Enjoy a Hearty Laugh With Your Snack

If your looking for a good laugh, check out the movie Waiting. It is about a restaurant called Shenanigans and follows a day in the life of the employees. The hilarious antics of the cast show everything from training new workers, to handling promotions as well as reasons why to not piss of your server (especially don't return the food). I thoroughly enjoy the movie and recently watched it again, reminding me how good it is. It's as good as leftovers that you re-warm but all the juices have soaked in, making it even better than the first time you savored the sweet succulent sauces that saturated your steak, or whatever you had. So If you like food, and you enjoy a good laugh, then I encourage you to grab some popcorn or your favorite snack and watch Waiting. You won't regret it, trust me, you won't.

Hey, waitasecond. It's fall.

When did the fall equinox shoot on by and let us fall into a horribly hot October? Oh yeah, that was on the 23rd of September. That whole equinox thing... Well, hey! The leaves are changing and falling off the trees so no matter if its 70 degrees, its FALL!

And you know what that means: fall foods! Pies, turkeys, pies, pumpkin bread, pies, apples, apple pie, cranberries, pie, squash soup, pie, corn, pie, casseroles, and pie. There is nothing better than coming in from outside on a sunny October day to eat Thanksgiving food, and smell baking pie. I know that the national holiday is a whole 'nother month off, but give me a break I'm excited.

Every year we have four families, and of course our recent additions through marriages and births, come together at my house to celebrate and give thanks. And a lot of that takes place through the consumption of mass quantities of food aaand booze. And a good cigar afterwards...

This celebration is insane and we always have at least four kinds of pie. Pumpkin, French silk, apple, and either blueberry or blackberry. I make the French silk, the strongest, sweetest, richest pie I have ever had. Ever. After eating that dinner, it's hard to get a whole slice down without balancing it out with a lot of whipped cream.

But until then readers, it's fall. Break out the soups, stews, sausage, apples, squashes, and allspice. It's times to get rich and hearty! Screw the weather. Well, actually if its going to be 80 degrees don't bring a thermos of soup to class with you. Unless its gazpacho. Or just cold chicken noodle. Anyway, time to make some pie! It's actually really easy if you don't try to make your own pie dough and just stick to store-bought.

Here's a good fall tip: instead of throwing lemon wedges in your water, put a slice of a reddish-yellow apple instead. It makes for reallllly good tasting water and is still just as healthy as adding a slice of lemon. And the whole apple thing is much more fall-ish than lemons.

Cheers!

Its time for Pumpkin Pie.

When fall comes, especially with Halloween around the corner, everyone is ready for Pumpkin pie. I had my first piece of the year today and I decided to celebrate it by putting up a recipe for everyone to have! I am going back home this weekend, so I might have my mom try this out too!

While reading, From my French window, I came upon an awesome recipe that you can make from real pumpkins. (not just the kind that comes from a box) it says,

Things you need
1 medium sugar pumpkin
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 pre-made pastry for a 9″ single crust pie
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup honey, warmed slightly
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Cut pumpkin in half, and remove seeds. Lightly oil the cut surface. Place cut-side down on a pan lined with foil and lightly oiled.
2. Bake at 325 degrees until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Mash or puree in small batches using a blender.
3. In a large bowl, blend together 2 cups pumpkin puree, spices, and salt. Beat in eggs, honey, milk, and cream. Pour filling into pie shell.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted 1 inch from edge of pie comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

On this website, they also show pictures on what kind of pumpkin to have, what it should feel like, and exact step by step directions with pictures! I think this website could be very helpful in making the perfect pumpkin pie!


For those of us who don't want to cut up a real pumpkin and aren't as good at cooking or baking I found an easier recipe from cdkitchen.com.

Ingredients:
1 (9-inch) unbaked pastry shell
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, ground nutmeg and salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl, beat all ingredients together with whisk or mixer. Pour into crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 45 minutes longer. Cool before serving.

Good luck on making the perfect pumpkin pie. I hope yours turns out as good as mine was today, even though I didn't make mine.