dough mixture is too dry, just add another egg). I had one of those packages of Kraft Fresh Take Cheese & Breadcrumbs that I got a free coupon for and never used so I dumped it in.  As a result, I had to add a second egg because of the additional breadcrumbs. 

 

My point is, dog biscuits are a good way to get rid of stale breadcrumbs, old oatmeal, or that package of Stove Top or Shake n Bake you never got around to using.  Your dog is not nearly as picky as you are. You can kind of wing it with dog biscuits.

 

 

Now, add about a cup of milk. "Milk Bone" dog biscuits were created in 1908 and named such because of their large concentration of Cow's milk.  Milk bone biscuits were the first dog treat manufactured in the shape of a bone. Marketing genius!

 

And though, I forgot to take a picture of it, add about 1/2 cup oil.  Certainly feel free to experiment and add your own ingredients such as sunflower seeds or wheat germ (if your dog is especially health conscious or a hippy), beef bouillon or peanut butter. I wouldn't add them all, just try different combinations until you find the mixture your dog loves the best.

 

 

Mix all the ingredients together.  The dough is usually rather stiff and hard to stir. Feel free to skip the gym today if you make dog biscuits. Rolling out dough is a great upper body workout.  If too dry, just add a little more milk or an egg.  If too wet, add a little more lour.

 

 

Roll out the dough. Throw a little flour on top to keep the rolling pin from sticking to the dough. Roll out to about 3/8 inch thick and use cookie cutter. I purchased a bone shaped cookie cutter years ago.  They are easy to find online or at most local pet store. If you don't have a bone cookie cutter, you can just roll into small balls about the size of marbles.

 

I think those plastic rolling pastry mats are a very good investment. I think I got mine at Wal-Mart for around $10. It makes clean up much easier.

 

Grease a cookie sheet before placing the biscuits on it to take. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

 

 

This batch made 80 biscuits. Cool on a rack, then transfer to a storage container. I think dog biscuits make a really cute gift for your dog-loving friends.

 

Though dogs have less taste buds than us, they are overly blessed with receptive smell cells. Dogs can smell 10,000-100,000 more than a human. About 40% of a dog's brain is devoted to smelling.  To a dog, smelling is like reading a book. He can tell where you have been, what you have recently eaten, what other animals you have recently encountered, what mood you are in and probably a lot more.

 

When we walk into a house and smell something cooking, a dog walks into a house and discerns what individual ingredients are in the dish. Humans have about 5 million smell receptors and dogs can have up to 300 million. Dogs probably get more pleasure from smelling their food than from actually eating it.

 

 

 

 My dog, Wiley the Wonder Dog, approves of this recipe. For more pictures of Wiley, visit www.wileyandwe.blogspot.com.

Simple recipe:

3 cup flour
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup oil
1 cup cheese
1-2 eggs
1 cup milk

Mix, roll out and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

How to Make Comfort Food: Stuffed Chicken Breast

Chicken has been selling for less than $2 pound on and off for several months. Most recently, this week (ending Oct. 23rd), Dillon's is selling skinless chicken breast for $1.89 a pound. I noticed Sam's Club had skinless chicken breast for $1.77 pound. As a result, we have been eating a lot of chicken at my house. I never thought I would miss good old hamburger.

 

Here is an easy chicken dish that looks gourmet but isn't: Stuffed Chicken Breast. It takes very little time to make and looks like you really put a lot of work into it.

 

 

To begin, you will need a box of stuffing mix. Any brand will work, I use the really cheap Wal-Mart Great Value brand. I cannot tell a difference between it and Stove Top. After all, it's just dried bread and some spices. You will also need an onion and a package of sausage. I bought this package of sausage at Apple Market when I it was on sale for 98 cents a package. This is shaping up to be a pretty cheap meal.

 

 

First fry the sausage will some onion. How much onion you put fry depends on how much you like onion. I like onion a lot.

 

 

Add some seasoning. I used salt, pepper and about a teaspoon of sage.

 

Sausage is greasy. Drain the sausage. You may want to keep the drippings to make gravy. I did.

 

 

Now, cook the stuffing mix according to the box directions. Most mixes just require you to boil some water and dump in the stuffing and spices. Easy and cheap.

 

Next, add the fried sausage mixture to the stuffing and stir.

 

 

Take one of your cheap chicken breasts you just bought on sale. I usually marinate mine in a little Hendrickson's salad dressing but you don't necessary have to do this. Trim off the fat.

 

 

Now cover the chicken breast with a piece of plastic wrap and pound it thin. If you do not cover with plastic wrap, you will end up with raw chicken pieces all over your kitchen. Feeling a little stressed? This is great anger management therapy.

 

Congratulations! You have now successfully beat up a chicken. You probably have a great career ahead of you as a bouncer in a biker chicken bar. I know it looks a little yucky but deal with it.

 

 

Spread your sausage/chicken stuffing mixture on top of the pounded chicken breast. 

 

Just roll up the chicken breast and place in a greased pan, seam side down. If you have some stuffing mix left over, you can put it around the chicken breast.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour. It may take longer depending on the size of the breast and how many you are baking. Never depend on the stated baking time, your oven may vary, the size of the breasts vary, the number of breasts, etc. Just set your timer and start checking after an hour. They are done when they are done but usually an hour is about right. I think these took about 75 minutes. Keep in mind stuffed chicken breast should reach an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees.  

 

I served with mashed potatoes and gravy. They were yummy.  

How to Make Easy Moist Banana Bread

I love fall. It's that time of the year you finally start feel like baking again. There is nothing more homey than the smell of something baking in the oven when you walk through the door on a crisp day.  I like those days where there is a chill in the air but it's still a little too warm to turn on the furnace for the first time...perfect baking weather!

A couple of weeks ago HyVee had bananas on sale for 29 cents a pound.  I bought a few too many so decided it was the perfect time to make a little banana bread. Banana bread can either be the most moist wonderful concoction in the world or the devil's dry dust. It's an art. I have spent most of my life working on finding the perfect banana bread recipe.

Here's a basic recipe I have played with over the years.  This recipe makes two loaves. To begin, cream 2 sticks butter (softened) with 2 cups sugar. Do not be fooled by this picture of my giant 4 cup measuring cup. It really is two cups sugar and 2 sticks butter or what I like to call a perfect start.



 

Now add four eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Blend together.

Here's the secret to really good banana bread: ripe bananas. I mean pungent "black" bananas. Some people might consider throwing these bananas away just when they have achieved the perfect state of ripeness for banana bread. My Grandpa would only eat a banana once it was about the consistency of mush.

But what if you have over ripe bananas and aren't in the mood to bake?  That's easy. Just peel the bananas and place in a plastic bag. Freeze. Take out another day, thaw and bake away. You will not be able to tell a difference.

 

Add 4-6 bananas and blend.

 

 

Most recipes tell you to mix all your dry ingredients together and then gradually mix into cream mixture. I'll be honest, I usually just throw in a half teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons baking soda. Then I gradually add 3 cups of flour, about a cup at a time until blended. But hey, if you want to do it right, mix all three dry ingredients first, then add flour mixture slowly, though I have a feeling it won't make a lot of difference.

 

The second secret to great banana bread is to not over work the batter. Mixing too long will make the bread "tough".

Just mix until all ingredients are combined. It will be about the consistency of pudding.

 

 

Preheat your oven. I usually bake my banana bread at about 325 degrees. Be sure and grease your loaf pans.

 

 

The real challenge is how long to bake the bread. Many recipes will say 35-45 minutes. Who are they kidding? Mine usually takes at least an hour and often longer. I think every batch is different. The consistency of the bananas will likely change the baking time. So set your timer for about 50 minutes and start checking every 10 minutes after that. Of course, it is done when a knife stuck into the bread comes out smoothly. Anything else you add to this batter, such as nuts, will also likely affect the cooking time. Now is not the time to indulge your ADHD tendencies. You have to focus and check the bread. Don't go off and forget it.

 



 

If you stay focused, you should be rewarded with a perfect loaf of banana bread. Wait a few minutes for it to cool before slicing.

 

 

The best thing about making your own banana bread is you can make the slices as large as you want. As demonstrated in this picture, my husband seems to think a third of a loaf is a good portion size. Yummers!