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Grandmom Ruth’s Chocolate Sundae Pie: Another Last Minute Thanksgiving Recipe

November 24, 2010

I posted this recipe almost 3 YEARS AGO (Wow! Have I really been on this blog for 3 years?!).

I thought it’d be fun to share again, since…

  • a. It’s yummy
  • b. It’s perfect for thanksgiving dessert
  • c. It’s nostaligic for me
  • d. I made the pie crust last night and am mixing up the pie filling in just a few minutes…
  • e. It’s yummy… sorry, I feel it’s important to emphasize the delicious factor.

If you’re looking for a last minute thanksgiving dessert,…go no further. You will not be disappointed in this one.

It’s my Grandmom Ruth’s tried and true recipe,..we have it at ALL holiday functions. It’s delicious,…and yummy. Did I tell you that yet?!

Check it out,…try it out,… and let me know what you think!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

**********************

Grandmom Ruth’s Chocolate Sundae Pie, posted on December 3, 2007

Normally, I like to accompany my recipes with step by step pictures, but not today…

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I made this pie for Thanksgiving while up in Ventura at my in-law’s house. With so much cooking and baking to do, I didn’t have the time or energy to take detailed pictures of each step, but what the heck,…I’m going to post it anyway, just because it’s so delicious!!

This is the background to this glorious, custard-y dish of delight…

My sweet Grandma Ruth has made this pie,… since ever!! It is what I have known,… it is what’s familiar to me,… and it is what’s a STAPLE at ALL holiday dinners in our family. And get this,….supposedly it is what caused my Grandpop to marry my Grandmom. She said she had only known my Grandpop for a week or so and when she made him this pie, he dropped on his knee right then and there and asked her to marry him. True story…. not exaggerated one bit. Well,… maybe a bit, but just a little bit. He did eat her pie and he did ask her to marry him… shortly thereafter. Just not right after he took the first bite… maybe a couple days later or so…

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The funny/sad part to the story is that my Grandpop and Grandma Ruth divorced about 20 years later, but he still always loved that pie! In his old age, he developed diabetes which didn’t allow him to have many sweets, but every time there were holiday gatherings he’d still try to sneak my Grandma’s pie,… even with my step grandmother peeking over his shoulder.

So, as you can see,… this pie is pretty much what our family is built on (ok, that may be pushing it a little bit!) but,… it’s really, really, really good! And, you should make it!

Grandma’s Chocolate Sundae Pie

1 c. evaporated milk

1/2 c. water

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

3 eggs (separated)

3/4 c. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 envelope knox’s gelatin dissolved in 3 tbsp. cold water (dissolved about 5 minutes before egg mixture is combined)

1 tbsp. vanilla

1 baked pie shell

Cool Whip topping or Heavy Whipping Cream

Unsweetened Chocolate

Directions:

-Mix together milk, water, and nutmeg in double boiler on low heat (or a regular pan on very low heat)

-In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until light in color, then add in salt and sugar.

-Pour the hot milk mixture over the egg mixture (making sure to do it gradually, a little at a time).

-Return mixture to double boiler.

-Cook until mixture resembles a fairly thick cream and coats back of spoon.

-Remove from heat and add gelatin which has been soaking in cold water for about 5 minutes.

-Add vanilla into mixture.

-Let mixture cool completely

-When mixture is cooled completely, beat remaining egg whites until peaks form.

-Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into mixture, carefully.

-Pour mixture into baked pie shell and set in fridge for a few hours.

- Before serving, cover with cool whip and top with shavings of unsweetened chocolate.

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Believe me. The time it takes to make this is worth every minute,…

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Posted in Lydia's Food and Feasts | 1 Comment »

Frozen Cranberry Salad: Last Minute Thanksgiving Day Recipe

November 23, 2010

Frozen Cranberry Salad.

The pictures are horrible (sorry!),…but the dish is delicious!

Yum.

Honestly, it tastes more like a dessert, but the bonus is, you’re allowed to serve it as a side dish during your Thanksgiving Feast and THEN have pie afterwards,… no guilt at all…’cause it’s a salad, folks.

I made this dish this evening in preparation for our Thanksgiving meal on thursday. Trying to knock out the easy dishes ahead of time and, let me tell you, this is one EASY dish.

I thought it’d be fun to share since it is SO easy, so simple, so delicious, and sooo good. We’ve had this dish at ALL thanksgiving meals in my family ever since I can remember. I think it came from my Grandmom Ruth or one of my Great Aunts. No matter who it came from though,…it is yum, yum! For how easy it is, you should try it out….especially if you’re looking for a last minute cranberry dish to serve!

Here are the basic measurements….

(1) 8 oz. package of softened cream cheese

(1) 8 oz. container of cool whip

(1) 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple (squeezed from juices)

(1) 14 oz. can of whole berry cranberry sauce

2 tbsp. of sugar (optional)

  • Whip cream cheese til smooth.
  • Add in Cool Whip and optional sugar.
  • Mix together.
  • Add in crushed pineapple and cranberry sauce and mix til combined.
  • Pour in a pyrex dish and smooth out.
  • Decorate with fresh cranberries, if desired.
  • Place in freezer for at least 2 hours.
  • When ready to serve, slice into squares.
  • Enjoy!

I sometimes add a little more or less of each ingredient,…taste and see what you like! The recipe is very flexible!

 

 

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Fall, Whirley-Pop, and Caramel Corn!

October 14, 2010

Have you noticed yet that I’m SUPER into fall?! Like,… I. love. it. No kidding. It’s just so insanely cozy, delicious, and wonderful. Ahhh… I LOVE fall!

Let me share a little story,…

Last Christmas, J received a whirley-pop from him mom and dad. He asked for it. I made fun of him. What is a whirley-pop, afterall?! I was convinced it would sit in the back of our cupboard, get rusty, and gather dust.

But, I was TOTALLY wrong and I’m okay admitting it. J was right. The whirley-pop is no gimmick. We have TOTALLY used it a TON since we received it (thanks MOM and DAD R!).

So, when we found this recipe for homemade caramel corn, we HAD to try it out!! Of course, using our trusty whirley-pop!

It sounded pretty simple, had basic ingredients, and seemed worth the try.

And, oh my friends,…it is DELICIOUS! You have GOT to try this! So good like caramel corn, but fresh and crunchy and ADDICTING! And, to top it all off,…TOTALLY FALL!!

You can check out the full blog post and recipe here.

Carol’s Caramel Corn, taken from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

  • 15 cups popped corn (9 tablespoons kernels, popped)
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1) Preheat your oven to 200°F and line a half-sheet pan (18″ x 13″ pan) with parchment paper. Pour the popped corn into a large bowl, at least 6 quarts, and set aside.
2) In a large saucepan over medium-high heat bring the molasses, brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
3) Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. Stir well as the mixture turns foamy.
4) Immediately (and carefully) pour the hot syrup over the popped corn and stir until the corn is well coated.
5) Spread the hot caramel corn into the parchment-lined pan. Bake at 200°F for one hour. Stir the corn every 15 minutes during this time.
6) Remove from the oven. This caramel corn is a warm, sticky, sweet and crunchy treat straight from the oven. It can also be cooled and stored airtight for several days. This recipe doubles and triples very well.

HOPE YOU ENJOY!


 

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Baking with Pumpkin,…YUM!

October 8, 2010

Fall is here, which means cozy evenings, yummy soups, and ALL THINGS PUMPKIN!

This past week, Ruby and I whipped up these pumpkin muffins. Yup,…her second bout of baking, not to be mistaken for her first experience last week.

I searched online and found this recipe through allrecipes.com.

DE.LIC.IOUS!

Super moist, pumpkin-y, and easy to whip up! And get this,…the recipe is for THREE LOAVES! I actually made two loaves and a tray of muffins. We ate one loaf with some friends, the other we’ve just about consumed ourselves (yes,…ONLY me, J, and Ruby living in this household!) and the muffins are almost gone. So, you’ll believe me when I say they are well worth baking!

Here’s the recipe, taken from allrecipes.com. Enjoy!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread, taken from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
  3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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A Deep Breath and Some Cookies!

September 28, 2010

I’m back! After a 12 day trip to the East Coast and a week of recovering from all our travels, I’m FINALLY ready to reenter the blog world again. And it feels good.

Wow, what a trip. Ruby had a much harder time adapting to the 3 hour time change, which meant many sleepless nights while at my parents house. On top of that, the three of us caught colds as soon as we arrived (!). All that to say, it made for a slightly exhausting trip. But lets be realistic, it didn’t overshadow the excitement we had to see my family and the pregnant belly’s my older sister and two sister-in-law’s donned. They are FULLY pregnant…SO much fun!

When we flew back to the West Coast last week, all three of us were pooped. So tired. These last few days have been filled with many naps, by Ruby and myself, and bedtimes that have come at 9 o’clock at night by me and J. Going to bed at 9 o’clock at night is unheard of for the adults in this household, but I believe last week they were WELL needed.

So it goes without saying that last week Ruby and I took it easy. A low key week. I backed off from a bit of my work and spent a lot of time just being with my precious muffin and playing with her.

I read about a delicious batch of cookies made by Nicole of Pinch my Salt. Maybe it was because I connected so much with what she wrote, but as soon as I read her post we got straight to baking…

“The world doesn’t stop spinning just because you need a break. So sometimes, in the middle of everything, you’re the one that has to stop. Yesterday, in the middle of an afternoon filled with a million other things I was supposed to be doing, that’s just what I did.

Then I baked cookies.

We all need a break sometimes. Stop. Make a cup of tea. Bake yourself a batch of cookies. Go to a movie in the middle of a weekday afternoon. It’s the times when you feel that it would be impossible to take a break that you should probably do just that.”

In the craziness of life, sometimes its just nice to hear that you’re not alone and there are others out there that are in the same boat. AND, to be reminded that it’s ok to take a deep breath, sit down, and soak it all in for a bit.

Well, Ruby and I took Nicole’s advice and made her cookies. And, oh man!, were they delicious and exactly what we needed.

And, might I add this was Ruby’s first baking experience with her Ma-Ma? AND, I have I told you yet that she’s getting SO big she’s now starting to call me “Mommy” instead of “Ma-Ma”. I have to tell you the truth, I’m not sure how I feel about that. The transition from “Ma-Ma” to “Mommy” means she’s getting big. No longer a baby. A toddler. I’m going to have to come to terms with that… one of these days, that is.

But, I can say the benefit to her becoming a toddler are the many new adventures we are beginning to discover together. Such as baking cookies. Oh my,…was it every precious and did I glow and beam with delight to see my baby baking with me, you ask?! Why,…YES I DID! Just about the same way I glowed and beamed when my baby painted for the very first time. Unbelievable.

I’m thinking this photo will be on the cover of her first cookbook. Baking with Ruby: A One and a Half Year Olds Look at the Wonderful World of Baking. The adorable apron Ruby is wearing was given by our wonderful Dutch friends,…thanks Ruud, Dorinda, and Joshua! xoxo!

And, I don’t need to tell you she loved them and did not stop asking for a “coo-coe” (cookie) all. week. long. She is my daughter,…a sweet tooth indeed.

Thank you, Nicole, for the delicious recipe and the reminder to take a deep breath. We definitely enjoyed both!


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Posted in Crafts for Kids!, Lydia's Food and Feasts | 5 Comments »

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