Pass MORE of the pumpkin please!

    This recipe I confess is apparently a repeat...I just searched my archive and saw it way back at the beginning. However, it is so very good that it is definitely deserving of another print, especially as it is so very fitting to the season. Without any further adieu, my most favorite and might I add ever popular pumpkin pie recipe. It is crustless (save on the carbs, heaven knows we all need that over the holidays!) and even the most determined self proclaimed pumpkin pie haters have been converted to the way of the crustless pumpkin pie...

     Mom’s Famous Crustless Pumpkin Pie


1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
4 Tbsp butter softened
2 13 oz. can evaporated milk
1 tsp salt
1 c. Bisquick Baking Mix
2 15 oz. cans Pumpkin (or the equivalent of 4 c. fresh or 1 large 29 oz can )
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 tsp. vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350^, spray 4  9” pie plates evenly with a light coat of cooking spray. Beat all ingredients in a large bowl till smooth. Once pie plates are evenly filled, bake until golden brown and an inserted knife comes out clean, about 50 min - 1hr depending on your oven. Let set for 10 min or so. Serve with homemade whip cream or vanilla ice cream. 


P.S. This recipe can easily be cut in half for only 2 pies. We go through ‘em like crazy though, so I always make up the whole batch. Also makes a GREAT quick breakfast. You do the math, the ingredients are no more “sugary” etc than breakfast cereal, and kids LOVE it! Serve with milk instead of ice cream and your kids just may sing to you the favorite...Bill Cosby style... morning music of    “Mom is great, gives us...Pumpkin Pie!"

Life IS Peachy

    Where do I even begin?! Sad but true that it has been so long since I have recorded the chaos/life experiences/joys of cooking for all of you to glean from. And so much has happened too! We had our first crop of peaches this year, and I got the pleasure of staying on my feet for 3+ hours learning to can at my uncle’s house (who by the way lives within 5 miles from me, maybe this is something standard for the rest of the world but for ME, never in my life have I lived so close to family). Anyway, I was still pregnant at the time and hoping very much that the hard work would in fact “work” on expelling my little attachment, but to no avail.
     SO the peaches were not only delicious, but quite abundant as we had close to 35 bottles of jam and 15+ large bottles of actual peaches. Amazing and quite satisfying as I filled the pantry once the job was completed. Within a few short days, we had a family come to live with us (my counterpart actually to this blog, but between the two of us she has been so busy as well she hasn’t been on yet!) She made good use of our basement for 6+ weeks with her three little boys, and let me tell you life was a joy and complete chaos all rolled into one! Once she was here and settled, my mother in law came out and I proceeded to try just about everything under the sun to see if we could have this little baby, as I was dying to find out who and what it was. Well lets just say about 3 false labors, tons of primrose oil, walks, and yes the dreaded castor oil later, I was in labor!
    The long and short of it...about 8 hours of walking and moaning (and crying) later, we were the proud parents of boy #4! Yes! Eli Michael joined our ranks (all naturally might I add, meaning no drugs at least until after the delivery!) and we are so very happy to have him here. The boys have taken to him like he should have been and was in fact here the whole time! We love it, and have loved the weeks with our dear friends before they moved on to Washington. I will soon be adding pictures of the 7 of them (all 5 up to the counter at meal times) so that you can get a glimpse into what life was like around here for that time! We loved it, and we were grateful for the help during a crazy run in with a contractor that did not finish his work (whom we will now have to sue for running out on our job only half way through it and 3 weeks over due) on our house. So, needless to say, life IS peachy. We have been blessed with a healthy boy again, and I am hoping to eek out a few meager moments a day to contribute yet again to my rantings on the constant daily grind of food preparation, and feeble attempts to design healthy and quick meals for a family... now comprised... of 6!