Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A Plate Full of Fall




Cinnamon and brown sugar definitely make me think of fall! So,I tried a new cookie recipe, Brown Sugar Shortbread. I guess it is called shortbread because there are no eggs in it. This is a very dry crumbly dough so I was very unsure about it. No need to fear, they are a very crisp and light cookie. Cut into fun shapes and covered with a cinnamon icing, they are a perfect cookie for the thanksgiving dessert table.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Grandmother Fowlers Pecan Pie







I grew up on pecan pie. My mother is from Georgia where it is pronounced "pe-caahn". So of course, that is how I have always said it. My niece knew a man from South Africa and he said "pe-kin". He and my mother had a few debates over the proper way to say it. Nevertheless, it is still the most wonderful creation and an annual holiday tradition. I don't know why I never make it in the summer. I guess it is one of those things that is just not done (at least not in my family).
The ingredients must be not be beat with an electric beater (except for creaming butter and sugar). I learned that the hard way. Doing it electrically adds too much air so that when it bakes, the bubbles rise to the top and brown which makes your pie ugly.It is not a pretty pie to begin with, unless you are my friend Margie who painstakingly places each pecan into perfect circle formations on top of the crust before adding the filling. That pie was a thing of beauty! But my pie, with the pecans just tossed into the filling tastes like heaven!